M I N U T E S
March 5, 2004
MEMBERS PRESENT: Barone, Blasi, Cotter, Hirsh, Nedick, Panayotatos (Chair), Rabinowitz (Vice Chair), Swalagin (Executive Secretary)
EXCUSED: Manhoff, Rijhsinghani
ALSO ATTENDING: Furmanski (Administrative Liaison), Leath (Faculty BOG Representative), Sclar (Newark Faculty Campus Liaison
The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, March 5, 2004 at 1:10 p.m. in the Cap and Skull Room, Rutgers Student Center, College Avenue Campus.
1. Chairperson’s Report
Vice Chairperson Rabinowitz convened the meeting at 1:20 p.m., and presided until Chairperson Panayotatos arrived at 1:30 p.m. and assumed the chair. The Chairperson’s Report was deferred until after the Secretary’s Report.
2. Secretary's Report
Minutes: The Minutes of the February 6, 2004 Executive Committee meeting were approved.
Communications: The following communications were presented by Secretary Swalagin, and acted upon as noted:
Chairperson Panayotatos’s Chairperson’s Report included comments on: formation of a University Ad Hoc Commencement Committee, on which he and Senator Hirsh will serve, and which will be chaired by Seth Gopin; his meeting with Targum staff regarding referenda and continuation of the checked-box status on the term bill, and the availability of Targum’s financial information online at Guidestar.com; his decision not to run for Senate chair next year; his plan to summarize the Senate’s accomplishments, and the lack of any record of Senate advice being adopted as University policy on best practices for use of evaluations, appointment of deans, and FASIP awards; and ongoing revision of University Regulations, including those pertaining to the Senate, which he characterized as “tidying up,” and not requiring Senate input at this time. There followed some discussion of the Senate bylaws revision charge currently in the University Structure and Governance Committee. Chairperson Panayotatos continued his report by noting that the University administration is willing to change University Regulations’ to reflect an alternative to the term “enrollment management,” and soliciting Executive Committee members’ suggestions for alternative terms. He concluded his report by summarizing his recent advice to the University Structure and Governance Committee, and giving a copy of that advice to Secretary Swalagin. The advice included recommendations on: continued senatorial status of the immediate past chair, limiting the role of the Senate secretary in several respects, and procedures for election of at-large faculty Senators.
3. Administrative Report
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Furmanski delivered the administrative report, which included comments on: the state budget; initiation of major stem cell research at Rutgers; and goodwill statements and commitments by the state regarding jobs, goals, and the economy, including some issues formerly associated with, but now decoupled from, the bond issue and restructuring. At this point there was discussion of possible examination of intellectual property rights by the Senate and Rutgers. Vice President Furmanski continued his report with comments on: continuing efforts to enhance collaboration between Rutgers and other institutions, including exploration of ways to create “virtual restructuring”; and ongoing creation and refinement of an all-funds budgeting process. Chairperson Panayotatos gave Vice President Furmanski copies of three Senate actions which were submitted to the Lawrence administration, the implementation of which Chairperson Panayotatos had discussed with President McCormick.
4. Selection and Charge of Nominating Panel for April 2004 Election of Officers
The standard charge to the Nominating Panel, as well as last year’s membership, was reviewed. Chairperson Panayotatos said that Senator O’Connor is again willing to chair the panel. Following discussion, the following Senators were named to the 2004-05 Nominating Panel:
Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee Response to Charge S-0309, Evaluation of Administrators, Review: Chairperson Panayotatos, co-chair of the Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee, summarized the committee’s report on charge S-0309, which had been issued as follows: “Evaluate the current procedures for faculty, staff and student evaluation of deans after the completion of two cycles of evaluation. Recommend changes where appropriate, and examine the feasibility of extending the process to include vice presidents and other administrators.” Following discussion, the report was docketed for action at the March 26, 2004 Senate meeting.
Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee (ICAC) Response to Charge S-0303, Winter Session Review (Revised): The Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee report on charge S-0303, which had been revised by the ICAC to include specific recommendations for action by the administration, as requested by the Executive Committee in February, was reviewed. The original charge had been issued as follows: “Review the status of recommendations made regarding Winter Session, pursuant to the Instruction, Curricula and Advising (then Educational Policy and Planning) Committee report approved by the University Senate on October 27, 2000. The report was docketed for action at the March 26, 2004 Senate meeting.
Student Affairs Committee (SAC) Response to Charge A-0315, Knight Express Card Report: The Executive Committee reviewed the Student Affairs Committee’s response to charge A-0315, which had been issued as follows: Review and comment on the Knight Express Card Committee Report. Following discussion, Secretary Swalagin was instructed to ask the SAC to remove the report’s the last recommendation, that “the University Senate accept the report of the Knight Express Card Committee and commend the hard work of its members,” noting that the report was neither a Senate report, nor was it written for the Senate. If the SAC agrees to the change, the report will be docketed for action at the March 26, 2004 Senate meeting.
Summary of Route 18 Construction Project Plans: Senator Leath, who chairs the University’s Route 18 Widening Committee, presented a summary of the project’s plans, and responded to questions. A similar presentation by Senator Leath, approximately 15 minutes long, and followed by a five-minute questions-only period was docketed for the March 26, 2004 Senate meeting. Robert Spear, Director of Parking and Transportation Services, will be invited to attend the Senate meeting, and asked to remain afterward to respond to questions and receive suggestions for minimizing the disruption of services which will result from the construction. Secretary Swalagin will inform the Senate that suggestions can also be e-mailed to the Route 18 committee at rt18@rci.rutgers.edu.
Potential Charge to Student Affairs Committee on Timing of Placement of Textbook Orders: A potential charge proposed by SAC Co-chair Marilyn Novell was discussed. It was noted that the issue was covered under a previous Senate and SAC report and resolution on textbook buyback, the acknowledgment of which had been received from President McCormick, in which he notes that “The administration is committed to improving textbook buyback and has been working with faculty and the bookstores on ways to make it as easy as possible for faculty members to work through the process. We will make a special effort to work with those faculty members who have not met the deadlines for book orders in the past.” No charge was issued.
Potential Charge to Student Affairs Committee on Route 18 Construction Project Effects on Student Quality of Life: A potential charge proposed by SAC Co-chair Marilyn Novell was discussed. Senator Leath will contact Senator Novell regarding her joining the student subcommittee of the Route 18 Widening Committee.
Potential Charge to Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) on the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics’ (COIA) request for review, comment and suggested revision of the COIA Draft Principles, Proposed Rules, and Guidelines Concerning the Faculty Role in Campus Athletics Governance: The COIA request included a very short deadline, so the Executive Committee agreed that Chairperson Panayotatos should provide feedback in his capacity as Senate chair rather than solicit an official response from the full Senate. The Executive Committee suggested soliciting feedback for the response from selected relevant people, including ASRAC Co-chairs Brazier and Oren, Rutgers College Dean Carl Kirschner, NCAA Faculty Representative Tom Stephens, and Faculty Council Chairs Tyler Hoffman, Diana Sclar, and Haym Hirsh (who might in turn solicit feedback from their constituencies).
6. Old Business
Senator Nedick asked the committee to revisit a previously considered charge to be issued to the University Structure and Governance Committee regarding addition of a voting student representative to the Board of Governors. The originally proposed charged was amended, resulting in the following draft charge: “Investigate why there is no student voting representative on the Board of Governors in the spirit of N.J.S.A.18A:64-3.1, which states that the Board of Trustees of every state college must provide for the election of two student representatives who serve two year terms and are voting members in their second year, considering that at Rutgers the Board of Governors is currently equivalent to the Board of Trustees at most New Jersey colleges. Report back as to why this is not the case and make appropriate recommendations as to if and how this issue should be pursued. Investigate the same issues relative to faculty membership on the Board of Governors.” The draft charge will be reviewed by Senators Nedick and Blasi (co-chair of the University Structure and Governance Committee), revised if necessary, and brought back to the Executive Committee for reconsideration.
Senator Nedick raised the issue of potential conflicts of interest which could arise during Targum and NJPIRG referenda if members of the Senate Student Affairs Committee, which hears procedural appeals relative to referenda, are also hired as referendum employees. Noting that the referendum guidelines are currently under review by the University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC), the Executive Committee agreed that any such conflicts would be handled internally within the Student Affairs Committee, with any SAC members employed by the referendum being recused from any appeals relating to that referendum. Secretary Swalagin will forward the current SAC roster to the Targum referendum coordinator, and the USGC will include this element in their consideration of the referendum guidelines revision.
7. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 3:52 p.m. by Chairperson Panayotatos.
Kenneth Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the Senate