RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENATE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
M I N U T E S
March 6, 2015

MEMBERS PRESENT: Barraco, Boikess, Borisovets, Burrell (by phone), Cotter, Gould (Chair), Janniger, Joshi, Langer, Otto, Puhak, Swalagin (Executive Secretary), Thompson, Velan

MEMBERS EXCUSED:  Bodrog, Oliver

ALSO ATTENDING: Barchi (University President), F. Bouchoux (Interim Vice President and Chief Enterprise Risk Management, Ethics and Compliance Officer), Rabinowitz (Faculty Representative to the Board of Governors), Schwartz (Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees), K. Scotto (Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Dean), Spiegel (Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees)

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, March 6, 2015 at 1:10 p.m. in the Executive Board Room of Administrative Services Building-III, Cook Campus.

1.    Chair’s Report 

Senate and Executive Committee Chair Ann Gould called the meeting to order at 1:17 p.m., saying that she wanted to make sure that the law schools merger would go to the Senate at the next meeting, and that the merger of the graduate schools would also move forward through the Senate approval process. Gould also said she wanted to do some brainstorming on what the Senate might do for Rutgers' 250th anniversary.

2.    Secretary’s Report - Ken Swalagin, Executive Secretary of the Senate
 3.    Administrative Liaison Report - Robert Barchi, University President

University President Robert Barchi presented an administrative report, which included comments on:
4.    Standing Committees/Proposed Charges

Division of Graduate Studies Proposal, and Overview of Graduate School - New Brunswick - Submitted by Kathleen Scotto, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Dean, and Jerome Kukor, Graduate School - New Brunswick Dean

Kathleen Scotto, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Dean, joined the meeting at 1:45 p.m. to speak about the proposed formation of a Division of Graduate Studies in New Brunswick. The proposal was discussed at some length, but resulted in no action at this point in the meeting. However, later in the meeting, it was decided that Kukor and Scotto would be asked for documentation that could be sent to Senate committees for review at their March 27 meetings. Committee chairs would then be asked to forward each committee's questions to Ken Swalagin so they can be sent to Scotto and Kukor for responses. [Scotto left the meeting at 2:08 p.m.]

5.    Discussion of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Issues for Possible Committee Consideration and Charges - Fran Bouchoux, Interim Senior Vice President and Chief Enterprise Risk Management, Ethics and Compliance Officer

Fran Bouchoux, Interim Senior Vice President, joined the meeting at 2:08 p.m. She spoke about her background, and about Enterprise Risk Management. Two issues Bouchoux mentioned that may be of interest to the University Senate are:

Bouchoux will send Ken Swalagin a rationale for issuing a charge to the Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee on the attendance matter. No charge was issued on either matter.

4.    Standing Committees/Proposed Charges (continued)

Committee Reports: 

Budget and Finance Committee (BFC) Response to Charge S-1408 on Athletics Program Deficits - BFC Chair Menahem Spiegel summarized his committee's report on Charge S-1408 on Athletics Program Deficits. The BFC had been charged as follows:

Charge S-1408, Athletics Program Deficits: "Study the sources and the use of funds by the Athletic Department and make recommendations concerning the use of funds from the University operating budget and student fees to support athletics expenditures. When discussing this charge, the Budget and Finance Committee may wish to ask the Student Affairs Committee for input relative to student funding of athletics. It may also want to consider the recent New Brunswick Faculty Council’s detailed report entitled the 'Athletics Program's Revenues, Expenditures, and Deficit.'"

Martha Cotter noted that much of the report's section on the long-range financial plan was taken from the New Brunswick Faculty Council report on this subject, and asked that a reference be added to the report. Spiegel agreed to add that reference. The report was docketed for action at the upcoming Senate meeting.

Issues/Proposed Charges:

Proposed Charge to Research, and Graduate and Professional Education Committee (RGPEC) on Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) Implementation, and Rationale, submitted by Jane Otto, RGPEC Chair: 

RGPEC Chair Jane Otto summarized her proposed charge on ORCID. The charge was issued as follows: Investigate and make recommendations with regard to an implementation of Open Researcher and Contributor IDs (ORCID) (i.e. issuing ORCID IDs) at Rutgers. If deemed appropriate, make specific recommendations for incremental implementation, for example, beginning with the graduate school(s). Identify benefits, processes, timeline, who would be involved, and approximate costs. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by December 2015.

Division of Graduate Studies Proposal, and Overview of Graduate School - New Brunswick - Submitted by Kathleen Scotto, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Dean, and Jerome Kukor, Graduate School - New Brunswick Dean

Discussion continued on the Division of Graduate Studies proposal, which began at the previous Executive Committee meeting. Ann Gould will ask the proposers for additional documentation that can be sent to the Senate's standing committees for review, and to formulate questions on the subject. The questions are to be sent to Ken Swalagin to be compiled and sent to Kukor and Scotto.

Proposed Charge to Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) on Academic Calendar for All RBHS Units - Suggested by Matthew Miller, Assistant RBHS Registrar

A proposed charge to the ASRAC on the academic calendar for all RBHS units was discussed briefly. Martha Cotter said that University Registrar Ken Iuso had been working on this issue, and that she will email him to ask what he is looking for. Cotter will then draft a charge to the ASRAC to be issued with a one-year due date.

6.    Old Business

Continued Discussion of Proposed Merger of School of Law - Camden and School of Law - Newark 

Discussion of the proposed merger of the two Rutgers law schools continued, and was based on the following supporting documents:
The deans' responses to Senate committee questions were distributed in hardcopy at the meeting, and reviewed. The responses will be forwarded to the Senate. Ann Gould and Ken Swalagin will draft a Senate resolution endorsing the merger, and that will be brought to the Senate floor at the upcoming Senate meeting. Prior to the Senate meeting, all standing committee chairs will be asked to send any concerns or additional questions to Swalagin within one week.

Proposed Charge on Modifying Academic Calendar and Exam Times for Online Courses, submitted by James Massachaele, Executive Vice Dean of SAS-NB via email as follows:

"I write in my capacity as Executive Vice-Dean of SAS to ask the Senate to consider a proposal for making an adjustment to the University's exam schedule. A number of faculty in SAS have asked for an improved process for scheduling final exams in online courses. Currently the University makes no provision for this. Many faculty who teach online courses feel that in-person final exams are the best way to ensure the integrity of the exam. To make the scheduling of final exams for online courses more effective, we propose that the University set aside and advertise certain time slots as standard exam times for online courses. You can find details of the proposal on the attached document. Please let me know if you need more detail or if there is a different avenue I need to pursue to have the proposal considered by the Senate."

This matter was discussed at the January Executive Committee meeting, where it was suggested that ASRAC Chair Martha Cotter would consult with Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee (ICAC) Chair Natalie Borisovets to determine how this issue may fit in with ICAC discussions on exam space and facilities, and online course exams. The issue was discussed again at the February meeting, at which Academic Standards, Regulations, Admissions Committee Co-chair Martha Cotter and Instruction, Curriculum and Advising Committee Chair Natalie Borisovets were present. Cotter and Borisovets agreed to draft a charge on the matter, which will come to the Executive Committee. At this meeting, Borisovets said she will ask for a charge to the ICAC on work they've already been doing on a related issue, and would include this component in that charge as well.

7.    New Business

Discussion of Senate Participation in Rutgers' 250th Anniversary: Various ideas for Senate participation in Rutgers' 250th anniversary were suggested, and the committee decided to explore the idea of a symposium on shared governance. Ann Gould said the Executive Committee should create a supporting proposal, and ask the administration for help with the project.

8.    University Senate Agenda for March 27, 2015

The March 27 Senate meeting agenda was determined, and will include:
 9.    Adjournment
 
The meeting adjourned at 4:31 p.m.

Minutes written and submitted by,

Ken Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the University Senate