March 13, 2009 Rutgers University Senate Executive Committee Minutes

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENATE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
M I N U T E S

March 13, 2009

MEMBERS PRESENT: Bodnar, Gould, Greaux, Greenhut, Leath, McArdle, Nolfi, Pignatiello, Panayotatos, Rabinowitz (Chair), Swalagin (Executive Secretary), Thompson

MEMBERS EXCUSED: Borisovets, Bubb

ALSO ATTENDING: Cotter (Faculty BOG Representative), Furmanski (Administrative Liaison), McCormick (Administrative Liaison)

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, March 13, 2009 at 1:10 p.m. in the Executive Board Room of Administrative Services Building-III, Cook Campus.

1. Chairperson’s Report

Senate and Executive Committee Chairperson Samuel Rabinowitz called the meeting to order at 1:20 p.m. There was no chairperson's report.

2. Executive Secretary’s Report

Agenda: The meeting agenda was approved as distributed by the executive secretary.

Minutes: The February 6, 2009 Senate Executive Committee Meeting Minutes were approved as distributed by the executive secretary.

Communications:

A Draft Schedule of 2009-2010 Senate and Executive Committee meetings was reviewed and approved by the Executive Committee.
Members were appointed to the current year's Appeals Panel.

3. Administrative Report

President McCormick presented an administrative report which included comments on:

the state and university budget, particularly the cuts for next year;
the state's withdrawal of funding for the current year's contractually obligated salary increases, and a meeting that morning with academic leaders, union representatives and administrative leadership aimed at responding to the situation; and
the federal stimulus package, and New Jersey's management of the portion of that package earmarked for higher education.

President McCormick and Executive Vice President Furmanski heard and responded to comments and questions from the Executive Committee which were related to the budget.

4.    Standing Committees

Committee Reports:

The Budget and Finance Committee Response to Charge S-0709, InterCampus Shuttle Service was summarized by Ken Swalagin (BFC Chair Menahem Spiegel was unable to attend the meeting), discussed by the Executive Committee, and docketed for action at the March 27 Senate meeting.

A Student Affairs Committee Response to Charge S-0802, Policies on Participation in Blood Drives, which had been tentatively docketed, was withdrawn because the report was not completed.

The University Structure and Governance Committee Revised Response to Charge A-0810, Including Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration as Administrator Senator was discussed at some length. Questions were raised about procedure going forth with the report, which had been amended when introduced at the February 2009 Senate meeting. The Executive Committee voted to proceed with voting on the amended recommendations contained in the report at the upcoming Senate meeting.

[President McCormick and Executive Vice President Furmanski left the meeting at 2:47 p.m.]

A University Structure and Governance Committee Response to Charge S-0805, Senate Representation by Full-time, Non-tenure-track Faculty was summarized by USGC Co-chair Tricia Nolfi, discussed by the Executive Committee, and subsequently sent back to committee at Nolfi's suggestion.

Committee Charges:

Request to Drop Charge S-0711: The Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee's request that Charge S-0711, on Tenure-Track Career Flexibility, be dropped was approved by the Executive Committee.

A proposal authored by PTL Faculty Senator Won-Jong Rhee, on Rutgers' Food Distribution Systems, which had been forwarded to Secretary Swalagin for Executive Committee consideration, was discussed. Senator Greenhut told the committee that Senator Rhee's intent was actually for the administration to consider his proposal. Senator Nolfi, through whom the proposal reached Secretary Swalagin, will respond to Senator Rhee. No charge was issued.

5.    Selection of Nominating Panel Members for Election of 2009-10 Senate Officers, Executive Committee Members, and Board Representatives: Members of the 2009 Senate Nominating Panel were identified by the Executive Committee. Senator Greaux volunteered to serve, and was accepted, as chair of the Nominating Panel. Senators Greaux and Thompson spoke about possible legislation pending which would add employee and student membership to Rutgers' Board of Governors. Senator Greaux will contact Sharon Ainsworth and/or Jeannine LaRue about the matter, and will report to the Executive Committee at the next meeting.

6.    March 27, 2009 Senate Meeting Agenda: The March 27, 2009 Senate meeting will be held in New Brunswick, and will include a committee-of-the-whole discussion on academic integrity policy (led by Senator Cotter), and the two committee reports docketed above. The Executive Committee agreed on a time limit of 20 minutes for the academic integrity policy discussion. [An additional report was docketed for the March Senate meeting under "Old Business." See section 7 of these minutes, below.]

7.    Old Business: There was no old business.

8.    New Business: Senator Cotter, who co-chairs the Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee, said that her committee had agreed on a general outline for assessing financial aid, and that she was drafting a Response to Charge S-0605, Admissions and Financial Aid Assessment, which she asked to have docketed for the March 27 Senate meeting. The Executive Committee agreed to docket the report.

9.    Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 3:52 p.m.

Ken Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the University Senate