RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENATE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
M I N U T E S
April 10, 2015

MEMBERS PRESENT: Barraco, Boikess, Borisovets, Burrell (by phone), Cotter, Gould (Chair), Janniger, Oliver, Otto, Puhak, Thompson, Velan

MEMBERS EXCUSED:  Bodrog, Joshi, Langer, Swalagin (Executive Secretary)

ALSO ATTENDING:  R. Edwards (Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs), M. Mickelsen (Senate Administrative Assistant), S. Rabinowitz (Faculty Representative to the Board of Governors), R. Schwartz (Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees)

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, April 10, 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 Chairperson Ann Gould called the meeting to order at 1:17 p.m.  Gould mentioned in her Chair's Report that she and Martha Cotter will be meeting with President Barchi on April 27.

2.  Secretary's Report - Mary Mickelsen, Administrative Assistant to the Senate
3.  Administrative Liaison Report

Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Richard Edwards presented an administrative report which included comments on:
Edwards then responded to questions or heard comments on subjects including:
4.  Committee Reports

Research and Graduate & Professional Education Committee (RGPEC) Response to Charge S-1207 on Support for International Students Survey - RGPEC Chair Jane Otto summarized the committee's report on Charge S-1207 on Support for International Students, including the survey document and results.  The RGPEC had been charged as follows:

Charge S-1207, Support for International Students: Investigate and make recommendations with regard to core university support for international students and postpocs, particularly in the area of visas.

The report was docketed for Senate action at the May 1 Senate meeting.

Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee (FPAC) Response to Charge S-1406 on Balance of Full-time and Part-time Faculty Teaching - FPAC Co-Chair Ann Gould summarized her committee's report on Charge S-1406 on Balance of Full-time and Part-time Faculty Teaching. The FPAC had been charged as follows:

Charge S-1406, Balance of Full-time and Part-time Faculty Teaching: Consider the 1999 Report on the Balance of Full-time and Part-time Faculty Teaching at Rutgers University, and, with updated numbers and charts from the Office of Academic Affairs, make recommendations concerning changing the trends and shifting percentages.  [Note: Data received from the administration on the issue in 2010 were updated but incomplete. The request for updated information was renewed in March 2012. A Preliminary Response on this matter was adopted by the Senate at the May 2014 meeting. This charge is a continuation of Charge S-1012.]

The report was docketed for Senate action at the May 1 Senate meeting.

Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) Response to Charge S-1414 on Removing Barriers to the Education of Veterans - ASRAC Co-Chair Martha Cotter summarized her committee's report on Charge S-1414 on Removing Barriers to the Education of Veterans.  The ASRAC had been charged as follows:

Charge S-1414, Removing Barriers to the Education of Veterans: Examine obstacles preventing military veterans from expeditiously completing their education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. If appropriate, recommend policy and process changes that would expedite completion of studies and promote growth of inter-campus collaboration. Refer to the Student Caucus rationale for this charge when deliberating.

This report was docketed for Senate action at the May 1 Senate meeting.

5.  Issues/Proposed Charges

Proposal to Reorganize the School of Public Health (RSPH), submitted by Jasjit Ahluwalia, RSPH Dean Designate and Brian Strom, RBHS Chancellor: Senate Vice Chair Martha Cotter summarized her and Ann Gould's  meeting with Jasjit Ahluwalia, and his proposed charge to the Senate, which states, in part:

"The proposed reorganization and expansion will expand the breadth and depth of SPH research programs by increasing its number of faculty and encouraging collaborations; unify faculty across RBHS with a public health focus; and enhance SPH educational, research, and service programs.  This will be achieved with full approval and endorsement of affected faculty and without loss of any faculty positions. This is the first step of many that will be planned in the upcoming years as we strive to compete with the strongest schools of public health in the country."

Due to the many concerns voiced by the majority of the Executive Committee this proposal will be tabled until Ann and Martha can meet with Dean Designate Ahluwalia and Chancellor Strom and obtain more detailed information.

[Burrell left the meeting at 2:58 p.m.]

Potential Charge to Budget and Finance Committee (BFC) on Office of Informational Technology Responsiveness - submitted by Senator Charles Heckscher, BFC Member: Ann Gould summarized the email from Charles who wrote, in part:

"My department has asked me to voice a concern about the way the computer outage was handled a couple of weeks ago -- especially the lack of any information at all over 48 hours. Many faculty struggled individually to figure out what was going on in that time and to work out how to reach their students."

Mary Mickelsen, Administrative Assistant to the Senate, mentioned Charles called the Senate office a few days prior and stated he was advised to do so by Senator Menahem Spiegel, BFC Chair, and that Menahem may have more specific charge language. Menahem was out of the country and could, perhaps, furnish that language upon his return.

New Brunswick Faculty Council Resolution on Shared Governance - submitted by Robert Boikess, Senator and NBFC Committee Chair:  Robert summarized the NBFC Resolution on Shared Governance which has been submitted as follows:

"The NBFC calls upon the University to incorporate the following statement into the University Policy Library:  All faculty or students or staff who are participants in shared governance shall be free to communicate about the functioning of the University without restraint or fear of discipline."

Ann Gould and Martha Cotter will discuss this resolution with President Barchi at their meeting on April 27.

Proposed Charge to Instruction, Curricula, and Advising Committee on Class Attendance Record Keeping Requirements for Students Receiving Federal Funds - suggested by Fran Bouchoux, Interim Senior Vice President and Chief Enterprise Risk, Ethics, and Compliance Officer: Ann Gould summarized the proposal on Class Attendance Record Keeping Requirements for Students Receiving Federal Grants which had been submitted as follows:

"We ask that the University Senate provide guidance, in collaboration with relevant units, to develop a systematic approach to complying with attendance requirements. The DoE's guidance on this issue suggests institutions have a broad latitude in its approach to capture the necessary information. Collaboration in developing a clearly defined protocol will assure an efficient and optimal way that best suits the academic practices at Rutgers."

ICAC has accepted this charge after Natalie Borisovets, ICAC Chair, creates official charge language.

6.  Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Committee

Leslie Fehrenbach, University Secretary, has issued a call for nominations for commencement speakers and honorary degree candidates. Ann Gould reported the Senate Honorary Degree Committee - New Brunswick, in the absence of official protocol, will proceed in the same manner as it did last year and will meet the morning of June 5.

7.  Nominating Panel

Ken Swalagin has issued  a call to all Senators for self-nominations to Senate leadership, Executive Committee member and board representative positions. Robert Puhak and Jon Oliver have volunteered to co-chair the Nominating Panel. The year's Nominating Panel charge is online. Ann Gould asked for self nominations from the table; Robert Schwartz and Edmund Janniger nominated themselves.

8.  Old Business

Questions from Senate Committees related to the Division of Graduate Studies Proposal, and Overview of Graduate School - New Brunswick and GSBS Overview - submitted by Kathleen Scotto, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Dean and Jerome Kukor, Graduate School-New Brunswick Dean.

Ann Gould red the email she received from Dean Kukor thanking the Senate for their guidance thus far however, there is no need for action until September.

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

This matter was reviewed at the February Executive Committee meeting, where it was discussed that, ICAC Chair Natalie Borisovets, would draft a charge to be issued to the ICAC on related work they are already doing. Natalie will have that language by the next EC meeting on June 5. Details of the proposal.

9.  New Business

There was no new business.

10.  University Senate Agenda for May 1, 2015

The May 1 Senate meeting agenda was determined, and will include:
11.  Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 3:41 p.m.

Minutes written and submitted by:
Mary Mickelsen
Administrative Assistant to the University Senate