RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENATE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
M I N U T E S
April 13, 2012

MEMBERS PRESENT: Barraco (by phone), Borisovets, Bubb, Gould, McKeever, Panayotatos (Chair), Paterno, Puhak, Rosario, Swalagin (Executive Secretary), Thompson, Yoon

MEMBERS EXCUSED: Gillett, Muse

ALSO ATTENDING: Cotter (Faculty Board of Trustees Representative), Edwards (Administrative Liaison/Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs), McCormick (Administrative Liaison/University President), Rabinowitz (Faculty Board of Governors Representative), Shapiro (New Brunswick Faculty Liaison), Spiegel (Faculty Board of Trustee Representative)

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, April 13, 2012 at 1:10 p.m. in the Executive Board Room of Administrative Services Building-III, Cook Campus.

1. Chairperson’s Report  - Paul Panayotatos, Senate Chairperson

Senate and Executive Committee Chairperson Paul Panayotatos called the meeting to order at 1:15 p.m. He said he would bring a Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics (COIA) issue later in the meeting.

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

President McCormick presented an administrative report which included comments on:
President McCormick then responded to questions or heard comments from those present on subjects including:
4.    Standing Committees

Committee Reports:

Budget and Finance Committee Response to Charge S-1103 on Information Technology and IT Services at Rutgers - Budget and Finance Committee (BFC) Chair Menahem Spiegel summarized his committee's response to Charge S-1103 on Information Technology and IT Services at Rutgers. The report was discussed at some length, with significant concerns expressed regarding Dell Kase software. It was suggested that Don Smith, Vice President for Information Technology, should be asked to attend any Senate meeting at which this report, if it includes discussion of Dell Kase, is presented so he could respond with authority to questions. The report was not docketed for action at the upcoming Senate meeting.

Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee Response to Charge S-0808A Implementation of 2006 Senate Recommendations on Availability of Syllabi - Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee (ICAC) Chair Natalie Borisovets summarized the status of her committee's response to Charge S-0808A on Implementation of 2006 Senate Recommendations on Availability of Syllabi. The report is not yet complete, so the reporting deadline was extended to September 2012, as requested by Borisovets.

[BFC Chair Menahem Spiegel left the meeting at 2:00 p.m.]

Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee Response to Charge S-1003, Academic Calendar, Part 2, Continued - Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee Co-chair Martha Cotter distributed hardcopies of, and summarized, her committee's report on Charge S-1003 on Academic Calendar, Part 2, Continued. The report was discussed, and docketed for action at the upcoming Senate meeting.

Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee Response to Charge S-1016A on Academic Freedom and Faculty Participation in University Governance - Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee Co-chair Paul Panayotatos summarized his committee's report on Charge S-1016A on Academic Freedom and Faculty Participation in University Governance. The report was discussed, and docketed for action at the upcoming Senate meeting.

[President McCormick and Executive Vice President Edwards left the meeting at 2:30 p.m.]

Research, and Graduate and Professional Education Committee Response to Charge S-1108 on Research Support Infrastructure - The Research and Graduate and Professional Education Committee (RGPEC) report on Charge S-1108 on Research Support Infrastructure had been docketed but was not available for this meeting, nor was a committee representative present to discuss it. The reporting deadline was extended to September 2012. [Note: The charge was divided and modified at the May 2012 Executive Committee meeting.]

Student Affairs Committee Response to Charge S-1202 on Separation of Rutgers-Camden and Rutgers-Camden/Rowan Cost Comparison - Student Affairs Committee (SAC) Co-chair Robert Barraco summarized the status of his committee's report on Charge S-1202 on Separation of Rutgers Camden. He said that a survey had been constructed, and data collected, but that the report was not yet written. [Note: The links above are to the reports as eventually received and acted upon by the Senate at the May 2012 meeting.] The issue was discussed, and Barraco said he would draft a report and send it to Ken Swalagin the following week. The report was docketed for action at the upcoming Senate meeting.

Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee Response to Charge S-1203 on Separation of Rutgers-Camden from Rutgers University - FPAC Co-chair Panayotatos summarized his committee's report on Charge S-1203 on Separation of Rutgers-Camden from Rutgers University. The report was discussed, modified slightly, and docketed for action at the upcoming Senate meeting. [Note: The above link goes to the report as adopted by the Senate.]

 Issues/Proposed Charges:

Deadline Extensions Required for Pending Charges: Pending charges were reviewed, and reporting deadlines extended as needed.

Proposed Charge to Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee on Rutgers-China: A proposed charge to the FPAC, submitted by Karen Thompson, on a new, joint venture between Rutgers and South China University of Technology was discussed, modified slightly, and issued as follows: 

Investigate and consider the extent to which academic freedom and students' right to free speech and assembly will be the standard at the new, joint venture that Rutgers is undertaking with South China University of Technology. Investigate the profile of the expected faculty, detailing what proportions will be tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure-track, and full-time or part-time. Consider the need for any initiative to which Rutgers attaches its name and where Rutgers faculty may be affiliated to maintain all the protections and freedoms associated with employment here in the United States. Make recommendations on how to best ensure that Rutgers' name and faculty are protected with regard to academic freedom, tenure, and freedom of expression and assembly. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by December 2012.
5.   Nominating Panel Update and Suggestion of Candidates for 2012-13 Senate Officers, Executive Committee Members, and Board Representatives - Ken Swalagin summarized the status of Nominating Panel work on the slate of candidates for the upcoming election of 2012-13 Senate officers, Executive Committee members, and board representatives. Noting difficulties in confirming student-Senator elections at the end of the year, and the many student-position vacancies often remaining on the Senate roster at the end of the academic year, Swalagin suggested postponing election of student members of the Executive Committee until the student-Senator roster is more complete in September. The Executive Committee did not endorse the idea. Natalie Borisovets proposed considering two-year terms for student Senators. The Executive Committee did not endorse the suggestion.

6.    University Senate April 27, 2012 Agendas:

In addition to the items docketed above for the April 27, 2012 regular Senate meeting, the Executive Committee established timetables and the agenda for the organizational/election meeting.

7.    Old Business

New Code of Student Conduct, and References to Academic Integrity Policy: Martha Cotter said that a new Code of Student Conduct might be issued in the fall, which may also require changes in the Academic Integrity Policy (AIP). She said that the changes would be largely editorial, because the new Code may say, "See the Academic Integrity Policy for procedures" which is not the way it is currently written. Noting that the Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC), which she co-chairs, was given permission to approve minor changes to the AIP, Cotter asked for, and received, Executive Committee agreement that some members of the ASRAC make editorial changes in the AIP so that it doesn't refer back to the Code of Student Conduct. The ASRAC should brief the Executive Committee on any such changes made.

8.    New Business

Endorsement of Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics (COIA) Steering Committee Policy Recommendations: Paul Panayotatos explained that COIA had requested that member senates endorse the five recommendations listed as "Steering Committee Policy Recommendations, February 2012" in the COIA recommendations by April 15. The New Brunswick Faculty Council had acted on the matter, but the University Senate is the COIA contact of record. The Executive Committee, on behalf of the University Senate, endorsed those five recommendations in order to meet COIA's response deadline of April 15.

9.    Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 3:56 p.m.

Written and Submitted by,

Ken Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the University Senate