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

April 17, 2009

MEMBERS PRESENT: Borisovets, Bubb, Gould, Greaux, Greenhut, Leath, McArdle, Panayotatos, Rabinowitz (Chair), Swalagin (Executive Secretary), Thompson

MEMBERS EXCUSED:  Bodnar, Nolfi, Pignatiello

ALSO ATTENDING: Cooke (Student BOG Representative), Cotter (Faculty BOG Representative), Furmanski (Administrative Liaison), Kaplan (Undergraduate Student BOT Representative), McCormick (Administrative Liaison)

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, April 17, 2009 at 1:10 p.m. in the Executive Board Room of Administrative Services Building-III, Cook Campus.

• 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,
• planning in all units of the university for implementing the budget reductions;
• Rutgers' budget advisory group, which will convene on April 30, and which will include representatives from unions, faculty, students and staff on all three campuses;
• the federal stimulus package, and New Jersey's management of the portion of that package earmarked for higher education;
• efforts to work with the state legislature to restore, or at least mitigate the damage of, the budget cuts; and
• ongoing administrative searches (on which President McCormick gave details later in the meeting).

• budget-reduction plans for all units, including athletics;
• possible mechanisms through which faculty or staff could voluntarily forego raises to meet the budget-cut needs of their units;
• follow-up on the Federal Stimulus Act discussions from the previous Executive Committee meeting, and Furmanski's plan to discuss that with legislators when he meets with them in Trenton later that day;
• staff layoffs, and ways in which they might be prevented or minimized in individual units;
• preservation of resources, including recycling;
• effects of budget reductions on faculty recruitment, and on part-time faculty; and
• transparency of the budget-reduction discussions and processes.

• Wendell Pritchett appointed chancellor of the Camden Campus;
• Bill Holzemer appointed dean of the School of Nursing;
• John Farmer appointed dean of the School of Law-Newark;
• anticipated announcement of appointment of a dean of the School of Engineering;
• the possibility of extending the search for dean of the Graduate School-New Brunswick; and
• plans to redouble efforts to recruit women candidates for deanships.

• the possibility of furloughing employees to meet budget reductions; and
• the search for Vice President for Faculty and Staff Resources (on which McCormick said Rutgers is on the verge of making an offer and appointment).