RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENATE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
 
M I N U T E S
 
April 18, 2008
 
 
MEMBERS PRESENT:  Becker, Borisovets, Cooke, Cotter, Greenhut, Gould, Leath (Vice Chair), McCall, Puniello, Rabinowitz (Chair), Stein, Swalagin (Executive Secretary), Thompson
 
MEMBERS EXCUSED:  Adam, Bodnar
 
ALSO ATTENDING:  Furmanski (Administrative Liaison), Nolfi (University Structure and Governance Committee Chair)
 
The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, April 18, 2008 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 1:21 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 March 7, 2008 Senate Executive Committee Meeting Minutes were approved as distributed by the executive secretary.

Communications: Secretary Swalagin updated the Executive Committee (EC) on the progress of the Nominations Panel's formulation of a slate of candidates for the upcoming election of Senate chair, vice chair, Executive Committee members, and board representatives, and about the Senate's PTL election, which he was conducting electronically.

3.         Administrative Report
 
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Philip Furmanski's administrative report included comments on:
4.         Standing Committees
 
Committee Charges: Senator Stein withdrew a charge she had proposed on utilization of NJEDge.

Committee Reports:

Student Affairs Committee (SAC) on S-0708, Student Charter Trustees and Board of Governors Membership - Sam Rabinowitz, SAC co-chair, summarized the SAC report on Student Charter Trustee elections and board of governors membership. The report was docketed for action on the Senate's May 2, 2008 agenda.

Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee (ICAC) on S-0703, Intersession and Attachment on WinterSession AAUs - Natalie Borisovets, ICAC chair, summarized the ICAC report on Intersession. At Senator Leath's suggestion, one minor change was made in the report. During the discussion, and as a result of Gayle Stein's question about hybrid courses, Stein was asked to draft a charge or charges regarding hybrid courses. The report on Intersession was docketed for action on the Senate's May 2, 2008 agenda.

Budget and Finance Committee (BFC) on S-0709, InterCampus Shuttle Service - Aleisha McCall, a member of the BFC, summarized the BFC's report on InterCampus Shuttle Service. There was discussion of the report's focus on New Brunswick/Camden transportation (because more public-transportation options are available between Newark and New Brunswick than are available between Camden and New Brunswick), and the need for feasibility studies before a shuttle service could be implemented. Gayle Stein asked that, in Recommendation 4, "therefore" be changed to "however," and "the new shuttle" be changed to "a new shuttle," and in Recommendation 5's last sentence, "follow" should be corrected to "flow." The report on InterCampus Shuttle Service was docketed for action on the Senate's May 2, 2008 agenda. [Note: It was later agreed by the EC, via e-mail, that the report's focus solely on student transportation made it unresponsive to the total charge, and the charge and report were referred back to committee. This report did not appear on the May 2008 Senate docket.]

Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee (FAPC) on S-0705, Contingent Faculty Proposal, Part I (Click this link to view the Appendices) - Ann Gould and Paul Leath, FAPC co-chairs, summarized the FAPC report on a Contingent Faculty Proposal. Karen Thompson, one of the authors of the subject proposal, asked for a strengthening of language in the recommendation. Executive Vice President Furmanski, to whom the recommendation was addressed, said that, if the Senate approved it, he would accept it in the spirit in which Thompson had reframed it. Jonathan Becker, a member of the FAPC, pointed out that Thompson's proposed change was discussed in the FAPC, of which Thompson is also a member, and rejected by the committee. No change was made. The report on the Contingent Faculty Proposal was docketed for action on the Senate's May 2, 2008 agenda. [Note: Thompson moved the same amendment on the Senate floor, where it was adopted. The change is reflected in the report that appears at the link above.]

Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) Report on S-0408, Academic Integrity Policy and Interim Academic Integrity Policy - Martha Cotter, ASRAC co-chair, summarized the ASRAC report on an Interim Academic Integrity Policy. The report and policy were available only in draft form at the time of this EC meeting. Cotter said that there should be only minor, if any changes, and that the final report and policy would be available soon. [Note: The two links above refer to the documents that were considered and approved by the Senate at the May 2008 meeting.] She read the recommendations from the report. There was discussion of the report and policy. Senator Becker asked that the two-year sunset, or expiration, of the interim policy be specified in the policy and report. Cotter agreed to make the additions. The Academic Integrity Policy items were docketed for action on the Senate's May 2, 2008 agenda.

University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC) on S-0704, Standing Committee Structure, Partial Response - Tricia Nolfi, USGC Co-chair, summarized the USGC's partial report on the Senate's standing committee structure. The report was discussed, and several suggested modifications suggested, which Nolfi accepted and agreed to make. The report was docketed for action on the Senate's May 2, 2008 agenda. [Note: Later in the meeting, the EC agreed that, because this report changed the Senate's structure, it would need to be introduced at one meeting, and acted upon at the subsequent meeting, and also because the new committee recommended in the report would need to be populated from next-year's Senate, this report would be held until early next academic year.]

University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC) on S-0712, Enhanced Shared Governance, Partial Response - The USGC's partial report on Enhanced Shared Governance was discussed, but it was pointed out that it includes a change to the Senate's bylaws (see note on above USGC item), and should therefore be docketed early next academic year for action by the Senate. On Senator Becker's motion, this item was returned to committee to be brought again to the EC in November.

[Senator Furmanski left the meeting at 3:10 p.m. Senator Thompson left the meeting at 3:38 p.m.]

5.    May 2, 2008 Senate Meeting Agenda: Items were docketed (see above), and lunch, format, and time limits discussed and established for the May 2, 2008 Senate regular and organizational (election) meeting agendas.

6.         Old Business

There was no old business.

7.         New Business

There was no new business
 
 8.         Adjournment
 
The meeting adjourned at 4:04 p.m.
 
Kenneth Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the University Senate