2005-2006 MEMBERS-ELECT PRESENT:  Boikess, DeLuca

EXCUSED:  Curry, Panayotatos

ALSO ATTENDING:  Furmanski (Administrative Liaison), McCormick (Administrative Liaison),  Scott (Faculty BOT Representative)

Chairperson Cotter thanked all members of the Executive Committee, noting the progress that had been made on Senate issues over the past academic year.  She also congratulated everyone for getting through the lengthy April 22, 2005 Senate meeting.  Cotter then updated the Executive Committee on the status of the Senate’s requested changes to its Bylaws, and related changes in University Regulations.  She said that the Board of Governors’ Educational Planning and Policy Committee had approved the proposed changes to University Regulations, and that the item was on the Board of Governors’ agenda for June 9, 2005.

2.             Secretary's Report

Minutes:  The Minutes of the April 1, 2005 Executive Committee meeting were approved.  On behalf of the 2004-2005 Senate, which will not convene again, the Executive Committee approved the April 22, 2005 University Senate Regular Meeting Minutes. 

President McCormick’s Administrative Report focused on the status of the Task Force on Undergraduate Education, including discussion/comments on:

• subcommittee reports have been completed, and the full Task Force report is expected to be completed in July;
• discussion of the report with the campus community will begin in the Fall;
• President McCormick is working with the Alumni Federation to facilitate discussion of the report with alumni over the summer;
• his request that the Senate give the Task Force report a high priority so the administration can reach certain goals in a timely manner, including changing the way students are admitted starting with Fall 2007;
• his request that the Senate respond to the report by December 2005, which prompted Executive Committee decisions to determine over the summer:  how to assign Task Force recommendations to Senate standing committees (with input from the Task Force), to discuss how the Senate would be involved with the implementation of the Task Force recommendations, and a suggestion that the Senate may ultimately respond to “essential principles” rather than to the details of the recommendations;
• the Executive Committee’s decision to meet with Senate committee chairs in early September to form a “supercommittee” to plan logistics of the Senate’s response to the Task Force report; and
• the Executive Committee’s decision to hold a special Senate meeting on September 30, 2005, which will likely be a committee-of-the-whole discussion.

4.             Standing Committee Membership Assignments and Selection of Chairpersons

5.             Standing Committee Charges

Charge to Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee (FAPC):  Senator Bell, acting as an officer of the AAUP, in a letter dated June 1, 2005, had requested that the University Senate consider recommending:

“1.  The abolition of University Regulation Section 3.3.14.  (On "Term Appointments.")

“2.  The granting to non-tenure track faculty of full and appropriate governance rights in the University Senate and that departments and units fully implement existing regulations that grant governance rights at the unit and departmental levels.

“3.  Full access to internal Rutgers grants for research and curricular development for non-tenure track faculty.”

Based on her discussions with Senator Bell, Chairperson Cotter summarized the request and its rationale.  Senator Hirsh asked where the de facto tenure rule applies.  Executive Vice President Furmanski offered to look at the issue.  Senator Scott said definitions are needed (e.g., “Instructor”).  Senator Boikess suggested looking at the issue of full-time appointments for non-tenure track faculty.  Chairperson Cotter and Senator Boikess will draft a charge to the FAPC, which will be circulated by e-mail to the Executive Committee for comment and approval before being issued.

Potential Charge to Committee:  Karen Thompson, former PTL Senator, and officer of the Rutgers Chapter of the AAUP, had suggested that a Senate standing committee be charged with reviewing the identity-security threat created by the practice of leaving paychecks and direct-deposit checkstubs in employee mailboxes, from which they could be taken by persons who may then use the information contained therein to commit identity theft.  President McCormick offered to send to each department correspondence which would recommend more secure procedures for distribution of paychecks.  No charge was issued.

Implementation of Revised Bylaws:  Chairperson Cotter, noting the anticipated Board of Governors approval of the revised Senate Bylaws and enabling University Regulations, suggested that staff Senators and additional Executive Committee members be elected in the Fall.  Senator Blasi said that he and Senator Scott (both co-chairs of the University Structure and Governance Committee, which formulated the Bylaws revisions) had worked with Sandra Russell and Nancy Winterbauer to create a procedure by which staff Senators could be elected.  Scott suggested staggering the staff elections for one- and two-year terms, so that all the initial staff Senators’ terms would not expire in the same year.  Scott also noted that the issue of release time for staff Senators must be addressed before the elections are conducted, so that prospective staff Senators know the parameters and conditions of Senate membership prior to being nominated.

8.             Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 3:02 p.m. by Chairperson Cotter.