RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
SENATE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
M I N U T E S
September 4, 2009
MEMBERS PRESENT: Borisovets, Bodnar, Gillett, Gould, Katz, Levine, McArdle, Panayotatos, Rabinowitz (Chair), Swalagin
(Executive Secretary), Wild
MEMBERS EXCUSED: Leath, Schramke, Thompson
ALSO ATTENDING: Cotter
(Faculty BOG Representative), Fehn (Administrative Liaison), Furmanski (Administrative Liaison),
Kaplan (Student BOG Representative), McCormick
(Administrative Liaison), Blimling (VP for Student Affairs)
The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive
Committee was held on
Friday, September 4, 2009 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 1:20 p.m., welcoming all present. He
commented about the recent opening of the new Rutgers-Camden recreation
center, and about the previous day's investiture ceremony of University
Professor Joachim Messing in the newly created, endowed Selman Waksman
Chair in Molecular Genetics.
2. Secretary’s Report
3. Administrative Liaison
President McCormick and Executive Vice President Furmanski presented an administrative report which included comments on:
- the upcoming President's Annual Address to the Rutgers Community
in September, many planned elements of which were mentioned in this
administrative report;
- increased enrollments on all three campuses;
- the outstanding academic quality and diversity of the incoming
students, and the work of Margaret Marsh, Courtney McAnuff and others
that helped enable those accomplishments;
- praise for Wendell Pritchett, the new Camden chancellor;
- openings of newly constructed or renovated facilities on all three campuses;
- the status and possible future direction of the state and Rutgers budgets;
- tuition, which has risen only three percent for the current year; and
- budget-related agreements reached with some Rutgers employee
unions, pending ratification, and, without detail or specifics,
acknowledgment that discussions were continuing with some other
bargaining units.
Furmanski and McCormick then responded to questions, or heard comments, from the Executive Committee on topics which included:
-
budget-related issues, including salary freezes;
-
recently mandated/legislated changes to policies involving use of state funds for travel expenses; and
-
the federal stimulus package.
Draft Expulsion Clemency Policy: Vice President for Student Affairs Gregory Blimling summarized an addendum to the University Code of Student Conduct, which he had sent to the Executive Committee with an explanatory cover email.
Dr. Blimling said that the policy would be going to the Board of
Governors for action in October, and that the University Senate did not
need to approve it. He explained the process by which a committee
assigned to the task had developed the clemency policy. Blimling said
the item had been brought to the Executive Committee as an information
item, and asked if anyone had suggestions for areas of consideration
not previously mentioned. He then responded to questions about the
policy relative to decisionmaking authorities, similar policies at
other institutions, the need for the policy, the number of requests for
clemency from expelled students, and specifics of readmission and
admission on disciplinary probation. Senator Peter Gillett suggested
changing "mitigating circumstances" to "extenuating circumstances," a
suggestion with which Blimling agreed. There was also brief discussion
of clemency officers, the academic integrity policy, and the process by
which changes to these policies are enacted.
Other Items from Vice President Blimling:
Blimling said Rutgers is also currently looking at the possibility of
implementing a policy prohibiting unauthorized recording of personal
conversations, such as using videotapes to intimidate people in their
offices, or wanting to generate on-the-spot webcasts. Other schools'
policies will be examined. He added that Rutgers is also looking at how
student disciplinary hearing boards are structured, particularly with
respect to how it is now possible to dismiss a student from Rutgers
without anyone from the student's school being involved in the decision
to do so.
4. Standing Committees
2009-10 Senate Standing Committee Rosters: Senate Executive
Secretary Ken Swalagin briefed the committee on the status of standing
committee assignments. Noting that they were still in process, he said
he would bring the committee rosters back to the Executive Committee in October.
Appeals Panel Members: The Executive Committee authorized
Secretary Swalagin to solicit from the Senate, via email, volunteers to
serve on the Senate's Appeals Panel, as he had done last year. Swalagin
had requested that authorization, and had explained that the panel is
ad hoc, and functions only when and if an
appeal is filed, but the panel members need to be appointed at the
beginning of each academic year.
Proposed Charges/Issues:
Academic Calendar Commencement Date Changes: Secretary of the
University Leslie Fehrenbach, in a July 27, 2009 letter, had requested that the University Senate change
the University Commencement dates on the academic calendar
for 2010 and beyond. Senator Gillett pointed out that, although the
academic calendar can only be changed or established by action of the
University Senate, the change for 2010 had already been announced
publicly and in The Daily Targum. President McCormick noted that the
Senate should have been given time to act on the requested change
before it was announced or implemented. Senator Kevin Wild moved to
divide the issue into two parts, with one part being the urgent change
for the 2010 commencement date, and another generating a charge to
committee to consider the requested, permanent change. It was pointed
out that the Executive Committee has the authority to act on behalf of
the full Senate in exceptional or emergency situations. The Executive
Committee then, on behalf of the University Senate, voted (with none
opposed, and one abstention) to change the May 2010 university
commencement date from Tuesday, May 18 to Sunday, May 16 (at 1:00
p.m.). The Executive Committee then instructed Secretary Swalagin to
draft and issue a charge to the Senate's Academic Standards,
Regulations and Admissions Committee to consider and report on changing
the commencement dates for 2011 and beyond.
Targum Referendum/Concept Plan: In anticipation of a spring 2010 referendum, the 2009 Targum Concept Planhad
been forwarded to the Senate for its consideration, and evaluation of
its programs' educational value. Swalagin was authorized to draft and
issue a charge to the Senate's Student Affairs Committee to
evaluate the educational value of Targum's programs
as outlined in the plan.
Proposal to Increase Staff Representation on the University Senate:The
Union of Rutgers Administrators - American Federation of Teachers
Local 1766 had generated and circulated a report which proposes,
in its last paragraph, the
following: "We recommend that the University Senate double the number
of seats for staff from 10 to 20 by January 1, 2011." Swalagin had
docketed the item for Executive Committee discussion. Senator Paul
Panayotatos moved that the charge should admonish the committee
that they should look at how this would affect the weight and balance
of the Senate's constituency groups. The motion was seconded, and the
amendment was discussed, but failed on vote. Swalagin was authorized to
draft and issue a charge to the University Structure and Governance Committee to consider the issue and report back to the
Executive Committee by January 2010.
Part-Time Lecturer (PTL) Senator Elections and Representation:
An issue relating to PTL Senator elections raised informally by Senator
Karen Thompson (who was excused from this meeting) at the June 2009
Executive Committee meeting was discussed briefly. The matter was
postponed until Thompson could draft a charge and be present to discuss
it.
Proposed Charge to University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC)
on revising standing charge of Research, and Graduate and Professional
Education Committee (RGPEC):
At the June 2009 Executive Committee meeting, Senator Justine
Hernandez Levine had requested that the University Structure and
Governance Committee be charged with considering addition of an
undergraduate research component to the standing charge of the
Research, and Graduate and Professional Education Committee. The
charge, drafted by Swalagin, was discussed and issued as follows:
Charge S-0904, Assessment of Research, and Graduate and Professional Education Committee (RGPEC) Standing Charge: Review the
RGPEC standing charge
(See #8) and evaluate whether an undergraduate research component
should be added. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by January 2010.
Charge to Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee
(ASRAC) to replace Charge S-0809 on Implementation of Interim Academic
Integrity Policy:
ASRAC Co-chair Martha Cotter had drafted, and requested that the
Executive Committee issue to her committee, a charge to replace Charge
S-0809 on implementation of the Academic Integrity Policy. The
Executive Committee issued the charge, as drafted, as follows:
Charge S-0905, Academic Integrity Policy: Consider and critique the draft permanent Academic Integrity Policy
prepared by the Ad-hoc Academic Integrity Committee. Provide comments,
criticisms, and suggestions for changes to the Ad-hoc Committee on an
ongoing basis. Report to the Senate on progress on developing a new policy by March 2010.
[Original Charge S-0809 - Implementation of Interim Academic
Integrity Policy: Monitor the progress of implementation of the Interim
Academic Integrity Policy and of the University-wide Academic Integrity
Committee's (AIC) efforts to develop a new, permanent academic integrity policy.
Provide ongoing input to the new AIC charged with developing the new AI policy.
Report to the Senate on progress to date toward the end of the 2008-9 academic
year. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by April 2009.]
5. September 25, 2009 University Senate Agenda
The September 25, 2009 Senate meeting agenda will be dedicated
primarily to President McCormick's Annual Address to the Community.
Chairperson Rabinowitz will also ask all standing-committee chairs to
report on their committees' plans for the upcoming academic year at the
start of the Senate meeting. Senator Cotter will also announce the
upcoming, October 2 Academic Integrity Conference at the Douglass
Campus Center, and will invite participation.
6. Old Business
Senator Gillett proposed that something be done about finding software
to run elections in the various units at Rutgers. No committee charge
was issued, but Swalagin will email Vice President Furmanski if there
has been any progress on finding appropriate software.
7. New Business
Executive Secretary Swalagin, who is an alumnus of University
College-New Brunswick and the School of Communication and Information,
explained his experience with, and difficulty in, joining, contacting,
and getting responses from the Rutgers Alumni Association. Senator Dan
McArdle, an alumnus of the Camden College of Arts and Sciences,
explained his own, related difficulties. The Executive Committee
suggested that Swalagin and McArdle raise the issue again when the
administrative liaisons were present.
8. Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 4:12 p.m.
Kenneth Swalagin
Executive
Secretary of the University Senate