University Senate Executive Committee Minutes

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENATE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
M I N U T E S
September 8, 2017

MEMBERS PRESENT: Boikess, Borisovets, Esposito, Gillett (Chair), Gould, Kelly, Krapivin, Oliver, Parsa, Thompson, Van Stine

MEMBERS EXCUSED: Scoloveno, Settles, Walters

ALSO ATTENDING: R. Barchi (President of the University), M. Cotter (2016-17 ASRAC Co-Chair), J. Gonzalez (Graduate Student Representative to the Board of Trustees), B. Lee (Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs), J. Markert (FPAC Co-Chair), R. Schwartz (Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees), J. Serrano (Undergraduate Representative to the Board of Trustees), M. Spiegel (Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees), M. Winkler (2016-17 and 2017-18 ASRAC Co-Chair)

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, September 8, 2017, beginning at 12:00 noon in the Executive Conference Room of ASB-III on the Cook Campus.

1. Chair’s Report - Peter Gillett, Senate Chair

Senate and Executive Committee Chair Peter Gillett called the meeting to order at 12:00 noon. He welcomed everyone to the first Executive Committee (EC) meeting of the academic year, and called for introductions of all present. He reiterated his goal of starting meetings on time. He also spoke about:

arrangements being made for the chair and vice chair's meeting with President Barchi;
the upcoming Big Ten Academic Leadership Conference, which will be held at Penn State, and which he plans to attend;
plans to make Senate and EC meetings more efficient by:

distributing EC minutes within one week after the meetings;
formalizing a schedule for submission of committee reports to the executive secretary no later than ten days before the EC meets to consider them ( hardcopy draft of the schedule was distributed at the meeting); and
plans to create a report template and best practices in creating reports that will become an appendix to the Senate's parliamentary procedures.

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

Agenda: The meeting agenda was approved as distributed by the executive secretary.
Minutes: The Minutes of June 2, 2017 Senate Executive Committee Meeting were approved as distributed by the executive secretary.
Communications: The following communications were presented and acted upon as indicated:

The Faculty Senate at Penn State University is hosting this year's Big Ten Alliance Faculty Governance Leadership Conference, October 26-28, 2017. Gillett had already stated his intention to attend.
President Barchi's Response to Senate Report and Resolution on Charge A-1610, Change in Graduation Date for Students Completing Degrees in the Summer. Noted.
President Barchi's Response to Senate Report and Resolution on Charge S-1503, Testing Facilities at Rutgers. This response was discussed, and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Barbara Lee said that the administration will meet with chancellors soon and give them copies of the Senate report, and will indicate that President Barchi concurs with the Senate's recommendations. President Barchi agreed. There was further discussion on the idea that the Senate could consider and opine on issues relating to facilities that meet certain criteria across Rutgers, including campus-specific matters.

[Martha Cotter joined the meeting at 12:27 p.m.]

3. Administrative Liaison

University President Robert Barchi presented an administrative report, which included comments on:

delegation of his and the central administration's Executive Committee liaison role to Barbara Lee, although he noted that he would try to attend EC meetings when he can, or be available by phone if it is necessary for him to discuss something;
new buildings and construction on all campuses;
fundraising;
Cornerstone, and specifically its supply-chain management functions;
Rutgers Health;
DACA, and Rutgers' response thereto; and
plans to move his office to Winants Hall over the coming holiday break.

Barchi then responded to questions, or heard comments on the above subjects, as well as:

the status of PTLs in Camden, and his related response to Senate recommendations on integration of PTLs at Rutgers;
how Rutgers might respond to the presence of controversial or radical speakers presenting on campus, and the related Rutgers Disruptions Policy; and
the size, distribution, and composition of the incoming class.

[Barchi left the meeting at 1:00 p.m.]

4. Standing Committees/Panels

Reports:

Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) Response to Charge S-1509 on Default 17-Year Academic Calendar [Note: Link goes to a finalized version of the report, although a draft was originally linked to the EC agenda. Hardcopy of the very slightly revised report was distributed in hardcopy at the meeting.] - Matthew Winkler, ASRAC Co-chair, and Martha Cotter, Former ASRAC Co-chair

This past June, the Executive Committee provisionally docketed this matter for Senate action at the upcoming September Senate meeting. Ken Swalagin invited Matt Winkler, ASRAC Co-chair, and Martha Cotter, former and longtime ASRAC Co-chair, to attend this meeting. ASRAC Co-chair Robert Schwartz is a board representative and was therefore also at the meeting. The ASRAC was charged as follows: Review the 17-year default academic calendar drafted by Mary Mickelsen.

Cotter summarized the report, which had been revised to include two small corrections since the original draft had been presented to the EC. Winkler also provided information about the report. The report was discussed, and docketed for action at the upcoming Senate meeting.

[Winkler left the meeting at 1:15 p.m. Cotter left the meeting at 1:17 p.m.]

3.A. Administrative Liaison (Continued)

At this point in the meeting, Karen Thompson inquired about a list of Senate reports awaiting administrative response. Swalagin had placed a link to the list on the agenda under "Administrative Liaison," but it had not been discussed at that point in the meeting. Lee said that they were all being worked on, and some had already been drafted. [Note: Responses were received by Swalagin the following week, and were docketed as communications from the secretary on the September Senate agenda.]

4.A. Standing Committees/Panels (Continued)

Issues/Charges:

Proposed Charge on the Senate's March 2017 Committee-of-the-Whole Discussion on Free Speech and Academic Freedom - Michael Van Stine

Senator and EC Member Michael Van Stine had submitted a proposed charge to a Senate committee on free speech and academic freedom, as a follow-up to a recent Senate committee-of-the-whole discussion, as follows:

Proposed Charge: Consider the scope and extent of, and limitations on, free speech in American society in relation to academic freedom at Rutgers. Recommend appropriate policies for free speech by members of the Rutgers community in their personal and official capacities.

It was decided that the issue was not best suited for the Senate, but would benefit from administration action to pull together the various policies on the issue and have chancellors facilitate discussion thereon. Lee will arrange that, and will report back to the EC on progress. No charge was issued.

Panels:

Selection of Members of University Commencement Panel (UCP) - The Executive Committee assigned members of the UCP, which is composed of members with representation from each unit (R-C, R-N, R-NB, RBHS), as follows:

a. Executive Secretary of the Senate (non-voting) - Ken Swalagin
b. Vice Chair of the Senate (chairs the UCP) - Jon Oliver (New Brunswick)
c. Four Faculty Senators, with each of the following groups being represented:

- tenure-track - Samuel Rabinowitz (Camden), Mary Jo Bugel (RBHS)
- non-tenure-track - Eleanor LaPointe (New Brunswick)
- part-time lecturers - Dominick Novelli (Newark)

d. One Staff Senator - Antoinette Johnson (RBHS)
e. One Alumni Senator - Josephine Marchetta
f. Two Student Senators - Christopher Shinn (Camden), and Caroline Ini Ross (New Brunswick)

Swalagin will issue a call for Chancellors' Commencement Committees volunteers from the Senate.

Issues/Proposed Charges (Continued):

Proposal on a Program to Improve How Rutgers Evaluates Teaching - Submitted by Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Barbara Lee

Lee summarized the proposal for a program to improve how Rutgers evaluates teaching. The EC discussed the matter, and issued charges as follows:

To the Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee: Review the proposal to improve the evaluation of teaching received from Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Barbara Lee, and make appropriate recommendations as input to the Senate's Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by October 24, 2017.

To the Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee: Review the proposal to improve the evaluation of teaching received from Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Barbara Lee, as well as input received on the proposal from the Senate's Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee, and make appropriate recommendations. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by November 20, 2017.

Revised Policy on Centers and Institutes - Submitted by Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Barbara Lee

The following had been received from Barbara Lee, by email June 19, 2017: “Attached for University Senate review and comment are a draft of a revised University Policy on Centers and Institutes (University Policy 10.1.5) and the accompanying guidelines for the preparation of proposals for the creation of Centers and Institutes and for Periodic CI Progress Reports. These documents were developed with reference to the March 23, 2016 CI Report prepared by the Committee on Academic Planning and Review and shared with the Senate last spring. Please bring these documents to the attention of the Senate when they reconvene in the fall. Thank you.”

Lee summarized the issue, which she said was a follow-up to a previous effort, and was now a draft policy. She said she needed a Senate response by March 2018. The matter was discussed, and a charge was issued to the University Structure and Governance Committee, as follows:

Review the draft revised University Policy on Centers and Institutes (University Policy 10.1.5) and the accompanying guidelines for the preparation of proposals for the creation of centers and institutes, and for periodic CI progress reports. Make appropriate recommendations. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by February 20, 2018.

5. University Senate Agenda

The September 22, 2017 Senate Meeting agenda was discussed and established. The meeting will be webstreamed, with a single camera facing the Senate floor.

6. New Business

Barbara Lee said that the Middle States reaccreditation visit was approaching, and that the self-study draft report would be made available, probably with NetID/password access, on September 20. She invited comments on the draft.

7. Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 2:20 p.m.

Minutes written and submitted by,

Ken Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the University Senate