M I N U T E S
October 1, 2004
MEMBERS PRESENT: Blasi, Borisovets, Bucko, Curry, Hirsh, Cotter (Chair), Rabinowitz (Vice Chair), Swalagin (Executive Secretary)
EXCUSED: Barone, Darien, Panayotatos
ALSO ATTENDING: Adam (Newark Faculty Liaison), Furmanski
(Administrative Liaison) Leath (Faculty BOG Representative), McCormick
(Administrative Liaison), O’Connor (Co-chair, Budget and Finance Committee),
Scott (Faculty BOT Representative)
The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, October 1, 2004 at 1:10 p.m. in the Cap and Skull Room, Rutgers Student Center, College Avenue Campus.
1. Chairperson’s Report
Chairperson Cotter convened the meeting, and reminded everyone that the New Brunswick Faculty Council’s Annual Conference on Undergraduate Education will be held at the Rutgers Student Center on Wednesday, October 6, 2004. She noted that the conference will focus on the activities of the Task Force on Undergraduate Education and its subcommittees. Cotter also commented that the September Senate meeting, dedicated primarily to the President’s Annual Address to the Community, went well, and was a nice event for the Senate and the community.
2. Secretary's Report
Minutes: The Minutes of the September 3, 2004 Executive Committee meeting were approved.
Communications: The following communications were presented by Secretary Swalagin and acted upon as indicated:
President McCormick expressed thanks for the Senate’s hosting of his September 10th Annual Address to the Community, noting that it was a well-organized and well-attended event. He said he hopes to continue the tradition of delivering the annual address at the Senate’s first meeting of each year.
President McCormick then presented an administrative report, which included comments on: administrative positions and leadership, including the anticipated appointment of Jonathan Alger as Vice President and General Counsel (Alger replaces David Scott, who retired from his position as University Counsel in July), and the resignation of Corinne Webb from her position as Rutgers’ Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management (Webb has accepted a position at Florida Atlantic University); his and Executive Vice President Furmanski’s recent request for proposals for the Academic Excellence Fund; and ongoing plans and discussions with the City of New Brunswick and the New Brunswick Development Corporation (Devco) regarding making College Avenue a pedestrian mall.
President McCormick and Senator Leath then responded to a question regarding progress and plans for the Route 18 construction project.
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Furmanski presented an administrative report, which included comments on: a proposal for more clinical faculty, which he plans to bring to the Senate for its consideration and advice; minor changes to the Code of Student Conduct which have been recommended by a University committee formed to review the code, which will also be brought to the Senate; formation of a University committee, chaired by Don McCabe, and whose membership includes student Senator Nicole Smith, which has been charged with reviewing and revising Rutgers’ Policy on Academic Integrity; planned changes to Form 1A and FASIP forms; and policies regarding jointly appointed faculty.
4. Standing Committee Reports, Potential Charges, and Chairs
Multi-Charge Report of Budget and Finance Committee: Budget and Finance Committee (BFC) Co-chair Dan O’Connor presented his committee’s initial report on the following charges:
The report on the University Master Plan was not found to be responsive to the charge. The Executive Committee considered whether the charge, and the Master Plan itself, were too broad and complex to promote an effective report from the Budget and Finance Committee. This charge will be revisited at the November 5 Executive Committee.
The response to Charge S-0202, Evaluation of Parking and Transportation Services was discussed. The Executive Committee asked Secretary Swalagin to work with Senator O’Connor to add background and rationale to the list of six recommendations submitted by the BFC. If that can be done quickly, the redrafted report will be circulated to the Executive Committee via e-mail for potential docketing on the October 22, 2004 Senate agenda. If not, it will be brought back to the Executive Committee on November 5.
Response to Charge S-0325, Assignment of Textbooks - Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee: Senator Borisovets, chair of the Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee (ICAC), summarized her committee’s report on Charge S-0325, Assignment of Textbooks. The committee had been charged as follows: “Consider the issue of assignment of textbooks in courses taught by paid authors or reviewers of those textbooks. Make recommendations on whether policies should be established in this area, including return of royalties to textbook purchasers, price discounting, and the general appropriateness of the practice. Consult with University Counsel regarding legal aspects of the issue.” Following discussion, the report was docketed for action at the October 22, 2004 Senate meeting.
A request from Albert R. Gamper, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Governors, and Robert A. Laudicina, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, dated September 23, 2004, regarding Newark and Camden student representation on the boards was discussed. The board chairs had suggested that the Senate consider mandatory rotation of the student board representative eligibility among New Brunswick, Camden, and Newark. Secretary Swalagin summarized the historic challenges associated with getting Student Charter Trustee nominees from Newark or Camden, and noted that there have been no Newark or Camden students nominated for Senate-elected board representative positions in the past ten years. Senators Scott and Blasi, co-chairs of the University Structure and Governance Committee, were present at the meeting and agreed to accept this issue as an added element of Charge S-0324, Senate Bylaws Review. Chairperson Cotter will respond directly to Chairmen Gamper and Laudicina.
A Potential Charge to Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee on faculty reporting of teaching, scholarship and service (per Professor Fishbein's e-mail) was considered. Senator Panayotatos had e-mailed some comments, which were included in the discussion. [Click to read Paul Panayotatos's comments on this charge.] Executive Vice President Furmanski noted that some work is already underway on this issue. The charge was issued as drafted, as follows: “Investigate, consider, and make recommendations for streamlining and making easier the processes involved in faculty reporting of teaching, scholarship and service. Consider compatibilities between the Annual Faculty Survey and Form 1A, cross-document copy-and-paste capability, and availability of data for reformatting for insertion into other electronic documents.” The deadline for response to the Senate Executive Committee will be February 2005. Professor Fishbein's e-mail will be included with the charge.
A Potential Charge to Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) regarding the University Policy on Academic Integrity (per Professor Fishbein's e-mail) was considered. Executive Vice President Furmanski said a university-wide committee is being formed to consider the policy, and will be chaired by Professor Don McCabe. Senator McCabe is currently on the Senate’s Student Affairs Committee, and will be asked if he would participate in the ASRAC discussions of this charge, which was issued as drafted, as follows: “Review the current University Policy on Academic Integrity, particularly with respect to University-wide standards of academic integrity and differences in local academic cultures. Also consider levels of student education on academic integrity, vehicles for prevention of violations which may help reduce reliance on punishment, and methods of centralized reporting of all offenses to facilitate appropriate recourse in cases of multiple-offenders.” The deadline for response to the Senate Executive Committee will be February 2005. Professor Fishbein's e-mail will be included with the charge.
A Potential Charge to Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee (FAPC) on creation of guidelines for dealing with jointly appointed faculty (per Professor Fishbein's e-mail) was considered. Following discussion, the following addendum was made to the FAPC’s Charge S-0404 regarding faculty 50/50 split appointments: “Consider and make recommendations regarding creation of guidelines and/or special deanships for dealing with jointly appointed faculty.”
Solicitation of a Co-chair for the Student Affairs Committee (SAC) was considered. Nicole Smith (Livingston, Student) currently chairs the Senate's Student Affairs Committee without a co-chair. As suggested by the Executive Committee, student Senators Sara Hornichter, Shashi Dholandas, and Adam Cooper had been invited to co-chair the SAC, but all declined, citing other responsibilities. Senator Smith had stated that she is comfortable starting the year without a co-chair, but will now be consulted as to how she would like to proceed.
5. October 22, 2004 University Senate Meeting Agenda
In addition to the usual items, the following items were docketed for the October 22, 2004 Senate meeting agenda:
There was no old business.
7. New Business
Chairperson Cotter reported that the Graduate School Executive Council, at its June 2, 2004 meeting, passed a resolution asking the Senate to create a committee on graduate and professional education. Following some discussion, Senator Hirsh suggested also creating a research committee. Secretary Swalagin was instructed to draft a charge to the University Structure and Governance Committee to consider revising the Senate committees’ standing charges to include graduate and professional education. The draft charge will be circulated via e-mail for Executive Committee approval.
Senator Curry requested a charge requiring an audit and report of where and how funds from parking fees are spent. Earlier in the meeting, President McCormick said he would provide Senator Curry with that information. No charge was issued.
Senator Leath requested that the Executive Committee ask Executive Vice President for Administrative Affairs Kavanagh to attend an Executive Committee meeting to make a presentation on Route 18 construction, travel and business expense reporting, and other issues. Chairperson Cotter will contact Executive Vice President Kavanagh to make that request.
Senator Leath also asked for an update from Mike McKay, Vice President for Information Technology, on phasing out use of Social Security numbers as student identification numbers. Secretary Swalagin will send the Senate’s October 2000 resolution on use of Social Security numbers as student identification numbers to President McCormick (the original report and recommendations had been sent to then-President Lawrence), and Senator Scott will locate Mr. McKay’s recent response to her request for an update on this matter, and bring that to the Executive Committee. Afterward, Secretary Swalagin will draft correspondence to President McCormick summarizing plans and progress on discontinuing use of Social Security numbers, and request that an administrative update be provided to the Executive Committee.
8. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 4:00 p.m. by Chairperson Cotter.
Kenneth Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the Senate