RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENATE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
M I N U T E S

October 8, 2010

MEMBERS PRESENT: Barnett, Binetti,  Borisovets, Bubb, Gillett, Levine, Panayotatos (Chair), Rabinowitz, Swalagin (Executive Secretary), Thompson

MEMBERS EXCUSED: Bodnar, David, Fishbein, Gould, Leath

ALSO ATTENDING: Cotter (Faculty BOG Representative), Greenhut (Parliamentarian), McCormick (Administrative Liaison)

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, October 8, 2010 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 Paul Panayotatos called the meeting to order at 1:14 p.m. He began his report by summarizing a recent meeting he and Senate Vice Chair Ann Gould had with Executive Vice President Furmanski in which issues both to and from the Senate and administration were discussed, for example:
Panayotatos continued his report noting that the previous day the Board of Governors had approved the Senate's request to increase the number of staff Senators from 10 to 14.

Panayotatos then raised a Senate-roster issue brought about by President McCormick's rejection of the Senate recommendation to make full-time, non-tenure-track faculty eligible for regular faculty Senate seats, and an unit election that had been based, in part, on the assumption that the Senate recommendation would be accepted. This issue had been discussed in the Executive Committee previously. Senator Joseph Markert, an annual-appointee assistant instructor, which is a title ineligible for regular-faculty Senate positions, had been elected for a second term as a tenure-track faculty Senator in anticipation of a change in Senate bylaws. Panayotatos said he had, as promised at the September 2010 Executive Committee meeting, consulted Senate Parliamentarian Victor Greenhut (who was present at the meeting), who had proposed a parliamentary procedure through which Senator Markert could be allowed to remain in his Senate position for the remainder of this academic year, until such time as he could participate in the election of part-time lecturer and annual-appointee faculty Senators in spring 2011. Parliamentarian Greenhut said that the Executive Committee could not vote to keep Senator Markert on in his current position, but that the chair could make a determination on the matter, and that if it was accepted without objection by the committee, it would be enacted. It was therefore decided to "Allow Senator Joseph Markert to continue in his current Senate position for the remainder of the academic year in order to maintain his unit's Senate representation." This will be announced to the Senate at the upcoming meeting in Camden during the Executive Committee report by Vice Chairperson Gould.

2.    Secretary’s Report 3.    Administrative Liaison

President McCormick presented an administrative report which included comments on:
4.    Standing Committees

Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee (FPAC) Response to Charge S-0811 on Changes to Academic Reappointment/Promotion Instructions - FPAC Chairperson Paul Panayotatos summarized his committee's response to Charge S-0811 on Changes to the Academic Reappointment and Promotion Instructions. The report was docketed for action at the upcoming Senate meeting.

Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee Response to Charge S-0911 on Faculty Orientation Programs - This report was not yet available when the Executive Committee met. FPAC Co-chair Panayotatos summarized the report, noting that it will be "for information only" if sent to the Senate, because the FPAC recommendations on faculty orientation programs had, for the most part, been accepted and implemented by Vivian Fernandez, Vice President for Faculty and Staff Resources, and a non-Senator member of the FPAC. The report was docketed for information only at the upcoming Senate meeting.

Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) Partial Response to Charge S-1003 on Fall 2010 Academic Calendar - This report was not yet available when the Executive Committee met. ASRAC Co-chair Martha Cotter summarized the committee's discussions and plans for recommendations on this issue. She said that the ASRAC seems to have settled on one of the possible options for addressing Fall 2011 start date and related scheduling matters, but had not yet made a final decision. Noting an urgent deadline for Senate action on this matter that had been conveyed to the ASRAC by Arun Mukherjee, Director of Scheduling and Space Management, the Executive Committee docketed the report for action at the upcoming Senate meeting.

[President McCormick left the meeting at 2:46 p.m.]

Issues/Proposed Charges:

Proposed Charge to Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee on Viability of Tenurable Teaching Track - The Executive Committee discussed a potential charge on viability of a tenurable teaching track, which had been submitted by PTL Senator Karen Thompson as follows: "Reconsider the viability of instituting a tenurable teaching track at Rutgers, given past Senate deliberations: http://senate.rutgers.edu/FAPCContingentFacultyPartIAsRevisedAndAdopted.pdf, http://senate.rutgers.edu/FPAConS07052ContingentFacultyPart2ToSenate.pdf, but more importantly in light of the new national AAUP Report: http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/comm/rep/teachertenure. Additional national data and reports are available, particularly through the coalition of disciplinary association, the Coalition on the Academic Workforce: http://www.academicworkforce.org/. Make recommendations in the interest of academic freedom, shared governance, and quality teaching at Rutgers." FPAC Co-chair Panayotatos said the FPAC will report back to the Executive Committee at the next meeting regarding whether it wants to reexamine this issue. No charge was issued.

Proposed Charge to Research, and Graduate and Professional Education Committee (RGPEC) on National Research Council Ratings of Graduate Programs - The Executive Committee asked Secretary Swalagin to draft and issue a charge to the RGPEC on the National Research Council's ratings of graduate programs. Swalagin will draft and issue the charge with a January 2011 response deadline.

Proposed Charge to Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) on Final Version of the Academic Integrity Policy - ASRAC Co-chair Martha Cotter asked that her committee be charged with reporting on the final version of the Academic Integrity Policy, including consideration of what changes might still need to be made to the policy. Panayotatos asked if the November Senate docket should include a committee-of-the-whole discussion on this, and Cotter replied that it was not necessary. Swalagin will issue a charge to the ASRAC with a January 2011 reporting deadline.

Pending Charges Requiring Deadline Assignment or Extension:

S-0702 to BFC - Rutgers' Financial Investments: Explore and report on Rutgers’ income from investment in financial assets and from other capital investments. October 2010 deadline expiring. BFC Chair Menahem Spiegel will be asked if the deadline should be extended.

S-0712 to USGC - Enhanced Shared Governance, and University Senate: Review the Senate Handbook and Bylaws, and make recommendations or suggestions for revision based on the USGC's self-submitted "Proposal to Review Senate Operations to Enhance Shared Governance. Deadline extended to March 2011.

S-0917 to FPAC - Application of the “Ten-Year Rule” in Promotions to Full Professor: Investigate the application of the "ten-year rule" in promotions to full professor. In particular, investigate the relative frequency it is being invoked and the resultant success rate. Also assess whether it has accomplished its original goal of providing an alternative basis for promotion for faculty who continue to make significant contributions to the academic and professional mission of the university after achieving tenure, and whose publication record has not kept pace with what was expected of them when tenure was awarded. Propose changes as needed. Deadline extended to March 2011.

S-0909 to SAC - University College: Investigate and make recommendations for improvement upon the current scope of University College on each of the regional campuses. Include in your investigation admissions criteria, marketing techniques separate from the general university, availability for support and student services, as well as general campus life information for these “non-traditional” students. In addition, explore ways that University College can be expanded to improve the university as a whole. Recognizing the lack of a designated “University College” on the New Brunswick-Piscataway Campus, explore the support structure which is in place in the University College Community. The charge had been put on hold, per the SAC's request, pending the outcomem of Governor Christie's now-abandoned proposal to merge Thomas Edison State College with Rutgers. Charge reactivated as issued, now with a March 2011 deadline.

Charge S-1005 to the Student Affairs Committee on the Alma Mater: There was considerable discussion of who does or does not have the authority to change the alma mater. Charge S-1005 was not modified.

5.    University Senate October 22, 2010 Meeting Agenda

The meeting will be held in Camden. Lunch will not be provided this year. There will be a charter bus traveling from Cook Campus in New Brunswick to the Camden Campus and back. Action and information items had been docketed during this Executive Committee meeting (see above), as well as a report from the University Structure and Governance Committee on Senate Speakers and Forums which was carried over from the April 2010 Senate meeting.

6.    Old Business

There was no old business, the item originally docketed here having been dispensed with during the chairperson's report.

7.    New Business

There was no new business.

8.    Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 3:34 p.m.

Submitted by,
Ken Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the University Senate