RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENATE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
M I N U T E S
November 1, 2013

MEMBERS PRESENT: Barraco (by phone), Benjamin, Berman, Boikess, Burrell, Cotter (Vice Chairperson/New Brunswick Faculty Liaison), Gillett, Gould (Chairperson), Oliver, Puhak, Sheth, Swalagin (Executive Secretary), Thompson, Vodak

MEMBERS EXCUSED:  Barraco

ALSO ATTENDING: Borisovets (Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee Chair/Liaison), Edwards (Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs), Otto (Research, and Graduate and Professional Education Committee Co-chair/Liaison), Rabinowitz (Faculty Representative to the Board of Governors/Camden Faculty Liaison), Spiegel (Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees)

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, November 1, 2013 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 Ann Gould called the meeting to order at 1:16 p.m. She informed the Executive Committee that members of Dean's Evaluation Committees had been selected for the evaluations of Thomas Farris and James Hughes, as follows:

Dean James Hughes, Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy:
Dean Thomas Farris, School of Engineering
2.    Secretary’s Report - Ken Swalagin, Executive Secretary of the Senate
 Senator Boikess asked Secretary Swalagin how many and which Senate reports were without administrative responses. Swalagin read the list of those reports, dating back to 2010. The Executive Committee approved Boikess's request that a list of those reports lacking administrative responses be appended to these minutes. The list appears here.

3.    Administrative Liaison

Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Richard Edwards presented an administrative report, which included comments on:
Executive Vice President Edwards then responded to questions, or heard comments, from those present on subjects including:
4.    Standing Committees

Committee Report

Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee Response to Charge S-1306 on Dual Career Programs [Note: Link goes to report as amended and adopted by the Senate on November 15, 2013.] - Ann Gould, FPAC co-chair, summarized her committee's work and intentions in response to Charge S-1306 on Dual Career Programs. The report was not yet available at the time of this meeting, but Gould said she believed the report could be ready soon, and circulated to the Executive Committee for approval to docket for action at the upcoming Senate meeting. The FPAC had been charged as follows:

Dual Career Programs: Examine the desirability of establishing a dual career services program within Rutgers Human Resources in order to enhance the ability of Rutgers to recruit and retain faculty and staff who may need to relocate to accept a position at the institution. Research policies at peer institutions that provide the accompanying partner with the tools and services to access resources for an effective job search and make recommendations as appropriate.

During discussion of this report, Executive Vice President Edwards voiced support for the concept of dual career program. Following further discussion, the Executive Committee agreed to provisional docketing for the Senate, after the report had been finalized and circulated by email to the Executive Committee's members.

Issues/Proposed Charges:

Potential Charge to Student Affairs Committee (SAC) on How Changes are Made to the Rutgers Identity - Submitted by Senator Robert Barraco, Alumni Senator and SAC Co-chair. Senator Barraco had submitted the following:

Draft Proposed Charge: Examine the process by which changes are made to items related to the identity of the University and, where necessary, define such a process which is transparent and available to key stakeholders.

Rationale: There is concern about how decisions are made on changes of what we would consider things related to University identity. Case in point, the alma mater. This is separate from the issue of the specific lyrics. There is concern that one individual could unilaterally disregard a shared governance position on such an issue. Further input was obtained from Glee Club members that, at the least, call into question the events as put forth to the Committee previously. Items that are related to our identity as a University should have some sort of due process for change.

Following discussion, the Executive Committee asked Senator Barraco to redraft the charge, which he did, and which was issued as follows:

Process of Changing Rutgers Cultural and Traditional Icons: Examine the process by which changes are made to cultural and traditional icons of Rutgers University and, where necessary, define such a process which is transparent and available to key stakeholders. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by October 2014.

Proposed Charge to the Budget and Finance Committee (BFC) on Implementation of the New Responsibility Center Management (RCM) Budget Model - Requested by Menahem Spiegel, BFC Chair, on behalf of the BFC. Senator Spiegel had submitted the following:
 
Draft Proposed Charge: Evaluate the implementation of the Responsibility Center Management (RCM) budget model.
 
Background/Rationale: Starting late summer 2013, president Barchi and many other administrators declared that RU will (soon) adopt the “Responsibility Center Management” (RCM) budget model. Most recently, in his address to the University Senate (9/27/2013) president Barchi mentioned:
 
“We will need a more transparent budgeting system that appropriately aligns revenues and expenses at the unit level. With that in mind, we are implementing Responsibility Center Management (RCM), a budget system that gives units down to the department level more control over their own revenues and expenses, allowing them to better control costs and best direct funds toward the programs” … “While we will continue to work collectively to provide more resources for our University programs and departments, we have to rely on these programs and departments to better understand the costs involved with their areas so they can focus and allocate their resources more effectively.” (Emphasis added) “…we recruited Michael Gower in the new position of Senior Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer, and he will be tasked with completing the implementation of our new RCM system and with overseeing the restructuring of our budgeting and allocation systems.”
[For the full address see :http://president.rutgers.edu/public-remarks/speeches-and-writings/president-barchis-report-university-senate ]
 
Since 2005, RU is using the “All Funds Budgeting” budget model where the academic teaching units are receiving a fraction (about 55%) of the tuition revenue they generate for the purpose of paying some of their operating expenses. About 45% of the tuition revenue is retained by the central administration. Under RCM, units are supposed to receive a greater share of the revenue they generate and receive some of the state support, and pay more of their administrative (mainly internal) operating expenses. Since the implementation of the new RCM is very important, the Budget and Finance Committee requests this charge.

Following discussion, the Executive Committee issued the following charge to the Senate's Budget and Finance Committee:
Responsibility Center Management Models: Evaluate proposals for the implementation of the responsibility center management (RCM) budget model. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by March 2014.

5.    Agenda for November 15, 2013 Senate Meeting

The agenda for the November 15, 2013 Senate meeting was discussed. The meeting will be held in Newark, and the agenda will include the FPAC report docketed provisionally above, and a Newark Campus Report by Interim Newark Chancellor Todd Clear.

6.   Old Business

Tuition Remission for PTLs: Senator Karen Thompson asked if or how the Senate's recommendations on tuition remission for part-time lecturers, which were rejected by the McCormick administration, could be reintroduced. Senator Gillett suggested asking the administration if those recommendations could be reconsidered. Chairperson Gould will pose that question to the administration.

Pearson eCollege: Senator Robert Boikess raised the issue of the contract with Pearson eCollege, which had been discussed by the Executive Committee in May. The Executive Committee discussed the issue at some length, and decided that appropriate individuals at Rutgers should be identified and invited to brief the Executive Committee on the current status of this matter, and that the Executive Committee could thereafter decide if a Senate standing committee should be charged. Chairperson Gould will make inquiries and, if possible, extend invitations for presentations at the next Executive Committee meeting.

New Foundational Element for Strategic Plan: Senator Martha Cotter, who chaired the Senate's recent Ad Hoc Strategic Planning Task Force, said that additional introductory text is required for the new foundational element, which was approved by the Senate in October, to be added to the strategic plan, and that the final bullet also required some revision. Cotter will draft those aspects of the document and circulate it to the Executive Committee by email for approval.

7.    New Business

There was no new business.

8.    Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 3:10 p.m.

Minutes written and submitted by,

Ken Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the University Senate