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

November 6, 2009


MEMBERS PRESENT: Bodnar, Borisovets, Gillett, Gould, Katz (by phone), Leath, Levine, McArdle, Panayotatos, Rabinowitz (Chair), Schramke, Swalagin (Executive Secretary), Thompson, Wild

ALSO ATTENDING: Cotter (Faculty BOG Representative), Fehn (Administrative Liaison), Furmanski (Administrative Liaison), McCormick (Administrative Liaison)

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, November 6, 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 1:18 p.m., welcoming all present, and noting that Harriet Katz was participating by phone from Camden. There was no chairperson's report.

2.    Secretary’s Report 3.    Administrative Liaison

President McCormick and Executive Vice President Furmanski presented an administrative report which included comments on:
The Executive Committee recommended to Phil Furmanski several professors for membership on the Committee on Academic Planning and Review (CAPR).
 
President McCormick was asked to send a message to unit deans asking that they not schedule faculty meetings that conflict with Senate meetings.

4.    Standing Committees

Committee Reports:

University Structure and Governance Committee REVISED Response to Charge S-0805, Senate Representation by Full-time, Non-tenure-track Faculty - The USGC had been charged as follows: "Charge S-0805 - Senate Representation by Full-time, Non-tenure-track Faculty: Consider the proposal to change eligibility for faculty Senator elections to include full-time, non-tenure-track faculty." Senator Gillett, co-chair of the USGC, summarized his committee's report and recommendations, including changes that were made after the Executive Committee sent the report back to the USGC in October. During the discussion, Gillett agreed to ask the USGC if a proposed amendment could be accepted as friendly. The amendment would change the definition of "annuals" in Recommendation #1 to: "...non-tenure track faculty hired for at least a calendar or academic year." The words "at least" would be added if the amendment is accepted by the USGC. The report, which recommends changes to Senate bylaws, was docketed for introduction at the December 2009 Senate meeting.

Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee Response to Charge S-0807, Add/Drop Period. The ASRAC had been charged as follows: "Charge S-0807 - Add/Drop Period: Consider and report on the Proposal on the add/drop period submitted by Senator Candice Greaux, and the related resolution from the Rutgers University Student Assembly. Consult with financial aid personnel at Rutgers when discussing the issues in the proposal and resolution. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by December 2009." Senator Cotter, co-chair of the ASRAC, explained that, although the report was not yet complete, she expected to have it ready within a week, and asked that it be docketed provisionally for Senate action on December 4. The report was so docketed for the Senate. [Note: The ASRAC was not able to complete the report for the December Senate meeting, so it was dropped from the Senate agenda before that agenda was published.]

Proposed Committee Charges:

 Proposed Charge or Issue for Discussion on Staff Caucus Recommendations on the Conduct of Senate Elections, sent by the Staff Caucus: This proposed charge was summarized by Justine Hernandez Levine on behalf of the Staff Caucus. Secretary Swalagin was asked to draft a charge to the USGC on this issue, circulate it to the Executive Committee by email for comment/approval, and, if there were no objections from the Executive Committee, issue it to the USGC with a December 2010 deadline. [Note: The charge was subsequently issued as follows: "S-0915 on Staff Senator Election Processes: Consider the Recommendations on the Conduct of Staff Senator Elections proposed by the Staff Caucus. Recommend elements of an inclusive, practical method of electing staff Senators, based on the proposal, processes used in past staff Senator elections, and other research and discussion."]

Proposed Charge to Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee on Opportunities for Full-time Staff Who Teach Part-time, sent by Justine Hernandez Levine: The following charge, drafted by staff Senator Gayle Stein, was summarized by Senator Levine on Stein's behalf: "Examine opportunities available to PTLs who are in a bargaining unit that are not available to those who are ineligible (co-adjutants), including internal grants and professional development opportunities. Assess existing mechanisms used to inform PTLs about university academic business to see if they are or can be applied to co-adjutants." The Executive Committee asked that examples of the opportunities at issue in the proposed charge be provided before a charge is issued. Senator Stein will be invited to provide those examples so the Executive Committee may reconsider this charge at a subsequent meeting.

Proposed Charge to Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee on Merit Scholarship Funding, sent by ASRAC Co-chair Martha Cotter: The following charge, drafted by staff Senator Dan Schantz (who also co-chairs the ASRAC), was summarized by Senator Cotter on Schantz's behalf: "Evaluate current and proposed Rutgers policies for the awarding and funding of merit, as opposed to need-based, scholarships for undergraduate students and propose possible changes to those policies. Questions to be addressed should include: What should be the appropriate role for merit scholarships in a public university? Should at least some merit scholarships be funded centrally rather than by individual schools and colleges? Are current and proposed policies for awarding merit scholarships highly effective in attracting outstanding students to Rutgers?" The charge was issued as drafted, with an April 2010 reporting deadline.

 Proposed Charge to Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee on Application of the "Ten-Year Rule" in Promotions to Full Professor, sent by FPAC Co-chair Paul Panayotatos: The following charge, proposed by faculty Senator Peter Simmons, was summarized by Paul Panayotatos (FPAC co-chair) on Simmons' behalf: "Investigate the application of the '10-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." The charge was issued as drafted, with an April 2010 reporting deadline.

5.    December 4, 2009 University Senate Agenda

In addition to the USGC report docketed for introduction above, the Executive Committee docketed a committee-of-the-whole discussion on the Academic Integrity Policy, as requested by ASRAC and Ad Hoc Academic Integrity Committee Chair Martha Cotter. Cotter will draft questions and a general guide to support the discussion, and Secretary Swalagin will circulate and publish the documents for the Senate.

6.    Old Business

Senator Gillett, co-chair of the USGC, asked that the deadline on Charge S-0805 on the Senate Handbook review be changed to March 2010. The EC approved the request for deadline extension. Gillett also reminded the Executive Committee that the USGC was willing to accept a charge on Senate representation by part-time lecturers as a separate constituency from annual-appointee faculty, but Karen Thompson said she did not wish to pursue the issue as she had previously tried without success to have the USGC approve her suggested policy changes.

7.    New Business

There was no new business.

8.   Adjournment
 
The meeting adjourned at 3:38 p.m.

Kenneth Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the University Senate