UNIVERSITY SENATE
Executive Committee

A G E N D A
January 14, 2011 - 1:10 p.m.


1.    Chairpersons' Report

2.    Secretary’s Report 3.    Administrative Liaison 4.    Standing Committees

Committee Reports:

University Structure and Governance Committee Response to Charge S-1006 on Staggered Terms for Staff Senators - The USGC had been charged as follows:

Recognizing that staff senators joined the Senate as a single group, and that their terms are for two years, resulting in concurrent term expiration dates for all staff senators, consider the feasibility of staggering those terms. If staggered terms are found to be appropriate, make recommendations on how to divide the terms so only a portion of the total number ends in any given year. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by January 2011.

Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee Response to Charge S-1010 on New Academic Integrity Policy and a companion document entitled "Procedures for Adjudicating Alleged Nonseparable Violations of Academic Integrity" - The ASRAC had been charged as follows:

Review and report on the final version of the Academic Integrity Policy. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by January 2011.

Proposed Charges:

Proposed Charge to Instruction, Curriculum and Advising Committee (ICAC) on Online Education at Rutgers, requested and already being discussed by the ICAC:

[Already posted as Charge S-1015] Online Education at Rutgers: Survey the existing state of online education at Rutgers, and identify issues and challenges. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by April 2011.

Proposed Charge to Student Affairs Committee on NJPIRG Funding: Following the Fall 2010 NJPIRG Student Chapters referendum, complaints were registered regarding the conduct of the referendum in Camden, particularly at the School of Law. Camden Faculty Senator Harriet Katz sent to Sam Rabinowitz, Student Affairs Committee co-chair, an email requesting that the SAC be charged with reviewing the funding scheme for NJPIRG, citing concerns that: although it has some student volunteers, NJPIRG is not a student group; its placement on the term bill; and NJPIRG's lack of accountability to Rutgers. [The email will be distributed in hardcopy at the meeting.]

Proposed Charge to Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee on Federal Limitations on Hourly Employees: At the November 2010 Executive Committee meeting, Senator Fishbein raised an issue related to new federal regulations limiting employment of Type 4, hourly employees. The pros and cons of the regulations were discussed at some length, as was the practicality of asking a Senate committee to debate how to respond to a federal law which, by its nature, must be followed. EVP Furmanski said that the issue had been extensively explored by Vivian Fernandez, who had energetically sought solutions. It was noted that responses to federal laws were outside of the rubric of University Senate decisions. Paul Panayotatos said he would discuss the issue in the FPAC, along with Ms. Fernandez, who is a member of that committee, and will report back to the Executive Committee before a decision is made on a proposed charge.

Proposed Charge to Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee on Viability of Tenurable Teaching Track:  At the October 2010 Executive Committee meeting, FPAC Co-chair Paul Panayotatos said that the FPAC would report back to the Executive Committee at the subsequent meeting with the FPAC's decision on whether it would agree to reexamine the issue, pursuant to a charge proposed by PTL Senator and Executive Committee Member 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." At the November 2010 Executive Committee meeting, Panayotatos said that the FPAC attendance at the October meeting in Camden was not sufficient to vote on this matter, so he will raise the issue in November and report back to the Executive Committee in January.

5.    University Senate January 28, 2011 Agenda
6.    Old Business

7.    New Business

8.    Adjournment