UNIVERSITY SENATE
Executive Committee

A G E N D A
February 5, 2016 - 1:10 p.m.


1.    Chair’s Report  - Ann Gould, Senate Chair

2.    Secretary’s Report
- Ken Swalagin, Executive Secretary of the Senate
3.    Administrative Report - Barbara Lee, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

4.    Standing Committees

Reports:

Research, and Graduate and Professional Education Committee (RGPEC) Response to Charge S-1505 on Implementing ORCID Identifiers - Anthony Tamburello, RGPEC Chair

The RGPEC was charged as follows: Investigate and make recommendations with regard to an implementation of ORCID identifiers (i.e., issuing ORCID IDs) at Rutgers. If deemed appropriate, make specific recommendations for incremental implementation, for example, beginning with the graduate schools. Identify benefits, processes, timeline, who would be involved, and approximate costs. 

University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC) Response to Charge S-1403 on Process for Unit Mergers or Other Structural Changes - Jon Oliver and Robert Puhak, USGC Co-chairs

The USGC was charged as follows: Consider whether the University Senate should establish a general procedure, timeline, template and process for merging, dissolution or making structural changes to any University unit. Consider how such a process could assist the University and units in working in a deliberate, consultative and rational way so that all issues, impacts, concerns and benefits can be properly considered on a timely basis. Make recommendations on time limits and process.

Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee (ICAC) Response to Charge S-1504 on Determination of Student Attendance - Natalie Borisovets, ICAC Chair

The ICAC was charged as follows: Develop guidelines that would allow units and individual instructors to comply with U.S. Department of Education requirements that Rutgers keep records for students receiving federal financial aid that substantiate students' participatory attendance in the classes for which they are registered.

Issues/Charges:

Proposed Charge on RCM and Allocation of Faculty Lines - Submitted by Senator Karen Thompson:

Rationale: With student enrollment growing at Rutgers, and with Responsibility Center Management (RCM) as our budgeting model, we increasingly notice that departments no longer retain control over faculty lines and/or have great difficulty obtaining a line when the enrollment and the curriculum suggest a line is needed. Faculty in individual departments who design courses/curricula are in the best position to determine the need and allocation of lines.

Proposed Charge: Investigate policies at Rutgers regarding allocation and retention of faculty lines, especially in comparison with peer or aspirant institutions. Consider how these policies have changed over the years and to what extent faculty have been involved in the decision-making process concerning line allocation. Make recommendations about how to ensure that lines are preserved, grow as enrollment does, and that decisions are based on academic priorities. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by [insert deadline].

Distinguished Professor Job Title
- Submitted by Senator Kwangwon Lee: "The Professor II title has been changed to Distinguished Professor in 2013. However, Rutgers Directory does not properly list faculty who have earned the Distinguished Professor title. Instead of Distinguished Professor, the Directory still lists Professor II, which is a term Rutgers no longer uses. 'Professor II' designation appears in many places, including the Academic Appointments Manual."

Charge Revision Request - Submitted by Senator Joseph Markert, Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee (FPAC) Co-chair: FPAC requests deletion and resubmission of Charge A-0812-3 to indicate a focus on chancellors only:

Evaluation of Administrators, Part II: Evaluation of Chancellors: Reconsider the process for evaluating upper administrators  recommended by the University Senate in 2012, focusing on a process for evaluating the chancellors. Respond to the Senate Executive Committee by [insert deadline].

 

Proposed Charge on Test-Optional Admissions - Submitted by Senator Robert Boikess: "Dear EC Members, Perhaps it might be appropriate for you to issue a charge related to 'test optional admissions' in light of this new information from today's [January 26, 2016] Inside Higher Ed."
5.    Old Business

Addition of Deadlines/Timeframe to
Response to Charge S-1410 on Honorary Degree and Commencement Speaker Selection Process per President Barchi's Response

6.    New Business

NJPIRG Student Chapters Concept Plan Review: NJPIRG Student Chapters submitted their Concept Plan and audit reports to the Senate office and directly to the Student Affairs Committee during the first week of this semester, in preparation for a Fall 2016 referendum. A cover memo was submitted later when Ken Swalagin requested it. The Student Affairs Committee (SAC) met with NJPIRG representatives and discussed the documents at the January 22 SAC meeting, and submits the following response to the Executive Committee:

"There is no doubt that the presence of NJPIRG on Rutgers campuses provides educational value. While the students do express some concern about the eventual fate of the funds provided by the student body and the formal wording of the proposed resolution, NJPIRG is welcome to continue to work with the Rutgers community."

On January 26, Nick Jermer, a member of the Executive Committee of the NJPIRG Students Board of Directors, sent a "NJPIRG Budget Shorthand" email directly to Ann Gould. The policy on funding for special student organizations is online here.

7.    University Senate Agenda

February 19, 2016 Senate Meeting:


8.    Adjournment