MEMBERS PRESENT:  Borisovets, Field, Gillett (Chair), Gould, Kelly, Oleske, Oliver, Pappas, Parsa, Serrano, Thompson

MEMBERS EXCUSED: Dasari, Van Stine

MEMBERS ABSENT: Estriplet

ALSO ATTENDING:  B. Lee (Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs), M. Mickelsen (Senate Executive Secretary), A. Newman (Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students), R. Schwartz (Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees)

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, January 11, 2019 at 12:00 p.m. in Room 202ABC at the Cook Student Center, Cook Campus.

1.    Chair’s Report  - Peter Gillett, Senate Chair Senate and Executive Committee Chair Peter Gillett called the meeting to order at 12:00 p.m. He welcomed all members, reviewed the speakers for the afternoon and asked everyone be conscious of the time as there are many items of discussion including revisiting the ASRAC report on the Code of Student Conduct.

2.    Secretary’s Report - Mary Mickelsen, Executive Secretary of the Senate

• Agenda: The meeting agenda was approved following an additional item of New Business.  
• Minutes: The Minutes of November 30, 2018 Senate Executive Committee Meeting were approved as distributed by the Executive Secretary.
• Communications:
  • Updated/added policies in the University Policy Library:
    • 40.2.14 - Investment Policy
    • 60.1.13 - Policy Prohibiting Workplace Violence
    • 60.1.30 - Background Checks for Candidated for Staff and Faculty Positions
    • 70.1.1 - Acceptable Use Policy for Information Technology
    • 70.1.6 - Email and Calendar Policy
      • Chair Gillet asked Natatlie Borisovets, Chair of ICAC, if she felt her committee's concerns were taken into account in the final draft of policies 70.1.1 and 70.1.6. She requested time for her committee to review and report back to the Executive Committee at the February 1 meeting.

4.    Administrative Report

Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Barbara Lee presented an administrative report, which included comments on:

• Camden Chancellor Phoebe Haddon was selected as the recipient of the 2019 Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lifetime Achievement Award;
• Several Rutgers Leadership Changes:
  • Kim Mutcherson; Rutgers Law School-Camden, Co-Dean
  • Howard Marchitello, FAS-C, Dean
  • Robert Johnson, RWJMS, Interim Dean
  • Martin Blaser, CABM, Director
• Sarah McMahon and Barbara Lee heading a committee comprised of 25 faculty and students tasked with drafting a response to the Office of Civil Rights regarding the proposed changes to Title IX in conjunction with developing a university committee on the prevention of sexual harassment;
• Administration continues to work with employees surrounding contract negotiations;
• Center for American Women in Politics;
• Evaluation of Chancellor Nancy Cantor
  • Lee requested the Senate Executive Committee report back at the February 1 EC meeting with a slate of 4 tenured faculty from the Newark Campus to sit on the Chancellor Review Committee for Dr. Nancy Cantor.

5.    Office of Student Affairs Report - Dr. Anne Newman, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

Associate Vice Chancellor Newman presented a report on the strategic plan of the Office of Student Affairs. This is the first report of the annual presentation by the Office of Student Affairs agreed to by Senate Chair Peter Gillett and Chancellor for Student Affairs Salvador Mena, in order to foster a closer working relationship between both organizations.

Newman then answered questions on the following:

• RBHS not being covered under the University-wide Code of Student Conduct and when that will be integrated and if there is a point person for the RBHS Code of Student Conduct;
• the possibility of legalization of marijuana and how that will impact the Code of Student Conduct regulations;
• Role of students in the new student conduct policy;
• Proposed changes to the current Code of Student Conduct policy and the timeline expected for approval;
• Transfer student experience; and
• Student Legal Services;

4.    Senate and Executive Committee Meeting Calendar

Schedule of Senate and Executive Committee Meetings, Academic Year 2018-2019

Schedule of Senate and Executive Committee Meetings, Academic Year 2019-2020

Next-year's schedule of Senate and Executive Committee meetings was discussed. Mickelsen responded to questions about the schedule, to include the feasibility of holding remote Senate meetings on other campuses. After much discussion it was determined the pilot program implemented earlier this year surrounding ICAC giving members the option to video conference into meetings, will be extended to the USGC committee. Also, the October 4, 2019 Executive Committee meeting will be held at RBHS-Newark. ICAC and USGC will report back to the Executive Committee at the June 7, 2019 meeting on the success/failure of the pilot. The modified schedule will be brought back for further consideration at the February 1 meeting. (Link above is the schedule as adopted.)

4.    Standing Committees Committee Reports:

Student Affairs Committee (SAC) Response to Charge S-1804: How Student Senators are Elected - Julie Serrano, SAC Co-Chair

The SAC has been charged as follows:  Evaluate and make recommendations on how Student Senators are elected. Consider if there should be a requirement for direct election of senators. Report to Senate Executive Committee by February 2019.

Serrano summarized the background and report and after much discussion it was determined this report was not ready for docketing in its current form. Serrano agreed to bring this back to committee for further editing and Chair Gillett offered to review the report prior to returning to Executive Committee at the February 1 meeting.

Instruction, Curricula, and Advising Committee (ICAC) Response to Charge S-1803: A Policy Relating to Student Posting of Faculty-Owned Documents - Natalie Borisovets, ICAC Chair 

The ICAC has been charged as follows: Investigate and make recommendations on University Policies relating to students' posting of syllabi, slides, tests, examination, and other professor-created documents to sites such as Course Hero. Consider similar issues related to student-created documents. Respond to the Senate Executive Committee by February 2019.

Borisovets discussed the work of the committee and the proposed recommendations. After a short discussion it was determined the report was to be docketed for the January 25 Senate meeting.

Instruction, Curricula, and Advising Committee (ICAC) Response to Charge S-1802: Online and Hybrid Course Support - Natalie Borisovets, ICAC Chair

The ICAC has been charged as follows: Investigate and consider how online and hybrid courses are support at Rutgers. How are courses created and delivered and how are faculty supported? Respond to the Senate Executive Committee by November 2018.

Borisovets discussed the work of the committee and the proposed recommendations. After a short discussion it was determined that after minor wordsmithing, the report was to be docketed for the January 25 Senate meeting.

 Issues/Charges:  Issues/Proposed Charges:

Unit Merger Process and Follow-Up Review - Michael Kelly, At-Large Faculty Member of Executive Committee

After reflection on an email sent to RBHS faculty and staff on December 20, 2018 by Chancellor Brian Strom, citing:

With the resignation of Dean Sherine Gabriel from RWJMS, Dr. Strom announced: "Now is the perfect time for a rigorous, structured exploration of the optimal level of integration between our two medical schools that will best achieve our missions of research, education, patient care, and community service and fulfill their potential for greater national recognition and accomplishment."

Senator Kelly has proposed the Senate Executive Committee consider the following:

• follow-up on the consequences of unit mergers have thus far been limited to reports to the EC from the relevant deans, often in the short-term after the actual merger;
• given that proposed benefits of the mergers may take longer to realize, there may be value in longer term follow-up (2-3 years), focusing on proposed/realized benefits, administrative changes/savings, faculty retention/recruitment, grant/philanthropy support, alumni perception. This review would be of benefit in assessing future proposed mergers;
• with the current structure of the two medical schools currently under review, this may be an opportune time to determine if such long-term follow-up should be standard by reviewing the law school and/or nursing school mergers;
• thus, the EC should determine if a follow-up review of a unit merger should be done, if so by which committee, and that review should include a recommendation as to whether such long-term reviews should be a standing element of the Senate's review of proposed unit mergers.

Senator Kelly summarized his rationale for proposing a charge on Unit Merger Process and Follow-Up Review. It was determined this charge will be issued to University Structure and Governance with a due date of March 2019. Senators Oliver and Gillett will work on specific charge language.

7.    Old Business

Academic Standards, Regulations, and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) Response to Charge S-1808: Code of Student Conduct Policy Review - Regina Masiello and Robert Schwartz, ASRAC Co-Chairs 

The ASRAC has been charged as follows: Review the new University Policy 10.2.11 on Code of Student Conduct, identify any concerns and, if appropriate, recommend further changes or other courses of action. Respond to the Senate Executive Committee by December 2018.

Senator Robert Schwartz, ASRAC Co-Chair, and Senator Babu Dasari, ASRAC EC Liaison, discussed the work of the committee and the proposed recommendations at the November 30, 2018 Executive Committee (EC) meeting. It was suggested the committee review the tracked changes version of the Code of Student Conduct Policy to enhance their report and resubmit for this meeting. The changes were accepted, and the report was docketed for the January 25 Senate meeting for information only.

7.    New Business

RGPEC request for a deadline extension from March 2019 to April 2019 for Charge S-1810: Facilities and Infrastructure - Submitted by Adam Kustka, RGPEC Chair

The Executive Committee agreed, without much deliberation, the extension for S-1810: Facilities and Infrastructure to April 2019 is approved.

8.    University Senate Agenda The January 25, 2019 Senate Meeting agenda was discussed, and will include:  

9.    Adjournment   

Minutes written and submitted by,

Mary Mickelsen, Executive Secretary of the University Senate