RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY
OF NEW JERSEY
UNIVERSITY SENATE
MINUTES: Regular Meeting of the University
Senate
DATE: September 19, 2014
TIME AND PLACE: 1:10 p.m., Multipurpose Room,
Rutgers Student Center, New Brunswick Campus
MEMBERS PRESENT: Ahmed, Akhtar, Alder,
Anderson, Avadhani, Barchi, Bell, Bernstein, Bodrog, Boikess,
Borden, Borisovets, Bridgeman, Buchholtz, Burrell, Caler, Chen, Cooper,
Cotter, Covington, Dasari, Delnevo, Dreyer, Durham, Dy, Edward,
Edwards, Elkabes, Fagley, Farris, Feldman, Fennell, Ferraris, Fiore,
Fitzgerlad-Bocarsly, Gajic, Gaunt, Geis, Gillett, Glaser, Gomes,
Gould, Gower, Grant, Gupta, Gursoy, Hackworth, Haddon, Hamai, Hirsch,
Holtzman, Hudson, D. Hughes, Ibrahimpata, Jimenez, D. Johnson, Joshi,
Karamichael, Killingsworth, A. Kim, S. Kim, Krishnamurthi, Langer, A.
Lee, K. Lee, Lepucki, Jane Lewis, Maillet, Marchick, Markert, Mazurek,
McGinnis, McInerney, McKeever, Meggali, Messer, Miller, Mitra,
Mitchell, Moran, Mouradian, Munoz, Navrot, Norville, Oberdiek,
O'Connell, O'Connor, Oleske, Oliver, Otto, Parry, V. Patel, Pintar,
Pirrello, Powell, Puhak, Rabinowitz, Ramsamy, Redlawsk, Roth, Sambol,
Schulberg, Schurman, Schwartz, Scott, Shapiro, Shapley, Shulman,
Spiegel, Stillwagon, Struwe, Sumoked, Sun, Suplee, Svasti, Szabo,
Szatrowksi, Tamburello, Thomas-Hawkins, Thompson, Tiangco, Toney-Boss,
Tsakalakos, Tursi, Van Stine, Velan, Wagner, Wang, Winkler,
Winterbauer, Wise, Yousaf, Zimmerman
EXCUSED: Abu El-Haj,
Alizadeh, Barone, Barraco, Bolden, Deans, Draves, Grave, LoMonoco,
March,
Padgett, Robinson, Wasserman,
ABSENT: Allen, Alperin, Angell,
Anthony, Aubry, Avakame, Balog, Barbarese, Battle, Bhuyan, Blanchett,
Bugel, Cantor, Creese, DiVito, Donald, Eastman, Frambry, Hehn,
Fernandez, Ganesh, Goodman, Gracias, Heckscher, Hinch, Holzemer,
Holzer, J. Hughes, Iwamiya, R. Johnson, Kocak, Kressel, Kubic, Kukor,
Kumar, Leibman, Jan Lewis, Lindenmeyer, Lynch, Maher, Martinez, Maruna,
Millonig, Miranti, Moore, Nissen, N. Patel, Potter, Rhoads, Rogers,
Sahi, Salmond, Saltzman, Schiavo, Scotto, Shafer, Simmons, Stauffer,
Stein, Strom, Takacs, Triner, Van de, Walle, Velez, Vodak,
Weigert,
ATTENDANCE SUMMARY:
Faculty:
Faculty:
Of 100 total: 64 present (64%), 7 excused (7%), 31 absent (31%);
Students: Of
45 total: 36 present (80%), 1 excused (2%), 8 absent (18%);
Administrators: Of 42 total: 15 present (36%), 3
excused
(7%), 24 absent (57%); Staff: Of 17 total: 11 present (65%), 1
excused (6%), 6
absent (35%); Alumni: Of 6 total: 5 present (83%), 1 excused (17%), 0
absent
(0%)
CALL TO ORDER, DETERMINATION OF A
QUORUM, INTRODUCTION OF COMMITTEE CHAIRS AND CHARGES, AND
CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT - Ann Gould, Chairperson
Senate Chairperson Ann Gould
called the meeting to order at 1:16
p.m.
in the Multipurpose Room of the Rutgers Student
Center, College Avenue Campus, New Brunswick. She welcomed all present.
Gould
then introduced Senate Parliamentarian Peter Gillett, and Senate
Executive
Secretary Ken Swalagin. She updated the Senate on actions taken by the
Executive Committee over the summer, including making recommendations
on procedures for selecting commencement speakers and honorary degree
recipients, which was done by the Executive Committee on behalf of
the Senate because of an extremely compressed timeline established by
the administration. She said that some of the recommendations were
accepted informally by President Barchi, but others were not, and that
Newark and Camden are working with their own committees, on which
Senate Executive Committee members from those campuses serve.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY - Ken
Swalagin, Executive Secretary
ADMINISTRATIVE
REPORT - Robert L. Barchi, University President
University President Robert Barchi first commented on the Senate's
recommendations on selection of honorary degree recipients and
commencement speakers, and related processes within the administration
and Board of Governors. He then presented an administrative report,
summarizing a full-text version which has been posted online here.
President Barchi then responded to questions, or heard comments, on
subjects that included:
- the value and contributions of faculty and staff;
- brain-injury risks related to football;
- athletics funding and budget;
- Rutgers endowments and fundraising;
- the New Brunswick Honors College, and a request by Senate Vice
Chair Martha Cotter that he meet with the group chaired by Matt Matsuda
which had been working on planning, which suggestion Barchi accepted;
- the current status of integration;
- diversity at Rutgers;
- the New Brunswick Strategic Plan's elements related to academic
advising, and the value of faculty in advising;
- scheduling of PTL contract negotiations;
- diversity and retention of faculty;
- the state of the physical campus and surrounding community in
Newark;
- Rutgers faculty salaries relative to other AAU institutions;
- the level of Trenton's responsiveness and support for UMDNJ
integration;
- plagiarism policies and violations, and the Academic Integrity
Policy, which is being revised; and
- Rutgers' culture and academic atmosphere.
ELECTION OF CAMDEN STUDENT MEMBER OF THE
SENATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
- Because no eligible
candidates for Camden student member of the Senate Executive
Committee were nominated during the May 2014 election, an election to
fill that position was conducted at this meeting. Senate Secretary Ken
Swalagin conducted the election. Nambaramey Dy, a student at the
School of Business - Camden, had previously nominated himself for the
position. There were no nominees from the floor. Senator Dy being the
only nominee, he was declared Camden student member of the Senate
Executive Committee by acclamation.
INTRODUCTION OF STANDING COMMITTEES
AND THEIR CHAIRS - Chairperson Gould introduced the standing
committee
chairs, who then spoke briefly about their committees' activities and
plans.
OLD
BUSINESS:
There was no old business.
NEW BUSINESS: There was no new
business.
REPORTS
OF THE REPRESENTATIVES TO BOARDS OF GOVERNORS AND TRUSTEES:
Senator
Samuel Rabinowitz, Faculty Representative to the Board of
Governors, reported on the June and July 2014 Board of Governors
meetings. Senators Menahem Spiegel and Robert Schwartz, Faculty
Representatives
to the Board of Trustees, reported on the September 2014 Board
of Trustees meeting.
CAMPUS FACULTY LIAISON REPORTS:
Camden Faculty Council Chair Samuel Rabinowitz reported on that group's
current activities and plans. New Brunswick Faculty Council Chair
Martha Cotter reported that her council will meet on October 17. RBHS
Faculty Council Chair Patricia Bocarsley-Fitzgerald reported on her
group's plans and activities, including electing permanent leadership
this fall.
CAMPUS STUDENT LIAISON REPORTS:
Senator Vetri Velan reported on New Brunswick student leadership
activities. Senator Hamzah Raza reported on Newark student leadership
activities.
CHAIR'S CLOSING COMMENTS:
Chairperson Gould thanked the Senators for their time commitments.
ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 3:42 p.m.
Minutes written and submitted by:
Ken Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the University Senate