Charge A0102:  Review the Proposal to Establish Rutgers University College of Applied and Professional Studies (RU-CAPS), dated February 14, 2001, from the Office of the Vice President for Continuous Education and Outreach.

Background: A proposal for the College of Applied and Professional Studies (CAPS) was originally submitted to the Senate in February 2001, and the Governance Committee was charged to review and make recommendations on this proposal.  CAPS represented a new type of school for Rutgers University, and consequently the proposal raised many questions and concerns.  Throughout the spring of 2001 the Governance Committee met with members of the administration to review issues that were surfacing in the University community about the proposed school and make suggestions for constructive responses to some of these issues. Many members of the University community requested that President Lawrence extend the time available for discussion.  A report of this committee, made to the Senate in April 2001, recommended that a CAPS Advisory Board be formed to review and make recommendations on the structure this school should take.  President Lawrence responded positively to both the requests for additional time for review and the formation of an Advisory Board.  In consultation with the Chair of the University Senate, the CAPS Advisory Committee was charged and appointed in May 2001, and presented a preliminary report to the President and the University Senate in October 2001; the Senate received a revised proposal at the same time.  The University Senate held an open forum on this issue in October 2001, and many concerns were raised.  Following this forum, throughout the fall of 2001, the Governance Committee met extensively to consider the Recommendations of the CAPS Advisory Committee, and other issues related to the formation of CAPS.  The Governance Committee subsequently endorsed the recommendations of the CAPS Advisory Committee, and approved a number of very specific additional resolutions. The administration informed the Governance Committee that it would revise the CAPS proposal for delivery to the Committee at the beginning of 2002.  The Governance Committee received the revised proposal and has been reviewing it in 2002.  In its last meeting the Governance Committee passed a resolution stating that the administration had  acted in good faith in revising the proposal and accepted most of the CAPS Advisory Committee and Governance Committee proposed changes.  The Governance Committee made a few additional suggestions and the administration was in the process of revising the CAPs proposal once again.  However, the Governance Committee had not completed its final report as of February 2002.

Status of the CAPS/SCPD Proposal: In January 2002, Rutgers University learned that it would be subject to a considerable budget cut to help meet the state’s current fiscal crisis.  In February 2002, the Governance Committee was informed by Vice President Snyder that the CAPS (now SCPD, School of Continuing Professional Development) proposal would not be considered for implementation in the foreseeable future as Rutgers University undertook cost-cutting steps, and was being withdrawn from consideration.  Vice President Snyder also stated that if SCPD was reconsidered in the future, a new proposal would be prepared.

Recommendations of the Governance Committee

Since the current proposal for the School of Continuing Professional Development will not be implemented, the Governance Committee does not bring forward any recommendations on endorsement of that proposal.  However, the committee did devote extensive discussions to the structure of the school, and the members feel that these discussions and recommendations, as well as those of the CAPS Advisory Committee, should be part of the official record of the Senate.  Although these recommendations should in no way be considered an endorsement of CAPS/SCPD or any similar school, they do provide guidelines for structural features that the members of the committee endorsed and felt would be critical before any positive action could be considered on this proposal.  In particular, the committee members felt strongly about recommendations to maintain separation of these professional programs from the liberal arts schools, and that all academic deans, including of this school, should report to the University Vice-President for Academic Affairs.

Recommendation 1: The Senate Governance committee recommends that any future proposal for a school of continuing or professional studies consider the recommendations and discussion of the Governance Committee summarized in Appendix I and the CAPS Advisory Committee Report as a starting point for any new proposal that shall be brought to the University Senate for endorsement.

Recommendations on Outreach and the Mission of Rutgers University

In addition to the structural and academic considerations, the Governance Committee devoted significant discussion to the issues of outreach and service, and the need for professional, place-based education.  The committee members felt strongly that professional education generally is part of the mission of Rutgers University, as is serving what we agree are increased needs for education programs for adult students, both degree-granting and certificate programs.  However, the committee was impressed with the range of courses already offered by individual departments, including certificate and credit-bearing courses both on and off campus.   Expansion or enhancement of some of these programs may also serve important needs in the state.  The programs that were proposed within CAPS/SCPD might be appropriate additions to this range of courses, but the committee felt that they did not constitute a comprehensive answer to the outreach needs of the University.  Moreover, the committee members recognized that Rutgers can not be all things to all constituencies within the state, either in outreach or other educational areas.  Our discussions of the issues revolving around CAPS/SCPD have made clear the need for a coherent strategic plan to guide RU’s development in its continuing education and outreach programs, and to place the kinds of professional programs that were proposed for CAPS/SCPD in their proper context within the University’s existing and planned outreach programs, if they are ever to be part of Rutger’s outreach efforts.

Recommendation 2:  Since a strategic plan for outreach and continuing education is not now available, the University should begin such a process to develop an overall plan to serve the needs of the citizens of New Jersey.  This strategic plan should include a detailed statement of the documented needs of the state, determine which of those needs it is most appropriate for the University to address, and consider how well ongoing continuing education programs at Rutgers are currently addressing these needs and which may need to be strengthened.  This process should also assess the possible role of professional programs of the kind proposed for CAPS/SCPD within the entire framework of Rutgers outreach and continuing education efforts.

Note:  A slightly different version of this recommendation was originally passed by the committee, and is included in the Governance Committee Minutes and Appendix I.

RESOLUTION

Be It Resolved that the Rutgers University Senate endorses the Report of the Governance Committee on Outreach and Continuing Education and urges the Administration to implement its Recommendations.