RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
SENATE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
M I N U T E S
January 9, 2015
MEMBERS PRESENT: Barraco (by phone), Burrell, Cotter (New
Brunswick
Faculty
Liaison), Dy, Gould, Meggali (by phone), Oliver, Otto,
Puhak, Swalagin
(Executive
Secretary), Thompson, Velan
MEMBERS EXCUSED: Boikess,
Borisovets, Joshi, Langer
ALSO
ATTENDING: Edwards (New Brunswick Chancellor), Rabinowitz
(Representative to the Board of
Governors), Spiegel (Representative to the Board of Trustees)
The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was
held on
Friday, January 9, 2015 at 1:10 p.m. in the Executive Board Room of
Administrative Services Building-III, Cook Campus.
1. Chair’s Report
Senate and Executive Committee Chairperson Ann Gould called the
meeting to order at 1:13 p.m. Gould's Chair's Report included comments
on the following:
- Her and
Martha Cotter's December 11 meeting with Kathleen Scotto (Dean,
Graduate School of Medical Sciences) and Jerry Kukor (Dean, Graduate
School-New Brunswick) on the proposal to create a Rutgers Division of
Graduate Studies, on which they seek Senate approval during this spring
semester. Scotto and Kukor have been given the University Structure and
Governance Committee's draft report on processes relating to these
types of proposals, and have been asked to respond to questions in that
report which are relevant to their proposal, and forward those back to
the Executive Committee.
- The search
for a Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, who will be chief
academic officer of Rutgers, will report directly to the president but
will also work with the chancellors, and who will also chair the
Promotion Review Committee and present related packet recommendations
to the Board of Governors. Gould said that the search committee is
still soliciting nominations for candidates. She asked those present to
email her if they would like to recommend a candidate.
Discussion
and comments related to the Chair's Report included the following
topics:
- Chancellor positions created through legislation, and previous
conflicts that arose when the Executive Vice President for Academic
Affairs was required to make decisions that may have been seen as
favoring New Brunswick because he was also New Brunswick Chancellor.
- Further details of the responsibilities of the Senior Vice
President for Academic Affairs.
- The need to revise the title of the "Responsible Executive" on
the Open Access Policy, which currently lists that person as the
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.
- Admissions authorities and competition at Rutgers, and compliance
with federal financial aid requirements.
2.
Secretary’s Report - Ken Swalagin,
Executive Secretary of the Senate
3. Administrative Liaison
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Richard Edwards presented
an administrative report, which
included comments on:
- status of the Physical Master Plan, the New Brunswick component
of which will go to the Board of Governors in January, and the
expectation that the Camden and Newark plans will go to the board in
February;
- movement of some administrative units to the newly acquired
Knightsbridge Road building;
- completion, and some specifics of, the New Brunswick Strategic
Plan;
- administrative searches for deans of the School of Management and
Labor Relations, and of the School of Communication and Information, as
well as for University Librarian/Vice President for Information
Services; and
- a scheduled visit from the Middle States Commission on Higher
Education regarding Rutgers' substantive change request submitted after
integrating UMDNJ.
[Later in the meeting, Edwards made additional comments related to
recent emails to the Rutgers community regarding deaths of students, as
well as the decision to email reports of crimes that occur off-campus
in surrounding New Brunswick wards.]
4. Standing Committees
Committee Reports:
University
Structure and Governance Committee (USGC) Response to Charge S-1309 on
Senate Election Procedures - This
report was not yet available at the time of this meeting. USGC
Co-chairs Jon Oliver and Robert Puhak said the USGC should be able to
have the report
ready in the next several days, and would send it to the executive
secretary to circulate to the Executive Committee members for review
before docketing it for Senate action or introduction at the upcoming
Senate meeting. [Note: Unforeseen complications with the report and
issue prevented finalization of the report in time for docketing at the
January Senate meeting.]
Issues/Proposed
Charges:
Proposed
Charge to University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC) on The
State of Shared Governance at Rutgers, submitted by Jon Oliver,
USGC Co-chair: The following proposed charge, submitted by USGC
Co-chair Jon Oliver, was discussed:
Consider
the state of shared governance at Rutgers including its strengths and
challenges. Recommend any changes based on our aspirant AAU and Big 10
peers
and on the basis of the foundational element of "Robust Shared
Governance,
Academic Freedom, and Effective Communication" in the university
strategic
plan. Consider how such an improved model of shared governance could
assist the
university in its mission to become a tier 1 institution in the AAU.
Oliver said that the intent is to improve how the Senate serves an
active role in the functioning of shared governance at Rutgers. The
Executive Committee asked that the language of the charge be refined so
that it can be issued with a deadline of January 2016.
Proposed
Charge to University Structure and Governance Committee or
Executive Committee on Amending the Research, and Graduate and
Professional Education Committee (RGPEC) Standing Charge: The
Executive Committee discussed the fact that the RGPEC's
standing charge currently states that "
The
Senior
Vice President for Research and Graduate and Professional Education
shall be
asked to serve as an ex officio member of this committee." Since the
2010 creation of the RGPEC, the title of the position formerly held by
Michael Pazzani has changed to Senior Vice President for Research and
Economic Development, and is now held by Chris Malloy. The standing
charge therefore requires amendment. The Executive Committee decided to
act on this matter after the upcoming RGPEC meeting, at which
Christopher Malloy, Senior Vice President for Research and Economic
Development, will be in attendance, and will be asked if he or another
administrator would replace Pazzani.
Proposed Charge to Academic Standards,
Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) on Modifying Academic
Calendar and Exam Times for Online Courses: The Executive
Committee discussed the following proposal,
submitted by James Massachaele, Executive Vice Dean of the School of
Arts and Sciences (SAS) -New Brunswick:
"I
write in my capacity as Executive Vice-Dean of SAS to ask the Senate to
consider a proposal for making an adjustment to the University's exam
schedule.
A number of faculty in SAS have asked for an improved process for
scheduling
final exams in online courses. Currently the University makes no
provision for
this. Many faculty who teach online courses feel that in-person final
exams are
the best way to ensure the integrity of the exam. To make the
scheduling of
final exams for online courses more effective, we propose that the
University
set aside and advertise certain time slots as standard exam times for
online
courses. You can find details
of the proposal on the attached document. Please
let me know if you need more detail or if there is a different avenue I
need to
pursue to have the proposal considered by the Senate."
Following discussion, ASRAC Chair Martha Cotter volunteered to
consult with Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee (ICAC) Chair
Natalie Borisovets regarding the ICAC's ongoing discussions of best
practices for administration of exams for online courses, and that
Cotter and/or Borisovets will address this issue at the following
Executive Committee meeting.
5.
New Business
There was no new business.
6. University
Senate Agenda for January 23, 2015
7. Old
Business
Proposed Merger of Newark and Camden Law
Schools: Ken Swalagin was asked to contact Newark and Camden Law
Schools Acting Deans Ron Chen and John Oberdiek to facilitate meetings
with Gould, Cotter, and USGC Co-chairs Jon Oliver and Robert Puhak, at
which the merger timeframe could be determined.
8. Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 3:22 p.m.
Minutes written and submitted by,
Ken Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the University Senate