EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MINUTES January 12, 2001

PRESENT: MEMBERS: Barone, Borisovets, Fechter, Kelly, Koehler, Leath, Rabinowitz (Vice Chair), Scott (Chair), Swalagin (Executive Secretary), Walker-Andrews

ALSO ATTENDING: Naus (Faculty BOT Representative), Oren, Parikh (Student BOG Representative), Seneca (Administrative Liaison)

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, January 12, 2001 at 1:10 p.m. in the President’s Dining Room, Brower Commons, College Avenue Campus.

1. Chairperson’s Report
Chairperson Scott called the meeting to order. She noted that the agenda comprised a good mix of items and issues from within and outside of the Senate and its committees.

2. Secretary's Report
Minutes: Minutes of the November 17, 2000 Executive Committee meeting were approved as distributed by the Secretary.
Communications: The following communications were presented and acted upon as noted:

Letter of December 12, 2000 from President Lawrence acknowledging receipt of, and thanking the Senate for, its resolution to change the Spring 2001 registration period on a trial basis, and stating that the change will be implemented on a pilot basis in the Spring 2001 semester. Noted.
Letter of December 13, 2000 from President Lawrence acknowledging receipt of the Senate’s resolution on Winter Session, and stating that he has asked Vice President Caprio to proceed to implement it within the parameters of the pilot program. A request for clarification will be sent to Vice President Caprio, in which he will be asked for a formal response as to whether the Senate’s recommendations on Winter Session will be implemented.
E-mail of January 3, 2001 from Mildred Schildkamp, Secretary of the University, confirming that Paul Snyder will replace Christine Haska as Presidential Appointee Senator. Noted.
E-mail sent to all New Brunswick students from Ken Iuso, University Registrar, announcing Senate-approved changes in drop/add period. R. Parikh asked if the e-mail had also gone to Camden and Newark, and if the message could be resent to ensure that all students receive it. Mr. Iuso will be asked to resend the e-mail to all students.
E-mail of December 6, 2000 from Monica Devanas, Teaching Excellence Center, to Kathleen Scott regarding posting of Student Instructional Rating data on the web. Docketed for discussion under "Committee Charges" below.
NJPIRG Student Chapters Concept Plan and fee background/justification. Docketed for discussion.
E-mail of December 14, 2000 from Senator Rudy Bell to Kathleen Scott regarding library rankings. Docketed for discussion under "Committee Charges" below.
Memorandum of November 12, 2000 (forwarded to Senate office by e-mail on November 17, 2000) from Craig Oren, Chair of the Committee on Scholastic Standing of the School of Law-Camden, requesting University Senate approval of a proposed grading-system change, per University Regulation 2.4.2.B. Docketed for discussion.
Letter of December 7, 2000 to Gary Roth, Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee Co-chair, from Tamar Kieval Brill, Liaison to the Executive Council of Fellows, Livingston College, "Concerning the faculty’s role in undergraduate admissions," with attachments. Docketed for discussion under "Committee Charges" below.
Letter dated January 15, 2001 from Senator (and Executive Committee member) Robert Koehler, citing potential conflicts of interest with his membership on the University’s Board of Trustees, and resigning from his Senate position effective June 30, 2001. Noted.

3. Administrative Report
University Vice President Seneca reported on: President Lawrence’s recent fundraising activities; Governor Whitman’s January visit to the New Brunswick campus, and her support of high-technology and science initiatives; continuation and increase of Workforce Excellence grants; upcoming State of the State and state budget messages; status of the Equipment Leasing Fund Program; review of funding benefits under Governor Whitman; and recent faculty appointments. Dr. Seneca responded to questions about expectations for a baseline budget increase, and about Dean Barbara Shailor’s acceptance of a position outside of Rutgers.

4. Standing Committee and Administrative Reports

The Equal Opportunity Committee’s resolution in support of full health benefits for same-sex partners of Rutgers employees and retirees was discussed, and was docketed for action at the January Senate meeting.
The Equal Opportunity Committee’s response to Charge S-0005 (issued jointly to the Equal Opportunity and Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committees), to "Review and comment on the May 2000 Report of the Committee to Advance Our Common Purposes Curriculum Task Force," was discussed. Senator Borisovets, chair of the ICA Committee, reported that her committee has not yet acted on this charge. It was decided that the ICA Committee would serve as the "lead" committee on this charge, and that the EOC’s response would be held until the February 2 Executive Committee to allow the ICA Committee to respond.
The Student Affairs Committee’s response to Charge S-0003, to "Review and comment on the Draft University Policy on Parental Notification received from Vice President for Student Affairs Emmet Dennis," was discussed, and was docketed for action at the January Senate meeting.
The Student Affairs Committee’s submissions for the Student Charter Trustee 2001 vacancy were discussed and approved for forwarding to the Board of Trustees. Applicants endorsed by the Student Affairs Committee were: Matthew Klieman, Rutgers College; Kenny Esser, Livingston College; Hector Sambolin, Cook College; and Lauren LaRusso, Douglass College.
Budget Committee Co-chair Joseph Naus presented his committee’s final report and resolution on the Fee Structure for Full-time University College Students. This was a continuation of discussion which began at the November 17, 2000 Executive Committee meeting. The report and resolution were docketed for action at the January Senate meeting.
Instruction, Curricula and Advising Subcommittee Chair Kathleen Scott presented her subcommittee’s response to Charge S-9913, to "Review the (‘TA Report") training of graduate students by departments for teaching undergraduate-level courses at Rutgers." The comprehensive report will be made available online, as a draft for comment, to the Senate. It will be docketed for reconsideration, including any revisions or additions, at the February Executive Committee meeting, and for action at the February Senate meeting.

5. Standing Committee Charges

Chairperson Scott summarized e-mails received, and discussions regarding posting of student instructional rating data online, including a suggestion that the University should establish a website to allow posting of anonymous comments on instructors’ performance. Privacy and legal issues were discussed. Chairperson Scott and Secretary Swalagin will draft a charge to the Instruction, Curricula and Advising (lead committee) and Student Affairs Committees, and request a response by March.
Chairperson Scott summarized e-mails received, and discussions regarding library rankings and, specifically, the standing of Rutgers libraries in current Association of Research Libraries (ARL) rankings. Senator Borisovets provided background on the drawbacks of the ARL’s ranking system, and its own current efforts to revise its ranking system. She directed attention to the ARL’s website, which lists its new initiatives, including efforts to revise the ranking process. Senator Seneca cited extensive Rutgers explorations of libraries’ effectiveness, which included thorough examination of service, value, use and cost, as well as formulation of the Libraries’ Long-Range Plan. Chairperson Scott and Senator Borisovets will draft a response on this issue, and refer it for comment to Myoung Wilson, chair of the Scholarly Communications Committee.
Consideration of a charge to the Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions (lead committee) and Student Affairs Committees to review the revised drop/add trial period and other matters related to registration (as stipulated in the relevant December 2000 Senate resolution) was docketed for the February Executive Committee meeting. If data from the trial period are available then, the charge will be issued at that time.
Chairperson Scott provided some additional background on the issue raised by the Executive Council of Fellows of Livingston College regarding the faculty’s role in admissions. Senator Walker-Andrews noted that the New Brunswick Faculty Council (NBFC) is currently addressing this issue. The NBFC committee will be asked to provide further input, and the Livingston Fellows will be asked to provide further information. Representatives from other colleges will also be invited to participate in the Senate’s committee discussions on this matter. Chairperson Scott and Secretary Swalagin will draft and circulate to the Executive Committee a charge to be issued to the Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee.

6. New Jersey Public Interest Research Group (NJPIRG) Student Chapters Concept Plan and Fee Proposal
University Senate Guidelines Regarding Special Student Organizations require that: "All petitioning student organizations which seek authorization to conduct a student body referendum under either of the alternative procedures described in the Board funding policy must first submit a ‘Concept Plan’ for review by the University Senate and approval by the University President." The Executive Committee discussed NJPIRG Student Chapters’ current Concept Plan, and approved the following resolution: Whereas, in seeking authorization to conduct fall 2001 student referenda on the New Brunswick campus to qualify for funding, NJPIRG Student Chapters submitted its Concept Plan to the Senate Executive Committee, as required by the University Senate Guidelines Regarding Special Student Organizations; and,

Whereas, the Executive Committee, acting on behalf of the University Senate, which is composed of faculty, student, alumni, and administrator members from the Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick campuses, has reviewed NJPIRG Student Chapters’ Concept Plan with the sole criterion of determining the educational value of the program;

Be It Resolved that the Executive Committee of the Rutgers University Senate, on behalf of the Rutgers University Senate, recommends NJPIRG Student Chapters’ Concept Plan to President Lawrence for administrative review and approval.

7. Proposal to Change the Grading System at the School of Law-Camden
Senator Craig Oren, as chair of the Committee on Scholastic Standing of the School of Law-Camden, summarized the school’s request for Senate approval (and subsequent recommendation to the Board of Governors) of its plan to add plus and minus grades to its grading system. University Regulation 2.4.2.B stipulates that "Any degree-granting division of the University proposing a grading system which differs from the basic system has the responsibility to . . . submit for approval by the Board of Governors, upon recommendation of the University Senate, the proposed grading system . . ." Senator Oren stated that the school is seeking fall 2001 implementation of the new grading system. Chairperson Scott and Secretary Swalagin will draft and issue a charge to the Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee to consider the proposal and submit a report and recommendations for consideration at the March 2001 Executive Committee meeting.

8. January 26, 2001 Senate Agenda
Items were docketed and scheduled for the January 26, 2001 Senate agenda, including University Vice President Seneca’s New Brunswick Campus Report, and three standing committee reports (indicated above).

9. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 3:00 p.m. by Chairperson Scott.

Kenneth Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the Senate