2005-2006 University Senate Officer and Board Representative
Nominations

[Additional Nominations may be made from the Senate floor on April 22, 2005]

Click links to read candidates' campaign statements.

CHAIR  (Elect One)  [Chair or Vice Chair must be from Newark or Camden]

VICE CHAIR  (Elect One)  [Chair or Vice Chair must be from Newark or Camden]

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FACULTY  (Elect Four)  [EC must have at least one member from Newark and one from Camden]

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE STUDENT  (Elect Two)  [EC must have at least one member from Newark and one from Camden]

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ALUMNUS  (Elect One)

 BOARD OF GOVERNORS STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE  (Elect One)

BOARD OF GOVERNORS FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE  (Elect One)

BOARD OF TRUSTEES UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE   (Elect One) [Sophomore, Junior or Senior; need not be elected Senator]

BOARD OF TRUSTEES GRADUATE STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE  (Elect One)  [Need not be elected Senator]  
BOARD OF TRUSTEES FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE  (Elect Two)

CANDIDATES' CAMPAIGN STATEMENTS

CHAIR


VICE CHAIR


EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FACULTY

Joseph Barone:  I have had the pleasure of being a member of the University Senate since 1991.  I have also enjoyed my work on the former Academic Personnel Committee, the Budget Committee, Nominating Committee, and the Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee.  Since 1998, I have been a member of the Senate Executive Committee with liaison assignment to the Budget and Finance Committee since 2001.  This involvement has given me an opportunity to see how Senate activity can have a positive impact on the quality of life at the University.  I am excited about continuing my work on the Senate Executive Committee.  Your support of my candidacy is most appreciated.

Robert Boikess:  During my long career at Rutgers, one of my overriding commitments has been to make the university better. Whether as a department chair for 12 years, or as an instructor teaching chemistry to thousands of students, or as a fellow of Douglass and Rutgers Colleges, or as a leader in collective bargaining for the faculty and TA/GAs, or as a member of the New Brunswick Faculty Council, or as a chair or member of countless committees, I have always been energetic in seeking to fulfill that overriding commitment. The Senate, more than any other body, through its inclusion of all constituencies of the university community, provides the opportunity for all of us to participate meaningfully in the governance process and make the university better. I believe that my many years in the Senate, including service as a committee chair and representative to the Board of Trustees, as well as my energy and commitment, qualify me to be a vigorous and effective member of the Executive Committee and a tireless advocate for the interests of all the constituencies in the Senate, as well as for the Senate itself.

Natalie Borisovets:  Having been an active member of the University Senate since 1988 (Chair 1993-1996; Chair, Educational Policy 1997-2000; Chair, Instruction, Curricula & Advising 2000-;), I believe that I have a good sense of where the Senate has been and where we would like to be.  While the Newark campus is “home,” I’m actually a member of a faculty that crosses all three campuses.  As such I believe that I also bring a unique university wide perspective to the Senate. The Executive Committee, as the group which guides and sets the agenda, is a vital component of this unique shared governance body.  I am privileged to have been given the opportunity to participate and contribute to that group; I hope that you grant me the opportunity to continue.

Manoranjan Dutta:  I am honored to accept the nomination for election to the senate executive committee. I have served as a member of the senate for eight years earlier and I am pledged to serve my current term for three years.  My commitment to make Rutgers an excellent higher education institution in the country will be my primary commitment.  I believe that limitation of class size and recruitment to our faculty at least two Nobel laureates will help make our program excellent. I will argue for a review and reallocation of available funds, concurrently pressing our case for the state of new jersey increasing the budget for RU. I will raise my voice against any further tuition increase.  I have taught both graduate and undergraduate courses for years, supervising a good number of doctoral dissertations, M.A. theses, plus undergraduate research projects.  My research has taken me to so many universities and research institutions in a large number of countries in Europe and Asia, inclusive of Australia & New Zealand.  My publication record includes articles in leading professional journals, books, monographs.  I am the founding editor of the journal of Asian economics, currently published six issues a year.  I serve as a Fulbright senior specialist for 2002-2007.

Leslie Fishbein:  In the past as a member of New Brunswick Faculty Council or as a University Senator, I have initiated and worked for proposals that currently have been or are in the process of being implemented to improve University life.  These proposals include a streamlined and flexible system of faculty reporting in place of the annual faculty survey, deaconal evaluation, and a more viable and equitable process of handling issues of academic integrity than the present University Code.  I currently serve on the university-wide Academic Integrity Committee that is fulfilling that mandate.  If elected to the Executive Council, I would work to make sure that whatever structural changes are implemented at Rutgers are compatible with keeping the intimacy necessary to foster learning communities and close relations between students and the faculty and administrators at Rutgers.  I also would work to create guidelines and perhaps special deanships for dealing with jointly appointed faculty.  We have substantially increased the number of joint appointments, and many of these new faculty members are being overworked by taking on committee and administrative responsibilities in two or more departments or programs only to find themselves being evaluated for promotion and tenure by conflicting and often unclear standards.  If we are to continue making such appointments, we should figure out how to nurture these faculty rather than simply how to exploit them.  We need to work as well on a system of phased retirement and retirement incentives that provides departments with the flexibility that they need to retain faculty where needed, as in highly specialized fields or those whose grants are essential to departmental research while encouraging those who wish to retire to do so at an appropriate pace so that funds can be freed to hire new faculty to invigorate teaching at Rutgers.  My suggestions for improvement always have stressed practicality, flexibility, and working through consensus to build a greater sense of community at Rutgers.  If I am elected, my contributions to the Executive Council would be my wide interdisciplinary experience as appointed in or affiliated with five different academic departments, my ability to build consensus to achieve effective governance, and my plain common sense.

Ann Gould: I am a faculty member of both the Department of Extension Specialists and the Department of Plant Biology and Pathology at Cook College. I have served as a Cook representative to the University Senate for three years and look forward to participating in Senate activities for another term. For the past two years I have acted as co-chair of the Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee which has developed policy for e-mail privacy issues at Rutgers University and
also addressed concerns for departmental faculty voting rights and the on-line version of the annual faculty survey. I find participation in the Senate very rewarding and look forward to continued service with great enthusiasm. Thank you for your support.

Michael LaSala:  To carry out its planning, referral, evaluation, and liaison functions, the Executive Committee needs members who are enthusiastic, committed, organized, and collegial.  Executive Committee members must be task-oriented, and also able to engage and work with people from a variety of disciplines and perspectives.  Historically, as a professional social worker and now as an academic, I have served and lead various interdisciplinary committees and am currently the co-chair of the Senate Equal Opportunities Committee.  My colleagues would attest that I am an energetic, thoughtful, conscientious, contributory committee member who is also a competent, well-liked leader.  I am also known for my ability to establish excellent working relationships with people from a variety of disciplines, viewpoints, and temperaments.  I strongly believe that these qualities in addition to my commitment to the Senate and to Rutgers would make me a valuable asset to the Executive Committee.

Paul Panayotatos: I am running for one of the faculty positions on the Senate Executive Committee. I am a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and I have been involved in shared governance for 12 years through the Senate and the New Brunswick Faculty Council, mostly concurrently. I have been a member of the executive committees of both bodies and have also chaired both.  At the senate, my constituency has been Engineering, the New Brunswick campus at large and the Graduate School New Brunswick (twice). In my latter role I also serve on the Graduate School Executive Council.  I have served on over 20 university-wide committees, and have chaired several, including the President’s Faculty Advisory Committee and the New Brunswick Faculty Council Committees on Personnel Police and on Budget and Planning.  On the senate, I have co-chaired the Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee that developed the new policies for appointment of chairs and for the evaluation of deans by students, faculty and staff as well as the report on clinical and professional faculty currently under consideration. My attendance record has been almost perfect, excluding last semester that I was on sabbatical abroad.  I served as chair of the University Senate for two years during the discussions for restructuring of the public research universities (the Vagelos commission plan). At the same time I was ex oficio faculty representative on the Board of Governors and on six BOG committees.  The contribution of the senate to the discussions and the decision on the restructuring plan illustrates the crucial role of shared governance in averting potential disasters. In addition, the unique form of the senate at Rutgers that includes faculty, students, administrators and staff allows for the exchange of points of view that may differ with each constituency thus facilitating the formulation of mutually acceptable compromises. Within the senate, these constituencies can and should retain their special characteristics in bodies such as the proposed student sub-senate.  As a result, in addition to its crucial role of helping to avert externally perpetrated potential disasters (e.g. restructuring plan, budget cuts) or internal ill-advised plans (e.g. the proposed College for Applied and Professional Studies, interruption of dial-up service), the Senate has the opportunity to improve the operation of the University in several ways and at several levels. The result is both a better university as well as a better place to be, work and study.  On the issues that might come before the senate next year, I stand for the establishment of a student sub-senate and against the renewal of the Coca-Cola contract.

Joseph Potenza:  During my 37 years as a faculty member and administrator (department chair, Dean of the Graduate School, Provost), I have worked in numerous departmental and extra-departmental venues at Rutgers to improve the teaching, research, and diversity of the University.  I believe that I share the values that have made Rutgers a first-rate educational institution and that, as a member of the Senate Executive Committee, I can help guide it towards making appropriate recommendations to continue along the unending road to excellence in our several missions.  Because I believe strongly in shared governance, I have served several times in the past as a member of the University Senate, and welcome the opportunity to contribute further as a member of the Executive Committee.

James Reed:  I have professed History at Rutgers since 1975, even while serving as Dean of Rutgers College, 1985-94. The Senate needs the conscientious participation of senior faculty members, and, if elected, I will do my best to make the Senate work for the whole university community.

Richard Simmons:  I have learned much during my membership on the University Senate as a representative of Livingston College for the past three years.  During the second and third years of my membership I served on the Equal Opportunity Committee, which last year wrote and recommended the Asian-American Student Initiative that was passed by the Senate at its meeting on April 23, 2004.  I have also found my participation on the Governance Committee in the first year quite informative.  In the coming year I anticipate that many important issues will come before the Senate, including the evaluation of the Structure group's report of the Task Force on Undergraduate Education.  I would look forward to working on that and other issues as a member of the Executive Committee, where I would provide a voice that seeks to advance Rutgers strengths as a university that offers a fine variety of diverse learning communities for its students.  I greatly appreciate your support of my candidacy.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE STUDENT

Jillian Curtis:  Hi! My name is Jillian Curtis and I am sophomore majoring in history and political science. I have been involved in RCGA for about two years. This past year I served on as a University Senator, as well as the Chairperson of the Academic Affairs Committee and Secretary on the Executive Board. While I've worked on many different issues over the past two years, I have spent a significant amount of time working on issues concerning educational affordability. As a member of the Rutgers University Lobbying Association, I have testified at state Assembly and Senate Budget hearings, held meetings with state legislators, and helped to plan last year's RU in Trenton Day event. As Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee, I am the leader of the Affordable Textbooks Campaign by working with publishing companies to make an impact on the national level and with faculty members to make an impact on the University level. I am also a member of the Social Security Numbers Taskforce, which works to phase out the use of SSNs as identification numbers for students in order to protect their identities.  In all of my experiences with the governing association, I have worked collaboratively with both faculty members and administrators, a skill that I will certainly bring to the Senate Executive Committee if elected.  As a member of the Executive Committee, I will advocate for student issues as well as work to develop a unified senate.  I sincerely hope you all allow me the privilege of serving our University in the facet, and look forward to seeing you all on Friday!

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ALUMNUS

Susan Darien:  I am an alumna of Douglass College and the School of Social Work.  I have served on the Senate for the last five years and on its Executive Committee for this year.   For four years now, I have been the President of the School of Social Work Alumni Association and prior to that was its representative to Alumni Federation.  At Douglass I am on the Alumnae Council and have been on various committees.  Currently, I am on the search committee for a new Dean of the School of Social Work.  Professionally, I am a licensed clinical social worker with many years of past public employment in the mental health field at UMDNJ.  Currently, I am in private practice.

William Norville:  Affiliation UCRNBAA; VP. Alumni Federation:  Long Term planning Committee, Continuance Concerns Committee, Senator.  Senate:  Budget and Finance Committee.  Occupation:  Acting Assistant Manager of Operations, Division of Housing, Rutgers University.
If elected to the Senate Executive Committee, I bring the voice of the 330 thousand alumni of Rutgers University to an area of decision making within the governance of Rutgers University.  I also bring a measure of experience and knowledge gained by working on the various committees in the university and a somewhat understanding of the mechanics of its complex structure.

BOARD OF GOVERNORS STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE

Sharo Atmeh:  I am seeking to represent the Senate as the Student Representative to the Board of Governors because I feel that my vision can bring together the members of the University Senate and deliver a unified message to the leaders of Rutgers University.  I would proudly do my duty to represent the message of the Senate to the Board of Governors and report back to the body all issues or importance to the University.  For the past year, I have had the pleasure of serving on the ASRAC committee and we have addressed all of the charges that have been brought before us by the Senate.  In my role as a student representative I have been a strong advocate for reform at the University level.  In my role as the Educational Opportunity Program’s President for the past two years, I have secured a $1 million fund for the poorest students on campus so that they may be able to afford their textbooks with $500 in supplementary loan funding each semester, by testifying and working with the Board of Governors.  I have successfully worked with a team of students to testify at New Jersey Senate and Assembly Budget hearings.  I am taking the University’s concerns to Washington with students and members of the faculty and administration.  I have worked with many members of this senate in many contexts; I will be addressing the faculty at their annual awards ceremony on May 2; and finally I have vast experience with all of the concerns of real Rutgers life that can only be experienced by the life of an undergraduate.  If elected, I will work toward creating further institutional change for the betterment of the University as a whole.  I will ensure the concerns of all three of Rutgers’ campuses are addressed by the Board of Governors.  Finally, I will bring together all of the parts of the Senate to create a unified voice and a strong message behind all of the issues that we must address in these times of vast change for Rutgers University.

Brigid Farrell:  I have the experience and the ability that are necessary to represent the students at Rutgers, as well as the desire to coordinate the student needs with those of the university as a whole.   I have successfully worked with each of the different undergraduate student governments, as well as administration, to coordinate the Save Our School event in Trenton.  As Chair of the Rutgers University Lobbying Association, I have led the advocacy efforts of the student governments, ensuring that the undergraduate voice is heard.  And as an active member in student government and a passionate University Senator, I have proven myself to be a strong defender of the students here by reaching out to my constituents before I act on their behalf.  As a student representative to the Board of Governors, I would ensure that all of the student voices are heard.  I would work to be inclusive of the viewpoints of the entire student body--not only from our New Brunswick campuses, but also those from Camden and Newark.  My ability to bridge communities, along with my experience in working with students, faculty, and administration, sets me apart from others and makes me uniquely qualified to be the student representative to the Board of Governors.

David Portilla:  Over the past seven years, I have grown to love Rutgers and its mission and I would be honored to serve as a student representative to the BOG.  I graduated with honors from Rutgers College in 2002, and I now attend the School of Law – Newark, as a Miller Scholar (a three year, full scholarship awarded to one student in each class).  My experience as an undergraduate in New Brunswick and as a law student in Newark provides me with a unique bi-campus perspective on the needs, concerns, and strengths of the University.  For the past two years I served as a member of the Student Bar Association (“SBA”) at the School of Law – Newark.  My time on the SBA has allowed me to learn the importance of communication between different constituencies at the University, such as students, faculty, and administration.  I would be honored to serve as a student representative to the BOG, and to continue my service to the University.

Franklin Turner:  Currently, I serve as the Graduate Student Representative to the Board of Trustees.  During the last year, I have attended all of the Board of Trustees meetings and been very active in this position.  The major highlight of my term has been working effectively with fellow graduate students to bring our needs to the Board of Trustees and central administration.  It was very important for me to meet with as many graduate students to ensure that I was fully informed on the concerns of all graduate students not just a select few.  Also, I am fortunate to have developed successful collaborations with undergraduate student leaders on issues that concerned all students.  If elected Student Representative to the Board of Governors, I will work to make certain that the needs of Rutgers students are brought to the forefront.  I strongly believe that serving in my current position has prepared me to be very successful in the Student Representative to the Board of Governors position.

BOARD OF GOVERNORS FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

Paul Leath:  I would be happy to serve one more year as the faculty representative to the Board of Governors.  The past two years have been very active years for the Board of Governors and I have enjoyed it  and felt that my presence with the Board has made an important contribution. I have served on several Board committees including, for the first time for a faculty representative, the Budget and Finance committee. This year I was asked by the Board's Audit Committee for advice on the University's travel expense reimbursement policy, to which the University responded by substantially improving this policy. Also, I was invited to serve on the Structure Subcommittee of the Task Force on Undergraduate Education, where I was very happy to be a part of plans for a very important improvement effort in undergraduate educcation. As a representative elected by the entire University Senate, I would consider it my duty to try to represent the student members  and all of the other members of the Senate, as well as the faculty members. Finally, if elected this year, I would not plan to run again next year for this position, in order to give other faculty senators the chance for this unique experience.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE

Justin Fincher:  Over the past three years, I have worked diligently to represent various members of the Rutgers community. As the current Chair of the Cook College Council, my responsibilities have taught me the importance of representing each student and collaborating with others to create meaningful results that ultimately better the undergraduate community and experience. As a member of the Council of Presidents, the Vice President for Student Affairs Leadership Cabinet and the Exclusive Beverage Contract Committee, I have valued the opportunity to work with a myriad of individuals including faculty, staff, administrators and most importantly students to create positive change at Rutgers University, and I am truly excited about the prospect of representing all undergraduate Rutgers students as the next Board of Trustees Undergraduate Representative. Thank you in advance for your support.

Rajan Melwani:  Over my three years of being a Rutgers College undergraduate, I have developed an enormous love and pride for not only Rutgers College, but more importantly for Rutgers University as a whole.  I am honored to have made such great bonds with numerous students, faculty, and administrators on various levels throughout the University which will last me a lifetime.  I am even more proud to call myself a Scarlet Knight.  During my tenure here at Rutgers, I have acquired a great deal of knowledge and history of our renowned and highly prestigious institution.  As an active student leader at Rutgers University, I have made it a point to never waste a second and always try to enhance my leadership skills and capabilities to the next level.  My diverse involvement here at Rutgers University has ranged from governing associations to academic organizations to community service organizations and even to cultural organizations.  After having been re-elected as University Senator for Rutgers College, I will do my best to continue to represent not only the voices of the students of Rutgers College, but also those of our fellow brother and sister colleges throughout Rutgers University.  If elected as the Student Representative to the Board of Trustees, it will be my responsibility and duty to continue to represent our fine student body of Rutgers University and make sure that our ideas and concerns are expressed equally and fairly with those of the faculty to the Board of Trustees, while always keeping in mind our students, faculties, and administrators, as well as the betterment and future of Rutgers University and generations to come.  I entrust that you will make the right choice when electing the new Undergraduate Student Representative to the Board of Trustees.  Thank you.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES GRADUATE STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE

Claudia Volk:  I would be honored to serve as the graduate student representative to the Board of Trustees. I believe my track record with the University Senate and my experience with students from all parts of the university makes me a top candidate for the appointment. Having served as the co-chair of the Student Affairs Committee to the University Senate this past year, I am familiar with a wide range of issues facing students – ranging from tolerance and sensitivity to redefining the campus's physical grounds.  Other issues of concern to both the graduate students and the university as a whole include: tuition increases, financial aid, paid teaching fellowships and the preservation of the Rutgers reputation and tradition.  Furthermore, this year I showed my dedication to the student body by having a near perfect attendance record at the Senate meetings despite living in Newark.  Additionally, my enrollment as a graduated student at the Newark campus affords me a perspective that would advance the diversity of views presented to the Board.  As a law student, I have been trained in listening techniques, as well as advocacy and persuasion skills, and I would use these skills to represent the students before the Board of Trustees.  In conclusion, I will offer the Board of Trustees a unique set of characteristics: being a dedicated member of the Board as well as a strong advocate for the student body.  I am well versed in the issues concerning both the students and university as a whole, and will use my skills to best address all the issues involved.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

Valerie Johnson:  I have been part of the Rutgers community for pretty much my entire adult life. As a result, my closet is full of red and black clothing and I believe that my account with the parking permit decal division has reached platinum status. I received my BA from Douglass College, my doctorate from Rutgers University and have actually survived in a non-tenure track position for more than 25 years due to the sheer love of my job and my environment, a little tenacity, a few caring and learned mentors, and the generosity of many federal, state and private funding agencies. As a result of a career of investigating the lives of adolescents and young adults, I think that I can say that I have some finger on the pulse of our students. And after years of negotiating with project officers, review boards, book editors, parents, administrators and study subjects (not to mention children and grandchildren), I believe that I have become a competent problem solver. I am currently one of the principal investigators of a NIH Prevention Center, examining transitional periods (including moving into college life) and risk behavior prevention. While this new project keeps me busy, I will, if elected, apply my time, energy and experience in assisting the University Senate and the Board of Trustees in advancing the missions of the University .

Kathleen Scott:  I have served as Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees for the last three years, and bring to this position considerable and varied experience.  My commitment to the University Senate is of long standing: I have been a senator for over 15 years, and have served as Chair, Vice-chair, member of the Executive Committee and representative to the Board of Governors.  I co-chaired the University Structure and Governance for ten years, and I have also served on the Instruction, Curriculum and Advising Committee, the Appeals Panel and the Nominating Panel. I have been a faculty member in the Life Sciences for nearly 26 years, and I am the director of the Math & Science Learning Center, a role that allows me to serve as an advocate for students in the sciences. I have a long-standing interest in undergraduate education at the University, and currently serve on the Task Force on Undergraduate Learning and Life.  I am an active Fellow of both University College and Rutgers College, which I represent on the Senate.  For me the University Senate is the place where faculty, students, alumni and administrators come to understand and respect the different points of view each group brings to the issues facing this university.  I will build on my experience to represent the interests of the University Senate, and particularly its faculty and student members, to the Board of Trustees.

Mark Vodak:  I am a faculty member of both the Department of Extension Specialists and the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, and a Cook Senator in the University Senate. I have served seven years as a senator, and six of those years as a University Senate Representative to the Board of Trustees. I am seeking support for re-election to the position of Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees because I feel strongly that the experience I’ve gained over the past years serving in this position enables me to better and more efficiently fulfill the duties of the position. The Board of Trustees is quite large, with over 65 members. My tenure as a Representative has enabled me to get to personally know many of the members, and has allowed the remainder to recognize me as a University Senate Representative. As a result, I can better represent the Senate, effectively communicating Senate input and reporting the Board’s actions to the Senate. Thus, I seek the support of my fellow Senators for re-election to the position of University Senate Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees to continue serving the Senate and the University in this role, and further strengthen the groundwork of effectiveness and efficiency already in place. Thank you.