| Senator | Constituency |
|---|---|
| Robert Schwartz, Co-Chair | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences At-Large, Faculty |
| Jose Torres, Co-Chair | Lecturer-Camden, Faculty |
| Mark Doug Baker, Member | Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Faculty |
| Sanjib Bhuyan, Member | School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Faculty |
| Robert Boikess, Member | School of Arts and Sciences-NB, Faculty |
| Christopher Cafiero, Member | School of Engineering, Student |
| Martha Cotter, Member | |
| Bart Everts, Member | Libraries, Faculty |
| Cecile Feldman, Member | Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, Dean |
| Jie Feng, Member | School of Management and Labor Relations, Faculty |
| John Griffin, Member | Faculty of Arts and Sciences-Camden, Dean |
| Martha Haviland, Member | School of Arts and Sciences-NB, Faculty |
| Tara Jordan-McKinney, Member | Alumni Association |
| George Leibowitz, Member | School of Social Work, Dean |
| Donna Nickitas, Member | School of Nursing-Camden, Dean |
| Suja Patel, Member | Newark Staff |
| Sofia Pinto-Figueroa, Member | |
| Emily Sergel, Member | School of Arts and Sciences-NB, Faculty |
| Chirag Shah, Member | Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Faculty |
| Stuart Shapiro, Member | EJBSPPP, Dean |
| Ted Szatrowski, Member | Rutgers Business School: Undergraduate NB, Faculty |
| Antonio Tillis, Member | Camden Chancellor |
| Sarah Usman, Member | School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Student |
| Robert Weiss, Member | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences At-Large, Faculty |
| Payton Williams, Member | Rutgers Law School in Camden, Student |
| Senator | Present | Excused | Absent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schwartz, Robert | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences At-Large, Faculty | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Torres, Jose | Lecturer-Camden, Faculty | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Baker, Mark Doug | Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Faculty | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Bhuyan, Sanjib | School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Faculty | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Boikess, Robert | School of Arts and Sciences-NB, Faculty | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Cafiero, Christopher | School of Engineering, Student | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Cotter, Martha | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Everts, Bart | Libraries, Faculty | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Feldman, Cecile | Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, Dean | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Feng, Jie | School of Management and Labor Relations, Faculty | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Griffin, John | Faculty of Arts and Sciences-Camden, Dean | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Haviland, Martha | School of Arts and Sciences-NB, Faculty | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Jordan-McKinney, Tara | Alumni Association | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Leibowitz, George | School of Social Work, Dean | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Nickitas, Donna | School of Nursing-Camden, Dean | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Patel, Suja | Newark Staff | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Pinto-Figueroa, Sofia | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Sergel, Emily | School of Arts and Sciences-NB, Faculty | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Shah, Chirag | Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Faculty | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Shapiro, Stuart | EJBSPPP, Dean | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Szatrowski, Ted | Rutgers Business School: Undergraduate NB, Faculty | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Tillis, Antonio | Camden Chancellor | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Usman, Sarah | School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Student | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Weiss, Robert | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences At-Large, Faculty | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Williams, Payton | Rutgers Law School in Camden, Student | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Charge Number | Title | Description | Committees Being Charged | Charge Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S-2405 | Teaching Faculty Inclusion | Review and report the extent to which teaching faculty (i.e. NTTs & Lecturers) are included in the decision-making structures and advisory spaces at the local (departmental and program) and (decanal) unit levels. Potentially propose guidelines to make local and unit-level governance more inclusive of all faculty and stakeholders, and to make practices more equitable across departments, units, and campuses. | University Structure and Governance Committee | Pending | December 3, 2025 |
| S-2404 | Inter-campus Inclusion and Equity in the Rutgers Academic Calendar | Investigate the most efficient way to broaden the development, implementation, and online display of the Rutgers Academic Calendar to ensure that all campuses are fully included in a manner that supports and promotes major calendar milestones such as convocation and commencement. | Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee | Pending | April 2, 2025 |
| S-2401 | Automatic Textbook Billing | The University Senate should explore the nature and impact of automatic textbook billing by investigating the following issues: 1) Why automatic textbook billing was initiated; 2) Whether and the university and professors can better inform students about enrollment in automatic textbook billing; and 3) What steps can be taken to transform this program from “opt out” (automatic charges) to “opt in” (voluntary charges). | Student Affairs Committee | Pending | January 8, 2025 |
| S-2335 | University Senate’s Communication with Constituents Through Social Media | Charge an ad hoc committee to explore and recommend how the University Senate can utilize social media platforms (i.e., Instagram) to create and enhance communications to foster awareness and engagement. | Ad Hoc Committee | Pending | April 2, 2025 |
| S-2334 | Senate Communications | An ad committee will be created with broad representation to evaluate procedures to regulate use of the Senate listserv. | Ad Hoc Committee | Pending | January 8, 2025 |
| S-2333 | Cost Cutting and Budget Deficits | Identify cost cutting measures that are being imposed on departments by their schools. Investigate the budgetary rationales for these cuts and their impact on the quality of academic programs. | Instruction Curricula and Advising Committee | Pending | March 5, 2025 |
| S-2333 | Cost Cutting and Budget Deficits | Identify cost cutting measures that are being imposed on departments by their schools. Investigate the budgetary rationales for these cuts and their impact on the quality of academic programs. | Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee | Pending | March 5, 2025 |
| S-2333 | Cost Cutting and Budget Deficits | Identify cost cutting measures that are being imposed on departments by their schools. Investigate the budgetary rationales for these cuts and their impact on the quality of academic programs. | Budget and Finance Committee | Pending | March 5, 2025 |
| S-2331 | Research Trainee Compensation and Benefit Inequity | Investigate current practices in postdoc and current doctoral student remuneration, in particular as it relates to inequality following fellowship funding and to develop solutions to reward talent. | Research, and Graduate and Professional Education Committee | Pending | March 5, 2025 |
| S-2330 | Expanding Access to University Libraries Across Campuses | Investigate current University library hours across all campuses. Determine if those hours are adequately meeting student needs (access to collections; access to study spaces; access to technology) on each campus. Make recommendations as appropriate. | Student Affairs Committee | Pending | March 5, 2025 |
| S-2330 | Expanding Access to University Libraries Across Campuses | Investigate current University library hours across all campuses. Determine if those hours are adequately meeting student needs (access to collections; access to study spaces; access to technology) on each campus. Make recommendations as appropriate. | Instruction Curricula and Advising Committee | Pending | March 5, 2025 |
| S-2329 | Senate Role in the Policy on Policies Processes and Procedures | Study and provide recommendation to increase University Senate’s role on the Policy on Policies in the matters related academic affairs, educational and research matters. | University Structure and Governance Committee | Pending | April 2, 2025 |
| S-2325 | Explore the Current Virtual Senate Meeting Format and Develop Best Practices and Meeting Format Recommendations | Review the existing Senate meeting format and existing Senate Handbook meeting procedures and develop recommendations in support of virtual meetings. | Information Technology Committee | Reissued | January 8, 2025 |
| S-2321 | Inadequate Transportation and Parking Services for Students and Employees | Exploring effective, timely, and safe student and employee transportation issues across the campuses. | Student Affairs Committee | Reissued | October 30, 2024 |
| S-2320-1 | Timing and Process for Recommending Tuition, Fees, Housing Charges, and Dining Charges | Review the process and timing whereby recommendations are developed and made for annual changes in tuition, required fees, and room and board, including mechanisms for input from students, parents, and other stakeholders (including tenants with rents affected by Rutgers housing rates) and including the role of shared governance in this process. Make recommendations for any changes in this process to increase transparency and confidence in the process. | Student Affairs Committee | Reissued | April 3, 2024 |
| S-2318 | Increasing Student Representation on the Rutgers University Senate Executive Committee | The University Structure and Governance Committee of the Rutgers University Senate is charged with investigating and making recommendations on the need to expand student representation on the Rutgers University Senate Executive Committee. Currently, faculty members have representation on the Rutgers University Senate Executive Committee through seats allocated to each chancellor-led unit, in addition to two at-large positions. In contrast, students are limited to four seats representing New Brunswick, Camden, Newark, and RBHS. Given that students constitute the largest constituency at Rutgers, this committee is tasked with examining whether the current representation adequately reflects the student body’s diversity, concerns, and interests. The committee shall explore potential modifications to the Rutgers University Senate Executive Committee structure to ensure a more equitable and comprehensive student representation. | University Structure and Governance Committee | Pending | September 25, 2024 |
| S-2317-2 | Prevalence, Procedures, and Challenges of Faculty Occupancy of Dual Leadership Roles | FPAC is charged with investigating and making recommendations it deems necessary on the following two issues:
| Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee | Reissued | March 5, 2025 |
| S-2316 | University Senate Representation on Formal Governance Boards | Determine if there should be University Senate voting representation on all of the governing boards: Rutgers University Board of Governors and Board of Trustees, The Rutgers University Board of Directors (Foundation), The Camden Board of Directors; and, The Rowan University / Rutgers-Camden Board of Governors. Additionally, make recommendations regarding the make-up of Board membership, including faculty, staff, students, and alumni. | University Structure and Governance Committee | Pending | March 27, 2024 |
| S-2313 | Whether Students Should Substitute for Workers in Urgent Situations | This charge, to FPAC and USGC, is to explore and provide recommendations for the appropriate deployment of any students during crisis situations. Exceptions to this must also be examined, in light of national emergencies, such as the COVID pandemic. However, a recent nursing strike over staffing issues at RWJ-Barnabas would not fall into this category. | University Structure and Governance Committee | Pending | May 29, 2024 |
| S-2313 | Whether Students Should Substitute for Workers in Urgent Situations | This charge, to FPAC and USGC, is to explore and provide recommendations for the appropriate deployment of any students during crisis situations. Exceptions to this must also be examined, in light of national emergencies, such as the COVID pandemic. However, a recent nursing strike over staffing issues at RWJ-Barnabas would not fall into this category. | Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee | Pending | May 29, 2024 |
| S-2311-1 | Professional Development Opportunities | Review the university’s policies regarding professional development opportunities to attend conferences and meetings. Investigate and, when appropriate, make recommendations regarding campus and unit rules on (i) How long a faculty member may be absent for professional development opportunities? (ii) What are the policies for making alternative arrangements if a faculty member is absent? (iii) Who covers costs if a guest lecturer is hired? (iv) Can all faculty members, including PTLs, teach occasional classes online if necessary due to justified absences? (v) How do policies about professional development opportunities differ among schools and Chancellor-led units? | Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee | Reissued | March 5, 2025 |
| S-2309-1 | Increased Representation of Graduate Students and PTL Faculty in the University Senate | Evaluate the current criteria, bylaws, and policies that decide graduate student representatives and PTL faculty in the Senate. Make appropriate changes to increased graduate student representation and PTL faculty in the Senate. | University Structure and Governance Committee | Reissued | October 30, 2024 |
| S-2308-1 | Conflict of Interest Declarations | Investigate and make recommendations on public declarations of conflicts of interest by politically exposed persons at Rutgers, including all members of the BoG and all those involved in significant financial decision-making. | Budget and Finance Committee | Reissued | April 2, 2025 |
| S-2305-1 | Auditing Courses at Rutgers | Review course auditing at Rutgers. Make any appropriate recommendations. | Instruction Curricula and Advising Committee | Reissued | October 9, 2024 |
| S-2304-1 | Common Hour Exams | Review the experiences of students, faculty, and staff with common hour exams at Rutgers University. Make any appropriate recommendations. | Student Affairs Committee | Reissued | December 4, 2024 |
| S-2304-1 | Common Hour Exams | Review the experiences of students, faculty, and staff with common hour exams at Rutgers University. Make any appropriate recommendations. | Instruction Curricula and Advising Committee | Reissued | December 4, 2024 |
| S-2301-1 | Science Communication Efforts at Rutgers University | Review efforts in science communication initiatives across the University and provide recommendations for any measures and limitations to raise awareness of the current limitations in the field of science communication across the entire Rutgers research community. | Research, and Graduate and Professional Education Committee | Reissued | April 3, 2024 |
| S-2301-1 | Science Communication Efforts at Rutgers University | Review efforts in science communication initiatives across the University and provide recommendations for any measures and limitations to raise awareness of the current limitations in the field of science communication across the entire Rutgers research community. | Instruction Curricula and Advising Committee | Reissued | April 3, 2024 |
| S-2115-2 | Academic Freedom | Identify and investigate any recent attacks on the academic freedom of our faculty and students with a particular focus on the University's response to these attacks. | Student Affairs Committee | Reissued | October 9, 2024 |
| S-2207-1 | Office of Climate Action | Consider the current funding for the Office of Climate Action and investigate the funding model. Based on the action plan, determine if an adequate level of funding is provided to the office and report back to the Senate with any recommendations. | Budget and Finance Committee | Reissued | April 3, 2024 |
| S-2206-1 | Socially Responsible Investment | Consider the University Investment policy 40.2.14. Investigate whether the current investment policies should be modified by environmental, social and governance metrics to modify, add or remove investments based on the Endowment Justice Collective 2022 Divestment Proposal and the Resolution adopted by the Board of Trustees in March 2021. Report back to the Senate with any recommendations. | Budget and Finance Committee | Reissued | March 5, 2025 |
| S-2204-2 | Impact of CourseAtlas | Explore the impact of CourseAtlas to benchmark institutional goals of the system, on academic units and departments, on faculty work-life balance, and make recommendations as appropriate. Specifically, (i) Investigate to what degree CourseAtlas has achieved the goals it was designed and implemented to achieve, (ii) explore the impact of CourseAtlas on academic units and departments’ ability to manage their own academic programs, (iii) assess the impact of CourseAtlas on the work-life balance of faculty, and (iv) propose feedback mechanisms which allow timely and meaningful faculty input on scheduling changes. | Student Affairs Committee | Reissued | April 3, 2024 |
| S-2115-2 | Academic Freedom | Identify and investigate any recent attacks on the academic freedom of our faculty and students with a particular focus on the University's response to these attacks. | Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee | Reissued | October 9, 2024 |
| S-2002-3 | Challenges Related to Parking and Transportation | Review the ongoing planning and financial status of parking and transportation, including its use of permits and citations as a source of revenue, and the long-term planning as it relates to transportation and parking, including plans to reduce parking on campus and how the administration plans to meet the challenges this will create. | Budget and Finance Committee | Reissued | October 30, 2024 |