2024-2025 Budget and Finance Committee

Senator	Constituency
Thomas Figueira, Co-Chair	School of Arts and Sciences-NB, Faculty
Troy Shinbrot, Co-Chair	School of Engineering, Faculty
Joseph Barone, Member	Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Dean
Antonio Chiricolo, Member	Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Faculty
Rachel Choron, Member	Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Faculty
Alberto Cuitiño, Member	School of Engineering, Dean
Nuria Diaz-Tena, Member	Rutgers Business School: Undergraduate NB, Faculty
Gary Ebert, Member	Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Faculty
Brian Everett, Member	Camden Staff
Lauren Giermanski, Member	Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Staff
Michael Gower, Member	Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Finance and Administration
Assa John, Member	Graduate School-Camden, Student
Ronald Ladell, Member	Alumni Association
Gavin Lam, Member	School of Arts and Sciences-NB, Student
Richard Lehman, Member	School of Engineering, Faculty
Lei Lei, Member	Rutgers Business School: Newark/NB, Dean
Kenneth McKeever, Member	School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Faculty
James O'Connor, Member	New Jersey Medical School, Faculty
John Pintar, Member	School of Graduate Studies, Faculty
Rohit Ramachandran, Member	School of Graduate Studies, Faculty
Sahil Reshamdalal, Member	Rutgers Business School: Undergraduate NB, Student
Monica Roth, Member	Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Faculty
Mark Sayde, Member	Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Staff
Gema Silva, Member	School of Health Professions, Student
Menahem Spiegel, Member	Rutgers Business School: Newark/NB, Faculty
Carolyne White, Member	Graduate School-Newark, Faculty
Zhongren (David) Zhou, Member	RBHS Centers, Bureaus, and Institutes, Faculty

Senator	Present	Excused	Absent
Figueira, Thomas \| School of Arts and Sciences-NB, Faculty	3	1	5
Shinbrot, Troy \| School of Engineering, Faculty	3	1	5
Barone, Joseph \| Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Dean	0	1	8
Chiricolo, Antonio \| Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Faculty	1	1	7
Choron, Rachel \| Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Faculty	2	1	6
Cuitiño, Alberto \| School of Engineering, Dean	0	1	8
Diaz-Tena, Nuria \| Rutgers Business School: Undergraduate NB, Faculty	1	1	7
Ebert, Gary \| Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Faculty	2	1	6
Everett, Brian \| Camden Staff	3	1	5
Giermanski, Lauren \| Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Staff	0	1	8
Gower, Michael \| Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Finance and Administration	0	1	8
John, Assa \| Graduate School-Camden, Student	0	1	8
Ladell, Ronald \| Alumni Association	2	1	6
Lam, Gavin \| School of Arts and Sciences-NB, Student	1	0	6
Lehman, Richard \| School of Engineering, Faculty	0	1	8
Lei, Lei \| Rutgers Business School: Newark/NB, Dean	0	1	8
McKeever, Kenneth \| School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Faculty	2	1	6
O'Connor, James \| New Jersey Medical School, Faculty	2	1	6
Pintar, John \| School of Graduate Studies, Faculty	2	1	6
Ramachandran, Rohit \| School of Graduate Studies, Faculty	1	1	7
Reshamdalal, Sahil \| Rutgers Business School: Undergraduate NB, Student	2	1	6
Roth, Monica \| Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Faculty	3	1	5
Sayde, Mark \| Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Staff	0	1	8
Silva, Gema \| School of Health Professions, Student	0	1	8
Spiegel, Menahem \| Rutgers Business School: Newark/NB, Faculty	3	1	5
White, Carolyne \| Graduate School-Newark, Faculty	2	2	5
Zhou, Zhongren (David) \| RBHS Centers, Bureaus, and Institutes, Faculty	1	1	7

Charge Number	Title	Description	Committees Being Charged	Charge Status	Due Date
S-2409	New Student Onboarding	Given changes in organizational structure, as well as changes in software platforms, evaluate the onboarding process for incoming new students at Rutgers University. Consult with relevant admissions offices, academic advising offices, and faculty departments regarding incoming credits being processed and applied to Rutgers transcripts, summer onboarding programing for new students, Fall course registration, and Fall course availability for incoming students.	Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee	Pending	December 3, 2025
S-2408	Degree Navigator and Advising Platforms	Investigate the accuracy, functionality, and use of Degree Navigator as a source of degree-tracking information. Evaluate differences in accuracy, functionality, and use between campuses, as well as schools or departments. Provide recommendations for improving this platform, or recommendations for use of other platforms. Additionally, consider investigating Navigate360 (aka EAB), the College Student Inventory, the Schedule of Classes, the Course Schedule Planner, and academic department websites as they relate to Degree Navigator, and the general work of providing holistic academic advising to undergraduate students at Rutgers University.	Student Affairs Committee	Pending	December 3, 2025
S-2407	Code of Conduct for Senate Virtual Meetings	At the February 21, 2025 Senate meeting, the Senate adopted a recommendation that the Senate develop a code of conduct for University Senate virtual meetings. This ad hoc committee is charged with implementing that recommendation.	Ad Hoc Committee	Pending	November 5, 2025
S-2406	Senate Role in Shared Governance	Request that the University Structure and Governance Committee closely review and evaluate University policy 50.2.2 with the goal of further clarifying, verifying, and delineating the Senate’s official role in shared governance.	University Structure and Governance Committee	Pending	January 7, 2026
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-2401-1	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	Reissued	November 5, 2025
S-2334-1	Senate Communications	An ad committee will be created with broad representation to evaluate procedures to regulate use of the Senate listserv.	Ad Hoc Committee	Reissued	November 5, 2025
S-2333-1	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	Reissued	December 3, 2025
S-2333-1	Cost Cutting and Budget Deficits	Pending BFC‘s investigation into outcomes of cost cutting measures that are being imposed on departments by their schools, FPAC will investigate departments’ responses with particular focus on manifestations and impacts on faculty and staff.	Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee	Reissued	December 3, 2025
S-2333-1	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	Reissued	December 3, 2025
S-2331-1	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	Reissued	December 3, 2025
S-2330-1	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	December 3, 2025
S-2330-1	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	Reissued	December 3, 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-2321-1	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 1, 2025
S-2318-1	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	January 7, 2026
S-2317-3	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: How common are dual full-time faculty leadership role situations at Rutgers, and what are the rationales under which such dual roles are undertaken? What is the process by which such dual role leadership situations are undertaken, regarding (but not necessarily limited to): the potentially unfilled portion of FTE in one or both positions; the identification and selection of other individuals to supplement one or both of the dual roles, including how existing procedures for filling such positions are or are not followed (e.g., is one or both role in such situations reverted to being appointed rather than competitively hired in any circumstances); the clarification of the work tasks required for each of the leadership roles held, and evaluation of performance in those roles, given that they are engaged at less than 100% FTE; assurance that potential conflict of interest is identified and pre-empted or managed? Note: This charge focuses on faculty specifically, excludes roles fulfilled through funding buy-outs and/or by involving summer work for those on 9-month contracts, and also omits focus on within-unit dual leadership roles unless each role historically constitutes 100% FTE (e.g., a department chair assuming the chairship of a second department within a school or college).	Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee	Reissued	December 3, 2025
S-2316-1	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	January 7, 2026
S-2313-1	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	Reissued	September 3, 2025
S-2311-2	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	December 3, 2025
S-2309-2	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	Pending	January 7, 2026
S-2305-2	Auditing Courses at Rutgers	Review course auditing at Rutgers. Make any appropriate recommendations.	Instruction Curricula and Advising Committee	Reissued	October 1, 2025
S-2304-2	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 3, 2025
S-2304-2	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 3, 2025
S-2115-3	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	November 5, 2025
S-2206-2	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	December 3, 2025
S-2204-3	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	November 5, 2025

Senator	Present	Excused	Absent
Figueira, Thomas \| School of Arts and Sciences-NB, Faculty	3	1	5
Shinbrot, Troy \| School of Engineering, Faculty	3	1	5
Barone, Joseph \| Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Dean	0	1	8
Chiricolo, Antonio \| Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Faculty	1	1	7
Choron, Rachel \| Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Faculty	2	1	6
Cuitiño, Alberto \| School of Engineering, Dean	0	1	8
Diaz-Tena, Nuria \| Rutgers Business School: Undergraduate NB, Faculty	1	1	7
Ebert, Gary \| Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Faculty	2	1	6
Everett, Brian \| Camden Staff	3	1	5
Giermanski, Lauren \| Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Staff	0	1	8
Gower, Michael \| Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Finance and Administration	0	1	8
John, Assa \| Graduate School-Camden, Student	0	1	8
Ladell, Ronald \| Alumni Association	2	1	6
Lam, Gavin \| School of Arts and Sciences-NB, Student	1	0	6
Lehman, Richard \| School of Engineering, Faculty	0	1	8
Lei, Lei \| Rutgers Business School: Newark/NB, Dean	0	1	8
McKeever, Kenneth \| School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Faculty	2	1	6
O'Connor, James \| New Jersey Medical School, Faculty	2	1	6
Pintar, John \| School of Graduate Studies, Faculty	2	1	6
Ramachandran, Rohit \| School of Graduate Studies, Faculty	1	1	7
Reshamdalal, Sahil \| Rutgers Business School: Undergraduate NB, Student	2	1	6
Roth, Monica \| Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Faculty	3	1	5
Sayde, Mark \| Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Staff	0	1	8
Silva, Gema \| School of Health Professions, Student	0	1	8
Spiegel, Menahem \| Rutgers Business School: Newark/NB, Faculty	3	1	5
White, Carolyne \| Graduate School-Newark, Faculty	2	2	5
Zhou, Zhongren (David) \| RBHS Centers, Bureaus, and Institutes, Faculty	1	1	7

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