RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENATE

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

M I N U T E S

February 5, 2021

MEMBERS PRESENT:  Boikess, Borisovets, Giraud, Gillett, Oliver (Chair), Schwartz, Shobut, Simonds, Struble, Thompson, Willett, Van Stine, Yamaoka

MEMBERS EXCUSED:  Crews

MEMBERS ABSENT:  Immidisetti

ALSO ATTENDING:  Nina Gohel (BoT Undergraduate Student Representative), Anna Haley (BoT Faculty Representative), G. Mayes (BoG Student Representative), P. Moghe (EVP for Academic Affairs), T. Shinbrot (BoG Faculty Representative)

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, February 5, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. remotely via Zoom.

1. Chairs Report– Jon Oliver, Senate Chair

Chair Jon Oliver called the February 5, 2021 Senate Executive Committee meeting to order at 12:00pm. He welcomed all to the meeting and did not have anything further to report.

2. Secretary’s Report– Mary Mickelsen, Senate Executive Secretary

• The February 5, 2021 Executive Committee Agenda was approved with the following additions:
  • Appointment of the ASRAC Co-Chair
  • Discussion of BFC Report on Charge S-2001: Re-Evaluation of Student Fee Consolidation, which was approved by the Senate on January 22, 2021
  • Request by the Newark Coalition to meet with the Executive Committee regarding the possible merger of NJMS and RWJMS
• Approval of the January 8, 2021 Senate Executive Committee Minutes
• Communications
  • Mickelsen reported the following policy has been added/updated to the University Policy Library:
    • University Policy 80.1.2: Rutgers University Trademark Management and Licensing Policy
  • Senator Van Stine reported that he felt there was a general desire of students to speak out against the BFC report on S-2001: Re-Evaluation of Student Fee Consolidation during the January 22, 2021 Senate meeting, however due to technology issues they were not able.

3. Administrative Report– Prabhas Moghe, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

EVPAA Prabhas Moghe delivered an administrative report, which included comments on:

• COVID-19 update/planning:
  • Possibility for vaccine distribution for mid-May/early June with Rutgers being a primary site
  • Encouraged everyone to register to receive the vaccine
  • President Holloway’s message expressing his intent to have an increased in-person presence during the Fall 2021 semester which was followed by messages from the Campus Chancellors and Provosts outlining the specifics each campus intends to take
  • Tony Calcado, Chief Operating Officer, distributed a guide to the Administrative Council detailing recommendations on how to repopulate the campuses
  • New Brunswick Provost Francine Conway is discussing the challenge on significant face-to-face instruction in light of the safety guardrails that need to stay in place
  • A plea for understanding these are plans and could change and are reliant on vaccine distribution, CDC safety guideline adherence, and current state the pandemic
  • Monitoring of COVID-19 cases on the campus and isolating all students who test positive
• Working collaboratively with the AAUP on reaching final determination of the first branch (132 faculty members) of pay equity cases
• Interest in the Administration working with the Senate on how we start thinking about Rutgers becoming a stronger academic institution
• Creation of the Mellon Foundation Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice – Executive Director Michelle Stephens and four campus directors
  • The Institute is launching a Junior Post-Doc Fellowship Program and looking for candidates
• Searches are continuing for the Camden Chancellor and Senior VP for Research
• Based off of Senate feedback, and increased number of faculty have been added to the RCM Review Committee
• PTL Development Fund has been publicized and there has been a significant increase in requests. Any qualified proposal the OAA will find the means to source them considering the requests have surpassed the amount in the account.

4. Standing Committees/Panels

Issues/Proposed Charges:

Proposed Charge to the Ad Hoc Committee on Senate Attendance – Submitted by: Senator Joseph Markert, RBS:N/NB (F) and FPAC Co-Chair

Proposed Charge: Examine the roles and responsibilities of senate leaders including: Chair, Vice Chair, Executive Committee members and committee chairs. Determine if revisions need to be made to the current roles and responsibilities, outlined in the Senate Handbook and University Policy 50.2.1: Senate Membership and Organization. Make recommendations as appropriate.

Background: The Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee (FPAC) notices that there are great anomalies in the Senate that are also responsible, perhaps more than the number of Senators, for the lack of participation. Currently, a few senators hold multiple official positions–for example a Senator serves simultaneously as vice-chair of the Senate, Executive Committee, chair of the University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC) and parliamentarian–and the turnover in the official positions of the Senate has been remarkably low. Overall, this state of affairs reduces participation and creates a situation of power imbalance that is an impediment to the proper functioning of the Senate. The FPAC proposes the following charge be examined–to avoid possible conflicts of interest in the USGC for the reasons mentioned above–by an ad hoc committee nominated at large.

Senator Karen Thompson, FPAC-EC Liaison, reviewed the proposed charge and its background. She also expressed the desire that the originators of this proposal were not interested in creating a separate Ad Hoc Committee, which would be customary in this instance. Senator Simonds suggested adding an element to the charge surrounding “senate culture”, which many members were in favor of. The Executive Committee discussed and voted on the following options, all with the culture element added, as to how best to move forward: 1) submit this charge to the current Ad Hoc Committee on Attendance; 2) Create a separate Ad Hoc Committee entitled “Senate Culture and Leadership”. The latter was successful and it was suggested Senator Adrienne Simonds would draft language to include her sentiments around senate culture as well as co-chair the committee. Once the final language is drafted, it will be circulated through the EC for approval via email, and members will then be solicited. The committee will be asked to submit their final report to the Executive Secretary by December 2021.

Committee Reports/Resolutions:

University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC) Response to Charge S-1908: Honorary Degree and Commencement Speaker Selection Process – Peter Gillett, USGC Chair

The USGC was charged as follows:

Consider possible improvements to our policy and process for selection of recipients of Honorary Degrees and Commencement Speakers.

Senator Gillett reviewed the charge and the work of the committee with the Executive Committee. He reminded the EC this report will have to go before the Senate twice considering, if passed, it would change University Policy. The report was discussed and approved for docketing at the February 19, 2021 Senate meeting.

University Structure and Governance Committee (FPAC) Response to Charge S-1904: Review of Proposed Resolution on Rutgers’ Faculty Councils Inclusion in the University Policy Library  – Peter Gillett, USGC Chair

The USGC was charged as follows:

Consider and recommend appropriate policy changes relating to the role and status of faculty councils at Rutgers.

Senator Gillett reported on the committee’s work and their proposed resolutions. After some discussion, the EC decided to docket the report for information only at the February 19 Senate Meeting, with the understanding it would be docketed again for final approval at the March Senate meeting due to its implications on University Policy.

Committee Requests for Charge Extensions and/or Releases:

• • S-1909: Senior Leadership Searches- FPAC expressed difficulty in obtaining information from other universities and requested an extension to September 2021. The EC approved this extension request.

Committee Chair Changes

• • Newark Staff Senator Lucille Foster was approved to replace Babu Dasari, who is no longer with the University, as the ASRAC Co-Chair.

5. New Business

Newark Coalition Meeting Request

The following email was sent to Chair Jon Oliver on January 28, 2021 from Jean Pierce, Public Policy Coordinator & Coalition Moderator, Health Professionals and Allied Employees, AFT/AFL-CIO:

The Newark Coalition of Concerned Citizens is a group whose members include representatives from several community organizations, as well as faculty and staff of Rutgers.  At this time, our main focus is on the role that Rutgers has played and will continue to play in providing quality health care to our community.  

On Behalf of the Newark Coalition of Concerned Citizens, we respectfully request a meeting between 2 representatives from our Steering Committee and the Senate Executive Committee to discuss our concerns surrounding the future of New Jersey Medical School, University Hospital, and the Newark Campus as a whole.  

As you know, there has been much said and much written about the future of the New Jersey Medical School and the RWJ Medical School. For years, our coalition and its individual members have been staunch advocates for access to quality healthcare services, medical education, and the promise and commitments made in the Newark Agreements of 1968, as codified in statute.  We would like to meet with you primarily to present our position on the merging of the Rutgers Medical Schools. In addition, if you believe it is appropriate, we would like to discuss with you the Rutgers relationship with and commitment to University Hospital, and the overall importance of the Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences to the City of Newark.  Since there is some urgency with these matters, we hope that we can meet in March.   

Thank you for your time and consideration of this request.

The Executive Committee agreed to invite two representatives from the Newark Coalition to the March 5, 2021 EC meeting to discuss the issue.

6. Old Business

Senate-Approved BFC Report on S-2001: Re-Evaluation of Student Fee Consolidation – Michael Van Stine, GS-C (S)

Senator Van Stine expressed concerns surrounding the previously approved Senate report on S-2001: Re-Evaluation of Student Fee Consolidation. He stated there are quite a few students who do not agree with the recommendations in the report and alerted the Senate EC he has facilitated a collaboration between the Student Government Associations on all 3 RU campuses in the form of a formal report asking the Administration to dismiss the Senate’s resolution and recommendations. Van Stine will write directly to the University President and copy the Executive Secretary in that correspondence.

7. University Senate February 19, 2021 Agenda

• Regular Senate Meeting via Zoom
• Administrative Report by University President Jonathan Holloway
• Chancellor’s Report by Newark Chancellor Nancy Cantor
• Report on Diversity & Inclusion by Enobong “Anna” Branch, Sr. Vice President for Equity
• Report on University Policy 50.3.1: Patent Policy by David Kimball, Sr. Vice President for Research
• USGC Report on S-1908: Honorary Degree and Commencement Speak Selection Process (for Information Only)
• USGC Report on S-1904: Review of Proposed Resolution on Rutgers’ Faculty Councils Inclusions in the University Policy Library (for Information Only)

8. Adjournment:

The Executive Committee adjourned at 4:04pm.

Minutes prepared by:  Mary Mickelsen, Executive Secretary of the University Senate