RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENATE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
MINUTES
December 6, 2024

MEMBERS PRESENT: Boxer, R. Maeng Brown, Esposito, Foster (Chair), Godoy, Kiss, Olivera, Pierce, Rodriguez, Roth, Salas-de la Cruz, Simonds

ALSO ATTENDING: B. Ballentine (Senior Vice President for Strategy and Chief of Staff), R. Boikess (BOT Faculty Representative), T. Figueira (Senator), V. Hewitt (University Senate Executive Secretary), J. Holloway (President and University Professor), W. Purcell (BOT Faculty Representative), T. Shinbrot (Senator), M. Smith (University Senate Administrative Assistant), A. Truschke (Senator)

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, December 6, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. remotely via Zoom.

Chair’s Report– Lucille Foster, Senate Chair

Chair Foster called the December 6, 2024 Senate Executive Committee meeting to order at 12:01 p.m.

Secretary’s Report– Vicki Hewitt, Senate Executive Secretary

• The December 6, 2024 Executive Committee Agenda was approved with the addition of two items of New Business.
• The November 1, 2024 Senate Executive Committee Minutes were approved.
• Communications announced:
  • Provosts’ Roundtable: Fri. Jan. 31 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Administrative Report – Jonathan Holloway, President and University Professor

President Holloway provided the Administrative Report consisting of the following topics:

• U.S. Presidential transition
• Launch of the Rutgers Democracy Lab
• Presidential Search committee and other searches
• Faculty Bylaws for the new Medical School
• Rutgers’ social media activity
• Reflections on his presidency and what potential successors should know about Rutgers

President Holloway then answered questions on the following topics:

• Location of the Rutgers Democracy Lab
• Competitor universities in the Presidential search
• Faculty salary equity
• Other social media outlets
• Campus equity in donor gifts
• Relationship with the Board during the Presidential search

Chat Settings During Senate Meetings

Senator Figueira and Senator Shinbrot were asked to submit a resolution on this issue for the Senate’s consideration.

Advising the Presidential Search Committee

The Senate office will distribute a shared spreadsheet to senators to submit feedback directly to Chair Foster on the Position Prospectus for the search. Updates on the Presidential Search will be added to the Senate agenda starting January-March 2025.

Consulting Other Senators During Committee Deliberations

No process changes will be made at this time.

Policy Development and the Role of the Senate

The Senate office will distribute the draft letter to the Executive Committee for comment.

Bylaws for the New Medical School

This issue will be referred to the RBHS Faculty Council.

Ad Hoc Committee on University Senate Social Media

The ad hoc committee has met, so this agenda item was no longer needed.

Protocol on Recording Senate Meetings

The protocol drafted by the Senate office will be posted to the Senate website.

Standing Committees/Panels

Committee Report and Recommendations

University Structure and Governance Committee – James Boucher and Wendy Purcell, Co-Chairs
Report on S-2402: Institutional Neutrality

The committee was charged as follows:

Should Rutgers adopt a policy of institutional neutrality similar to the principles set forth in the University of Chicago’s Kalven Report, which would require the University, schools, academic units, and departments to refrain from taking stances on controversial political issues, so as to protect the right of individuals in the university community to pursue the fullest extent of inquiry and debate? Such a restriction, it should be noted, would not preclude individuals from taking positions on such issues.

Outcome: The Executive Committee docketed this report for the December Senate agenda.

Committee Report and Recommendations

Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee – Christine Morales and Arturo Osorio-Fernandez, Co-Chairs
Report on S-2116-2: SIRS
SIRS Analysis Results

The committee was charged as follows:

Investigate the validity and accuracy of Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET), as well as the details of how the SIRS is implemented at Rutgers and make recommendations for its role in our new approach to the evaluation and improvement of teaching effectiveness. Please report to the Senate Executive Secretary by March 16, 2022.

Outcome: The Executive Committee docketed this report for the December Senate agenda.

Committee Report and Recommendations

Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee – Christine Morales and Arturo Osorio-Fernandez, Co-Chairs
Report on S-2204-2: Impact of CourseAtlas

The committee was charged as follows:

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.

Outcome: The Executive Committee docketed this report for the December Senate agenda.

Proposed Charge

Inter-campus Inclusion and Equity in the Rutgers Academic Calendar – Senator Paul Boxer, School of Arts and Sciences – Newark, Faculty

Charge: 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.

Rationale: At present the online home of the Rutgers University Academic Calendar is labeled with a Rutgers New Brunswick logo, and managed by the Rutgers New Brunswick Office of Academic Scheduling and Instructional Space. The Calendar clearly lists dates for the RUNB and RBHS commencements, and the Calendar page includes links for NB-focused tasks including reservations for instructional spaces. The “Contact Us” link shows that offices are located on Busch campus. By any account, visible from any point of view, the Calendar is a Rutgers New Brunswick calendar. Camden and Newark users can only find campus-specific information for those campuses through outgoing links to other sites. As a central platform for calendar information (e.g., holidays, reading days, class begin/end dates), the Rutgers University Academic Calendar as displayed online should be un-linked from New Brunswick (e.g., via more generic identity branding logos) and rendered as detailed and inclusive as possible with respect to cross-campus information.

Outcome: The Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee was issued this charge with a deadline of April 2025.

Proposed Charge

Report on S-2208-1: Divestment of Retirement Funds from Fossil Fuels – Senator Susan Fenker, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Staff

Charge: The request is for a speaker(s)from the Rutgers Office of Climate Action who is very familiar to the following matter to speak at the next or another Senate meeting regarding this subject matter and/or speak directly with the committee for additional information. Jordan Warner, MSW Student at Rutgers (full disclosure she’s my daughter) can attend a Senate meeting and provide information to the group. She was a previous member of the – https://www.rutgers.edu/strategy/ad-hoc-divestment-committee- and runs a Rutgers student ambassador program for this department.

Jordan works under the guidance of Dr. Angela Oberg- Rutgers University Chief Climate Officer- angela.oberg@rutgers.edu

Rationale: I am requesting that more information be offered to this committee/Senate so that Rutgers as a whole divests from working with companies that promote funding environmental matters that are harmful.

https://tiaa-divest.org/tiaa-divest/academic-playbook-for-tiaa-divestment/

Outcome: The Executive Committee declined to charge this to a committee at this time. The proposer will be advised to pursue this issue through their representative student organization.

Open Charge Request

SAC requests an update to the title of S-2321.

The current charge title is: “Poor Student Busing and Employee Transportation Services.”

The requested charge title is: “Poor Student and Employee Transportation and Parking Services.”

Outcome: The charge title was updated to: “Inadequate Transportation and Parking Services for Students and Employees.”

Open Charge Request

SAC requests a deadline extension to May 2025 for the following charges:

• S-2115-2: Academic Freedom
• S-2204-2: Impact of CourseAtlas
• S-2304-1: Common Hour Exams
• S-2320-1: Timing and Process for Recommending Tuition, Fees, Housing Charges, and Dining Charges
• S-2321: Inadequate Transportation and Parking Services for Students and Employees

Outcome: The deadlines for S-2115-2, S-2204-2, S-2304-1, S-2320-1, and S-2321 were extended to May 2025.

Open Charge Request

ASRAC requests to be discharged:

S-2403: AI and Cheating

Outcome: S-2403 was discharged.

Old Business

Open Charge Request

USGC requests to be discharged:

S-2322: Coordination of Shared Governance Entities

This advocates for a committee that can coordinate shared efforts and governance across campuses, faculty, and students. That is the Senate. To create another committee would add unnecessary complexity and might dilute the Senate’s power.

Outcome: S-2322 was discharged.

Allocation of the Board of Governors Representatives’ Seats

This was postponed to the January Executive Committee meeting.

New Business

Two items of New Business were added to the agenda with unanimous consent:

Resolution on the Retirement of Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Mary Beth Daisey

The Executive Committee docketed this resolution for the December Senate agenda.

Proposed Charge

Teaching Faculty Inclusion – Senator Heather Pierce, Lecturer-New Brunswick, Faculty

Charge: 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.

Rationale: We should assess the current practices of decision-making in departments/schools/divisions to evaluate them in the sense of shared governance and inclusivity. Note that shared governance can include voting for chair, being part of curriculum review, to be able to take part on issues affecting their job.

Outcome: The University Structure and Governance Committee was issued this charge with a deadline of December 2025.

Adjournment

The Executive Committee adjourned at 2:38 p.m.

Minutes prepared by: Vicki Hewitt, Executive Secretary of the University Senate