RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENATE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
MEETING AGENDA
Friday, December 6, 2024, 12:00 p.m. via Zoom

https://rutgers.zoom.us/j/99068164783?pwd=VHV1YUphLzJmWVgrUDM0VGcyUE01Zz09

Chair’s Report– Lucille Foster, Senate Chair

Secretary’s Report– Vicki Hewitt, Senate Executive Secretary

• Approval of Agenda
• Approval of the November 1, 2024 Senate Executive Committee Minutes
• Communications
  • Provosts’ Roundtable: Fri. Jan. 31 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Administrative Report – Jonathan Holloway, President and University Professor (12:10 – 12:40 p.m.)

Chat Settings During Senate Meetings (12:40 – 12:50 p.m.)

Advising the Presidential Search Committee (12:50 – 12:55 p.m.)

Consulting Other Senators During Committee Deliberations (12:55 – 1:05 p.m.)

Policy Development and the Role of the Senate (1:05 – 1:15 p.m.)

Bylaws for the New Medical School (1:15 – 1:25 p.m.)

Ad Hoc Committee on University Senate Social Media (1:25 – 1:30 p.m.)

Protocol on Recording Senate Meetings (1:30 – 1:35 p.m.)

Standing Committees/Panels

Committee Report and Recommendations (1:35 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.)

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.

Committee Report and Recommendations (1:45 – 1:55 p.m.)

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.

Committee Report and Recommendations (1:55 – 2:05 p.m.)

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.

Proposed Charge (2:05 – 2:15 p.m.)

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.

Proposed Charge (2:15 – 2:25 p.m.)

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/

Open Charge Request (2:25 – 2:30 p.m.)

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.”

Open Charge Request (2:30 – 2:35 p.m.)

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: Poor Student and Employee Transportation and Parking Services

Open Charge Request (2:35 – 2:40 p.m.)

ASRAC requests to be discharged:

S-2403: AI and Cheating

Old Business

Open Charge Request (2:40 – 2:45 p.m.)

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.

Allocation of the Board of Governors Representatives’ Seats (2:45 – 2:50 p.m.)

New Business (2:50 – 2:55 p.m.)

University Senate December 13 Agenda (2:55 – 3:00 p.m.)

• Administrative Report – Prabhas Moghe, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
• Review of Draft Bylaws
  • Draft Article II
  • Draft Article III (information only)

Adjournment