RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENATE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
MEETING AGENDA
Friday, April 4, 2025, 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 March 7, 2025 Senate Executive Committee Minutes
• Communications
  • Call for Nominations for Senate Leadership Positions – due Fri. April 18
  • Senate Social Luncheon: Fri. April 11 from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.

BTAA Statement in Support of the Core Mission and Values of Higher Education in the United States of America (12:05 – 12:20 p.m.)

University Physical Master Plan – Antonio Calcado, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Institutional Planning and Operations (12:20 – 12:40 p.m.)

Resolution for President Holloway (12:40 – 12:50 p.m.)

Standing Committees/Panels

Committee Report and Recommendations (12:50 – 1:00 p.m.):

Ad Hoc Committee on Senate Communications – Robert Schwartz, Chair

Report on S-2334-1: Senate Communications

The committee was charged as follows:

An ad committee will be created with broad representation to evaluate procedures to regulate use of the Senate listserv.

Committee Report and Recommendations (1:00 – 1:10 p.m.):

Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee – Robert Schwartz and Jose Torres, Co-Chair

Report on S-2404: Inter-campus Inclusion and Equity in the Rutgers Academic Calendar

The committee was charged as follows:

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.

Proposed Charge (1:10 – 1:20 p.m.):

Degree Navigator and Advising Platforms – Brian Everett, Camden Staff

Charge: 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.

Rationale: First, Degree Navigator is a program that all undergraduate students are able to use once they become students at Rutgers University. It does seem to vary in use per campus, and the accuracy of its programming seems to vary by campus, school, and even department. To avoid confusion among undergraduates, it is wise to conduct a university-wide review of the platform to identify areas where corrections can be easily made, and/or, recommendations for new platforms can be offered.

Degree Navigator is just one platform among many which academic advisors, students, and faculty may use when crafting graduation plans, checking general education requirement codes, and managing student data related to holistic academic advising and student success work. When investigating the other platforms mentioned above, recognize how they all work together as an ecosystem of sorts, so when one is missing information, the consequences translate to other platforms which may go unseen for several semesters.

Proposed Charge (1:20 – 1:30 p.m.):

New Student Onboarding – Brian Everett, Camden Staff

Charge: 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.

Rationale: Since Rutgers began using Salesforce as the main admissions application/onboarding software, some staff and incoming students/parents have reported issues regarding the processing of transfer credits, the use of invalid course numbers for transferred courses or AP exams, delays in responses, a lack of courses in Fall semesters to continue in a proper sequence for degree completion, and unclear processes students/parents/staff are expected to follow over the summer.

Open Charge Request (1:30 – 1:35 p.m.):

USGC requests a deadline extension for the following charges to January 2026:

• S-2309-2: Increased Representation of Graduate Students and PTL Faculty in the University Senate
• S-2316-1: University Senate Representation on Formal Governance Boards
• S-2318-1: Increasing Student Representation on the Rutgers University Senate Executive Committee

Open Charge Request (1:35 – 1:40 p.m.):

USGC requests to be discharged from:

S-2313-1: Whether Students Should Substitute for Workers in Urgent Situations

Note this was also charged to FPAC.

Old Business

None

New Business

University Senate April 25 Agenda

• 2025-26 Senate Organizational Meeting
• 2024-2025 Regular Senate Meeting
  • New Brunswick Chancellor Report – Francine Conway, Chancellor, New Brunswick
  • Review of Draft Bylaws
    • Draft Article V
    • Draft Article VI (information only)

Adjournment