RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
UNIVERSITY SENATE

MINUTES: Regular Meeting of the University Senate

DATE: December 8, 2023

TIME AND PLACE: 1:10 p.m., Remote via Zoom

MEMBERS PRESENT: Adamo, Allen, Anderson, Apel, Ardeshna, Askew, Aubry, Axelsson, Ayorinde, Barbarello Andrews, Bhavaraju, Boison, Borie-Holtz, Borisovets, Boucher, Boxer, Bridgeman, Campbell, Caponegro, Carpenter, Chang, Ciolek, Clarke, Collick, Cooper, Dai, Davis, Dinnall, Ditching, Dock, Eastman, Edelstein, Esposito, Everett, Everts, Fang, Fedorko, Figueira, Foster, Gahlawat, Giberson, Giermanski, Giraud, Godoy, Gong, Graham, X. Guo, Gursoy, Haley, Hamawy, Hayes, Hennessy, Hewitt, Javanmard, Kahng, Kaplan, Kelly, Khan, Kiss, Knievel, Kustka, LaMorte, Ladell, Losada, Manzini, Marchetta, Markowitz, Mattis, Mazurek, Mbadugha, McKeever, Merisier, Moghe, Morales, Morton, Nucci, O’Connor, O’Halloran, Oberle, Orelus, Osorio-Fernandez, Papakonstantinou, Parsa, Pichugin, Pierce, Pintar, Prihoda, Purcell, Rabinowitz, Ramachandran, Rodriguez, Rossman-Murphy, Salas-de la Cruz, Saltzman, Samaan, Santos Mendoza, Schwartz, Scott, Searcy, Shaw, Shinbrot, Siederer, Simonds, Sloan-Power, Smart, Smith, Sonnenberg, Swamy, Szatrowski, Tewfik, Thompson, Tirino, Wagner, Weiss, White, Wirtenberg, Wolfe, Yusuf, Özel

MEMBERS EXCUSED: Bachmann, Cahill, Easley, Glenn, Gower, Hong, Meshoyrer, K. Patel, Poole, Quincy, Vito, White

MEMBERS ABSENT: Abuliak, Abusah, Adya, Ameri, Amin, Amjad, Anderson, Anderson Eloy, Andrews, Ariwoola, Barone, Bhuyan, Blanchett, Boikess, Bond, Cantor, Chama, Charles, Chiricolo, Choron, Conway, Copeland, Cuitiño, Cundiff, Dane, Desir, Di Bella, DiGiovanni, Eaton, Ebert, Edwards, Fatahzadeh, Feldman, Flynn, Fox, Fudge, Fulton, Geary, Granadeiro, Griffin, G. Guo, Habeb, Halkitis, Haviland, Henderson, Hernandez, Holloway, Ibrahim, Inman, Irizarry, Johnson, Joseph, Kahanda, Kamen, Kaye, Keates, Kettle, Kolben, Lamorgese, Lawson, Lee, Lehman, Lei, Leibman, Lemish, Levin, Levine, Lildhar, Lutz, Maeng Brown, Matta, McCarthy, Murphy, Murtha, Nickitas, Olivera, Paiste, S. Patel, P. Patel, Perez, Robson, Roth, Sarath, Savage, Sayde, Schnetzer, Schroth, Sergel, Serrano, Shafik, M. Shapiro, S. Shapiro, Shobut, Spiegel, Strom, Suh, Takhistov, Tillis, Torres, Truschke, Van Ryzin, Volino, Wade, Whitehead, Winters, Zhang, Zhou

CALL TO ORDER, DETERMINATION OF A QUORUM, AND CHAIR’S REPORT – Adrienne Simonds, Chair

Chair Simonds called the meeting to order at 1:10 p.m. As the Senate requested at its Nov. 17 meeting, she asked the President’s office about using the University-wide email distribution list to communicate on recent Senate actions. The response was that this is not possible because the email distribution list is reserved for official University business coming from the President’s office. She announced that Kimberlee Pastva, Secretary of the University, and Jewell Battle, Policy Manager, will be attending the January Executive Committee meeting to discuss the Policy on Policies. She and Vice Chair Foster will meet with President Holloway in December.

SECRETARY’S REPORT – Vicki Hewitt, Executive Secretary

• Agenda: The meeting agenda was approved.
• Minutes: The minutes of the 17, 2023 Senate meeting were approved as distributed by the Executive Secretary.
• Administrative Responses:
  • Response to S-2019: Review the Senate’s Relationship with the Rutgers Governing Boards
  • Response to S-2010-1: Evaluation of the RCM Implementation at Rutgers
  • Response to S-2307: RCM Detailed Recommendations
• Policy Update
  • 70.1.11: Electronic Signatures Policy
• Communications
  • There is a vacancy on the Executive Committee for an RBHS Student Representative. Please contact the Executive Secretary if you would like to be on the ballot for this position.
  • Reminder to log in to the Senate website for attendance and voting access.

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT – Prabhas Moghe, Executive Vice President, Academic Affairs

EVPAA Moghe provided the Administrative Report consisting of the following topics:

• Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey initiative
• I. Checkbook – new application that allows P.I.s to see real-time financial status of grants
• Positive trend in IRB turnaround times
• Teaching awards
• Rutgers-Camden awarded a 2.5 million dollar grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to improve STEM student retention and graduation rates
• Rutgers-Newark leaders and students met with visiting dignitaries from Cuba to discuss expanding opportunities for cultural and intellectual exchange through travel
• Student scholarships and honors
• Creation of the Guiseppina Raviola M.D./Ph.D. Endowment to support students and post-docs at New Jersey Medical School who balance school and families
• Committee to Advance Our Common Purposes Awards Ceremony
• Rutgers Makerspace pilot program for adults with autism
• 15^th anniversary of the Rutgers Future Scholars Program
• Lily Y. Young received the Daniel Gorenstein Memorial Award
• Responses to Senate reports

EVPAA Moghe then answered questions submitted in advance via the Qualtrics form:

• Staff Council at Rutgers-Camden
• Student meetings with President Holloway
• Merger of the medical schools – transparency of the process and concerns of faculty
• Timing of when budget information is shared with the Senate
• Concerns about classroom space in the George Street River Dorms
• How teaching is compensated and valued at Rutgers, as opposed to research
• Recognition for long-term service of lecturers

EVPAA Moghe then answered questions on the following topics:

• Timing of the responses to Senate reports S-2010-1 and S-2307
• Assessment of fees while doctoral students are conducting research abroad
• Availability of MPOWER Financing for student loans for international students at Rutgers-Camden
• Teaching conditions at the George Street River Dorms
• Lecturer access to benefits, including health care
• Moving lecturers working full-time to full-time positions
• Appreciation and visibility of graduate students
• Ensuring safety and open communication on campus

DIALOGUE ACROSS DIFFERENCE: BUILDING SKILLS FOR DEMOCRATIC CITIZENSHIP – Elizabeth Matto, Director, Eagleton Institute of Politics

PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE SENATE HANDBOOK TO ADD THE EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION COMMITTEE

The proposed changes will be discussed at the January Executive Committee meeting and brought again to the Senate at its January meeting.

REPORTS OF THE REPRESENTATIVES TO BOARDS OF GOVERNORS AND TRUSTEES

Senator Pierce and Senator Searcy reported on the Board of Governors meetings. Senator Schwartz reported on the Board of Trustees meeting.

SENATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT – Lucille Foster, Senate Vice Chair

Vice Chair Foster reported on the December 1, 2023 Senate Executive Committee Meeting.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 4:06 p.m.

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

Committee Meetings

Academic Standards, Regulations & Admissions Committee Meeting

No location or time for this committee meeting

Budget & Finance Committee Meeting

No location or time for this committee meeting

Faculty Affairs & Personnel Committee Meeting

No location or time for this committee meeting

Information Technology Committee Meeting

No location or time for this committee meeting

Instruction, Curricula & Advising Committee Meeting

No location or time for this committee meeting

Research, Graduate & Professional Education Committee Meeting

No location or time for this committee meeting

Student Affairs Committee Meeting

No location or time for this committee meeting

University Structure & Governance Committee

No location or time for this committee meeting