RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
UNIVERSITY SENATE

MINUTES: Regular Meeting of the University Senate

DATE: November 21, 2025

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

PRESENT: Alam, K. Anderson, C. Anderson, Andrews, Apel, Arbuthnot, Asch, Askew, Barbarello Andrews, Behrmann, Berkowitz, Bhuyan, Boison, Borie-Holtz, Borisovets, Boxer, Bridgeman, Brown, Carney-Waterton, Carter, Chintala, Choron, Clarke, Collick, Cooper, Cortez, Crooks, Curchitser, Davis, DeMatteo, Dixit, Easley , Economou, Everett, Everts, Fang, Fatahzadeh, Fenker, Fine, Flynn, Fortuna, Foster, Giraud, Gittelman, Godoy, Gong, Gordy, Gower, Grachan, Graham, Granadeiro, Green-Mercado, Greenbaum, Haberl, Haley, Haviland, Hecht-Colsoy, Hennessy, Hoffman, Horan, Householder, Hussain, Ivasyuk, Javanmard, Jordan-McKinney, Kaback, Keates, Kelly, Kettle, Khatal, Kilmurray, Kiss, Knievel, Kustka, LaMorte, Ladell, Limata, Lobman, Luciano, Lutz, Maganti, Maliga, Markowitz, Mbadugha, McCarthy, McKeever, Morales, C. Morton, P. Morton, Murphy, Ntiwunka-Ifeanyi, O’Connor, Oberle, Oluwadare, Paris, Parna, S. Patel, V. Patel, Pentecost, Pichardo, Pierce, Pintar, Purcell, Quevado, Rabinowitz, Ramachandran, Ramenzoni, Ramirez Polo, Reynolds, Robles, Rossman-Murphy, Russ, Salas-de la Cruz, Saleh, Saltzman, Samavat, Santos Mendoza, Schafer, Schroth, Schwartz, Scott, Searcy, Sergel, Shah, Shinbrot, Salman Sirajee, Sloan-Power, Smith, Sorbat, Sow, Spiegel, Spiero, Stimson, Strom, Stubin, Suh, Szatrowski, Takhistov, Tate, Torres, Wagner, Weiss, Wirtenberg, Wolfe, Zhang, Zwick, Özel

EXCUSED: Ardeshna, Bachmann, Doug Baker, Dinnall, Gurbuzbalaban, Khan, Maeng Brown, Mao, White

ABSENT: Abdelfattah, Adya, Afanador, Agyemang, Ahammed, F. Ahmed, B. Ahmed, Ali, Ameri, Amjad, Anderson Eloy, Anner, Barone, Bond, Bredehoft, Brigham, Burkheimer, Campbell, Chiricolo, Conway, Cotter, Cuitiño, Dane, Dastjerdi, DiGiovanni, Dock, Ebert, Emmons, Feldman, Friedman, Georgiou, Gould, Griffin, Guo, Gursoy, Halkitis, Hisham Hamawy, Hart, Hatefi, Hayes, Hussain, Johnson, Kaye, Kayyal, Ketankumar Patel, Khan, La Vigne, Lam, Lawson, Lee, Lehman, Lei, Leibowitz, Lemish, Maerhofer, Mahajan, Mattis, Mazurek, McArdle, Moulton, Murtha, Nickitas, O’Connell, Oliver, G. Patel, Pichugin, Pontes, Pradhan, Quincy, Reshamdalal, Robson, Rodriguez, Rosa, Rubin, Sarath, Sayde, Scott, Shaikh, Shapiro, Smith-Jackson, Span, Sriram, Starkweather, Syed, Tewfik, Tillis, Tirino, Truschke, Van Ryzin, Vuppala, Wade, Yang, Zhang, Zhou

CALL TO ORDER, DETERMINATION OF A QUORUM, AND CHAIR’S REPORT – Lucille Foster, Chair

Chair Foster called the meeting to order at 1:10 p.m. Her remarks described the Senate as a virtual roundtable, where all Senators have a seat and work together to uphold equity, mutual respect, and open dialogue. Chair Foster reviewed the process of how a draft charge goes through the Executive Committee and, if approved, is then tasked to a standing committee that undertakes its work and then brings it to the Senate in a formal report and/or resolution. She also highlighted President Tate’s speech from his inauguration, while drawing comparisons with his philosophy and that of the Senate’s function as a shared governance body.

SECRETARY’S REPORT – Taryn Cooper, Executive Secretary

• Agenda: The meeting agenda was approved, without objections.
• Minutes: The minutes of the October 17, 2025 Senate Meeting Minutes were approved as distributed by the Executive Secretary without objections.
• Administrative Responses
  • Response to Resolution on Support of Academic Freedom and Free Expression
  • Response to Resolution on Rejecting Federal Compact
  • Response to Resolution on NJ-MADC
  • Response to S-2406: Senate Role in Shared Governance
• Policy Updates
  • 10.3.3 Policy on Special Student Organization Funding
  • 80.1.7 Rutgers University Website Policy
  • 50.1.4 University Seal Use
• Communications
  • Spring 2026 Senate Social will be held at the Rutgers Club on Feb. 27, 2026 from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.
  • The libraries responded to and adapted a recommendation from charge S:2305 Auditing Courses at Rutgers
  • A vote is being held to fill the vacancy on the Executive Committee for the Newark student representative position
  • Reminder to log in to the Senate website for attendance and voting access
  • Email Morgan Smith regarding attendance and committee activities

PRESIDENT’S ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT– William F. Tate IV, President

President Tate addressed the Senate with regard to Rutgers University’s compliance in a complicated federal landscape. He did not take any questions.

RBHS CAMPUS REPORT – Brian Strom, RBHS Chancellor

ELECTION OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE NEWARK STUDENT POSITION

There were two Senators up for nomination; Senator Daniel Cortez and Senator Spencer Asch. Senator Spencer Asch was elected as the EC Newark Student Representative.

ELECTION OF RBHS CHANCELLOR SEARCH COMMITTEE SENATE REPRESENTATIVES

Three Senators were nominated by the EC and approved by the Senate as possible representatives for the RBHS Chancellor search committee, once one is established. Those Senators were: Wendy Purcell, Geza Kiss, and Robert Schwartz and their names would be passed to the President’s Office.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/RESOLUTIONS: The reports/resolutions were presented/summarized by the committee chair, then discussed, and acted upon by the Senate.

There were none to present.

OLD BUSINESS

None.

NEW BUSINESS

None.

SENATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT

Senator and Vice Chair Wendy Purcell reported on the November 7, 2025 Executive Committee meeting.

REPORTS OF THE REPRESENTATIVES TO BOARDS OF GOVERNORS AND TRUSTEES

Senator Schwartz reported on the Board of Trustees meeting. Chair Foster reported on the Board of Governors meeting.

REPORTS OF CAMPUS FACULTY AND STUDENT LIAISONS

Senator Haley reported on behalf of the New Brunswick Faculty Council. Senator Godoy reported on behalf of the New Brunswick students. Senator Green-Mercado reported on behalf of the Newark Faculty Council. Senator Rohowsky-Kochan reported on behalf of the RBHS Faculty Council have not met yet. Senator Gordy reported on behalf of the RBHS students. Senator Wilkinson reported on behalf of Camden Faculty Council.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 3:01 p.m.

Minutes prepared by:
Taryn Cooper, 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