Special Election for Federal Grant Funding Freeze Representatives
The Senate will vote at the Fri. Feb. 21 Senate meeting to choose five representatives.
Federal Grant Funding Freeze Representatives (Elect Five)
Paul Boxer, School of Arts and Sciences – Newark, Faculty
Perry Dane, Rutgers Law School in Camden, Faculty
Charles Haberl, School of Arts and Sciences-NB, Faculty
Adam Kustka, School of Arts and Sciences – Newark, Faculty
Norman Markowitz, School of Graduate Studies, Faculty
Tugrul Ozel, New Brunswick At-Large, Faculty
David Salas-de la Cruz, Camden At-Large, Faculty
Campaign Statements
Federal Grant Funding Freeze Representatives
Paul Boxer, School of Arts and Sciences – Newark, Faculty
I have been at Rutgers University-Newark since 2006, and over the years have held numerous research grants as principal or co-investigator from multiple federal agencies including the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, the Centers for Disease Control, the National Science Foundation, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and the Office for Victims of Crime. I also have served on several federal grant review panels and I currently have three grants slated for review at NIH this month. These experiences have provided me with a deep understanding of the federal funding process and I have a very clear grasp of what the stakes are for universities that are denied full access to federal research funding. Along with my federal grants experience I have served for many years on the Research Advisory Committee at Rutgers-Newark, was the founding research director for the Rutgers Gun Violence Research Center, and currently serving as a review for our university IRB. My role in the University Senate has brought me into close and collaborative contact with the central administrators charged with managing our path forward in these challenging circumstances and I am ready to continue my service in this new capacity to the Senate and the Rutgers community more broadly.
Perry Dane, Rutgers Law School in Camden, Faculty
The country and our university are living through dangerous, extraordinary, challenges. The ability of our researchers – of all of us – to engage in scholarship is at risk. As important, the fundamental freedom of the university is being jeopardized by the arbitrary acts of government.
I would bring a vital perspective to the work of this committee as a law professor specializing in, among other things, Constitutional Law and Education Law, the legal expertise most relevant to the committee’s charge. I clerked for Justice William Brennan on the U.S. Supreme Court. I have held leadership roles in the Senate as a one-time co-chair of the University Structure and Governance Committee and Representative to the Rutgers Board of Trustees. I helped lead the effort to save Rutgers-Camden when political leaders threatened its amputation from the larger University. I am intimately familiar with how Rutgers works and know what’s required of this sort of cooperative effort at the highest levels; I was a member of a small advisory committee that met with a previous Rutgers president regularly.
I have long been committed to the success of Rutgers as a scholarly community. While the implications of the current crisis for our grant-based work are obvious, the general stakes for the life of the university are even more profound. Western universities have waged struggles for their rights for close to 1000 years. Rutgers’s present responses in that tradition have to be determined and smart and unite the Senate and administration to preserve our academic life.
Charles Haberl, School of Arts and Sciences-NB, Faculty
I’m Chuck, and I’m volunteering for the Senate delegation to discuss the evolving situation concerning federal research sponsorship. I’m a field linguist with a successful track record of securing grants from various public and private sponsors and a founding member and longest-serving Chair of the Department of African, Middle Eastern, and South Asian Languages and Literatures (AMESALL). Together with Deepa Kumar and Carlos Decena, I co-authored Article 6 of the 2018–22 Rutgers Full-Time Faculty and Graduate Workers Contract on “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” which was the first Rutgers contract to address DEI, and which I later successfully defended at the negotiating table as a member of the AAUP-AFT bargaining team. I can offer the Senate not only a transdisciplinary perspective building upon nearly two decades of experience teaching and researching the Humanities and Social Sciences at Rutgers but also years of seeking and administering grants from sponsors including the Department of Education (USED) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). I have also reviewed proposals for the NEH, the National Sciences Foundation (NSF), and the Institute of International Education (IIE). For years now, I’ve served on the Fulbright U.S. Scholar and U.S. Student National Screening Committees. I have visited Capitol Hill with the Rutgers Office of Federal Relations and discussed federal sponsorship with key Republican and Democratic members of Congress. Finally, I have served the Office of Distinguished Fellowships for over a decade, empowering our students to secure prestigious fellowships. I’d be honored to serve on this delegation.
Adam Kustka, School of Arts and Sciences – Newark, Faculty
I have been a Senator since earning tenure in 2015. I served as RGPEC Chair for three years, giving me access to interview and learn from countless top-level University officials. In the context of our “Grant Costs” and “Research and Facilities Infrastructure” charges, I organized meetings with and learned from administrators in finance, research, accounting, budgeting and strategic planning, providing me with insight into the fiscal and organizational structure. This included detailed conversations regarding F&A. I also learned a great deal from you, my fellow Senators, and the array of interests/perspectives you brought to the table. Our “Grant Costs” resolution passed unanimously, and the University subsequently allowed in-state tuition charges to grant-supported graduate students. After nine years on RGPEC, I’ve transitioned to the ABIDE committee, but research is integral to my core. I have served as PI/Co-PI on over $2M in NSF awards and have also acquired private and internal funding to support my efforts to increase URM participation in STEM. I work on understanding molecular underpinnings of marine phytoplankton growth, critical to modulating global climate. I am a second-term chair of Earth & Environmental Sciences Rutgers Newark; 11 of 33 current doctoral students hail from under-represented groups (unheard of in Geosciences). My small department with 16 T/TT/NTT faculty has a staggering portfolio of DEI-focused external grants (>$10M active in 2025; notably this does not include grants with DEI “broader impacts”) and peer-reviewed publications; reflective of our departmental priorities. For so many reasons, I’m here to fight for our communities.
Norman Markowitz, School of Graduate Studies, Faculty
First let me say that I have been a member of the Rutgers faculty since 1971 and have served many terms in the Rutgers University Senate since 1981. I am currently a member of the student affairs committee and the academic freedom committee.
As an historian of U.S. history, let me begin by saying that the Trump administration’s policy of freezing funds for university research is illegal and unconstitutional. The U.S. constitution put the placed the “power of the purse” in the hands of Congress. The president can veto funding legislation, but he cannot freeze funds. Civil Rights, civil liberties, trade unions, and state governments have launched lawsuits to prevent these actions. Our committee should work with and support these actions. We should also engage in outreach with students, families, and community organizations focusing on the New Brunswick and state economy if they are not rescinded.
Tugrul Ozel, New Brunswick At-Large, Faculty
I am running for a position in the Federal Grant Funding Freeze Group and seeking your support. I have been a faculty member at Rutgers for 23 years and currently serve as a Professor in Industrial and Systems Engineering at Rutgers–New Brunswick. As a dedicated advocate for academic labor, faculty, and graduate workers, I bring extensive experience in defending our rights. I will fight for salary equity, improved health and retirement benefits, and policies that strengthen research programs and safeguard academic freedom. I am committed to fostering a more transparent, member-driven university and senate that prioritize faculty, post-doctoral and student researchers. As an educator, a widely recognized researcher, and a journal editor, I understand the challenges faculty face in securing and managing research funding. Regarding the reduced indirect cost rate imposed by the NIH, I am prepared to advocate for solutions both within our university and at the legislative level by engaging state and federal policymakers. Having received several federal and state grants and awards, I recognize the critical need for transparency in how these funds are utilized. Also, it is essential to question how the university allocates indirect costs collected from federal grants. While federally negotiated rates currently stand at 57%, some research foundations impose strict limits. I have twice received awards from a Japanese research foundation for tribology research, with indirect costs capped at just 15%.
David Salas-de la Cruz, Camden At-Large, Faculty
Dr. David Salas-de la Cruz, an engineer and associate professor in the Department of Chemistry at RU-C, is an accomplished researcher, educator, and leader committed to advancing diversity, inclusion, equity, and access in STEM. A recipient of three National Science Foundation (NSF) grants, including two patents, two NSF Research for Undergraduate Institution grants, the American Chemical Society SEED grant, and the ARMY Educational Outreach program, he has provided research opportunities for underrepresented students in Camden and beyond. His research focuses on sustainable materials and developing eco-friendly biopolymers to address environmental, health care, and energy challenges. He actively collaborates with institutions such as Princeton, Rowan, Rutgers-NB, Arizona State, NJIT, Murray State, and the University of Pennsylvania, exposing RU-C students to high-level scientific research. His NSF-funded summer IRUE program fosters cross-institutional learning between urban and rural students, bridging educational divides. Salas-de la Cruz’s mentorship has empowered students from diverse backgrounds, including military veterans, firefighters, and first-generation college students. He has significantly impacted Camden’s youth by building the first fabrication laboratory at the LEAP Academy University Charter School and mentoring high school students in STEM. His leadership extends to roles as Interim Chair, Graduate Program Director, President of TAFDV, Board Director of ACS Philadelphia, and Rutgers Senate Executive Committee member, advocating for inclusive education and research access. A 2024 Rutgers University Torchbearer Award recipient and 2022 Chancellor Award for Excellence in Mentoring, he has demonstrated excellence in promoting diversity, inclusion, equity, and access through his academic work, research, and community engagement.