Meeting Minutes #158

Members Present: J. Bliss, R. Boikess, R. Bumby, M. Cotter, H. Davidson, P. Findley, H. Fisher, D. Fishman, M. Flahive DiNardo, N. Glickman, M. Gliserman, M. Gordon, S. Harrington, C. Jager, H. Janes, T. Jiang, Y-S. Kim, C. Kulikowski, P. Leath, G. McGhee, K. McKeever, G. Mainelis, R. Market, J. Markert, J. Miller, A. Norris, P. Panayotatos, E. Ramsamy, H. Sackrowitz, A. St.John, K. St.Martin, R. Schuler, J. Shapiro, T. Szatrowski, K. Thompson, S. Tomasello, R. Wilson, I. Yanovitzky

Non-Members Present: C. Bobotas (Targum), P. Furmanski, R. L. McCormick, K. Swalagin (Recording Secretary), M. Walbaum (Targum), H. Waterman

1. Call to Order

Council Chairperson Martin Gliserman called the 158th meeting of the New Brunswick Faculty Council (NBFC) to order at 1:17 p.m. in the Rutgers Student Center, Room 411, College Avenue Campus, welcoming all present to the meeting. He said that President McCormick would be attending the meeting, but had been delayed.

2. Approval of the Agenda and Minutes

The day’s agenda, and the Minutes of the October 12, 2007 New Brunswick Faculty Council meeting, were approved.

3. Report of the Chair - Martin Gliserman

Chairperson Gliserman, noting that there was much to do, said he would forego the chairperson's report and move directly into the agenda.

4. School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) Core Curriculum Committee Report - Harriet Davidson

Harriet Davidson summarized the work and plans of the SAS-NB Curriculum Committee, and responded to questions from the Council. Topics covered included:

  • progress on developing general education requirements that fall somewhere between a core and a distribution;
  • the need to articulate learning goals that are not discipline-specific;
  • plans to have a draft for faculty review and comment by spring; and
  • Randy Gallistel’s ongoing collection of proposals, and a request that NBFC members inform their faculty of that collection.

[President McCormick and Executive Vice President Furmanski joined the meeting at 1:17 p.m.]

5. Administrative Report - Richard L. McCormick, University President

President McCormick, noting that he had made a comprehensive report to the Rutgers community in September, presented the administrative report, which included comments, responses to questions from the council, and general discussion on:

  • the recently released State Commission of Investigation report on business practices of some New Jersey public universities and colleges, including Rutgers;
  • proposed expansion of Rutgers’ stadium, including financial aspects, naming, game scheduling, impacts on the surrounding campuses, opposition to the plan, priorities, and alternate locations;
  • creation of a single, Rutgers University Alumni Association which will include all 19 of the currently existing associations;
  • Rutgers policies and recordkeeping related to sexual harassment;
  • enhancement of public relations, and plans to reestablish the position of Vice President for Public Affairs;
  • vehicles for publicizing contributions made by Rutgers and its faculty to the State of New Jersey and its economy; and
  • the need to promote publicly Rutgers’ status as a research institution.

[President McCormick left the meeting after this agenda item ended at 2:41 p.m.]

6. Middle States Reaccreditation Self-Study Report Observations and Discussion

The Council discussed, and provided feedback and comments to EVP Furmanski on, the Middle States Reaccreditation Self-Study Report. Council members had prepared responses in subgroups, and comments by those groups as well as individuals were voiced on topics which included:

  • undergraduate enrollment management,
  • curriculum,
  • undergraduate offerings,
  • related educational activities,
  • using the research in the graduate context,
  • intercampus government and devolution/centralization and decentralization, and
  • all-funds budgeting.

Furmanski thanked the group for their input and comments, and solicited further comments either directly to him or to any member of the steering committee via the website. He noted that the deadline for finalizing the document is January 11, 2008.

[Gliserman announced that the next NBFC meeting would be at the Cook Campus Center, and reminded all present to sign in.]

7. Academic Integrity Policy Progress Report - Martha Cotter

Martha Cotter summarized progress on revising Rutgers’ academic integrity policy, noting that the University Senate would hold a committee-of-the-whole discussion on the matter the following week. She said that an ad hoc committee on academic integrity had been formed, that it included members from across Rutgers, and that it would first meet on November 30. The goal of the committee is to come up with some interim possibilities, then set up a structure that would progress toward a new policy. Cotter will report on the Senate discussion of this issue at the December NBFC meeting.

8. Old Business

There was no old business.

9. New Business

There was no new business.

10. Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 3:18 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Ken Swalagin