Meeting Minutes #187
Members Present: R. Boikess, J. DeFilippis, H. Janes, M. Joo, M. Killingsworth, J. Kim, D. Lammerts, J. Langsam, X. Liu, K. McKeever, N. Minsky, R. Niederman, D. O’Connor (Chairperson), D. Redlawsk, L. Rodenburg, H. Sackrowitz, K. Safir, L. Schein, J. Shapiro, G. Springs Jr., T. Szatrowski, P. Thomas, K. Thompson, G. Werlen, E. Williams, R. Wilson, L. Yu
Non-Members Present: M. Radford (SCI), K. Swalagin (Recording Secretary)
1. Call to Order and Chairperson’s Report – Daniel O’Connor, NBFC Chairperson
Council Chairperson Daniel O’Connor called the 187th meeting of the New Brunswick Faculty Council (NBFC) to order at 1:17 p.m. on Friday, September 28, 2012 in Room ABC of Brower Commons, College Avenue Campus. He asked everyone to sign in on lists indicating department and department chair information, as well as committee preferences. He said that this is a critical period with reintegration with UMDNJ, and that he wants to position the NBFC as a body that makes important recommendations.
2. Approval of Agenda
Robert Boikess questioned the absence of an administrative report on the agenda. O’Connor said that this was to be a members-only meeting. The agenda, which included time limits for each docketed item, was then adopted.
3. Approval of Minutes for May 11, 2011
Karen Thompson pointed out that Jane Otto had been left off of the “Non-Members Present” portion of the May 11, 2011 NBFC Minutes. With that correction, those Minutes were adopted.
4. Discussion of the Status of South China Initiative, and Related Resolution Adopted at Previous NBFC Meeting
Chairperson O'Connor noted that University President Barchi had announced at the University Senate meeting that the South China initiative would not go forward due to limited duration of Chinese funding, and how that would relate to budget uncertainties of integration. At its May 2012 meeting, the NBFC had adopted the following resolution on the matter:
Whereas Rutgers University is seeking to extend its global reach to become one of the world’s top public research universities, and
Whereas Rutgers seeks to maximize the goals of academic excellence, access, and diversity by attracting the most able students from around the world, and
Whereas Rutgers has a narrow window of opportunity to take advantage of a generous philanthropic gift from Mission Hills Corporation to supply the land, construct a state-of-the-art campus, and provide the start-up operational funding to create a campus on Hainan Island in China, and
Whereas Rutgers has a trusted partner for the project in the South China University of Technology (SCUT), a top-30 university in China, with which it is already offering dual degrees, and
Whereas we believe that creating a new joint venture campus in China would have the following benefits for Rutgers:
- Enhancing our global brand and impact
- Providing a permanent presence in what is the world’s most populous country and soon to be the world’s largest economy, in a location that is ideal for attracting students from across South Asia
- Deepening joint programs and research partnerships with SCUT
- Providing enhanced opportunities in China to Rutgers US students
- Eventually generating a surplus that can support scholarships, joint research projects and travel to China for RU students and faculty
- Building a stable pipeline of top quality, fee-paying students (undergraduate/graduate) to Rutgers with strong English skills and familiarity with American university culture.
The Faculty Council looks forward to working closely with the Administration to develop an innovative academic plan for the campus that insures it meets the highest educational standards and preserves academic freedom, and enhances rather than competes for the resources available for the New Brunswick campus.
5. Role of NBFC During Considerations of How UMDNJ Will Be Incorporated Into Rutgers
Chairperson O'Connor said that he wants the NBFC to be Rutgers' faculty senate. He spoke about the activities and responsibilities of other senates, including appointing members to promotion review committees. During discussion of integration and strategic planning, Robert Boikess made the following motion, which was seconded by Ted Szatrowski: "[New Brunswick Faculty Council to] Request that a delegate elected by the New Brunswick Faculty Council be made a member of the Strategic Planning Committee." The motion was discussed, and adopted unanimously. The idea of the NBFC becoming a New Brunswick/Piscataway faculty senate was also discussed, and it was noted that the NBFC does currently function as such. O'Connor said that he is asking for the stature, authority, and voice of a faculty senate, and for the NBFC to be present in University Policies. It was suggested that this effort should be coordinated with the University Senate.
6. Discussion of Promotion/Tenure Issues after UMDNJ Integration
The NBFC discussed promotion and tenure issues related to UMDNJ integration. Robert Boikess moved that Chairperson O'Connor communicate to President Barchi that the entire process of promotion and tenure will need to be examined in relation to UMDNJ integration, that changes will need to be made in the Promotion Review Committee, and that it is important that the NBFC have input into that process. Naftaly Minsky seconded the motion. The motion carried.
7. NBFC and Rutgers Dashboard Indicators and "Aspirant" Institutions, and How Rutgers Might Get 20 Departments to Rank in the Top 20 in Their Respective Disciplines
The meeting's agenda packet, distributed in hardcopy, included some components of the Rutgers Dashboard Indicators, as well as draft questions for a survey to be sent to NBFC department representatives and each department chair. They were discussed as part of a general discussion of Rutgers' mission and functional areas, and how Rutgers might increase the number of programs ranking in the top 20 in their respective disciplines. The draft questions for a survey of NBFC department representatives and each department chair on these and related issues were also discussed. The draft questions, as distributed, were:
- What is needed for your department to be ranked within the top 20 in its discipline?
- How is your department planning for the integration of UMDNJ with Rutgers?
- How might faculty in general and those in your department in particular participate in strategic planning at the local, unit, and university levels?
- What is the most critical issue now being faced by your department?
8. NBFC Committees with Specific Charges for Each Committee
The charges and activities of each NBFC standing committee were discussed. During a discussion of the SAS core curriculum, and the process of assessing all courses, Robert Boikess suggested that a NBFC committee should be charged with looking at how those assessments are being imposed. It was agreed that the Curriculum, Teaching, and Honors Committee would be so charged. Chairperson O'Connor noted that the November NBFC meeting would be held at the Busch Campus Center, and that the NBFC committees would meet in the faculty dining room there before the Council meeting. O'Connor will email further information on those committee meetings prior to November 9.
9. Old Business
There was no old business.
10. New Business
Robert Boikess raised the issue of a definition of "faculty member" which had been requested by, and discussed in the University Senate. Ken Swalagin read to the Council an email he received as Executive Secretary of the University Senate from Debra Norman, which states there is no definition of "faculty member" in University Policies.
11. Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 3:14 p.m.
Minutes written and submitted by,
Ken Swalagin
Recording Secretary of the New Brunswick Faculty Council