Meeting Minutes #199

Members Present: J. Aiello, M. Baykal-Gursoy, S. Bhuyan, R. Boikess, M. Fuentes (for C. Bunch), S. Cirignano, S. Connolly, M. Cotter (Chair), M. Doerfel, B. Chu (for D. Fishman), J. Friedman, M. Gasparotto, M. Gliserman, A. Hetling, P. Hirshfield, M. Katehakis, M-K. Joo, M. Killingsworth, J-H. Kim, P. Klein, J. Langsam, C. Lugg, K. McKeever, A. Pichugin, D. Redlawsk, D. Scheck, J. Scheinbeim, M. Schwander, S. Shapses, T. Stephens, T. Szatrowski, B. Tesar, K. Thompson, R. Welch, J. Worobey, L. Yu, J. Zahn

Non-Members Present: R. Edwards (New Brunswick Chancellor), K. Swalagin (Recording Secretary)

1.    Call to Order – Martha Cotter, New Brunswick Faculty Council (NBFC) Chair
 
Council Chairperson Martha Cotter called the 199th meeting of the New Brunswick Faculty Council to order at 1:22 p.m. on Friday, December 12, 2014 in Room 411 A/B/C of the Rutgers Student Center, College Avenue Campus. The meeting had been moved from the planned location in Brower Commons because Brower had no heat. Cotter suggested that perhaps the Council should do something special for the upcoming 200th meeting.

2.    Approval of Agenda
 
The agenda was modified to move the breakout committee meetings to the end, and was then approved.
 
3.    Approval of Minutes of October 17, 2014
 
The Minutes of the October 17, 2014 NBFC meeting were approved as presented.
 
4.    Chair's Report - Martha Cotter, NBFC Chair

NBFC Chair Martha Cotter's Chair's Report included comments on the following:

  • President Barchi's response to the Council's recommendations on the revenues [handout], expenditures and deficit of the athletics program, which reflects well on the Council in that it is direct and thoughtful, even though the Council is not advisory to the president;
  • Barchi's promise to keep her and University Senate Chair Ann Gould informed about progress in revising the athletics plan;
  • progress on the Honors College, and circulation of a draft final report to the committee; and
  • introduction of new Council members Julie Langsam (Mason Gross School of the Arts), and David Scheck (Part-time Lecturer).

5.    Administrative Report - Richard Edwards, New Brunswick Chancellor

Richard Edwards, New Brunswick Chancellor, presented an administrative report, which included comments on the following:

  • announcement of Greg Jackson's sabbatical;
  • January initiation of a search for Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, which will be an internal search;
  • separation of the positions of Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, and New Brunswick Chancellor;
  • the New Brunswick Strategic Plan, which had been discussed by the boards earlier that week; and
  • continuing union contract negotiations.

Edwards then responded to questions, or heard comments, on a variety of subjects, including:

  • Responsibility Center Management (RCM); 
  • movement toward, and nomenclature related to, a system for defining various units of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey;
  • the status of the PRC as a system-wide entity;
  • recent press regarding disparities between New Brunswick, Camden, and Newark;
  • numbers and teaching loads of PTLs, and related implications of the Affordable Healthcare Act;
  • competition and mirroring of programs among business and law schools, and proposals to merge the law schools; and
  • RCM and the Honors College.

6.    Resolution to Endorse the AAUP Centennial Declaration - Robert Boikess

Robert Boikess presented and moved a Resolution to Endorse the AAUP Centennial Declaration. His motion was seconded, and discussed. The resolution was then adopted unanimously. Recording Secretary Ken Swalagin registered the Council's endorsement on the AAUP website created for that purpose.

7.    Old Business

There was no old business.

8.    New Business

Comments were made about competition among Rutgers units, and related implications of RCM and budgeting.

9.    Adjournment, and Breakout Standing Committee Meetings

Cotter stated the challenges to organizing efficient Council committee meetings. She asked everyone to look at their committee charges and decide how to break those up within the committees so they can be addressed, and to determine members' schedules for the spring so committee meetings can be planned. She then called for breakout standing committee meetings, and adjourned the meeting at 2:39 p.m.

Minutes written and submitted by,
Ken Swalagin
Recording Secretary of the New Brunswick Faculty Council