Meeting Minutes #203

Members Present: M. Aronson, H. Baruh, M. Baykal-Gursoy, S. Bhuyan, R. Boikess, S. Connolly, M. Cotter (Chair), M. Doerfel, M. Flahive DiNardo, J. Friedman, M. Gliserman, A. Hetling, P. Hirschfield, M-K. Joo, M. Killingsworth (Vice Chair), J-H. Kim, P. Klein, D. KIruse, D. Kumar, X. Liu, K. McKeever, D. O'Connor, A. Pichugin, D. Redlawsk, D. Scheck, M. Schwander, S. Shapses, T. Stephens, L. Sun, T. Szatrowski, B. Tesar, K. Thompson, J. Zahn

Non-Members Present: K. Swalagin (Recording Secretary)

1.    Call to Order – Martha Cotter, New Brunswick Faculty Council (NBFC) Chair
 
Council Chairperson Martha Cotter called the 203rd meeting of the New Brunswick Faculty Council to order at 1:19 p.m. on Friday, April 24, 2015 in Brower Commons Room ABC, College Avenue Campus.

2.    Approval of Agenda
 
The agenda was approved as presented.
 
3.    Approval of Minutes of April 3, 2015
 
The Minutes of the April 3, 2015 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:

  • there would be no administrative report at this meeting;
  • recap of the past two years' notable NBFC achievements:
  • challenges to scheduling Council committee meetings;
  • bylaws revisions; and
  • her hope that new people will volunteer to serve as Council officers in the future.

Ken McKeever's motion recognizing and thanking Cotter for her two years of service as chair was seconded and adopted, with applause.

5.    Bylaws Revisions - Martha Cotter

Cotter led a discussion and action on revising the NBFC Bylaws, which included elements related to:

  • removing representation from centers, bureaus, and institutes;
  • removing secret ballot requirements;
  • removing standing invitations to deans to attend Council meetings;
  • altering the term of chair and vice chair, and adding consecutive-term limits for chair;
  • removing the chair-elect process, and replacing it with allowing the vice chair to choose to run for chair instead of becoming the following-year's chair;
  • removing the requirement that the chair and vice chair must be replaced by someone from their respective units, and stipulating that the chair and vice chair continue to represent their departments while serving;
  • removing references to the President's Faculty Advisory Committee [which revision was defeated];
  • listing standing committees in alphabetical order;
  • adding an element on academic integrity to the standing charge of the Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee;
  • eliminate from the Curriculum, Teaching, and Honors Committee standing charge references to a New Brunswick core curriculum; 
  • changing references to the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs to New Brunswick Chancellor; and
  • adding an element on issues related to curricular cooperation/competition among academic units to the Curriculum, Teaching, and Honors Committee standing charge.

Considerable discussion on the proposed bylaws revisions followed. Some changes were made to several elements of the proposed revisions, and the Council eventually adopted unanimously revised bylaws as they now appear on the NBFC website.

6.    Election of Vice Chair and Executive Committee Members for 2015-16Martha Cotter led the process for electing 2015-16 Council leadership. She noted that there would be no election for chair-elect, and that Mark Killingsworth had already been elected chair for next year, although the bylaws in effect at the time of that election stated the chair's term as two years. Killingsworth moved to postpone election of the vice chair, and the Council proceeded in accordance with that motion. Nominations were made, and the 2015-16 NBFC Leadership was established.

7.    Committee-of-the-Whole Discussion on Strengthening the Role of the NBFC in Shared Governance

On motion, the Council moved into committee of the whole to discuss ways in which the NBFC's role in shared governance could be strengthened. Following discussion, the Council moved out of committee of the whole.

8.    Announcement of Election Results - Martha Cotter

Martha Cotter announced the results of the election of 2015-16 NBFC leadership.

9.    Old Business

There was no old business.

10.    New Business

There was no new business.

11.    Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 3:32 p.m.

Minutes written and submitted by,

Ken Swalagin
Recording Secretary of the New Brunswick Faculty Council