Meeting Minutes #204

Members Present: E. Alessi, D. Ballentine, N. Belkin, S. Bhuyan, R. Boikess, C. Clauss-Ehlers, M. Cotter (Acting Chair), M. Doerfel, D. Fishman, M. Flahive DiNardo, J. Friedman, Z. Gajic, M. Gliserman, A. Hetling, P. Hirschfield, H. Janes, T. Kahlaoui, D. Kruse, J. Langsam, B. Leech, J. McDonnell, K. McKeever, N. Minsky, R. Niederman, T. Ozel, J. Pietruska, M. Rockland, S. Rubinstein, J. Shandler, T. Stephens, L. Sun, T. Szatrowski, B. Tesar, K. Thompson, J. Worobey, 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) Acting Chair
 
Council Chairperson Martha Cotter called the 204th meeting of the New Brunswick Faculty Council to order at 1:19 p.m. on Friday, September 25, 2015 in Brower Commons Room ABC, College Avenue Campus. She explained that NBFC Chair Mark Killingsworth had a longstanding commitment in Michigan and was unable to attend this meeting, and because there was no vice chair at that point, and because she was immediate past chair, she would act as chair for this meeting.

2.    Approval of Agenda
 
The agenda was approved, with the notation that it was actually the 204th meeting; not the 205th.
 
3.    Approval of Minutes of April 24, 2015
 
The Minutes of the April 24, 2015 NBFC meeting were amended, at Cotter's request, to indicate that some elements of the chair's report were a summary of the previous year's NBFC accomplishments, and were then approved. [Note: At the time these minutes were written, the April 24 minutes posted online were still the old version.]
 
4.    Chair's Report - Martha Cotter, NBFC Acting Chair, for Mark Killingsworth, Chair

NBFC Acting Chair Martha Cotter read to the Council a chair's report which had been sent to her by Chair Mark Killingsworth. She said she would post the report on the Council website. It consisted primarily of a summary of what he and the Council would be working on, including:

  • membership (Cotter asked all new members to stand and introduce themselves);
  • election of vice chair and Executive Committee members, and a request that all members go to the Council website and confirm that they are on the roster and that their contact information is correct;
  • an Executive Committee resolution on the Kyle Flood investigation; and
  • committee charges, chairs, and membership.

5.    Administrative Report - Richard Edwards, New Brunswick Chancellor

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

  • the Honors College, which opened on schedule;
  • a Strategic Plan Status Report, Summer 2015;
  • initiatives and proposals submitted relative to the Strategic Plan; and
  • transforming the student experience.

Edwards then responded to questions, or heard comments, on the above topics, and others, including:

  • recruitment, retention and recognition of faculty;
  • chaired professorships;
  • cuts to higher education funding;
  • quantitative indicators, including salaries of graduates;
  • regulation of research on federal funding;
  • evaluating faculty excellence;
  • student evaluations of teaching, and how they are used; and
  • requirements for monitoring class attendance of students receiving federal financial aid.

 

6.    Election of Vice Chair and Executive Committee Members for 2015-16

Cotter said that Sanjib Bhuyan had volunteered to serve as 2015-16 NBFC vice chair. She then called for other volunteers. There were none, and Bhuyan became vice chair by acclamation. Bhuyan was already a member of the NBFC Executive Committee, so Cotter called for volunteers for that Executive Committee position. Julie Langsam was the sole volunteer, and was therefore also elected by acclamation. Cotter then asked Bhuyan if he would like to conduct the rest of the meeting. He declined, and Cotter continued.

7.    Committee Membership and Charges for 2015-16

Committee chairs spoke about their committee activities and plans. Libraries and Academic Resources Committee Chair Dan Fishman said he needed to resign as chair this year, and that the committee would need a new chair.

8.    Resolution on Part-Time Lecturers - Karen Thompson, for the NBFC Executive Committee

Executive Committee Member Karen Thompson presented and handed out hardcopy of a resolution on part-time lecturers. Discussion continued for some time before the question was called, and the resolution was adopted unanimously by the Council.

9.    Presentation on the Status of the Scholarly Open Access at Rutgers (SOAR) Open Access Faculty Repository - Library and Academic Resources Committee (LARC) Chair Dan Fishman, and Jane Otto and Laura Mullen (University Libraries)

LARC Chair Dan Fishman, and University Libraries Faculty Jane Otto and Laura Mullen reported on the status of the SOAR Open Access Faculty Repository, and responded to questions on that issue.

10.    Old Business

Nicholas Belkin asked if progress had been made on ensuring that honors students in schools which cannot be part of the Honors College could eventually be moved into the Honors College after the first or second year. Cotter said the Honors College would be reviewed by the Council at the end of the year.

11.    New Business

Vice Chair Sanjib Bhuyan assumed the chair while Cotter presented a Resolution on Ethical and Academic Problems in the Rutgers Football Program. It was discussed at some length, and amended in several areas, and was then adopted unanimously by the council in the form linked to this section of the minutes.

12.    Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 3:40 p.m.

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