Meeting Minutes #240

Members Present: Akin, Bal, Benaroya, Berthiaume, Bhuyan, Boikess, Castellano, Cevasco, Curchitser, Faga, Figueira, Gajic, Gasman, Gliserman, Hirschfield, Linardopoulos, Longo, Morales, Ozel, Parker, Pichugin, Rendsburg, Ryan, Shapses, Szatrowski, Thompson, Tsakalakos, Williams, Womack, Zahn

Non-Members Present: Jonathan Holloway (President), Christopher Molloy (New Brunswick Chancellor), Francine Conway (New Brunswick Provost Designee), Mary Mickelsen (NBFC Recording Secretary), Morgan Smith (Assistant to NBFC Recording Secretary)

1.    Call to order - Tugrul Ozel, New Brunswick Faculty Council (NBFC) Chair

  • Chairperson Ozel called the meeting to order at 1:10 on Friday, November 13, 2020 remotely via Zoom

2.    Approval of the Agenda

  • The agenda was approved as amended with the change to “housing and dining.”

3.    Approval of the minutes of the meeting of October 23, 2020
       [available at the hyperlink: nbfc.rutgers.edu/minutes]

4.    Chair's report – Tugrul Ozel  [Chair's report]

  • Chairperson Ozel welcomed everyone to the meeting and presented the following updates:
  • The other faculty council members decided they would like to meet with President Holloway for his support of their inclusion in the policy library
  • NBFC is asking for two representatives from each council with two back ups

5.    Administrative report – Chancellor Chris Molloy

Chancellor Molloy began his comments by thanking NBFC members for being present and for inviting him to the meeting. He then made the following announcements/comments:

  • Student housing requests in the spring during the COVID-19 crisis and how the Administration is going to proceed. Hopeful for fall 2021 with vaccinations through the University
  • The president’s and chancellor’s office are working on merging AA, research and diversity and inclusion, and also working on their relationships with the departments underneath him

Francine Conway then joined the meeting and spoke briefly on the following topics [Provost's Presentation]:

  • Increasing transparency and collaboration from faculty councils and other members of the president’s cabinet
  • The Provost Advisory Committees and their work regarding diversity, faculty excellence, research and planning
  • Looking to increase transparency among department deans, campus and upper administration

In the Q&A session, the Chancellor and Francine Conway responded to questions on the following topics:

  • Spoke briefly about the Co-Op Extension, PTL layoffs and hiring plans for the fall and spring being handled at the dean level
  • Ensuring the Honors Program is more diverse and inclusive for African American students
  • The shortfall in the housing budget

6.    Guest – President Jonathan Holloway

President Jonathan Holloway joined the call and thanked the NBFC for inviting him to the meeting. He then spoke on the following topics:

  • His belief in faculty governance, the importance of the University Senate and his willingness to partner and collaborate with the councils
  • Worked with Prabhas Moghe in the past and is looking forward to working with Andrea Bueschel

In the Q&A session, President Holloway responded to questions on the following topics:

  • His vision for shared governance and elevating the role of the faculty with the mission of the university. Looking to learn more from the broader communities and how each person fits into the larger picture.
  • Concerns about issues due to the new instruction structure and the mental health care crisis among students
  • Holloway is looking to be more public and present within the Rutgers community and campus

7.    Committee reports

  • Academic Affairs – co-chairs: Bob Boikess/ Marybeth Gasman 
    • Their continued efforts of making SAT & ACT test optional
    • The role of the students with teacher evaluations
    • Ozel has asked Courtney McAnuff to come in and give an update on spring enrollment – still waiting for an answer back
  • Athletics Affairs – chair: Ken McKeever
    • The benefits of athletic programs regarding students’ educational achievements and their overall health
    • Looking at the university branding and the impact on the general community
    • Waiting on the request of the financial spending of athletics from the Chancellor’s office
  • Budget, Planning, Infrastructure – co-chairs: Ryan Womack/ Tom Figueira
    • Parking has been put on hold due to COVID
    • The final approval stage of the Budget Review, and are looking to submit it to the EC in 10 days
  • Faculty and Personnel Affairs – co-chairs: Francois Berthiaume/Karen Thompson
    • The use of NTT appointed as center directors and program directors
  • Student Affairs – co-chairs: Emily Greenfield/Haym Benaroya
    • The School of Social Work is working getting approval on a template for all schools
    • Still researching the danger of scooters on campus – looked for feedback from the RUPD and Tony Calcado but have not heard back
    • The concerns of the remote learning environment

8.    New Business

Spoke about communicating better with the administration. Looking into using the Twitter page.

9.    Old Business  

There was no old business.

10.    Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 3:04pm.

 

Written and submitted by

Morgan Smith, substitute recording secretary