Meeting Minutes #242

Members Present: Benaroya, Berthiaume, Bhuyan, Boikess, Castellano, Faga, Figueira, Gajic, Gasman, Gliserman, Gonzalez, Greenfield, Hirschfield, Linardopoulos, Longo, Margolis, Mathew, McKeever, Morales, Mullen, Ozel, Paul, Pichugin, Rhiney, Ritter, Ryan, Sanchez, Shapses, Szatrowski, Thompson, Tsakalakos, Williams, Winters, Womack, Yu, Zahn

Non-Members Present: Francine Conway (Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor), Martha Cotter (Parliamentarian), Jacqueline McGlynn (Senior Administrator for Academic Affairs), Mary Mickelsen (NBFC Recording Secretary), Morgan Smith (Assistant to NBFC Recording Secretary)

1. Call to order: 1:10pm

Chairperson Ozel called the meeting to order at 1:10 on Friday, February 26, 2021 remotely via Zoom.

2. Approval of the agenda:

The agenda was approved.

3. Approval of the minutes of the meeting of January 29, 2021
       [available at the hyperlink: nbfc.rutgers.edu/minutes]

The minutes were approved.

4. Chair’s Report – Tugrul Ozel

  • Chairperson Ozel gave the faculty council an update on the resolution on faculty councils in the policy library presented to the senate, and let the council know the results will be voted on at the 3/26 meeting. 
  • Ozel also went over the work of the NBFC committees, their participation in Provost Conway COACHE working groups and the coalition of faculty councils waiting on a meeting date from President Holloway’s office.

5. Administrative Report – Provost Francine Conway

  • Provost Francine Conway thanked the Faculty Council for having her and spoke on the following topics:
  • The Faculty Council’s partnership with the COACHE group
  • The following items being prepared for fall 2021:
    • Finalizing instruction delivery plans for fall and working on coming back as a community with faculty feedback
    • Managing program changes and the course scheduling system is being appropriately updated
    • Preparing the general-purpose classrooms for in person and online teaching and how instruction will be delivered in larger courses
    • Creating course schedules that are clearly articulated along with academic support to students in new course delivery formats
  • Provost Conway then had a brief Q&A session and answered questions on the following topics:
    • The status on vaccinations
    • The shape in which appointments will take place over the next few years regarding faculty collaboration
    • Departmental reviews, new hires and program reviews
    • Stress amongst PTL’s

6. Committee Reports:

  • Academic Affairs – co-chairs: Bob Boikess/ Marybeth Gasman
    • Courtney McAnuff’s presentation regarding ways in which we admit students with the test optional situation, looking at student evaluations and the Pell Grant summary
  • Athletic Affairs – chair: Ken McKeever
    • Continuation on its exploration of different ways athletics effects and benefits the students at large, looking to get information from Scott Walker and how Athletics affects the branding of the University
  • Budget, Planning, Infrastructure – co-chairs: Ryan Womack/ Tom Figueira
    • Met with Brian Ballentine and his committee and discussed the ongoing evaluation of RCM, at the March 12th meeting there will time allocated for complaints and concerns, moving forward this committee will work on parking and the charge to the Senate to comment on RCM
  • Faculty and Personnel Affairs – chair: Francois Berthiaume
    • Looking at the use of NTT as a program, looking to recommend a task force to address this issue
  • Student Affairs – co-chairs: Emily Greenfield/Haym Benaroya
    • Ellen Williams had a presentation for the committee, looking at policies related to gender and equality in which they are drafting a resolution for the policy, the technology at Rutgers and why it is so outdated, addressing LGBTQA issues amongst faculty
    • The Omnobudsperson Christine Morales shared a document on SWAGGER through one drive
    • Working with the students on appeals, oversights and accountability

7. New Business

          There was no new business

8. Old Business  

          There was no old business

9. Adjournment

         The meeting was adjourned at 2:40pm

Written and submitted by

Morgan Smith, substitute recording secretary.