Meeting Minutes #269
1. Call to Order and Chair Updates
Chair Haley called the meeting to order via Zoom on Friday, January 31, 2025, at 1:12 PM.
Approval of the Agenda
The agenda was belatedly approved.
Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of November 22, 2024
The minutes were approved.
Chair’s Report
- Raised awareness of concerns in higher education affecting faculty, staff, and students, including but not limited to stopping work orders, conference/meeting cancellations, and funding freezes, among other things. Emphasized a shared governance approach and the need to work together, communicate, and collaborate to navigate this situation.
- The University Senate & Faculty Union has held emergency meetings to discuss movements at the federal level, with the University Senate passing a resolution.
- Chancellor Conway, alongside members of her leadership team, will engage with the Faculty Council to discuss uncertainties presented by the federal level. Smaller groups will be created throughout the meeting to have a chance to share concerns, brainstorm solutions, and potential responses.
- A channel in Teams has been created, “Faculty Response Resources,” as a way to share reports and resources.
- Addressed a very tense and contested SAS Faculty meeting in December, which ended with a censure vote from the Dean of SAS. Communication has been made with several SAS faculty members, including NBFC representatives, and a council resolution is the best approach to this issue. A resolution will be crafted and presented at the council’s February meeting.
- The Senate report on Course Atlas has been released, and it includes the thoughts and responses of 908 faculty and staff members.
- The council has continued engaging with two initiatives at the university and campus levels. One includes a university-wide parking, transportation, and dining initiative. A meeting with Sal Mena on February 14 will be conducted for the dining initiative, while a meeting in March will occur regarding the transportation and parking issue.
- AI in the Teaching Conference achieved a great turnout, with roughly 150 attendees. As a follow-up, a resource page will be created, highlighting the video recording of the conference, presentations made by presenters, and a series of other resources. If members have any resources, they were advised to share them in the “AI in Teaching” channel in Teams.
- One way that the council can be more involved is by surveying how our schools are best-supporting faculty in dealing with AI. If members would like to be involved in any of these efforts, let Chair Haley know.
- The second Dean’s panel will be held during the council’s February meeting. Deans invited include Mark Anner (School of Management and Labor Relations), George Leibowitz (School of Social Work), March Robeson (School of Graduate Students, Laura Lawson (School of Environmental and Biological Sciences), and Christopher Spann (School of Education).
2. Chancellor Conway
Chancellor Conway, alongside members of her Cabinet, engaged with the council in a discussion relating to recent events and the changing landscape at the federal level. Chancellor Conway acknowledged the widespread concerns and hoped to work together to respond, protect the reputation of Rutgers, and maintain its values and support for faculty, staff, and students.
- Cabinet members in attendance:
- Jason Gary, Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
- Nalen Smith, Chief Financial Officer & Senior Vice Chancellor
- Sandra Tomlinson, Provost
- Danielle Lyatu Watkins, Chief of Staff
- Caroline Moehling, Senior Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education and Senior Vice Provost
- Denise Nguyen Hien, Senior Vice Provost for Research
- Cabinet members in attendance:
Topics and Questions addressed included addressing misinformation, the presence of ICE on campus, streamlining information from research deans, advocating with State and Federal officials.
3. Breakout room discussion about federal administration events, impact on Rutgers, and strategies for response.
[Update of this topic under construction]
4. Standing Committee Reports
Academic Affairs (Reported by Julia Maxwell): Marco DiNovelli (Associate Vice Chancellor of the Division of Enrollment Management) engaged with the committee to discuss test-optional policies and their effect on undergraduate admissions, retention, and student success. Discussing recent events, addressing misinformation, and preparing for Chancellor Conway’s visit and continued partnership were also held.
Athletic Affairs (Reported by Kenneth McKeever): The committee discussed the current state of the budget related to athletics. The update was given on the work by Scott Walker’s group and how every team had achieved a 3.0 GPA.
Budget, Planning, & Infrastructure (Reported by Thomas Davis): The committee discussed charging station resolution, the contract for consultancy on parking, and the software program changes relating to the charging station resolution.
Faculty and Personnel Affairs (Reported by Eleanor LaPointe): The Committee discussed DEI, the forum in Camden on February 25th, integrating lecturers and NTTS into departments, collection of data as it pertains to department bylaws, data on class sizes, grant issues, Course Atlas.
Student Affairs (Reported by Mei Ling Lo): The Committee discussed the first-day textbook program, planning on asking for input from the executive council and maybe distributing a survey to faculty to understand their experiences with the program better. The committee also discussed student mental health services, aiming to connect with the Scarlet Well program and counseling services for potential collaborations. The committee plans to meet with the RU Okay Club, a mental health organization, to understand their services better. The Committee also discussed current events.
5. Other (Any Old or New) Business
- Clarification on SAS Censure vote in December
- Need for Council Outreach and Communication efforts with constituents
6. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 3:00 pm.
FUTURE MEETINGS
February 28, 2025
April 4, 2025
May 2, 2025