Resolution on the Establishment of RU-CAPS

The New Brunswick Faculty Council (NBFC) urges that the establishment of Rutgers University College of Applied and Professional Studies (RU-CAPS) not be presented by the University Administration to the Board of Governors until it has been given a comprehensive review by the faculty, including, but not limited to, the NBFC and the University Senate.

In particular, the NBFC wishes to voice its strong concerns about the problems of maintaining the quality of Rutgers academic degree programs and the academic freedom of the faculty if RU-CAPS were to be staffed exclusively by non-tenure-track contract faculty. One possibility would be that the "core faculty" of the proposed unit would be chosen from among current Rutgers tenured faculty members from the appropriate units of the University. These core faculty would form a body of "fellows" that would design and approve the curriculum and hire any PTLs needed for the courses offered.

Furthermore, the NBFC urges better coordination with current units offering continuing education and outreach programs, such as the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, IMLR and Business Schools.