Meeting Minutes #164

Members Present: M. Baykal­Gursoy, J. Bliss, R. Boikess, R. Bumby, M. Cotter, P. Findley, D. Fishman, N. Glickman, M. Gliserman, M. Gordon, S. Harrington, C. Jager, T. Jiang, R. Kubey, R. Larrier, P. Leath, K. McKeever, G. Mainelis, R. Marker, J. Markert, A.  Peterson, G. Rendsburg, J. Rubin, H. Sackrowitz, A. St.John, J. Shapiro, K. Thompson, M. Xu

Non­-Members Present: P. Furmanski, R. Sewell, K. Swalagin (Recording Secretary), J. Zapcic

 

1. Call to Order, and Acceptance of the Agenda and Minutes

Council Chairperson Martin Gliserman called the 164th meeting of the New Brunswick Faculty Council (NBFC) to order at 1:18 p.m. in the Murray Hall, Room 303, College Avenue Campus. The May 9 meeting agenda, and the April 11, 2008 NBFC Minutes, were approved by the Council.

 

2. Chairperson's Report -­ Martin Gliserman

The chairperson's report included comments on:

  • acceptance of the SAS­NB Curriculum Committee's report;
  • status of NBFC unit elections;
  • nominations for vice chair/chair elect (Robert Wilson), and Executive Committee, and his solicitation of further nominations from the floor or by e­mail; and
  • scheduling of the 2008­09 Council meetings, all on the College Avenue Campus.

 

3. Administrative Report ­ Philip Furmanski, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Philip Furmanski presented the administrative report, which included comments on:

  • Searches:

    • SCILS dean search concluded with selection of Jorge Schement;

    • SAS­NB dean search conclusion expected shortly;

    • Graduate School­NB dean search conclusion also expected soon;

    • College of Nursing dean search ongoing, with two of the three candidates having now visited campus;

    • School of Engineering dean search continuing while Yogesh Jaluria acting;

    • head of Nutrition (joint program with UMDNJ);

    • director of the Cancer Institute (UMDNJ, with 40 percent of its associated faculty from Rutgers);

    • head of the Stem Cell Institute;

    • director of the Zimmerli Art Museum;

    • Rutgers­Camden chancellor; and

    • Rutgers Law­Newark dean.

  • Rutgers University and State of New Jersey Budgets:

    • little change since last report;

    • NJ economic situation makes likelihood of any restoration very small;

    • working with deans and directors on contingency plans for budget reductions based on prioritized lists of cuts; and

    • ongoing efforts to develop alternative sources of revenue.

  • Applications and admissions, including 70,000 applications for admission this year, and the expectation of meeting enrollment goals in almost every unit of Rutgers.

  • Grant and outside support.

  • New state ethics regulations, and Rutgers' compliance with those regulations. Furmanski responded to questions, and heard comments, primarily on the ethics regulations.

 

4. Report and Resolution on PTLs ­ Robert Wilson, Budget and Planning Committee Chair

Robert Wilson, chair of the NBFC’s Budget and Planning Committee, summarized two reports from his committee which had been distributed at the April 11, 2008 NBFC meeting:

  • Report on “Teaching at Rutgers”

  • Report concerning the proposal for PTL tuition remission

The following motion, made by Wilson, and duly seconded, was discussed and adopted by the council:

Be it resolved that the New Brunswick Faculty Council supports the goal of converting some PTL to non­tenure­ track positions with the recognition that there are special circumstances in some disciplines and retention of flexibility is important. We also recognize that the costs of any extensive plan should be weighed against other academic demands for resources.

 

5. Report on Libraries Budget ­ Robert Sewell, Associate University Librarian

Robert Sewell, Associate University Librarian for Collection Development and Management, distributed and summarized a document entitled “Outlook for Library Collections in FY2009.” During discussion of the presentation, Chairperson Gliserman said that the issue of library budgets will be taken up in committee by the NBFC next year.

 

6. New Business

Paul Leath said that, as had been discussed by the NBFC Executive Committee, there are issues requiring planning for next year, such as:

  • curricula for all schools in New Brunswick;
  • a permanent academic integrity policy; and
  • a mechanism through which all faculty can be made aware of the activities of the NBFC, so that they understand its role and importance.

Robert Kubey added a motion thanking Marty Gliserman for his past year as chair of the NBFC, and reminding the council that Gliserman had suggested the council consider increasing the term of the chair to improve the learning curve and acclimation to the role.

 

7. Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 3:06 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,
Ken Swalagin, Recording Secretary