Meeting Minutes #232

Members Present:  V. Bal, H. Benaroya, S. Bhuyan, R. Boikess, O. Carbonell-Nicolau, T. Figueira, M. Falhive-DiNardo, J. Gonzalez, A. Gould, P. Hirschfield, D. Hoover, N. Linardopoulos, J. Mathew, K. McKeever, K. Morgan, L. Mullen, T. Ozel, A. Pichugin, G. Rendsburg, J. Ritter, F. Ryan, S. Shapses, M. Smart, T. Szatrowski, P. Takhistov, K. Thompson, S. Westfall, A. Wiley, R. Womack, J. Zahn

Non-Members Present:  M. Cotter (Parliamentarian), C. Molloy (Chancellor, RU-NB), M. Mickelsen (NBFC Recording Secretary)

1.    Call to Order – Tugrul Ozel, New Brunswick Faculty Council (NBFC) Chair 
 
New Brunswick Faculty Council Chairperson Tugrul Ozel called the 232nd meeting of the New Brunswick Faculty Council to order at 1:10 p.m. on Friday, September 27, 2019 in Room 174 of the Busch Student Center, Busch Campus. His report included comments on:

  • asking all to ensure all information on the sign-in sheet is correct and email Tugrul with changes;
  • Reminder of the resolutions produced last year that are listed on the website
    • the inclusion of all the faculty councils in the University Policy Library;
    • an administrative report at each meeting by the NB Chancellor or his delegate;
    • oversight of the athletic programs.
  • Formation of a collective group from all the faculty councils to provide input to the Presidential Search Committee

2.    Approval of Agenda 
 
The Agenda was approved
 
3.    Approval of Minutes of April 26, 2019 Meeting

The April 26, 2019 NBFC Minutes were approved.

4.        Administrative Report – Christopher Molloy, Chancellor, Rutgers-NB

Molloy thanked the council for having him speak and confirmed his commitment to present the Administrative Report at each meeting or one of his delegates. He spoke on

  • changes to the NB Chancellor’s cabinet;
  • Goals for 2020
    • Increase the efficiency of cabinet operations, giving the budget more room for plans for new programs/buildings;
    • Implement marketing strategies that will increase out-of-state enrollment;
    • Keeping tuition rates as low as possible;
    • Increasing the minority student population;
    • Management of the MGSA dean search;
    • Development of the dean’s strategic capital plan for NB
  • Implementation of Course Atlas
  • Improvement of the Career Services Office;
  • Implementation of changes made to teaching evaluations for PTLs;
  • Increase in Grant Awards of 16% for 2019;
  • Incoming student SAT scores – over 1300 for incoming Freshman and over 1500 for Honor students;
  • Clarification on concerns expressed by this committee on the CCS report.

Molloy then asked the NBFC for assistance on a few initiatives:

  • The new Vice Chancellor for Markets is conducting a perception workshop with an outside firm and will be interested in having faculty input.
  • Advice on faculty productivity norms/teaching loads.

Molloy then answered questions on the following topics:

  • Fostering a positive relationship between the faculty councils and the administration;
  • Finances of the Athletics Department;
  • Grant Calculations:
  • Career services for graduate students;
  • the relationship between MGSA and NBPAC;
  • Athletic recruiting (Link 1, Link 2).

5.   Committee Reports

  • Academic Affairs Committee - Robert Boikess, Chair
    • Boikess reported his committee did not focus on any particular charges. The committee discussed the issue of grade inflation, which the Senate ASRAC is looking into as well.
  • Athletic Affairs Committee – Ken McKeever, Chair
    • McKeever reported the committee is still waiting on a response from the Chancellor on the reports they submitted last AY. The committee is looking for new issues to discuss and would appreciate any input from the council. Boikess suggested getting involved in the Presidential search committee to offer input in regards to the athletic program.
  • Budget, Planning, & Infrastructure – Ryan Womack and Tom Figueira, Co-Chairs
    • Womack reminded the committee of the parking survey conducted last AY. The committee is interested in looking at the Libraries’ budget and its plan for the future and how it has been affected by RCM.
  • Faculty and Personnel Affairs - Francois Berthiaume and Karen Thompson, Co-Chairs
    • Berthiaume & Thompson reported the committee discussed a few issues to examine including reimbursement process within Cornerstone and how difficult is its to use and add new member as well as current trends of NTTs.
  • Student Affairs – Emily Greenfield and Haym Benaroya, Co-Chairs
    • Benaroya discussed how the committee wants to focus on the graduate student experience – Greenfield will email the committee with her ideas.

6.   New Business 

Faculty Advisory Group to be formed with a mission to advise the Presidential Search Committee.

7.   Adjournment 

The meeting was adjourned at 3:00 p.m.

Written and submitted by:

Mary Mickelsen
NBFC Recording Secretary