Meeting Minutes #255

Members Present: Marybeth Gasman, Francis Ryan, Ted H. Szatrowski, Jeffrey Zahn, Robert Boikess, Alexander Pichugin, Sue Shapses, Kenneth McKeever, Andrew Baker, Ellen Williams, John Kolassa, Barbara Faga, Crystal Akers, Sanjib Bhuyan, Thomas Davis, Lei Yu, Atif Atkin, Jack Bouchard, Rafiq Huda, Ryan Womack, Christine Morales, Heather Pierce, Eleanor LaPointe, Francois Berthiaume, Tugrul Ozel, Elisa Shernoff, Mei Ling Lo, Karen Thompson, Thomas Figueira, and Madeline Flahive-DiNardo

Non-Members Present: Dr. Francine Conway, Chancellor-Provost, Rutgers-New Brunswick, Dr. Kathleen Scott, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience and Discovery Advantage Chair, Martha Cotter, NBFC Parliamentarian

1. Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by Chair Gasman on Friday, December 16, 2022, at 1:12 pm via Zoom.

2.  Approval of the Agenda

The agenda was approved.

3.  Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of November 11, 2022

Christine Morales proposed an amendment to the minutes, specifically to the section of the Student Affairs report entitiled SEBS Academic Mentoring (AM) and Portals to Academic Success (PASS). The amendment was approved and the minutes as amended were then approved.

4. Chair's Report – Marybeth Gasman

Chair Gasman welcomed everyone to the meeting and presented the following updates:

  • On February 23rd, there will be a NBFC Teaching Conference, co-sponsored by the Chancellor-Provost’s Office. A save the date will be sent in the upcoming days, and an official invitation will be sent in the new year.
  • The NBFC is planning an Academic Freedom Day. It will be an open, virtual event and will include speakers and a diverse faculty panel. Those who wish to be on the panel, recommend others for the panel, or have any ideas should email Chair Gasman.  
  • A survey on teaching loads was sent to part-time lecturers and has received a robust response thus far.

5. Discovery Advantage Presentation and Discussion – Dr. Kathleen Scott, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience and Discovery Advantage Chair

Dr. Scott gave the following presentation on Discovery Advantage:

  • Overview:
    • Discovery Advantage is an initiative that will take a holistic look at the student experience across Rutgers–New Brunswick. The last review was conducted by the Transforming Undergraduate Education Taskforce in 2005.
    • Workstreams include: (1) Curriculum, (2) Advising and Academic Support, (3) Living Learning Communities, (4) Enrollment and Marketing, (5) Administrative and Financial Structure, and (6) Data Core.
    • Dr. Kathleen Scott presented a tentative timeline for Discovery Advantage, which will take place between Fall 2022 and Spring 2024.
    • A separate committee, ScarletWell, is currently looking at mental health issues. Discovery Advantage will coordinate with them.
  • Structure:
    • The Executive Steering Committee is comprised of co-chairs and representatives of each workstream
    • The Steering Committee is comprised of faculty, staff, and students for each workstream. Members are self-nominated or nominated by deans and workstream co-chairs. NBFC members will be represented and can serve as liaisons.
    • Some workstreams will divide into subcommittees to consider different charges/aspects of their charges. Additional members will be invited.
  • Questions and Additional Information:
    • Questions can be sent to Dr. Kathleen Scott and information about Discovery Advantage can be found at discoverynb.rutgers.edu

Discussion ensued on the following:

  • Nomination of part-time lecturers with expertise in relevant areas.
  • The aim to link together existing excellent opportunities at Rutgers–New Brunswick.
  • The need for the steering committees and subcommittees to have representation across schools and individual expertise.

6. Dr. Francine Conway, Chancellor-Provost

  • Discovery Advantage. Dr. Conway expressed her gratitude to Kathleen Scott for her outstanding work on the Discovery Advantage and expressed her excitement on the rollout of the program.
  • Honors College Resolution: Dr. Conway thanked the Faculty Council for its recent resolution on the Honors College. She indicated that Rutgers–New Brunswick is embarking on the next developmental phase for the Honors College. J D. Bowers, the recently appointed Honors College Dean, is a experienced leader who is identifying how to reimagine the Honors College. This effort has been discussed by the Deans Council.

Discussion ensued on the following:

  • Student Evaluations: NBFC members noted that student evaluations should be used to improve teaching, not for personnel decisions. Chancellor-Provost Conway noted that there have been discussions about restructuring CTAR, and that a proposal on how best to do so should be submitted to her by the beginning of next year. The NBFC plans to submit additional recommendations on this topic.
  • Diversity: Tom Figueira inquired about faculty hires and search procedures for those with disabilities. Chancellor-Provost Conway explained that the current Rutgers diversity hiring program is focused on underrepresented groups. She also noted that imminent Supreme Court decisions may require a major rethinking of all faculty diversity hiring programs.

7. Committee Reports:

Student Affairs – Christine Morales, Chair

The committee discussed the following:

  • Upcoming Student Affairs Meeting: Salvador Mena, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, will attend the committee’s January meeting and discuss how the committee can support Student Affairs efforts. In preparation for that meeting, the committee developed guiding questions for their conversation with him. The committee will send the guiding questions to Chair Gasman for review.
  • Indigenous Students: Committee members researched financial support available to indigenous students at other Big 10 schools. They plan to develop a report on their findings and make recommendations, if necessary, on how Rutgers should be better aligned with other Big 10 schools..

Faculty and Personnel Affairs – Francois Berthiaume, Chair

The committee discussed the following:

  • Resolution on Including DEI in Faculty Promotion Packets
    • The committee developed a resolution to recommend that DEI be included in faculty promotion packets, so faculty can highlight their activities related to DEI. The resolution has been reviewed by the Executive Committee, which provided friendly amendments.
    • Chair Berthiaume discussed the background of the resolution and then formally moved the resolution for discussion.
    • After a long, inconclusive discussion, the Council approved a motion to table the resolution until the next meeting.
    • Any suggestions for rewriting the resolution should. be sent to Chair Berthiaume.
  • Part-Time Lecturer Survey: The committee is awaiting PTL survey results.
  • GRE Requirements for Graduate School Admissions: The University Senate has issued a report on GRE requirements. The report states that each graduate program should evaluate whether the GRE should be required; those who still want to require it can continue to do so. The committee recommends asking Chancellor-Provost Conway to review the report.
  • Faculty Workload: The committee intends to develop a plan to get information from schools on faculty workload issues.

At this point, the NBFC approved a motion for a 30-minute extension of the meeting.

Athletic Affairs – Kenneth McKeever, Chair

The committee discussed the following:

  • Committee Membership: The committee is seeking new members.
  • Big 10 Academic Alliance: The committee intends to review the Executive Committee’s information on the Big 10 Academic Alliance, develop a report, and share the report with the NBFC at the beginning of the new year.

 Academic Affairs – Robert Boikess, Chair

The committee discussed the following:

  • SIRS Resolution: The committee is drafting a proposal on SIRS to submit to the Executive Committee in January 2023. The proposal addresses the use of SIRS in personnel decisions and how SIRS should be used. 

Budget, Planning, & Infrastructure – Thomas Figueira, Chair

The committee discussed the following:

  • IT Initiative: The committee’s IT initiative is focused on two questions. The first question addresses problems with the travel program, particularly central administration commissions. The second question involves the new requirement that all purchases from Amazon must be delivered to the University. The questions have been submitted to the Executive Committee for review. The committee wishes to discuss Amazon delivery concerns with Chancellor-Provost Conway.
  • Operational Excellence: The committee discussed whether an operational excellence task force should be created, as previously suggested by Andrew Baker.
  • Cooperation with the University Senate: The University Senate Budget and Finance Committee discussed parking issues, inequities, and funding. NBFC provided its materials and is considering proposing cooperation with the Senate on this issue. The University Senate also discussed environmental, social, and governance rules, which may be considered for a resolution on the configuration of faculty retirement accounts. The University Senate Finance Committee is accumulating materials on the issue, which will be provided to the NBFC Budget, Planning, & Infrastructure Committee.

7.  New Business

  • Curriculum Changes: The Senate Executive Committee is considering proposing science curriculum changes to President Holloway. NBFC members suggested referring curriculum changes to the NBFC, Dr. Kathleen Scott for Discovery Advantage, or to the schools. The Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee and the Academic Affairs Committee may want to look into this issue.

8.   Old Business  

  •  NBFC Elections: Chair Gasman noted that NBFC elections will take place next semester and urged members to consider running for leadership positions.  

9.  Adjournment

Chair Gasman adjourned the meeting at 3:27 PM.

Respectfully submitted:

Maria Skidmore, Office of the Chancellor-Provost