Bozorth Hall Auditorium Attendance: Herb Appelson, David Applebaum, Bryan Appleby-Wineberg, Lorin Arnold, Joseph Bierman, Greg Biren, Lori Block, Carl Calliari, Bruce Caswell, Julie Chang, Jay Chaskes, Joe Davey, Gini Doolittle, John Gallagher, Senate Secretary Dorie Gilchirst, Erick Guerra, Harriet Hartman, Cindi Hasit, Donna Hathaway-Cook, Jim Haugh, Luke Holbrook, Judy Holmes, Don Stoll, Jennifer Kay, Lee Kress, Paul Laumakis, Terri Lehr, Denyse Lemaire, Janet Lindman, Mary Marino, Jeff Maxson, Eric Milou, Janet Moss, James Newell, Ojusegun Ojewuyi, Julie Peterson, Anne Phillips, Robi Polikar, Nick Schmelz, Karen Siefring, Kathleen Small, Robert Sterner, Susan Taber, Skeffington Thomas, Sandy Tweedie, Senate President Cindy Vitto, Barbara Williams, Abe Witonsky, Tricia Yurak Not In Attendance: Tom Hamer, Phil Lewis, Stuart McGee, Sandy McHenry, Joe Orlins, Edward Smith, Sonia Spencer, Lori Stephans, Marian Stieber, Winifred Still, Hal Vogel, Paris VonLockette, Stephanie Weidman, Faye Zhu Note: If anyone was omitted from attendance list, it indicates that you did not sign in. If this is the case, notify the Senate office and the minutes will be corrected. Sabbatical Leave: Martin Itzkowitz Call to Order: President Cindy Vitto called the meeting to order at 11:00 AM. Motion to approve agenda, seconded and carried. Motion to approve minutes of September 17, 2002, seconded and carried. Open Period: Report from Director of Public Safety: Tim Michener - To date there are 62 Public Safety Officers on campus.
The service areas covered by Public Safety are Police Services, Patrol Services, Crime Prevention, Investigations, EMS, Fire Safety, and Parking.
During the month of September the number of calls responded to was 3,168. Out of this total, 1,168 were service calls.
Many of the Public Safety Officers are now patrolling the campus on foot and bicycle.
There were 4,200 contacts at the Welcome Gates in the past year.
Last year 6,100 parking summons were issued. The past month's parking summons total was 952. This indicates that the parking enforcement program is ineffective, and changes are being explored.
Michener asked that the campus community contact him with any questions, concerns, and suggestions for enhanced safety on campus. He can be reached by e-mail at michener@rowan.edu. Report from the Provost: Dr Helen-Giles Gee The Provost will hold an open forum on October 29, 2002 to highlight academic accomplishments of the past year and how they match the strategic objectives of the Academic Affairs Action Plan.
The Action Plan details many infrastructure needs. Administration is well aware of these concerns. The present infrastructure is antiquated and desperately in need of repair. The condition of pipes and cables is very poor, often beyond the state of repair, and therefore must be replaced.
The cost of servers, software, hardware, and other technology equipment would amount to three million dollars the first year. Another cost factor is the training of individuals to instruct the campus community on how to use the new technology. A new system could take as long as three to four years to be implemented. Equipment could cost as much as nine million dollars. We need to build the cost of ongoing replacement and upgrade of infrastructure into our long-term budgeting.
The Technology Task Force has five sub-committees and will be submitting its recommendations this fall.
The Provost's Office has put into the hands of Deans a five-year faculty and administrative staffing plan. One challenge will be how to merge the plan with programmatic needs as those needs become clear through the curricular process.
The Provost has been addressing concerns from faculty and from the community regarding new academic programs. Do we want to increase our graduate offerings? What academic programs will come on board as we refine our plans for the Camden campus and the "west campus" on Rtes. 55 and 322? Integrating new programs will involve the campus community as we address the needs of the university and its students, the region, and the state. We will have opportunities to discuss all of this as we begin to move forward.
A concern presented to the Provost was the lack of technicians on campus to assist with training staff and addressing technical problems. The Provost stated that having more technicians is a priority. Another option is to have students assist with the technology needs, but the number of students available is limited because of Institutional Work Study funds.
It is expected that all new facilities will have smart classrooms. A 24-hour computer lab will be open in about a week and a half. Report of the Senate President: -Cindy thanked Senators for their generous contributions to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation in memory of Ellen Farish.
-Cindy thanked everyone for the support she received at Convocation.
-Senators were reminded that they are representatives of their departments or areas and should be communicating regularly with their constituents in order to vote responsibly. Strong governance depends greatly on how well Senators fulfill their responsibilities.
-The Senate officers have recently met with the SGA President and Vice President. An effort is being made to strengthen the link between the Senate and SGA. Twenty-nine students have signed on as members of Senate committees.
-Thirty-eight individuals have volunteered to serve on the Campus Master Plan Committee. The Committee on Committees will meet this week to make preliminary decisions about the Campus Master Plan Committee membership.
-Barbara Sjostrom of the Elementary/Early Childhood Department has agreed to serve as assessment coordinator for the Academic Affairs division of the University in preparation for the Middle States Periodic Review in 2004.
-Senators are encouraged to make their constituents aware of the capital campaign and of the importance of faculty/staff contributions. Senate officers will meet with Anne Hagan, Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving, to compile a list of optional designations for Senate contributions. More information will be forthcoming. Standing Committee Reports: -Academic Policies & Procedures: no report
-Campus Aesthetics & Environmental Concerns: no report
-Career Development: no report
-Committee on Committees: Janet Moss reported that, based on the list of volunteers for the Master Plan Committee, every College will have representation. Although the deadline has passed for submitting a summary of qualifications for anyone wanting to serve on the committee, anyone wishing to submit a request to serve on the committee may still do so for a limited time.
Janet Moss requested a motion to approve the appointment of Dick Fopeano and Melanie Stewart to the Space and Facilities Advisory Committee.
Motion to approve, seconded and carried.
-Curriculum Committee: no report
-Intercollegiate Athletics Committee: The first meeting was held on September 18, 2002.
-Learning Outcomes Assessment Committee: no report
-Professional Ethics & Welfare Committee: no report
-Promotion Committee: A workshop was held on October 14, 2002, and another workshop will be held on October 22. Questions should be addressed to Bob Zazzali.
-Recruitment, Admissions & Retention Committee: The first meeting will be held on October 16, 2002.
-Research & Technological Resources Committee: A meeting will be held on October 22, 2002.
-Sabbatical Leave Committee: Notices to sabbatical leave candidates will be distributed within the next week.
-Student Relations Committee: no report
-Tenure & Recontracting Committee: no report
-University Budget & Planning Committee: A meeting was held on October 1, 2002; minutes of that meeting are
attached. Announcements: The Office of the Provost and the University Senate will jointly sponsor the presentation by Dr. Helen Giles-Gee on October 29, 2002, at 11:00 AM in Bozorth Hall Auditorium. Entitled "Annual Report: Reaching a Higher Level of Excellence: Accomplishments of Academic Year 2001-2002," the report will present highlights of last year's academic accomplishments from a University-wide perspective and will engage us in a conversation about where we go from here. The campus community is encouraged to attend and to participate in this important discussion. New Business: Mary Marino expressed concern that it seems the needs of athletes are not considered when setting up the schedule of courses. Athletes face conflicts between practice time and class time when classes are offered only in the afternoons. She was advised to contact the Provost and the College Deans, now that we are getting ready to implement a new schedule grid beginning in Fall 2003, to bring this concern to their attention. The new academic schedule should encourage the scheduling of more morning classes. Unfinished Business: -Cindy Vitto and Dorie Gilchrist met with Eileen Morrow and John Aderinto of the University Bookstore to address the problem of under-ordering textbooks. A "fact-sheet" was distributed to the Senate detailing the ordering process and explaining why the Bookstore cannot automatically order the number of texts requested. Several Senate members expressed concern with the fact-sheet since many of these issues have been brought up in the past and we are still searching for solutions. Some Senators expressed concern that Administration may be holding the Bookstore more responsible for profit than for service to the academic needs of faculty and students. Another concern was that other supplies, art supplies in particular, are not always in stock and not always of the necessary quality to meet the needs of students unable to drive to specialized stores for supplies. -The fact sheet distributed at the Senate meeting is attached to these minutes. Senators are requested to share this information with their departments in order to facilitate understanding of the textbook ordering process. Note in particular that the number of books ordered for each course is a "best guess" based upon actual enrollment figures and an estimate of how many students may buy texts from other sources. Faculty members should make John Aderinto aware, in writing, of special circumstances that may affect the number of textbooks that should be ordered. It is also crucial that faculty order texts on time and realize that "bundling" a textbook with another text or item may present special difficulties for the Bookstore and higher prices for students. Instructions to Access Senate Web Page:
- go to Rowan Home Page
- click on faculty/staff
- scroll down to offices & services
- click on University Senate
Motion to adjourn at 12:30 PM, seconded and carried. The next regularly scheduled Senate meeting is November 19, 2002. Note: see University Budget & Planning Committee Report & Bookstore Fact Sheet below: Minutes of the University Budget and Planning Committee Meeting 10/01/02 Meeting was called to order at 11:05 AM by Dr. Laumakis (co-chair) Introductions were made for new and returning members. Members present were Paul Laumakis, Ray Cibo, Bob D'Augustine, Greg Hecht, Pat Mosto, Joe Orlins, George Romeo, Nick Schmelz, Mark Showers, Eileen Stutzbach I. Discussion of Budget Analysis Sheet
D'Augustine discussed the actual revenues and expenditures for the year ending 2002 using the budget analysis sheet. (The analysis sheet included actual budgets for the years ending 2001 and 2002, as well as the projected budget for year ending 2003). The University's overall financial results for FY 2002 reflected a surplus of $290,309.However, within that overall result, there was a deficit of $2,124,400 in the general University budget that was offset by surpluses in sponsored programs of $662,052 and in auxiliaries of $1,752, 657. Since current University policy and practice provide no means of using sponsored program and auxiliary surpluses to cover general University expenses, there remains a serious structural problem in the University's budget. In addition, the sponsored program and auxiliary surpluses are needed to address needs in those areas, particularly the need to build new residence halls and to renovate old residence halls using surplus auxiliary funds.
D'Augustine mentioned that the increase in auxiliary revenues was primarily due to the tripling of students. Once we have built additional capacity in the residence halls, the higher expenses for debt service and maintenance will absorb that surplus revenue.
D'Augustine then talked about the FY 03 projections. There is a deficit in the University's projected budget for the year ending in 2003 of $437,148. However, overall the university looks healthy and that will allow us to borrow more monies in the future. The audited financialstatement shows that there is an increase in net assets; but some of the increase represents investments, etc. that do not reflect reality (e.g., land purchases are reflected in the budget as an expense but represent an asset in the audited financials).
The budget has a $100,000 greater deficit than originally approved by the board. D'Augustine didn't know at the time of the meeting how to explain the discrepancy. Summer and Fall tuition revenues were higher than expected. State matching funds were short by about $160,000 (from $963,000 to slightly more than $800,000). There is also a possibility of state budget cut of appropriations again next March, as word out of Trenton is that state revenues are down. The explanation for the increase in expenditures for auxiliary services was a combination of additional expense for maintenance and additional purchases, such as furniture, to accommodate the additional students living in the residence halls. We were conservative in projecting auxiliary revenues, showing enough for auxiliary services to break even. The reason for that, once again, is that we cannot use auxiliary revenues to pay for general University expenses.
The ELF monies were discussed. It seems likely that we will get $3 1/2 million by November. There was a discussion of matching funds revenues in which the University will get a proportion of each gift over the amount of $1,000,000. II. D'Augustine's answers to questions provided to him before the meeting:
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- Who is responsible for decisions regarding future development?
The President in consultation with the Cabinet and the Deans. The President and the University Senate are putting together a Master Plan Committee, which will also be consulted.
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- What are the plans for the Academy Street School?
The University is looking for a business to rent and renovate the building. It should not add any additional cost to the University, and probably will not come under consideration by the Budget and Planning Committee.
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- What is the priority on the capital projects planned?
D'Augustine distributed a worksheet with a plan of capital projects and their costs for the next ten years. However, he mentioned that it was a rough draft, speculative, and had not been updated for almost a year. He would prefer that this worksheet not be duplicated or shown to anyone without that explanation.
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- We know how the University is going to pay for the buildings going up at the present time and the Education building, but for the rest of the projects, there is a lot of speculation (only ideas, no set monies). Many of these items will be discussed in the Master Plan Committee.
The dollar amount of state bonds for higher education is uncertain. If the amount ends up being a large sum, there will be monies for new buildings in the future. The State is supposed to provide a substantial amount of funds to cover the cost of reducing deferred maintenance. Some buildings (i.e. residence halls) will be paid for by other funds than the general university funds. However, D'Augustine feels confident that there will be adequate revenue streams to fund many of the other projects that must be paid for out of general University funds.
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- Do we have a contingency plan to delay projects if necessary? There was also a question on the debt service limit agreed upon by the Board of Trustees.
Yes, we do. All construction plans except the new Education building and Wilson renovation are speculative and depend upon finances. There is a 13% maximum debt service limit as passed by the Board of Trustees. (Debt service is currently only 6% when looking at the general University budget alone.) However, D'Augustine stated that the University is more concerned about the bond rating of the University, which is currently at "AA," than the percentage of the budget allocated to debt service. This is the most important factor in determining how much debt we can incur. The bond rating will probably remain strong as long as we have more students applying than we want to accept.
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There is an enrollment management plan to analyze the increase in revenue due to students. The question is not one of quantity but one of the improvement of quality of the University. The "right" size for this institution involves how many students and faculty we can accommodate to reach our "next level."
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There is a list of faculty, staff, and administration searches. Is the list prioritized, and how are we financing these positions?
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We have 42 searches; of those, only 3-4 are new lines. The individual colleges will prioritize each of the searches. D'Augustine mentioned that we need to cut the number of sections taught by adjuncts, and there will be no new positions for staff and administration (only replacement positions). The positions will be financed by expected revenue increases resulting from the increases in tuition.
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What tuition and fee increases are we anticipating for the next academic year?
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D'Augustine mentioned that no decision has been made regarding tuition increases yet. However, the tuition and fee increases will probably go up a minimum of 6%, at worst the same as last year (10%). He then spent a few minutes explaining why our tuition is still a relative bargain.
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We have a different role today at Rowan University than we had 30 years ago at Glassboro State College. We now have a large number of community colleges servicing students. Our tuition is higher than the in-state tuitions at colleges in most other states, and is higher than most of our sister institutions in NJ, though lower than the College of NJ, Ramapo and Rutgers. However, our tuition is far lower than the tuitions at the private colleges and universities that so many NJ students attend.
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Students can afford a tuition increase, since the vast majority of our students come from solidly middle-class backgrounds. We are no longer attracting the first generation of college students in the family. Now 80% of our students have at least one parent with a college education. Other states fund higher education better than NJ (second from the bottom in per capita expenditures), while we are the second wealthiest state in the country per capita. The cost of our tuition does not appear to be a problematic issue for our students.
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- Are the cost cutting suggestions made last year still in effect?
D'Augustine mentioned that many of the suggestions are being codified. There also have been some modifications to them. (We were near the end of the meeting; thus D'Augustine did not have time to delineate any of them for the committee.)
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- Will SBR funding be increased this year?
D'Augustine stated that there will be no increase in SBR funds for this year because of the budget; but it remains a top priority for next year and for the future.BOOKSTORE FACTS FOR FACULTY
Prepared by Cindy Vitto, Senate President
10/15/02 Who runs the Rowan University Bookstore? Eileen Morrow, Rowan University Bookstore Director, and John Aderinto, who oversees all textbook operations, are the two individuals most faculty members will deal with on a regular basis. Since she took over as Director in 1992, Eileen has doubled sales but has added only one person to her staff. Including Eileen, the Bookstore currently employs 15 people, most of them at the clerk level. The Bookstore is under the direction of John Finan, Vice President for Administration and Finance. What happens once we order a text? (Note: Italicized portions are especially relevant for optimal coordination between faculty and Bookstore.) John Aderinto and his staff enter the order into a data system and check for correct ISBN, current edition status, etc. (As a service to departments, John provides a list to each secretary indicating which faculty members have ordered textbooks; this courtesy allows the secretaries to doublecheck with those who have not placed an order.)
John now engages in a complex process to locate the greatest number of texts at the cheapest possible price:
He inventories the number of leftover texts in the Bookstore (if the faculty member used the same text the previous semester) and sets them aside. He can only do this if we have placed our order by the deadline on the book order form.
He determines whether any copies of the ordered text have come into the Bookstore through the buy-back system. (Wholesalers will buy back texts at half price from students during and shortly after the final exam period, up to the number of texts needed by the Bookstore, provided that we have placed textbook orders in time to indicate which books we will be using the following semester.)
He checks with 13 used book wholesalers to see how many copies he can obtain at a reduced price. Because the numbers are in a constant state of flux, this remains an ongoing process for some time.
He now must determine how many new texts to order:
Although we have indicated on the book order form the number of texts we anticipate that the Bookstore should order, John cannot accept this number at face value but must use it as one factor in his decision-making process. Unless we can somehow guarantee that all of our students will purchase their texts through the Bookstore rather than some other source, John cannot rely on this number. Note that artificially inflating the number of texts needed on your order form only exacerbates the problem of determining how many texts to order.
John next checks the actual enrollment for each course. If we know that for some reason there will be a discrepancy between official enrollment and the number of people who will actually need to buy the book, we must let John know.
Based on years of previous experience with the ordering pattern of particular professors or particular courses, on previous experience of how many texts have been returned for particular professors or courses, and on the current enrollment figure for the course, John makes his best guess at the correct number of new (and therefore highest-priced) texts to order. What special problems can occur? If we order customized "bundles," or we accept free items that the publisher promises will be included with a particular text, we present the Bookstore with difficulties that go beyond the normal ordering process:
Publishers that offer "freebies" to go along with a particular text often run out of the specialty product packaged with the text. This creates problems because now not all students will be purchasing the same bundle, but because the items were provided free the publisher is under no obligation to fulfill our demands for consistency. This is a problem that is typically beyond the Bookstore's ability to resolve. Note also that although we often believe we are doing our students a favor by ordering a text that comes with a "free" product, we are actually doing publishers a favor by giving them a competitive edge over lower-priced used texts.
If we order a customized bundle of texts (for example, a book and a workbook sold together as a package), the Bookstore must order new books rather than used--meaning that students will be paying more. Bundles take longer to process at the publisher's end, and so if we order a bundle we must make sure that we order by the deadline. Finally, most publishers limit the number of unsold bundles that can be returned to 10% of the total order, resulting in losses for the Bookstore. What can we do to facilitate the ordering process and prevent problems? Place textbook orders by the deadline indicated on the Bookstore form. You can place your orders either in hard copy form or electronically.
Doublecheck the ISBN and edition you order. Quite a few problems result from minor errors at this step. You can also check the publisher's website to determine if and when a new edition of your text is forthcoming, and then plan (and order) accordingly. In addition, the Bookstore website includes a link to Faculty Center Network, with a bibliography database of over 175,000 titles. Through Faculty Center Network, you can sort titles by author, review the author(s), link to a previous edition or next edition of a text, link to the publisher for more information about a text, read reviews, and obtain desk copy request information.
Let John know, in writing, of any special circumstances that he should take into consideration when determining how many texts to order for your course.
About a month before classes begin, check the Bookstore website to make sure that information for your classes is correct. Alert John to any problems.
Just before the semester begins, or the first week of the semester, come into the Bookstore to make sure that your book order is correct. If for some reason you cannot come in to check what is on the shelves, call or e-mail John and ask him to check for you.
Consider placing on reserve in Campbell Library one copy of your text or a photocopy of the first chapter or two, just in case a textbook problem arises and your students must manage without books for the first few days of a course.
As much as possible, department chairs should encourage adjuncts either to use the text already ordered by the department for a particular course or to choose another text (if the adjunct did not place the original order) as soon as possible. Why have there been problems recently with under-ordering of texts? Once you read the explanation above of the ordering process, you should understand more about why the Bookstore cannot simply order the number of texts we indicate on the order form. In fact, the Bookstore is currently battling a serious problem of having an excessive number of texts left on the shelves unsold. Last spring the Bookstore returned about 40% of the texts ordered; the projected figure for this fall is closer to 48%. If our book returns are at a high level, publishers penalize us in various ways, such as asking for pre-payment of the book order, penalizing us for returns, or allowing us to return a limited number of texts. In addition, returning so many books has a real impact on time, labor, and freight costs. In order to lower the percentage of texts that we return to publishers, the Bookstore cannot take on blind faith the number of texts we request on our order form but must make a "best guess" as to how many texts will actually be needed. What do I need to know about Bookstore policies? Once we call a textbook availability problem to the attention of the Bookstore, John will do his best to get additional texts in as quickly as possible. Barring unforeseen difficulties (such as the problem that arose this fall, when Consolidated Freight went out of business just before texts were due to be delivered), a rush order should arrive in the Bookstore within a few days. The situation is not the same, of course, in the case of a bundled package. If we need a desk copy of a text, we must request it from the publisher at the time we place the textbook order. If for some reason the desk copy does not arrive in time, purchase a text from the Bookstore and return it for a full refund when the desk copy shows up. (Remember not to write in the purchased text or damage it in any way.) What special services does the Bookstore offer? John will obtain copyright permissions if necessary for faculty members requesting that the Bookstore duplicate and then sell previously published material. Allow at least six weeks for obtaining copyright permission, a service which is currently provided free of charge.
Students and faculty members can go online, to the Bookstore website, to locate the shelf number of a particular text. This should simplify the task of physically locating your text.
The Bookstore will put together a customized bundle from supplies already available in the store, but the labor cost of putting those materials together will be reflected in the final price of the bundle.
Students are able to reserve their texts ahead of time. Bookstore staff will collect their texts from the shelves and place them in plastic bags for one-stop shopping at the beginning of a semester. Eight hundred students took advantage of this service this fall.
John has created an incentive for department secretaries to encourage faculty members to order their texts on time. Each year, just before Secretary's Day, the publishers donate a lunch for secretaries and send representatives to talk with them. Departments and secretaries win prizes for timely and accurate textbook ordering by all department members. Before this event, John provides a list to the secretaries of faculty members in their departments who have ordered texts so that the secretaries can ensure that all needed text orders have been sent to the Bookstore. How can I contact or learn more about the Bookstore? The Rowan University Bookstore maintains a user-friendly website that you can access directly through www.rowan.collegestoreonline.com. You can also reach this site through the Rowan homepage by clicking on "Site Index" and then clicking on either "Office, Departmental, and College Web Sites Index" (alphabetical listing) or "Web Site Index by Organization." (The Bookstore is the first item listed under the Division of Administration and Finance.) You can contact Eileen Morrow, Rowan University Bookstore Director, at 256-4669 or morrow@rowan.edu; you can reach John Aderinto about textbook matters at 256-4671 or aderinto@rowan.edu. |
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