At the senate
Archived article from Feb 6, 2006
By Ashanti M. Alvarez
At its Jan. 20 meeting, the University Senate approved the following recommendations to the president concerning the proposals of the Task Force for Undergraduate Education. On Feb. 24, the senate will consider other outstanding issues pertaining to the task force report:
• The current arts and sciences colleges should be merged into a single unit granting
undergraduate degrees in the arts and sciences in New Brunswick/Piscataway. The new
unit should be called a School of Arts and Sciences.
• There should be one core curriculum for arts and sciences students.
• There should be a general honors program for arts and sciences students.
• The current liberal arts colleges in New Brunswick/Piscataway, with the exception of
University College, should be designated as residential colleges, each headed by a dean. These colleges may have nonresident affiliate students.
• There should be a new vice president of undergraduate education, who should be a
member of the president’s cabinet. This office should be funded appropriately to support its broadly based mission.
• There should be a single standard and process for regular admission for all applicants to the School of Arts and Sciences, regardless of the residential college with which the student wishes to affiliate. This standard and process should be modified appropriately for transfer, EOF and nontraditional-age students, as well as for students with special skills.
• The criteria used in admission decisions should be sufficiently flexible to ensure the diversity of the student body and not exclude talented applicants whose potential is not adequately measured by standard test scores.
• The Rutgers undergraduate application should give an accurate idea of what the university expects of its students and of the rigor of its academic programs.
• A task force should be charged with considering how best to meet the needs of transfer and nontraditional students.
McCormick responds to Senate request on FAIR v. Rumsfeld
In October, the University Senate urged Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick to make a public statement in support of the Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights in the case of FAIR v. Rumsfeld. FAIR is challenging the Solomon Amendment, which denies federal funds to institutions that prohibit military recruiters. But the university’s non-discrimination policy goes against the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. McCormick made the following statement at the Jan. 20 senate meeting:
“Equal opportunity is one of the core principles of our academic community. Rutgers University is strongly committed to a policy of non-discrimination with regard to sexual orientation, and it is my fervent hope that the military will follow the example of Rutgers and many other institutions around the country in ensuring that all individuals, including gay and lesbian men and women and all members of the LGBT community, among others, are treated equally. With regard to the particular legal case at hand, the University did not file a separate brief or make a formal statement in the Supreme Court litigation because we believe that it is more effective and appropriate in such circumstances to speak with a united voice through the national organizations that represent higher education (as did other public universities around the country). In this instance, the Association of American Law Schools, of which the two Rutgers law schools are members, filed a brief in support of FAIR and emphasizing the importance of academic freedom and respect for educational values and decision-making. Whatever the outcome of the litigation, the University will remain strongly committed to its policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all members of our community.”
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