U. Board of Governors holds meeting to reflect on Rutgers' current issues
Yesterday afternoon, the Rutgers University Board of Governors held its bimonthly meeting virtually due to forecasted inclement weather in its original location of Newark.
After the 15-member board discussed the state of the University in a nearly 1-hour closed session, the governors opened the public section of the meeting.
The section began with remarks from Holloway, who named several students who have recently earned or been nominated for prestigious awards, fellowships or scholarships.
Next, he talked about the work members of the Rutgers community have done for students and scholars who are refugees from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and Iran.
Holloway then reiterated the main points from his budget address to the University Senate earlier this month, as the Daily Targum reported.
He referenced the University's mention in the Forbes magazine report of the top large employers nationwide released last month. The report named Rutgers 64 out of 500 ranked employers and thus as the top large employer in New Jersey.
"Only three other universities made the top 100: (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), (University of) Michigan and Ohio State (University), so we're in very good company. This is wonderful to hear (and) a reflection of our values," Holloway said.
Holloway also spoke about the ongoing labor dispute and reaffirmed the University's commitment to negotiations that lead to a resolution.
"Let me assure the board that no personal attacks on me or anyone on our negotiating team will discourage us from coming up with a contract that is fair, reasonable and responsible to the thousands of people who work at Rutgers, the 70,000 students who attended and all the taxpayers who support us," he said. "We will fight through the misdirection and misinformation and proceed forward."
Rutgers—Newark Chancellor Nancy Cantor then gave a 20-minute presentation on the various initiatives the Newark campus has been conducting on and off campus.
The board then opened up for questions from the public where nine different people representing different union groups, including the Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE), Union of Rutgers Administrators and the American Association of University Professors, aired their grievances with the University.
Some of the key points made by those speakers were issues with the University's hospital system and the lack of a new contract for employees since the end of the last academic year.
The meeting continued afterward, with various governors relaying information from the respective groups they represent at Rutgers, including auditing, health affairs and athletics.
The group also voted to officially authorize Rutgers to participate in the ongoing New Jersey Health + Life Sciences Exchange (HELIX) redevelopment project in downtown New Brunswick.
