At the board

The Rutgers Board of Governors (BOG) took the following actions at its October 5 meeting at Rutgers–Camden.

New policy on hiring public officials: The board approved a policy detailing hiring processes of current and former public officials. “Public figures can make important contributions to the educational mission of the university,” said Executive Vice President Philip Furmanski in a letter to the university community. “Such appointments, however, must be closely tied to the university’s mission, have clearly defined duties, and include provisions for performance review.” The policy states, “All hiring supervisors extending offers of employment to current or former public officials must ensure that the position is justified solely on the basis of advancing educational or other objectives closely tied to the university’s mission...the position may not be offered in exchange for financial or political support.”

Renovations to Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center: The board ratified an award of a $2.9 million construction agreement for a contractor based in Fords, N. J., to begin renovations to the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center (DDDC) school at 25 Gibbons Circle in New Brunswick. The DDDC exists to meet the needs of people with autism spectrum disorders and their families. The improvements will allow the DDDC to expand its speech and language resources, add space for parents to observe their children and receive training in teaching methods, and enable adolescent students to engage in more pre-vocational activities, according to Executive Director Sandra L. Harris.

Long-term agreement with Sprint/Nextel: The board approved a resolution ratifying a long-term lease of electromagnetic spectrum (radio frequency) licensed to the university by the Federal Communications Commission under call sign WHR872. The Division of Continuous Education and Outreach/Instructional Technologies and Television unit at Rutgers determined that it is in the university’s best interest to lease the educational broadband channels to Sprint/Nextel. The income from the lease helps finance academic multimedia support activities and places Rutgers at the forefront of wireless data technology.

Revisions to audit committee charter: The charter of the Committee on Audit, which advises the BOG concerning all audit and accounting matters, was revised upon approval of a board resolution. The university’s internal and external auditors advised the committee of current best practices followed by comparable college and university audit committees, and board revised the charter following a recommendation from the audit committee.

– Ashanti M. Alvarez