Governance matters
TRANSITIONS:
The end of the academic year is a time of transition for University Governance. On May 1, the University and Faculty Senates held their end-of-year meetings, attended by both outgoing and incoming members.
The meetings were both the final meetings of the 2007-08 senates and the first meetings of the 2008-09 senates. The principal business at these meetings was the final reports of the outgoing senate presidents and the election of new Governance leadership for the coming.
Outgoing governance leaders thanked outgoing members and all who served on committees and task forces, as they summarized the highlights of the year's work, which include several important amendments to either the University Senate or the Faculty Senate Rules and Regulations (See the Governance Web site at www.ku.edu/~unigov for a full list of approved and pending changes). They also noted a number of important activities that will carry forward into 2008-09, including work of the Task Force on Learner Outcomes, the Task Force on the Handbook for Faculty and Other Unclassified Staff and the Task Force on Employment Benefits.
In keeping with the transitional theme, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Richard Lariviere also asked for time at the joint session to discuss progress on and implementation of KU's "Initiative 2015." The discussion resumes a dialogue on the planning begun with a visit from the Provost earlier this spring and that will continue into the coming year as Governance works with the administration to set priorities for the future.
Upon completion of the joint sessions, the incoming Senates elected its leaders. The University Senate for 2008-2009 elected Liz Kowalchuk, associate professor of design, to serve as president-elect. She succeeds Marianne Berry, professor of social welfare, in that role. Berry will take office as university senate president and chair of the university senate executive committee at the end of the academic year, succeeding William Crowe, librarian III. In addition, the University Senate elected student Stacy Elmer to serve as vice president.
The incoming Faculty Senate elected Lisa Wolf Wendel, professor of education, to serve as its president-elect. She succeeds Nancy Kinnersley, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, who will take office as faculty senate president and chair of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee at the end of the academic year, succeeding Richard Levy, Distinguished Professor of Law.
At the meeting, the Faculty Senate also elected John Staniunas, associate professor of theatre and film, John Stratton, librarian II, Ben Eggleston, assistant professor of philosophy, Lisa Friis, associate professor of mechanical engineering, Kinnersley and Wolf-Wendel to serve on the Faculty Senate Executive Committee (FacEx). They will also serve as members of the University Senate Executive Committee (SenEx), together with support staff Mary Ann Baker, library assistant, and Dennis Constance, maintenance/service supervisor, Facilities Operation; and unclassified staff Paul Farran, technology support specialist; and Danny Kaiser, assistant director of Parking and Transit. Student members of the new SenEx, in addition to Adam McGonigle, president of the student body, will be May Davis, Bill Walberg and Eric Foss.
Both outgoing and incoming Governance leaders encourage all members of the KU community to keep in mind the value of volunteering to serve on committees and task forces or seeking election to the Senate. It is only through broad participation that Governance can serve effectively as the voice of students, staff and faculty on matters of policy, thus sustaining the KU tradition of shared governance.
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