Skip to site navigation

2006-2007 Orientation of New Senators

August 28, 2006 - 8:30-10:30 a.m.
Newcomb Hall Board Room

Present: Kenneth Schwartz, Chair of the Faculty Senate

Ricardo Padron, Chair-Elect of the Faculty Senate

Marcia Childress, Past Chair of the Faculty Senate

New Senators:

Chris Chaemmeghami, Medicine

Thomas Guterbock, Arts & Sciences

Robert Kemp, Commerce

Daniel Lefkowitz, Arts & Sciences

David Mick, Commerce

John Nemec, Arts & Sciences

Pamela Norris, Engineering

Martha Snell, Education

Julie Turner, Medicine

Daniel Willingham, Arts & Sciences

Follow up meeting on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 with Kenneth Schwartz, Daniel Willingham, Arts & Sciences Claire Lyu, Arts & Sciences

Kenneth Schwartz called the meeting to order. Mr. Schwartz welcomed the new Senators to the meeting and to the Faculty Senate.

Senators are the designated representatives of their schools and departments, and there should be a line of communication between Senate representatives and their constituents, Mr. Schwartz said.

Mr. Schwartz reported on the charge and the ongoing work of the Faculty Senate Executive Council. The Senate has created a private electronic bulletin board that will be used to assist the group with communication and information. More information on this tool will be reported at the upcoming Faculty Senate meeting on September 21, Mr. Schwartz said.

The major issues that the Faculty Senate will be involved in this year are Faculty recruitment, retention, and welfare, and the Capital Campaign. The faculty voice matters, Mr. Schwartz emphasized. Mr. Schwartz reported on the Faculty Senate/General Faculty Council joint committee. He said that general faculty members are able to serve on the Faculty Senate, and, in fact, there are several members of the general faculty currently on the Faculty Senate.

Mr. Schwartz informed the Senators that the Faculty Senate has recently formed three new committees - The Faculty Recruitment, Retention & Welfare Committee, Chaired by Jennifer Harvey; The Policy Committee, Chaired by Teresa Culver; and The Communications Committee (chair to be announced).

Ricardo Padron, Chair-Elect of the Faculty Senate, said that the main issue that he will explore during his term as chair will be "Community & Fragmentation." Mr. Padron said Senate Committees are where the Senate work happens. Volunteering to serve on a committee is both interesting and rewarding.

Kenneth Schwartz reported on two Senate initiatives that are thriving - The Faculty Senate Dissertation-Year Fellowships and the David Harrison Undergraduate Research Awards.

Other major accomplishments of the Faculty Senate include:

  • Discussions regarding a faculty member on the Board of Visitors are continuing. Jeffrey Rossman, a Senator from the History Department, is working on the issue this year in collaboration with the Faculty Senate of Virginia - the state-wide organization representing all senates in the Commonwealth.
  • As a result of conversations between Board of Visitors members, Marcia Childress, Past Chair of the Faculty Senate, and Gene Block, the Vice President and Provost, the Provost now sits at the table with the Board members.
  • The chair of the faculty Senate is invited to the President's Cabinet meetings of vice presidents, and the Provost's meetings of the deans.

In response to a question raised by one of the new Senators regarding how the Senate gets the credit/recognition for such programs as the Harrison Awards and the creation of the Garden Room, Ms. Childress gave an overview of how the conception, realization, and administration of the these awards came about. Mr. Schwartz commented that the administration and the Faculty Senate often work together to advance initiatives that are beneficial to the University.

In closing, Ricardo Padron reported that the Senate did not have a retreat at the beginning of the 2005 fall semester, but rather had a meeting of the Elected members of the Faculty Senate toward the end of the year. This meeting was used to identify issues that the Senate should address throughout the following year. Mr. Padron feels that this was an excellent way to identify issues that the Senate should focus during the course of the year.

Kenneth Schwartz encouraged everyone to get involved in whatever ways interest them the most and thanked everyone for the participation in the New Senator Orientation.

The meeting adjourned at 9:35 a.m.