This Week's Message
Some questions for faculty…
How meaningful is our service work on committees?
How does our service on committees factor into issues of workload?
Is our time well spent serving on the various committees to which we're assigned?
Are there too many committees on which faculty are expected to serve?
We have more wants and needs regarding curricular matters than we currently have money to fund. What will be funded immediately? What happens to the items that we cannot fund this year or next? How can faculty influence these decisions?
Is our current divisional structure meeting departmental and individual faculty member needs? Is representation fair? Is there a better way to structure ourselves? Also, given its current structure, how effective is Faculty Senate in accomplishing its mission? Could it be more effective if it was restructured?
Changing high school student demographics, the international financial crises, and our modest endowment all lead to a significant and immediate need to ramp up recruiting.
What role should faculty play in recruiting?
Should all departments be expected to develop a formal recruiting plan? If so, how soon?
These are only some of the questions that faculty have asked to discuss this academic year. There is a lot of wisdom in our faculty, so I am encouraging everyone to participate in these discussions. If you want to learn about the topics, come to listen. If you have opinions about and/or expertise in a topic, then please add your voice.
The first forum topic is on recruitment, and the forum will be held on Thursday, October 30th from 11:30-12:20 in the Olin auditorium. Student enrollment affects every one of us, so let's kick off the year by talking about what our role in recruitment should and could be.
I look forward to seeing you there!
Kathy Jakielski
Chair, Faculty Senate