The Senate Assembly on March 18 elected faculty members from the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design, LSA and the College of Engineering to three-year terms on the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs.
The faculty governance body elected:
Mondro
Olsen
Ziff
• Anne Mondro, associate professor of art and design.
• Laura Olsen, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, and faculty director of the Undergraduate Program in Biology.
• Robert Ziff, professor of chemical engineering.
The three were the highest vote getters of eight faculty members vying for positions on SACUA, the nine-member executive body of the faculty governance system, which also includes the University Senate and Senate Assembly. Their terms begin May 1 and continue through April 30, 2016.
Each candidate gave a brief statement before the vote.
“I want to be the voice especially for those junior faculty members,” said Mondro, adding that she finds it important for the faculty to connect with the public. “I realize how vital it is to collaborate with the community in order to create citizens of the world.”
Mondro said she supports academic freedom and protecting time devoted to research that leads to new methodologies, and will work on key issues to improve the academic climate and diversity.
“I have no agenda going into this position and no grievances I’m wishing to solve,” Olsen said, adding she would like to serve the faculty to the best of her ability. “I would represent a voice of the faculty but not everyone’s voice. There is huge diversity here.”
Olsen said she can represent the LSA faculty involved in teaching and service, and said she is especially interested in the importance of teaching and service and balancing teaching, scholarship and research.
Ziff said he had served as a substitute on SACUA during the fall semester, and had observed some of the big issues before educators across the country. “I learned a lot and I would like to continue that,” he said.
He added that faculty governance is “very important to protect academic freedom and tenure,” and that college affordability and diversity “are some of my issues.”
Also running were: Goncalo Abecasis, Felix E. Moore Collegiate Professor of Biostatistics and professor of biostatistics; Sara Ahbel-Rappe, professor of Greek and Latin; Dr. Joseph Richard Custer, professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases; Avery Demond, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering; and John Mansfield, associate director, North Campus Electron Microbeam Analysis Laboratory.
The new SACUA members will replace outgoing members Kimberlee Kearfott, professor of nuclear engineering radiological sciences, biomedical engineering, and radiology; Kate Barald, professor of cell and developmental biology, and biomedical engineering; and Rachel Goldman, professor of materials science and engineering, electrical engineering and computer science, and physics.
They will join incumbents Karen Staller, associate professor of social work; Rex Holland, professor of cariology, restorative sciences and endodontics; Dr. Charles Koopmann, professor of otorhinolaryngology, pediatrics and communicable diseases; Finn Larsen, associate professor of physics; Scott Masten, professor of business economics and public policy; and Sally Oey, associate professor of astronomy.
