Welcome Back From the Senate Chair |
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August 26, 2014, Volume 61, No. 02 |
Representing the Faculty Perspective
As the incoming Chair of the Faculty Senate, I want to welcome you back to campus and share my excitement as I look forward to the 2014-2015 academic year. Created by the Trustees of the University in 1952 at the request of the faculty, the Senate is the voice of the faculty and represents the faculty in most matters affecting their relationship to the rest of the University. Historically, Penn has had a vigorous and active Faculty Senate, one that engages individuals from across the 12 schools. The Senate is empowered to request reports from the University Administration, to make recommendations directly to the President, the Provost and the Trustees, and to create and revise the Faculty Handbook.
The leadership of the Faculty Senate is committed to continuing the tradition of shared governance that has been the hallmark of our relationship with Penn’s Administration. I am especially looking forward to working with President Gutmann and Provost Price, in light of their shared commitment to academic excellence, integrating knowledge, and enhancing diversity at Penn. From the successful cooperation between the Administration and the Faculty Senate during the 2013-2014 term, as well as my personal knowledge of the President and Provost, I also know the value they place on shared governance with the Faculty Senate. Indeed, I am grateful to Provost Price for recruiting me to the Faculty Senate many years ago when he was Chair of the Faculty Senate. I also look forward to collaborating with the Vice Provosts and other University officials in furtherance of a shared vision for the University.
The Faculty Senate is run by the Senate Executive Committee (SEC), headed by the Tri-Chairs. This year, the Tri-Chairs are Past Chair Dwight Jaggard, myself as Chair and Chair-Elect Reed Pyeritz. The three of us will meet regularly with members of the Administration, including biweekly consultations with the President and Provost. SEC meets monthly to discuss faculty concerns among themselves, as well as in consultation with members of the Administration. The Faculty Senate committees, which report to SEC and to the Tri-Chairs, work in detail on matters of substantive policy in committee, and often make recommendations to the full Senate. This year our timely topics include: faculty salary and benefits, the implementation and success of plans to enhance faculty diversity in retention and new hires, mental health and wellness on campus and the role of faculty in supporting students, clarification of the copyright and conflict of interest policies and their intersection with open-learning initiatives, monitoring trends across campuses to prevent sexual assault and the effectiveness of Penn’s policies in this regard, changes to the central campus library system, the role of non-standing faculty and many other issues of critical importance to faculty.
I look forward to leading the Faculty Senate this year. During the 2013-2014, it was my privilege to serve with Susan Margulies, former Past Chair, and Dwight Jaggard, former Chair, from whom I learned a great deal. I am delighted to continue to work with Dwight Jaggard this year and to welcome Reed Pyeritz to the team. I am especially grateful to Vicki Hewitt at the Office of the Faculty Senate for her excellent work during the past academic year. The Faculty Senate is fortunate to have her continued assistance during the upcoming year.
To ensure that we represent the perspective of the Faculty and serve as your advocates, I encourage you to contact your representatives in the Senate Executive Committee. You may also contact the office of the Faculty Senate directly, at senate@pobox.upenn.edu with your issues and questions. For confidential matters, feel free to contact me directly, at cfinkels@law.upenn.edu
—Claire Finkelstein |