UW News

April 8, 2010

The faculty voice: Never more important than now

Last year at this time, I wrote an article for University Week encouraging our faculty colleagues to consider participation in the faculty councils and committees. These elected bodies, approved by the Faculty Senate, are one of the three sites of faculty governance at the University of Washington. The other two sites of faculty governance are the Faculty Senate, newly restructured (see our article here) in order to provide for a more engaged and active membership, and the elected faculty councils of each college, school and campus at the UW.


Over the past several years, successful efforts have been made to increase and enhance communications between the elected faculty councils and the Senate. With the restructure of the Senate now in place, the newly revised Faculty Code includes a provision that all chairs of these councils serve as ex officio members (without vote) on the Faculty Senate.


The leadership of the Faculty Senate and I are confident that these changes have put faculty in a much stronger position to engage effectively with the enormous challenges currently facing the University of Washington community. But for this to happen, we need to ask faculty members, who are already doing more with less, to consider active participation in either the senate; the elected faculty council in your college, school or campus; or one of the faculty councils or committees coordinated through my office.


By the time you read this, elections for faculty senators should be well under way. Elected faculty councils are appointed at various times during the academic year. Current contact information about your elected faculty council can be found on the Faculty Senate Web site.


My office is currently recruiting for new members of faculty councils and committees, and we have a few vacancies that need to be filled for the coming year. These include openings on the Faculty Council on Academic Standards, the Faculty Council on Benefits & Retirement, the Faculty Council on Faculty Affairs, the Faculty Council on Multicultural Affairs, the Faculty Council on Research, the Faculty Council on Student Affairs, the Faculty Council on Tri-Campus Policy, the Faculty Council on Teaching & Learning, the Faculty Council on University Facilities and Services, the Faculty Council on University Libraries and the Faculty Council on Women in Academia.


Faculty committees that require new members this year include: The Adjudication Panel, the Conciliation Board, the Advisory Committee on Faculty Code and Regulation and a multitude of ad hoc and advisory committees that require faculty and/or senate representation for limited amounts of time.

If you could consider participation on any of these, please contact my office for more information: 206-543-2637.