2008 Woodie Awards
Faculty Senate members decreased dramatically in recent years
Alina Selyukh
Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: News
A university experience means racking up campus involvement.
It doesn't apply merely to students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Getting involved is an issue for faculty members, too.
With multiple options available - club advising, organizing events or joining the faculty senate - fewer and fewer faculty are choosing to serve on Faculty Senate committees.
The number of faculty members on the senate committees has decreased from 137 in 1999 to 52 in 2005 and 18 last semester.
Twenty senate committees have 56 openings this semester and there are not enough volunteers by far, said Karen Griffin, the senate's secretary.
"We've always been able to fulfill opening positions. But it's often the same familiar faces," said Mary Ellen Ducey, the chairwoman of the Committee on Committees, which regulates senate standing and special committee.
Joining the Faculty Senate and attending its monthly meetings is not necessary to be a committee member, Ducey said. Also, participation in committees could count as a part of service required from pre-tenure faculty members.
But many UNL faculty members often don't regard senate committee participation as a vital or top priority, said Richard Leiter, member of the committee on committees.
"Faculty are under a lot of pressure from their individual departments to do research and serve on local committees as opposed to university committees," he said.
Loukia Sarroub joined the senate this year. The associate professor of teaching, learning and teacher education said she is excited about the opportunity to be a senator, though she chose not to join any committees.
She is on college and department committees, teaches full-time, does scholarly work and has children to take care of.
The Faculty Senate participation worked for her because it meets once a month and at 2:30 p.m. - before she has to pick up her children. She said a lot of committee work is done at less convenient times.
More volunteers may come forward if the senate was more visible on university and community levels, she said.
"(The senate) advocates for very important things but I'm not sure people really know it's doing that," Sarroub said. "Faculty in other places really bought in to being on the senate because it had such an active role not only within the university, but with the state. I'm not sure we've had that historically."
The committee on committees plans to advertise to fill the openings, Leiter said.
Traditionally, about half of the volunteers that step up to participate in a committee apply to join the Intercollegiate Athletics committee. Other committees are often not as attractive, Griffin said.
"Something (about the committees) doesn't get people excited," Leiter said. "They don't rush forward."
alinaselyukh@dailynebraskan.com
It doesn't apply merely to students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Getting involved is an issue for faculty members, too.
With multiple options available - club advising, organizing events or joining the faculty senate - fewer and fewer faculty are choosing to serve on Faculty Senate committees.
The number of faculty members on the senate committees has decreased from 137 in 1999 to 52 in 2005 and 18 last semester.
Twenty senate committees have 56 openings this semester and there are not enough volunteers by far, said Karen Griffin, the senate's secretary.
"We've always been able to fulfill opening positions. But it's often the same familiar faces," said Mary Ellen Ducey, the chairwoman of the Committee on Committees, which regulates senate standing and special committee.
Joining the Faculty Senate and attending its monthly meetings is not necessary to be a committee member, Ducey said. Also, participation in committees could count as a part of service required from pre-tenure faculty members.
But many UNL faculty members often don't regard senate committee participation as a vital or top priority, said Richard Leiter, member of the committee on committees.
"Faculty are under a lot of pressure from their individual departments to do research and serve on local committees as opposed to university committees," he said.
Loukia Sarroub joined the senate this year. The associate professor of teaching, learning and teacher education said she is excited about the opportunity to be a senator, though she chose not to join any committees.
She is on college and department committees, teaches full-time, does scholarly work and has children to take care of.
The Faculty Senate participation worked for her because it meets once a month and at 2:30 p.m. - before she has to pick up her children. She said a lot of committee work is done at less convenient times.
More volunteers may come forward if the senate was more visible on university and community levels, she said.
"(The senate) advocates for very important things but I'm not sure people really know it's doing that," Sarroub said. "Faculty in other places really bought in to being on the senate because it had such an active role not only within the university, but with the state. I'm not sure we've had that historically."
The committee on committees plans to advertise to fill the openings, Leiter said.
Traditionally, about half of the volunteers that step up to participate in a committee apply to join the Intercollegiate Athletics committee. Other committees are often not as attractive, Griffin said.
"Something (about the committees) doesn't get people excited," Leiter said. "They don't rush forward."
alinaselyukh@dailynebraskan.com
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