2017 Call for Nominations

April 5, 2017

Dear Faculty Colleagues:

A vigorous University Senate is vital to ensure our role in sharing the governance of Stony Brook University with the Administration, professional staff and students. Historically, a small number of faculty participate in governance. One of my goals as President of the University Senate is to improve the level of the dialogue at Senate meetings and to increase participation in the Senate. This is where I need your help.

The University Senate represents over 2800 faculty and 3300 professional staff as well as undergraduate and graduate students. It carries out its responsibility to provide faculty/staff/student input into university decision-making through a governance structure that involves over 150 elected senators. The Senate as a whole meets once per month during which the President of the University, the Provost and the Vice-President for the Health Sciences report to the Senate and are available to discuss issues impacting the campus.

Much of the work of the Senate is accomplished through twelve Standing Committees each of which has about 10-12 members who are elected from various representative constituencies. These committees include the Academic and Resource Allocation Committee (CAPRA), the Administrative Review Committee, the Committee on Information Technology, the Educational Services Committee, the Graduate Council, the Library Services and Resources Committee, the Research Committee, the School of Professional Development (SPD) Committee, the Student Life Committee, the Undergraduate Council, the University Affairs Committee and the University Environment Committee. The charge and the representation for each of these committees is available on the University Senate website [http://www.stonybrook.edu/univsenate]. These Standing Committees report to the Senate Executive Committee which meets weekly to oversee Senate operations.

I am making a formal call for nominations to all University Senate positions that will become vacant at the end of this semester. Vacancies will be in the following areas:

Academic Planning and Resource Allocation (CAPRA):
One opening from the Humanities and Fine Arts and Social and Behavioral Sciences

Administrative Review:
Two openings from Health Sciences Center and Natural Sciences and Math and one from the Library

Graduate Council:
One opening from the Health Sciences Center, Humanities and Fine Arts and Natural Sciences and Math

Library Services and Resources:
Two openings from the Humanities and Fine Arts and Natural Sciences and Math and one from the Library

Research Committee:
Two openings from the Health Sciences Center and one from the Humanities and Fine Arts, the Library and the Natural Sciences and Math

SPD Council:
One opening from the Library, the Natural Sciences and Math and the Social and Behavioral Sciences

Undergraduate Council:
One opening from the Health Sciences Center, Natural Sciences and Math and Social and Behavioral Sciences and two from the Humanities and Fine Arts

University Affairs:
Two openings from the Natural Sciences and Math and one from the Social and Behavioral Sciences

University Environment:
Two openings from the Health Sciences Center and one from Humanities and Fine Arts and Social and Behavioral Sciences

Health Sciences Center:
14 At-Large Senators

West Campus:
20 At-large Senators:
9 from the Humanities and Fine Arts
3 from the Natural Sciences and Math
8 from the Social and Behavioral Sciences

In addition, we are in need of candidates for ONE position on the FSA Board for a faculty member from either East or West Campus.

We also need THREE SUNY State-Wide Senators who can be Faculty or Professional Staff, one from the HSC and two from the West Campus. This position calls for attending three state-wide Senate Plenaries per academic year which take place at various campuses throughout SUNY. These are opportunities to hear reports from the new SUNY Chancellor, SUNY’s provost and other members of senior leadership at SUNY Central in Albany. All expenses are paid by the University Senate.

As you can see, there are ample opportunities to become involved with the University Senate and Stony Brook. I urge you to consider serving the University and the University Senate by volunteering to run for one of these open positions or by nominating a trusted colleague. Should you nominate a colleague, please check with him/her in advance so we are not put in an awkward position if they win the election. You can self-nominate or make other nominations by e-mail to the Senate office secretary, laurie.cullen@stonybrook.edu. In order to get names on the ballot, we will need nominations by April 28, 2017. If you have questions about the University Senate, service as a senator or a member of a Standing Committee or the state-wide senate, please feel free to contact me directly of any member of the Executive Committee below. Thank you for your consideration of the call for service.

Edward Feldman
President, University Senate
Department of Family Medicine
edward.feldman@stonybrook.edu

Other Current Executive Committee Members:
Fred Walter, Past President, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Kathleen Monahan, Secretary/Treasurer, School of Social Welfare
Margaret Schedel, President, Arts and Sciences Senate, Department of Music
Alan Tucker, Vice President, CEAS. Department of Applied Math and Statistics
Norman Goodman, SUNY (State-Wide) Representative, Department of Sociology
Mary Kritzer, HSC Representatives, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior
Stephen Walker, HSC Representative, Department of Oral Biology and Pathology
Paula Di Pasquale-Alvarez, Professional Employees Governing Board, CAS
Kenneth MacDowell, Professional Employees Governing Board, School of Nursing
Joseph Verardo, Representing the Graduate Student Organization
Ayyan Zubair, Representing the Undergraduate Student Organization