STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATIONS AND INTENTIONS
2004-05 FACULTY SENATE OFFICERS

Cristy Jensen
Nominee for Chair of the Faculty Senate

I have been a member of the faculty at CSUS since 1986, for three years in the Government Department as faculty advisor for the Assembly Fellows Program, and then, in 1989, into a tenure track position as the first Director of the Graduate Program in Public Policy and Administration. My teaching and research interests are in intergovernmental policy and management. During the early 1990’s, I was a member of the campus Graduate Programs and Policies Committee when the curricular responsibilities for graduate education were separate. I served as the Committee’s representative to CUP and later was part of the Strategic Planning Subcommittee of the Senate. More recently I have served as a member of the GE/GRP Committee. For the last nine years I have been one of three CSUS representatives elected to the Statewide Academic Senate and have been a member of the Executive Committee and currently am Chair of the Senate’s Fiscal and Governmental Affairs Committee. In my capacity as a statewide senator I have participated on a number of committees concerned with faculty issues including academic technology, service learning, articulation and transfer, intersegmental relations, and joint UC/CSU graduate education.

I look forward to the opportunity to focus my experience from the statewide level as Chair of the CSUS Senate. I care deeply about the CSU’s role in the Master Plan commitment to the students and families of California and am troubled by the challenges the budget presents. I also feel strongly about a meaningful shared governance process. The faculty of this campus must be engaged in the decision making process about the future. I think the Senate is where that engagement occurs. I look forward to next year.

Steve Perez
Nominee for Vice Chair of the Faculty Senate

I have been nominated to be the vice chair of the Faculty Senate for the academic year 2004-05. I am honored and excited about being the vice chair next year. This will be my fourth year as a senator and my third year on the executive committee.

My qualifications include ten years of experience in academics. From 1994-1997, I was an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. From 1997-2001, I was an assistant professor at Washington State University. And I have been an assistant professor of economics here at CSU – Sacramento since 2001. I have enjoyed working here very much and appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the institution through the shared governance role played by the Faculty Senate.

I intend and look forward to fulfilling the responsibilities of a senator in the office of vice chair. As a member of the executive committee, I will continue to serve the Faculty Senate. And as a member of CUP, I look forward to contributing to the decision making process as the institution continues to evolve as a high quality academic university.

Bob Buckley
Nominee for Chair of the Academic Policies Committee

BACKGROUND. I am a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science faculty in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. I first joined the faculty as a part-time instructor in the late 70s while still a graduate student at UCD. I taught initially in Economics and then Computer Science, joining the University on a full-time basis in 1981. I have served regularly on number of departmental committees and became a member of our College Academic Council in the mid 80s. I served as a member of the Council for over ten years, serving at least half that time as its chair. My Senate service began seven years ago as a member of an ad-hoc committee charged with the task of recommending improvements in the general operation of the Senate. The committee’s recommendations were subsequently adopted and have resulted in major changes in the manner in which the Senate and its committees operate. During the 1998-99 academic year I became a member of the Executive Committee and was elected and began serving as Senate chair in the 1999-2000 academic year. I am currently completing my fifth and final term.

STATEMENT. As 2004-05 chair of the Academic Policies Committee, I look forward to working with Cristy and being a member of next year’s Senate leadership team. I understand the responsibilities and time commitment necessary to effectively represent the faculty as a member of the Senate, the Executive Committee, the Council for University Planning, and as chair of APC.

In chairing Senate meetings over the past five years and managing and trying to facilitate debates on a variety of policy issues, I understand the importance of having our major policy committees provide senators with information sufficient for them to understand what they are being asked to vote on. Informed debates require the responsible policy committee to focus not only on the development of the policy but also on what information will be needed to ensure an informed debate occurs; debate which involves and engages the entire Faculty Senate. Committee members often get immersed in the details and involved in debate themselves and, as a result, can easily overlook what is needed to fully inform the Senate. In developing the policy, the Committee needs to step back and identify what Senators need to clearly understand the context for what is being proposed and the problem that is being solved (or the need being met) by the Committee’s recommendation. As chair of APC, I will do my best to make this happen.

As I mentioned in my previous nomination statements, I believe that working collaboratively and collegially with the administration is the most effective way to represent our faculty and to serve our University community. There are many opportunities for faculty participation in the critical decisions that will affect our university. Participation requires that faculty be represented “at the table” and actively engaged in decision making at all levels of the University. The following quote advises on how best to achieve productive engagement.

“Pertinacity is a critical value, and the need for change, often not self evident, becomes clear only through repeated contact. Achievement of governance objectives is won less by intensity than by integrity, less by aggressive assault than by concentration prolonged over some time.”

These observations provide, I believe, a critically important guide for all faculty engaged in university service. As faculty, we cannot just demand consultation and participation, we have to earn it. Earning it requires this tenacious commitment to collegiality and to a principled engagement with administration, staff and students in the process of shared governance.

I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve as Senate Chair. As chair of our Academic Policies Committee I will again try do my best to represent the Senate, and all members of the faculty, in a manner that reflects positively on all of us.

Ben Amata
Nominee for Chair of the Curriculum Policies Committee

I have been nominated to serve as the Chair of the Curriculum Policies Committee by the Committee. .

Since 2002/03 academic year, I served as the Curriculum Policies Committee (CPC) Chair. As such, I have set the committee's agenda and run the meetings, besides serving on various other relevant committees such as the Executive Committee, CUP, etc. Some of the work started this year won't be completed until next academic year.

Before serving as the CPC chair, I was a member of the CPC for 5 years and the liaison to the Curriculum Subcommittee. Serving on these committees has provided me with substantial experience in dealing with the issues that commonly come before them for consideration. During the Spring semester of 2000, I volunteered to serve as the CPC chair while Tom Kando was on sabbatical. At that time, CPC reviewed and updated the Distance Education Policy which was approved by the Senate and the President. We also developed program review questions concerning the issue of diversity that were eventually accepted and incorporated into the program review process.

During that time, I have had considerable experience being the chair of and serving on Library committees, so I have experience in setting agendas, facilitating discussions, and performing the follow up work associated with committee recommendations. Twice I have chaired the Library Faculty, the group of professional librarians who meet once a month to discuss Library problems, budgets and planning issues in order to participate in the shared governance of operating the Library. I have also served on and chaired numerous search committees.

Amy Liu
Nominee for Chair of the Faculty Policies Committee

I am a full-time tenure-track faculty in the Department of Sociology, California State University, Sacramento (CSUS). I am willing to participate in faculty governance by serving as the Chair of the Faculty Policies Committee (FPC), the Faculty Senate at CSUS. I am well qualified for this position. I have been the Chair of the FPC this year, and an active member of this committee since 1998. I am very familiar with many committee members, and the structures, charges, issues, and operations of this committee, its subcommittees, and working groups. Since I went through tenure and promotion process a year ago, I also understand the needs of faculty, especially the newer faculty on this campus.

The challenges faced by this committee and the Faculty Senate to promote faculty development on this campus are enormous. This is especially true given the current budget situations in California. I intend to work closely with the members of the Faculty Policies Committee, the Faculty Senate, and Administration to identify where the faculty needs are and to explore more development opportunities for faculty on this campus. With the support of the committee members and the Faculty Senate, I hope to continue the excellent work that the past PFC Chairs have done to enhance this committee’s involvement in and influence on the overall Faculty Senate and the campus community.

Dick Kornweibel
Nominee for Chair of the General Education Policies/Graduation Requirements Committee

Richard Kornweibel, Professor of History 1968-2001, now on FERP.

Former chair of history department, nine years; coordinator of the international affairs graduate program, five years; social science program coordinator six years. Service on GEP/GRC in three eras including chairing in two and the writing of a program review self study. Prior service on senate executive committee in two eras as well as chairing of campus planning committee (predecessor of campus environment committee) and current service on campus environment committee. Service on campus wide search committees and college level committees.

I am fully informed on the complex web of state and system mandated policies that govern our graduation program requirements and structure our relationships with community colleges. I understand the range of opportunities that we as a campus can consider for our campus requirements. I don't have fixed opinions on how our campus general education and other degree requirements could change but I can help trasmit an accurate and useful knowledge of technical restrictions as well as the multiple opportunities the campus faculty could consider.