STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATIONS AND INTENTIONS
2006-07 FACULTY SENATE OFFICERS

Mike Fitzgerald
(Submitted by candidate; intent to be nominated)

Dear Senators:

My name is Michael J. Fitzgerald and I would like the opportunity to serve as your Faculty Senate Chair for the 2006-2007 Faculty Senate term.

I have been a faculty member at California State University, Sacramento since 1986. I have served as a Faculty Senator, a member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, as department chair, as Faculty Senate Chair and also as a Statewide Academic Senator representing our campus. I am currently a member of university Strategic Planning Council, formed last fall to replace the Council for University Planning.

I have always believed – and continue to believe – that the role of Faculty Senate is critical to the health and wellbeing of the university. That role is much more than simply passing along advice to the university president, although that is important. The true role of the Faculty Senate is to help set the agenda for the university by taking the broadest possible look at everything that affects faculty, staff and students.

As Faculty Senate Chair, part my job would be to help the Faculty Senate – you – to take that “look” and turn it into some kind of action. Another part would be to help ensure that your time is well spent in meetings of the full Faculty Senate, of senate committees, and of special senate groups put together to deal with particular issues.

We face some extraordinary challenges within the university right now, challenges that can demoralize even the most optimistic of faculty. I believe the best way to address those challenges is collectively, and in a collective voice that is difficult to ignore.

If you chose me to be Faculty Senate Chair for 2006-2007, I will do my best to help the Senate find that voice.

Thank you.


Art Jensen
(Submitted by candidate; intent to be nominated)

I would bring twelve years of experience serving as a senator to the position. In addition, during those twelve years, I served as a member of the Executive Committee during nine of those years and served four of those years as the vice-chair of the Senate. This experience has allowed me to see, and sometimes know, how faculty governance works and how important it is to the delicate balance of power that exists on this campus.


Lila Jacobs
(Submitted by candidate; intent to be nominated)

I appreciate being nominated for the Vice Chair of the Faculty Senate. Since first coming to the University in 1990, I have been a faculty member in the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies in the College of Education, and served as Department Chair for four years. I have worked on many committees at the department, college, and university level, and have represented my department as senator for seven years. I was Chair of the Senate Committee on Diversity & Equity (CODE) for six years and have also served on the Faculty Policy Committee. This semester I returned to the senate and to the position of Chair of CODE. I am also Vice President of the CFA chapter on our campus.

I am strongly committed to our university and deeply aware of the excellence of our faculty, as well as the hard work entailed in meeting the demands of our profession. I believe in the collaborative process and of the importance of faculty governance. I would be honored to serve in the capacity of Vice Chair of our Faculty Senate and to work with you on the opportunities and challenges facing us.


Bob Buckley
Nominee for Chair of the Academic Policies Committee

BACKGROUND. I am a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science 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 eight 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. In the spring of 1999 I was elected as Senate chair for the 1999-00 academic year. I was elected an additional four times as Senate chair, serving from 2000-01 through 2003-04. This is my third nomination to serve as chair of APC, having been nominated and elected to serve as chair these past two academic years.

STATEMENT. As the current chair of our Academic Policies Committee, I look forward to serving again in that capacity. I understand the responsibilities and time commitment necessary to effectively represent the faculty as a member of the Senate, the Executive Committee, as chair of APC and as one of three campus representatives elected to serve on the CSU Academic Senate.

As Senate chair, I was responsible for facilitating debates on a wide range of policy issues. In so doing, 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 debate requires 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 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 affect our university. However, participation requires that faculty be represented “at the table” and actively engaged in decision making at all levels of the University. The following quote provides good advice 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.”

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 on a wide range of University issues. There is not much sharing in shared governance without such commitment.

I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve as Senate Chair and as chair of our Academic Policies Committee. As chair of our Academic Policies Committee for 2006-07, 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 served on the Curriculum Policies Committee (CPC) for several years before becoming chair which I have been for the last 2 years. Before assuming the chair, I was the CPC 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. I have experience in setting agendas, facilitating discussions, and performing the follow up work associated with committee recommendations

As CPC Chair, I have dealt with numerous curricular issues in the last couple of years. CPC discussed problems with the policy concerning 200 level courses. We developed a new policy for paired courses that the Senate and the President approved. We examined criteria for certificates and after meeting with department chairs decided not to create new criteria. Currently we are looking at the concept of the pre-major, self study questions concerning information competence, and the criteria for submitting modifications to programs. Next year we will be looking at some other issues such as questions for program review.

Also serving as a policy committee chair makes me a member of the Senate's Executive Committee which is the management team for setting the Senate's agenda. I also serve on various other committees such as Program Review Oversight Committee (currently chairing), WASC Phase II, and other committees as needed (e.g. Ad Hoc Committee on Doctorates).

I have the support of the Curriculum Policies Committee to be chair for next year, and, if elected, I expect to do an excellent job of running the CPC for the Senate.


Tony Sheppard
Nominee for Chair of the Faculty Policies Committee

Committee chairs have four major roles: Leading the Committee itself, serving as active members of the Faculty Senate, taking their Senate and leadership experience to the Senate Executive Committee, and acting as a Liaison between those three bodies and the administration in the formation and oversight of related policy. These are all roles I am very comfortable with. I have been a Senator for four years and have twice been elected as a Member at Large to the Executive Committee, including during a period of much oversight of the Senate’s Faculty Policies Committee. During that time I have been a very active member of both bodies, helping to craft policy and present it to the full Senate, often with vigorous debate. I am currently a tenured associate professor having received early promotion in 2002 and tenure in 2003. During my nine years on campus, I have served as a program coordinator, curriculum and scholarship committee chairs, lead academic advisor, new faculty mentor, graduate program coordinator, chair of the College of Health and Human Services Academic Council, and department chair. I have served in such capacities as a grade appeal panel chair, have conducted primary and secondary RTP reviews as both department chair and secondary committee member, have served on varied committees such as that charged with transitioning the campus to an electronic schedule, and currently serve as one of three faculty members on the new Academic Affairs Budget Advisory Group and as one of two faculty members on the Bookstore Advisory Council. Over the years I have been an active participant and recipient in the kinds of programs overseen by the Faculty Policies Committee, including the Research and Creative Activities program, as a recipient of Pedagogy Enhancement Awards, a campus service award nominee, and as a four-time teaching award nominee. As a junior faculty member, I was responsible for acquiring funding and overseeing a two-year program using lottery funds to pay for pedagogically related travel of other junior faculty members in my College. I was also fortunate enough to bring a $900,000 grant to campus for a statewide study that employed several staff, students, and faculty and have had extensive experience directing research and coping with all manner of campus and enterprise policies that govern such endeavors. My colleagues often refer to me as a walking policy manual and, given at least an ounce of truth in that accusation, I am fully appreciative of the need to write and enact policies that are simple, constructive, to the point, and unambiguous. I have brought that approach to my work at the department, college and campus levels throughout my career and would appreciate the opportunity to continue to do so as chair of the Faculty Policies Committee.


Mark Siegler
Nominee for Chair of the Faculty Policies Committee

I am honored that my colleagues on the Faculty Policies Committee have voted for me to serve as Chair next year. Aside from writing this statement, I have not sought or campaigned for this position in any way, but I am happy to serve because of the trust and confidence of my colleagues on the FPC.

I believe that their confidence in me is well founded and that I am well qualified for this position. I have been an active and hardworking member of the FPC for the past three years as well as an effective member and chair of many other committees and working groups both on and off campus. As part of my work on the FPC, I have served as a member of the Research and Creative Activities Subcommittee, the Childcare Needs Assessment Working Group, the Textbook Pricing/Faculty Textbook Resale Working Group, and the Faculty Policies/Research and Creative Activities Working Group. I have also served as a member and chair of the Faculty Endowment Fund Scholarship Committee. While much of this work has been out of the limelight, it has given me a deep appreciation and understanding of the issues and challenges that face faculty on this campus.

Off campus, I am the Chair of the Finance and Budget Commission in the City of Davis, and I am proud that I have been unanimously elected by my peers to serve as chair in each of the past four years. In chairing dozens of public meetings, I have learned a great deal about setting and prioritizing agendas, running meetings, finding areas of common agreement, and writing succinct and meaningful policy recommendations.

I am currently an Associate Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Economics. I received my B.A. from U.C. Santa Cruz and my Ph.D. from U.C. Davis. Prior to joining the faculty here in 2002, I was a member of the faculty at Williams College. I have also held visiting positions at Bates College, Harvard University, U.C. Berkeley, and U.C. Davis.

I apologize for not being able to attend the Faculty Senate meeting this afternoon, but I am teaching during this time. I hope that the Faculty Senate will respect the democratic wishes of the Faculty Policies Committee, and I look forward to having the opportunity of working with all of you next year as the FPC representative on the Faculty Senate.


Janet Hecsh
Nominee for Chair of the General Education Policies/Graduation Requirements Committee

I have been a member of the General Education and Graduate Requirements Committee for the past 3 years and consider that service to be of the utmost importance both to my colleagues in all the colleges and to the students we serve--and will serve into the 21st century. Our recent work has focused on preparation for the GE Program Review and to establishing principles that will frame that work as it proceeds. I expect to carry out the duties of the Chair by continuing to practice the principles of collaboration, consensus building, and full participation at the level of the Executive Committee of the Senate and the committee which I will "chair."