STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATIONS AND INTENTIONS 2003

STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATIONS AND INTENTIONS
2008-09 FACULTY SENATE OFFICERS

Bruce Bikle
Nominee for Chair

My fellow Senators:

I am pleased to have been nominated to serve another term as your chair. Aside from the usual governance and budget issues that face all Faculty Senates, it strikes me that there are a few issues that need our attention and to which I would like to dedicate more of my efforts during the next year.

This past year we have begun a process to try to improve our relationships with the Administration of the University. The work with the Center on Collaborative Policy has given us a “map” as to how we may reach this goal. Most of the work on this project will occur this next year, and will need to engage our best efforts to represent the faculty.

Another very important area of my interests lie with the improvement of faculty governance at CSUS. I believe we must work over the next few years to develop the leadership of the Senate and its committees. The faculty at CSUS is changing as the new cohorts of 6, 7 and 8 years ago have matured in their positions and careers. These faculty members and those that follow are the future of the Senate and the University. We need to spend the time and resources to develop new leadership for the Senate and to improve our capacities to participate in the governance and consultation role in the University.

Finally, I think that we need to devote some time to the structure and operations of the Senate. While I don’t have any preconceived notions of what we will end with, it strikes me that we should be looking at how we conduct business in the Senate to encourage an open and participatory process that engages more people. Further as the University becomes more complex, we also should look at our current structure to see if it meets our needs for the future.

Thank you for your support

James Sobredo
Nominee for Vice Chair

QUALIFICATIONS. My original training is in the humanities: BA & MA in Philosophy (Ancient Greek). A historian with a PhD in Ethnic Studies (Berkeley), I am currently an associate professor in the Social Science & Interdisciplinary Studies College. Ethnic Studies was born out of student activism and protests. Like many ethnic students, my background is working-class. I also learned my leadership skills from organizing anti-war demonstrations, gay/lesbian pride parades, and protests for women’s rights. However, I do not believe in an adversarial model, and I consider myself a moderate. I am heavily influenced by my wife’s management skills, which is based upon Stephen Covey’s organizational theories and healthy effective management. I have served as Department Vice Chair, Chair of the College’s Faculty Council, Department Graduate Coordinator and GE representative for the College. In the process I’ve gotten to know University policies and procedures quite well.

STATEMENT. My involvement in faculty leadership came as a result of junior faculty salary issues. A colleague and I organized the first junior faculty meeting, and we asked CFA to bring salaries (especially junior faculty’s) to the forefront of bargaining. We then brought the salary inversion issue to the Senate where I introduced a resolution asking the Senate and Administration to address the salary inversion problem. As a result of this successful collective organizing, I was approached by Senate colleagues to run for Vice Chair (VC). As VC, I understand that my responsibility is to serve the Senate and advocate for faculty interests and protect our academic mission. Thus, when asked by Senate colleagues, I was more than happy to read the resolution that asked Administration to rescind the $1.6M proposed cut to Academic Affairs—this proposal was crafted by the Senate Executive Committee. Similarly, when asked to serve on the University Budget Taskforce, I accepted and served with the understanding that I’m representing the Faculty Senate.

I have always conducted my Senate duties and responsibilities with integrity, collegiality, and openness, and I have done my best to advocate for the Senate.

LEADERSHIP VISION. If given the opportunity to serve another year as Senate VC, I will continue to serve with integrity, collegiality and openness to different perspectives. I am always willing to listen to different perspectives. As a continuing Vice Chair, I hope to bring continuity and stability to the Senate’s leadership and provide a more effective University co-governance. More importantly, I agree with the Senate Chair’s vision that we need to develop faculty in the “pipeline” who has the experience and knowledge about the University and the skills for collaborative decision-making and co-governance.

Thank you for your consideration, and I hope to earn your vote and support.

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 nine 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 improvements 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 fifth nomination to serve as chair of APC, having been nominated by Committee colleagues and elected to serve as chair these past four 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 and its Executive Committee, as chair of APC, and also 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. 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 involve and engage the entire Senate. Committee members often get immersed in the details and involved in debate and, as a result, can easily overlook their responsibility to provide the Senate with all that is necessary for an informed debate. In developing policy, the Committee must 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.

My experience has been one in which the achievement of governance objectives is won less by intensity than by integrity, less by aggressive assault than by a continuity of commitment and engagement over 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 2008-09, I will do my best to represent the Senate and all members of the faculty in a manner that reflects positively on all of us.

David Lang
Nominee for Chair of the Curriculum Policies Committee

It is my honor to be nominated by the Curriculum Policies Committee (CPC) to continue to serve as its Chairperson for the 2008-2009 Academic Year. During my 6 years at CSUS, I have tried to become intimately involved with the curriculum and its policies and procedures whenever possible.

I have served as an active member of the Department of Economics Curriculum Committee since my arrival in 2002 and was its Chairperson from 2004-2006.

I have developed or co-developed several new courses in the Department of Economics and have taught 10 different courses in Economics, in addition to co-teaching a course in the new Independent Doctoral Program (EdD) in Educational Leadership and Policy.

In the College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies (SSIS), I currently serve as the Coordinator for Curriculum and Resource Planning which also places me (ex-officio) as a member of the SSIS Curriculum Committee and the Universitys Council on the Preparation of School Personnel (CPSP).

I proudly served as an active member of the Curriculum Review Subcommittee (CSC) from 2003-2007, including serving as its Chair from 2005-2007.

I have proudly served as an active member of the CPC since 2003. As its Chair, I have regularly participated on the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate, the Reading and Writing Subcommittee, the Program Review Oversight Committee (PROC), the Provost's Advisory Council on Assessment (PACA), and the WASC Education Effectiveness Review/Academic Program Subcommittee.

This past semester under my leadership, the Curriculum Policies Committee has focused much of its time and attention on the development of potential policies and strategies for beginning a campus-wide discussion of class size. In the Fall, we hope to continue this very important discussion as well as reviewing policies concerning the College of Continuing Education (CCE), interdisciplinary course and program development, and revamping and updating the forms required for changing, adding, and deleting courses and programs at CSUS.

I hope that the Faculty Senate will respect the democratic wishes of the Curriculum Policies Committee, and I am excited to have the opportunity to work with all of you next year as the CPC representative on the Faculty Senate.

Ben Amata
Nominee for Chair of the Curriculum Policies Committee

Cheers from New Zealand. I am Ben Amata the former chair of the Curriculum Policies Committee and a librarian. Currently I am on sabbatical studying their government information policy concerning secrecy.

I am running for Curriculum Policies Committee (CPC) chair. It has been a privilege to serve the Senate as the CPC chair for the last 4 and one half years. If elected, I will continue to do my best in conducting the Senate’s business. I have received praise often from the committee for my management of it. Prior to serving as the chair, I was a committee member for several years so I am familiar with the relevant policy issues. Under my chairmanship, the committee did a good job of consulting with stakeholders to gather information before bringing issues to the Senate. I have chaired numerous committees in the Library. While CPC chair, I also served on the Executive Committee and as a member of the Program Oversight Committee (PROC) which I also chaired when Jeffrey Brodd was on sabbatical.

The guiding principle of the CPC is that curriculum belongs to the faculty and decisions about curriculum should be made at the department level. It is responsible for issues dealing with overall curriculum and assessment. It creates and reviews policy recommendations to be forwarded to the Senate for its consideration. In the last few years, CPC has dealt with policies concerned with 200 level language, paired courses, academic certificates, baccalaureate learning goals, graduate education, and the pre-major. I am particularly proud of CPC’s recommendations resolving the problem with the Nursing Department’s pre-major.

Future issues that I see coming before the committee are an evaluation of the pilot project conducted by PROC, creation of a graduate body dealing with their issues, evaluate the paired courses policy, and potential development of a policy concerning Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act to name a few. I routinely review the national literature for colleges and universities in order to keep apprised of national trends that affect curriculum.

I have found it very rewarding professionally to serve as CPC chair, participating as a member of the Executive Committee, and working with the Program Oversight Review Committee. I hope to have the opportunity to serve again. Thank you.

Wendy Cunningham
Nominee for Chair of the Faculty Policies Committee

I am honored that my colleagues on the Faculty Policies Committee (FPC) have voted to recommend me to serve as Chair next year. I value the role of FPC in exploring and resolving the many difficult policy issues that are raised and affect Faculty on the Sacramento State campus.

This is my third term serving as a faculty member on FPC, serving since 2002. Within FPC, I have served as liaison for the Pedagogy Enhancement Awards Subcommittee and the Research and Creative Activities Awards Subcommittee in past years, as well as various ad hoc work groups over the years. I understand the parliamentary procedure having been on the committee for the past 6 years and having presided over a variety of professional associations.

I am very active in Dietetics and Nutrition professional associations on the state and national level. I currently serve as a California Delegate for the American Dietetic Association, as Vice President for the California Dietetic Association Foundation and Student Professional and Recruitment Chair of the Northern Area Dietetics Association. In addition I am active in research and publish my research annually.

My educational background includes a B.S. degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from the University of California Davis, completion of a dietetic internship at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center and a Ph.D. in nutrition science from the University of California Davis. I have taught at Sacramento State since 2000 in Family and Consumer Sciences Department.

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 4 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. It has been an honor to chair the committee during the past year and I am appreciative of the support from committee members, the guidance and counsel of the Senate Executive Committee and the faculty and staff working on behalf of both the Faculty Senate and the General Education/Graduation Requirements. Our recent work has focused on refining and clarifying the course review and course approval process carried out by the GE/GRPC subcommittee and to initiating the series of conversations that will take place as the committee and the Faculty Senate address the recommendations of the Draft Program Review. 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."