New Faculty Senate chair says he's 'still emerging' as a scholar and leader

Nearly a decade has passed since an emerging scholar published a manuscript addressing the psychological climate of U.S. universities and colleges. The research was not well cited, and it did not contribute a great deal to the advancement of knowledge. It was just one of dozens of manuscripts he had published that failed to change the world.

However, much to his surprise, at least one university president happened to read the journal article. The president called him, expressing great interest in the study's research design and results. The president said he was heartened by the conclusions drawn from the empirical study.

In the manuscript, the scholar and his co-authors concluded that, as far back as the Germanic order of the Universitat, administrators had never been successful by imposing management dictates on faculty. The authors also concluded that autocratic management styles that neglect faculty governance foster unhealthy university climates and faculty-administrator relationships.

As you may have already guessed, that emerging scholar is still trying to emerge as both a scholar and (now) as the newly elected chair of the Faculty Senate. I hope my tenure as chair is marked by an enduring commitment to improving the university climate and faculty-administrator relationships.

I am humbled by the distinctive privilege of representing the Faculty Senate on important issues confronting all university constituents. It is an important responsibility, but I have had an excellent mentor. The past chair, Jeff Oxford, taught me a great deal as he successfully championed faculty causes and succeeded in a variety of important resolutions that publicly document the faculty's collective will.

I look forward to working with faculty, students and administrators in building a university community of real shared governance.

Lou Pelton, associate professor of marketing, is chair of the UNT Faculty Senate. A Faculty Senate column runs in InHouse every other month.

Other featured articles in this issue

• Time for summer enrollment in benefits programs approaches
• Student health center screening for SARS
• UNT receives $900,000 to fund research
• What are UNT faculty reading this summer?
• New Student Orientation to host close to 3,000 incoming UNT freshmen
• UNT departments on the move
• Magazine ranks UNT among top 100 universities for Hispanic students
• UNT professor seeks study participants

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