Faculty Senate chair calls for faculty to participate in university governance

Teaching, research, service. How many times have you, as members of the faculty, heard these expressed as the basic responsibilities of the professoriate? I call these particular elements to your attention to emphasize the basic structure of the university.

Yes, faculty do have teaching and research duties, but faculty also have an obligation to participate in university and departmental governance, to advocate for the good of the whole and to be willing to listen to voices differing from their own. Diversity is our strength, and UNT needs what everybody has to offer.

This university has a history of faculty governance due, in part, to the faculty's willingness to serve when duty calls. However, as we become more and more pressed with the increasing responsibilities of research and scholarship, a growing student body and a stronger push to increase our electronic delivery of instruction, it would be easy to forget the fundamentals of service and say to ourselves, "Somebody else can do that."

Yes, someone else could do that, and that and that — and in many cases they do. But it would be most unfortunate if we, the faculty of UNT, were to become so busy teaching and "doing research" that we were to neglect our responsibilities in service. In short, the Faculty Senate and the faculty as a whole need your help.

From time to time, the senate elects faculty members for various committees across campus.

Talk with your colleagues, nominate those (or yourself) who are willing to run for a vacant slot and have them nominate themselves as well — two nominations are needed for a name to appear on a ballot. The nomination process — as well as the voting process — is simple.

When an election or nomination has been called for, go to the Faculty Senate web page (www.unt.edu/facsenate), access the ballot through the Electronic Voting Booth, save your response and press the Submit button. If you have any questions or problems, call Carolyn Carter, Faculty Senate administrative assistant, at (940) 565-2053. And please feel free to contact me at any time should you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your nominations, voting and service. Making this an even better university is our primary goal.

Jeffrey Oxford, associate professor of foreign languages and literatures, is chair of the UNT Faculty Senate.

Other featured articles in this issue

• UNT System Board of Regents approves sale of bonds to finance new residence hall
• UNT participating in plan to reduce Dallas Independent School District dropouts
• Acting associate dean named to help lead UNT College of Engineering
• Academic brochure redesign available
• UNT using UNT Dallas Campus name for System Center
• Institutional Review Board: Protecting human subjects in research
• UNT seeking nominations for annual alumni awards
• Pohl addresses Faculty Senate
• Awards presented to staff, faculty members at luncheon

homepage