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Questions & Answers
Peter Nickerson, professor of pathology, began his fourth term as chair of the Faculty Senate on July 1.
UB will have a new president this academic year. How will this affect the business of the Faculty Senate this year?
Regular interaction between the new president of UB and the Faculty Senate is absolutely essential. To be successful, faculty governance needs to have quality discussion with the senior administrative leadership. President Greiner has set an excellent precedence for the quality of regular interaction with the Faculty Senate; he was directly involved in writing the bylaws of the Faculty Senate when he was a faculty member.
President Greiner regularly attended Faculty Senate and Senate Executive Committee meetings. How do you plan to ensure that the senate and its concerns maintain a prominent presence on the new president's radar screen?
Success of faculty governance is predicated on trust between the governance structure and the president. Such trust must be developed by regular interaction. The senate, through its committee structure, will help UB to resolve issues that face not only us, but higher education generally.
What do you see as the main issue facing the Faculty Senate this coming academic year?
Forming a collegial interaction between faculty governance and the new president is the main issue facing us during this academic year. Dealing with the many other issues will be much easier as this relationship is strengthened.
What other issues do you deem particularly important?
The issue of the new resolution by the SUNY Board of Trustees on "value added" is an important consideration for faculty governance. The board passed a resolution that requires a "before" and "after" assessment of student learning. No longer are faculty grades deemed a sufficient assessment of student learning. Governance at UB and in the SUNY system will be involved in trying to resolve this issue. Another issue is the continued support for international students and scholars. A resolution has been formulated and will be presented to the senate early in the fall semester.
Do you think the senate has been as effective as it can be? If not, what can be done to improve its effectiveness?
The senate can always be strengthened and therefore it can become more effective. Inducing younger faculty to become involved with all aspects of the senate's activities is an important goal for the future.
This is your fourth term as chair—you previously served from 1993-95, 1997-99 and 1999-2001. Why did you want to take on another term as chair?
Participation in faculty governance has been particularly rewarding for me personally. I enjoy trying to make things better for the faculty at UB and this has been my principal motivation for seeking another term as chair of the Faculty Senate.