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Peter Nickerson is a professor in the Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, director of the Pathology Graduate Program and chair of the Faculty Senate.
What exactly do you mean when you talk about faculty governance? How much of a voice do faculty members actually have in the operation of UB?
With faculty governance, the faculty share in the running of the institution with our colleagues who have administrative roles in the institution. The policies of the SUNY Board of Trustees form the basis for faculty governance and the bylaws and operating procedures of the faculty at UB provide a representative and elected body (the Faculty Senate) and a Faculty Senate Executive Committee (FSEC) that oversees the operation of faculty governance. Faculty governance at UB operates principally through its committee structure. The policies and reports that come from the committees are examined by the FSEC, debated and voted upon by the Faculty Senate and sent to the president of the university. While advisory, the president has promulgated the majority of policies or, if needed, asked us to reconsider some items. Most recently, the senate passed policies for grievance procedures and for academic integrity that were promulgated by President Simpson. The Faculty Senate Grading Committee, in cooperation with administrators, drafted the policies, the FSEC and the Faculty Senate (three readings) voted on and passed these policies.
What are the responsibilities of the Faculty Senate?
The Faculty Senate sets graduation requirements for undergraduate students and recommends other policies as appropriate to the administration. It is involved with procedures for appointment, promotion and tenure; procedures and standards regarding conduct and evaluation of research and teaching; admission standards for undergraduates; general policies and procedures for undergraduate degree requirements; and curriculum.
UB's professional staff members have their own governance unit—the Professional Staff Senate. How much interaction is there between the PSS and the Faculty Senate?
The chair of the PSS attends meetings of the FSEC and of the Faculty Senate, and I attend meetings of the PSS and its executive committee. There is also representation of professional staff members on Faculty Senate committees. While the focus of the two governance organizations differs, we cooperate on deliberation of issues where we have common interest. Recently, both Faculty Senate and PSS members attended a joint meeting when Chancellor Ryan visited UB and interacted with members of both groups.
What role has the Faculty Senate played in UB 2020?
Committees established by the president for UB 2020 have representation from the Faculty Senate (usually the chair of the appropriate senate committee). The Faculty Senate chair is ex officio a member of the executive committee of the UB 2020 group. While Faculty Senate committees do not have a direct role in the planning, issues raised by the UB 2020 planning process are reviewed by the FSEC on a regular basis.
SUNY has a Faculty Senate. How does it work?
The SUNY Senate is established by policy of the SUNY Board of Trustees and represents all state-operated campuses. Representation is related to the size of the campuses. UB has four senators—three from the core campus and one from the health sciences. The senate and its executive committee is divided into different sectors. On the executive committee this year, I represent the health sciences and Professor William Baumer represents the university centers.
How does the SUNY-wide Faculty Senate interact with individual campus Faculty Senates?
All UB SUNY senators are members of the UB Faculty Senate and of the FSEC. Reports from the three plenary meetings of the SUNY Faculty Senate are made to the UB Faculty Senate. Governance leaders from all campuses (Faculty Senate and PSS at UB) attend the plenary meetings and convene as a group.
You've served five terms as chair of the UB Faculty Senate, as president of the Medical Faculty Council in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and as a member of the SUNY-wide Faculty Senate. Why do you devote so much of your time to faculty governance?
When I was a young faculty member, I asked why someone would want to be involved in faculty governance since research and teaching in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences were my primary responsibilities. After election to the presidency of the Medical Faculty Council, I obtained a medical school perspective and subsequently, upon selection for the SUNY Senate, I obtained a UB perspective (UB Faculty Senate) and a system-wide exposure. My motivation has always been to improve the institution through the shared, collective wisdom of the faculty.
What question do you wish I had asked, and how would you have answered it?
Another perspective is how UB students are involved in faculty governance. Reaching out to the undergraduates—and more recently to the graduate students—has given us more of a sense of a university community. Recent involvement of the students and the FSEC in reviewing UB's plan for the expanded campus-based assessment of general education has been particularly helpful in improving the plan that soon will be submitted to the SUNY provost. How can UB enhance its sense of community? With three campuses (North, South, biomedical downtown) geographic separation makes it much more difficult to meet colleagues from the faculty and from the professional staff, as well as other members of the university community. The University Club facilitated by the UB administration (which meets Wednesdays from 4-6 p.m. in the Tiffin Room in the Student Union, North Campus) is a step in the right direction. Improving interaction among the members of the UB community is a challenge that governance needs to be involved in meeting.