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Faculty committees help guide U-M

By Kevin Bergquist

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

When Dr. Charles Koopmann Jr. first entered academia more than 20 years ago, he shared the opinion of many of his peers about faculty governance: So what?

“Initially, it was who cares?’ It doesn’t make any difference anyway,’ I don’t have time for it,’ it’s boring’—a whole bunch of excuses,” says Koopmann, professor and associate chair of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology. “As I have gotten into it and worked on more things, I have found that it is worth it. You can make a difference.”

2003-04 Senate Assembly
committees and chairs

Academic Affairs Advisory Committee, William Schultz, professor of mechanical engineering and applied mechanics

Budget Study Committee, Dr. Charles B. Smith, professor of pharmacology

Civil Liberties Board, Jonathan Rothman, senior associate librarian, Library Systems Office

Committee for a Multicultural University, Leslie Thornton, associate professor of education, U-M-Dearborn

Committee on the Economic Status of the Faculty, Dr. Frederick Askari, assistant professor of internal medicine, Division of Gastroenterology

Communications Advisory Committee, Phyllis Valentine, librarian and head of library systems, University Library

Development Advisory Committee, Dan Burns, professor of mathematics

Faculty Perspectives Editorial Board, John Lehman, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology

Financial Affairs Advisory Committee, Dr. Peter Yaman, clinical professor of cariology, restorative sciences and endodontics

General Counsel’s Advisory Committee, Kyle Logue, professor of law

Government Relations Advisory Committee, Susan McDonough, associate research scientist, Center for Human Growth and Development and School of Social Work

Medical Affairs Advisory Committee, Dr. Jeffrey Punch, associate professor of general surgery

Research Policies Committee, Katarina Borer, professor of kinesiology

Rules Committee, Jon Rush, professor of art and design

Secretary of the University Advisory Committee, Daniel Chiego, associate professor of cariology, restorative sciences and endodontics

Student Relations Advisory Committee, Barbara MacAdam, head of reference and instruction, University Library

Tenure Committee, Kenneth Adams, professor of psychology and psychiatry

Koopmann’s change of heart has led him to the top leadership post in U-M’s faculty governance structure. He chairs the Faculty Senate Assembly and is serving a second year as chair of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs (SACUA), a group that advises President Mary Sue Coleman and Provost Paul N. Courant on matters affecting faculty.

Koopmann’s message to faculty on all three campuses is this: “If you are really interested in education, you should get involved in it. You can help guide the direction of the institution. But you won’t influence it if you aren’t active.”

SACUA hosted a Committee Day luncheon Sept. 30 in the Pendleton Room of the Michigan League. Representatives of SACUA, the 17 active Senate Assembly committees and U-M executive officers met to begin their work for 2003-04.

Currently, 125 faculty members participate on at least one Senate Assembly committee, according to the SACUA office. Many committees serve an advisory role to the president, provost or the University’s vice presidents; others report directly to SACUA and the Senate Assembly. Faculty members volunteer or are recommended, and in the spring SACUA makes the three-year appointments.

Courant meets with two Senate Assembly committees: SACUA and the Academic Affairs Advisory Committee (AAAC). AAAC recently completed work on a statement of “Teaching Principles and Responsibilities.” It currently is before the Senate Assembly for ratification.

“Excellent universities simply must be faculty-led,” Courant said at the luncheon. “[AAAC] has helped me in the two years I have been at this job. The discussions have always been amiable and engaged, and I learn a great deal from them.”

William Schultz, professor of mechanical engineering and applied mechanics, is in his third and final year as chair of AAAC. The committee meets every other week during the academic year and has been involved in many issues, including admissions and grade inflation.

“It has been a very rewarding experience; you recognize the University is a pretty democratic place,” Schultz says. “We are dealing with some very important issues right now, and it would be nice if more faculty would get involved in faculty governance.”

Katarina Borer is a professor of kinesiology and chair of the Research Policies Committee (RPC), which advises Vice President for Research Fawwaz Ulaby.

“Excellent universities simply must be faculty-led.” —Provost Paul N. Courant

“RPC provides valuable assistance to my office by examining policies and other issues of importance to the campus research community,” Ulaby says. During the last year, RPC provided insights on new Web-based research responsibility training, the proposed title change for the senior research scientist track to a research professor track, and the royalty-sharing formula and related intellectual property policies affecting faculty inventors.

The title changes go before the Board of Regents for approval later this month.

“As representatives of both teaching and research faculties from all major University units, we bring to the table our faculty perspectives on issues and formulate recommendations for changes, when needed,” Borer says.

Dr. Charles B. Smith, professor of pharmacology, is a veteran of faculty governance. He has served on a number of Senate Assembly committees, and currently chairs the Budget Study Committee (BSC)—which reports to SACUA and the Senate Assembly. On the BSC’s plate is continued evaluation of the Advance PCS prescription drug program, and an evaluation of changes in U-M’s health-care benefits.

“Proper administration of University resources is essential to the maintenance of the highest standards of scholarship and instruction,” Smith says. “In a public university, the ultimate responsibility for the education of students and promotion of scholarship rests with the faculty.”

The Communications Advisory Committee (CAC), which advises Vice President for Communications Lisa Rudgers, is discussing the University’s visual identity, logos and trademarks; the undergraduate admissions process; launch of the capital campaign; and how U-M’s central communications unit interacts with individual campus units. Phyllis Valentine, head of library systems, chairs the CAC.

“I appreciate the frank perspectives and the wise counsel CAC offers—everything from our work with the news media to the development of our public broadcast assets,” Rudgers says. “The committee members provide a faculty voice to help shape the work we do.”

A list of Senate Assembly committees, which includes a roster of committee members, meeting agendas and minutes from past meetings, is available at http://www.umich.edu/~sacua/SenAssb/committeelist3.html . Faculty interested in volunteering for committees can visit http://www.umich.edu/~sacua/SenAssb/form.html or call the SACUA office at (734) 764-0303.