Fall Faculty Convocation
Catherine A. Rigsby, Chair of the Faculty
August 23, 2004
2004-2005 FACULTY CONVOCATION
I.
Call to Order, Welcome
Good
morning! Will the Faculty Convocation
please come to order? Welcome to the 2004-2005 academic year! I am
Catherine Rigsby. It is my honor to serve this year as the Chair
of the Faculty.
As many of you
know, I come to this position via an unusual route. Rick
Niswander is our immediate Past Chair of the Faculty. He was elected to be Chair again this year,
but this summer he was appointed as the new Dean of the
I thank Rick for
his service last year, congratulate him on his new position and – importantly –
thank him for helping make my rather sudden transition from Vice Chair to Chair
as smooth as possible. Rick, please accept this plaque, in
recognition of your service as the 2003-2004 Chair of the Faculty. Thank
you.
I also thank all
of you who have supported me in my years of university service and those who
have offered words of encouragement (along with a few condolences!) since I
became Chair. I am especially grateful
to the dozens of you who, in the last few weeks, have agreed to serve on Senate
and university committees. Without your
service, shared governance would not be possible.
Next, I’d like to
introduce the faculty officers. Please
stand and be recognized when I call your name.
Serving with me this year are: Jan Tovey, from the Department of English,
who was elected to a second term as Secretary of the Faculty and, Patricia
Anderson, from the College of Education, who has agreed, once again, to
stay on as Parliamentarian. Seated with the officers is Lori Lee – the
Because I
vacated the Vice Chair position when I became Chair, I’ve asked the nominating
committee to present a slate of candidates for consideration during the September
Senate meeting. If you have any
nominations, please send them to the committee.
We’ll also accept nominations from the floor in September. By the end of business on September 28th
we should, once again, have a full slate of faculty officers.
1.
Recognition of SGA President
Another
important part of our system of shared governance is the student body. I’d like to recognize Shannon O’Donnell
– President of the Student Government Association.
2.
Recognition of Members of the Board of Trustees
Next, I would
like to recognize members of the Board of Trustees who are in the audience . .
.I look forward to working with all of you.
3.
Speech
This is a great
time to be at ECU! Having come through some “rough patches,” we
are looking forward to a fresh start. This
summer brought us a new Chancellor (who will speak to us in a few minutes). And, soon
we’ll have searches for other high-level administrators.
Although there
are many unknowns in the prospects and plans for our university, there is one
thing I’m sure of: FACULTY
will play a large role.
In addition to
the important “normal business” of the Senate and its committees this year,
there are 3 initiatives that I would like to work
on – with your help:
First, Faculty Input into
Administrative Hiring
Second, Faculty Mentoring and
Third, University-wide Standards
of Excellence
Let me first talk
about the opportunities faculty will have in helping to hire new upper-level
administrators. Our new Chancellor has told me that there
will be searches for several key administrators this year. And,
he has promised that faculty WILL have a major role in those searches – that,
in fact, faculty will make up at least half of all search committees. This
means that we will have the opportunity to build a strong faculty point of
view into our entire upper-level administrative structure. By
doing this, we can ensure even more faculty participation in decision making, therefore more faculty influence on institutional
goals.
I encourage ALL faculty members to share in these major decisions
(and in all aspects of university governance!).
I hope to hear as much from
faculty members who have not participated in the past, as from those who already
serve; as much from new faculty as from as those with more experience.
Let’s accept this challenge and use it to help shape our university.
Another way we
can shape the university is through mentoring.
We have an
excellent faculty at ECU. With appropriate cooperation between faculty
and administration, with appropriate incentives, and with appropriate mentoring
– at ALL levels – faculty can achieve great things.
Too many times,
good colleagues have needed more guidance.
Too often, energy and aspirations are squandered as faculty attempt to move
forward in their scholarly careers.
It is the people
who create a great university. We have the depth and breadth at ECU –
in research, in teaching, and in service – to build our
great university from within.
For new faculty,
building from within requires good mentoring
– effective support from all
levels (unit, college, and university). This includes
guiding performance, encouraging excellence, and helping them define the path
by which their careers, departments, colleges, and the university as a whole
may advance. AND, it means providing resources – space,
money, and time – to aid in that success.
For our seasoned
faculty, building from within requires recognition of both past successes and
the potential for continued future success.
It also requires INCENTIVES to
grow with the university (to not be left behind) and REWARDS and
RECOGNITION for the entire range of contributions these faculty bring to
the university.
We may have seen
the beginnings of recognition and reward in the recently announced
salary increases. This is good and needed. But,
it is not enough. And, recognition and rewards are not just
about the money!
By valuing and
effectively mentoring we will KEEP and PROMOTE the great people we have at ECU. I solicit input from you on ways to
improve mentoring at all levels. To get things started, this Fall I will ask
the Faculty Welfare committee to evaluate mentoring practices across the
university – a first step toward ensuring uniform opportunities for our junior
faculty.
We must also recognize
that we are a diverse institution, with many different disciplines and many different
paths to excellence. All great universities are diversified
in the ways they address the common institutional vision. Although there are many different routes to
success, it is always the FACULTY that define and are the gatekeepers
of that success.
Which brings me
to the third initiative . . .
ECU faculty have
always been active on the unit level – setting standards for excellence and
advancement within their own disciplines.
But, where we are going requires
a broader vision.
As we continue
to come to grips with our status as a research institution, we must strive for
institutional standards of excellence that extend beyond disciplinary
boundaries. The Faculty
must create and maintain those standards.
I challenge faculty and administration to work together toward
this goal Please send me your suggestions and ideas. I will begin the process by asking the
Faculty Governance committee to consider the creation of college- and
university-level tenure and promotion committees.
In summary, I
urge you ALL to participate this year in shaping our university – its
administration, its faculty, and its institutional standards of
excellence. With your participation we can form good
policies that encourage faculty development.
Look beyond your offices, labs, classrooms,
and studios. See the whole university. Offer
to serve on a university-level committee.
Be willing to
help shape the future of ECU by helping us build first from within – from
the great faculty sitting in this room.
B.
Introduction of new Chancellor (Steve
Ballard)
Now that you’ve
heard my vision of where we can go this year, it is my pleasure to
introduce our new Chancellor, Dr. Steve
Ballard. In a “former life” he was a Professor of Political
Sciences and a department chair. This,
along with his many other credentials and achievements, gives me great
confidence in his ability to work with faculty AND to understand academic
issues from a faculty point of view.
C. Announcements
1.
New password system
The university IT group has established new password requirements
for all university computer users. These guidelines will go into effect in
October. You will soon more information
about this new requirement in your e-mail soon.
2.
Appendix D pending sections
Several of the changes to Appendix D that were approved by the
Senate last Spring are still pending final University approval. Please
pay close attention to the notes to this affect in the Faculty Manual.
3.
Serious Illness policy input/forums
The Faculty Welfare committee will revise the university
serious-illness-and-disability policy this semester. Watch
for notification of forums on this issue and please send any comments to that
committee.
4.
GE forums
The Academic Standards Committee will hold forums to discuss a
proposed new General Education program on Tuesday, September 21st
and Wednesday, September 22nd. Please
watch your in-boxes for specific times and places.
5.
Teaching and research award deadlines
The deadline for submitting proposals for a university
research/creative activity grant is noon, on September 15th. The
deadline for teaching grant proposals is noon, on October 1st.And,
FINALLY,
6.
Leave quickly!!
The
Thank you. We are
adjourned!