Elections near for open positions on faculty council
By: Eric Kiechle, Staff Writer
Issue date: 4/19/07 Section: Online Exclusives
Student elections drew to a close more than a month ago, but faculty elections will not be completed until Friday.
Voting faculty can support general candidates for committees, as well as vote for departmental representatives of the Faculty Council, a body that meets monthly to examine issues relevant to the University.
"We are not an administrative body," said faculty chairman Joe Templeton. "Faculty Council basically has a tremendous voice if it decides to use it."
Anne Whisnant, director of research, communications and programs in the office of faculty governance, said that 52 faculty members are running for 31 open positions on the Faculty Council and that 66 faculty members are running for 35 open positions on various committees that report to the Faculty Council.
The responsibilities of the committees vary, and most meet with the council on an annual basis to report progress.
All candidates for the council and committees are selected by a nominating committee.
But the actual voting has more restrictions than the nomination process.
Of about 3,500 faculty members - a figure that takes both part-time and full-time faculty into account - about 83 percent have voting privileges.
Librarians and faculty members with tenure or tenure-track appointments are considered voting faculty. Whisnant said it is harder for fixed-term faculty to be eligible to vote in faculty governance elections.
All voting faculty can cast ballots for candidates for committees, such as the advisory committee and the committee on appointments, promotions and tenure.
Templeton likened the other elections to the U.S. House - where voting faculty with appointments in a given area can vote only for candidates running to represent that area.
That system applies to positions on the Administrative Board of the Library, Faculty Council and the College of Arts and Sciences divisions.
Although Templeton stressed that most of the council's actions were indirect and suggestive in nature, many issues important to students have been considered by the group.
"Faculty Council has considered enrollment gross, tuition increases, faculty recruitment and retention issues," he said.
The council now is discussing potential adoption of the Achievement Index, a number that would complement a student's grade point average and reflect on the overall performance of other students who have taken the same classes as that student.
Faculty Council and faculty governance committees bring together University faculty from a wide range of academic and cultural backgrounds, Templeton said.
"Many faculty members are willing to use their time to make UNC-Chapel Hill an even better place than it already is."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Voting faculty can support general candidates for committees, as well as vote for departmental representatives of the Faculty Council, a body that meets monthly to examine issues relevant to the University.
"We are not an administrative body," said faculty chairman Joe Templeton. "Faculty Council basically has a tremendous voice if it decides to use it."
Anne Whisnant, director of research, communications and programs in the office of faculty governance, said that 52 faculty members are running for 31 open positions on the Faculty Council and that 66 faculty members are running for 35 open positions on various committees that report to the Faculty Council.
The responsibilities of the committees vary, and most meet with the council on an annual basis to report progress.
All candidates for the council and committees are selected by a nominating committee.
But the actual voting has more restrictions than the nomination process.
Of about 3,500 faculty members - a figure that takes both part-time and full-time faculty into account - about 83 percent have voting privileges.
Librarians and faculty members with tenure or tenure-track appointments are considered voting faculty. Whisnant said it is harder for fixed-term faculty to be eligible to vote in faculty governance elections.
All voting faculty can cast ballots for candidates for committees, such as the advisory committee and the committee on appointments, promotions and tenure.
Templeton likened the other elections to the U.S. House - where voting faculty with appointments in a given area can vote only for candidates running to represent that area.
That system applies to positions on the Administrative Board of the Library, Faculty Council and the College of Arts and Sciences divisions.
Although Templeton stressed that most of the council's actions were indirect and suggestive in nature, many issues important to students have been considered by the group.
"Faculty Council has considered enrollment gross, tuition increases, faculty recruitment and retention issues," he said.
The council now is discussing potential adoption of the Achievement Index, a number that would complement a student's grade point average and reflect on the overall performance of other students who have taken the same classes as that student.
Faculty Council and faculty governance committees bring together University faculty from a wide range of academic and cultural backgrounds, Templeton said.
"Many faculty members are willing to use their time to make UNC-Chapel Hill an even better place than it already is."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
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