University of Southern Maine

Faculty Senate

Standing and Ad Hoc Committees

2001-2002 

STANDING COMMITTEES

Functions

The functions of the standing committees are to advise, consult, recommend and, when specified, act in those areas assigned to them in their charge with due regard to the responsibilities of the Faculty Senate according to the governance constitution. The duties and responsibilities of each committee are specified in a committee charge prepared by the committee and approved by the Faculty Senate. All committee charges and rules of procedure will be attached as an appendix to the By-Laws of the Faculty Senate

In response to the accreditation report filed by NEASC on behalf of USM each standing committees of the faculty senate is encouraged to review and to modify committee charges as necessary.

Membership

All standing committees will have at least one member who is also a member of the faculty senate. Other faculty members, students, administrators and staff may serve on faculty senate committees.

  1. Academic Policies and Standards
    1. Chair: Henry Amoroso - CEHD - faculty senate rep
      1. Jan Burson - CONHP
      2. Bhisham Gupta - CAS - faculty senate rep
      3. Robert Sanford - CAS - faculty senate rep
      4. Michael Shaughnessy - CAS
      5. Steve Rand - Registrar
      6. Student representative
    2. Charge: work in liaison with the Executive Director of Advising and Learning Resources in the development and interpretation of policies that contribute to the maintenance of academic standards to include, but not be limited to, academic honesty, class attendance and examination procedures; evaluate grade issues including appeals, grievances and ADA concerns; review university catalog for academic policies and standards issues on a yearly basis
  2. Research
    1. Chair: Jane Kuenz - CAS
      1. Doug Ofiara - MSPS
      2. Paul Caron - LAC
      3. Vincent Faherty - CAS
      4. Mike Brady - CEHD
      5. Vince Markowski - CAS
      6. Bert Smoluk - SOB
      7. Monroe DuBois - ASET
      8. Janet Whatley Blum - CONHP
      9. Steve Pollack - CAS - facutly senate rep
    2. Charge: work closely with the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies and Research; encourage and facilitate research and other scholarly activities by faculty; determine criteria, screen applications and award funding for research proposals
  3. Library and Media
    1. Chair: Rick Abrams - CAS 
      1. Charlotte Rosenthal - CAS
      2. Kathy Ashley - CAS
      3. Scott Brown - CAS
      4. Charlene Suscavage - CAS - faculty senate rep
      5. Thomas Parchman - CAS - faculty senate rep
      6. Carolyn Hughes - library staff rep
    2. Charge: work closely with the Director of University Libraries; act as a liaison between and among the faculty, faculty senate and the library; provide advice to the Director of University Libraries on matters of library policy, planning, allocations and budgetary matters; investigate and make recommendations with regard to library function 
  4. Strategic Planning Academic Program Review (part of provost planning effort)
    1. Chair: Roxie Black - LAC - faculty senate rep
      1. Nancy Richenson - CONHP - faculty senate rep
      2. Nancy Artz - SOB - faculty senate rep
      3. Lydia Savage - CAS - faculty senate rep
      4. Dick Barringer - MSPS- faculty senate rep
    2. Charge: review intent to plan and degree proposals and make recommendations to the senate with regard to these proposals; with data provided by the Office of the Provost conduct a five-year retrospective review of all newly implemented degrees and present a report on such reviews to the senate; review and make recommendations with regard to the proposal, development and subsequent evaluation of university sponsored centers and institutes
  5. Cultural Affairs
    1. Chair: Mary Snell - CAS
      1. Thomas Parchman - CAS - faculty senate rep
      2. Carolyn Eyler - Art Gallery
      3. Kathy Lasky - CAS
      4. Susan Pichinich - CAS
      5. Steve Romanoff - Russell Scholar’s
      6. Francis Schwanauer - CAS
      7. Robert Walking - CAS
    2. Charge: proposes, develops and implements processes aimed at increasing diverse cultural opportunities at the university; encourage and facilitate cultural diversity by faculty; determine, make public criteria and screen applications for the awarding of funding for cultural activities
  6. Academic Computing
    1. Co-Chairs: Fred Walker - ASET - Tom MacDonald - SOB - faculty senate rep
      1. Joel Irish - CAS - faculty senate rep
      2. Bill Phillips - SOB - faculty senate rep
    2. Charge: work closely with the Associate Provost for Technology in determining computing and technology needs of faculty and students; maintains an active role in computing and technology planning and policy making; determine, make public criteria and screen applications for the awarding of funding for technology grants
  7. Evaluation of Vice Presidents
    1. This committee has been suspended for the 2001/2002 academic year

SPECIAL COMMITTEES

The functions of the special committees of the faculty Senate are to advise, consult, recommend, and act in those areas assigned to them in their charge. Committee duties and responsibilities are specified in the descriptions of the Core Curriculum and Honors Program, respectively, and have been approved by the Faculty Senate. Directors of the Honors Program and Core Council communicate issues and recommendations from the respective groups to the Senate Chair who communicates the same to the Executive Committee. At the discretion of the Executive Committee, the issue or recommendation may simply be communicated to the Faculty Senate or place on the agenda for discussion and action .

  1. Reporting
    1. Core
    2. Honor
  2. Executive
    1. Chair: Brian Toy (chair of the faculty senate)
    2. Membership: three officers and one faculty senate member from each unit represented by the senate: 
      1. Brian Toy - Chair
      2. Roxie Black - Vice Chair
      3. Blake Whitaker - Secretary and LAC
      4. Tara Healy - Immediate past chair
      5. Chris Beaudoin - CONHP
      6. Dahlia Bradshaw Lynn - MSPS
      7. H. Fred Walker - ASET
      8. Silvia Valdes - CAS
      9. Henry Amoroso - CEHD
    3. Charge: forward issues for consideration to the appropriate faculty senate committee and/or senate for consideration and make recommendations to the senate on such issues; establish and maintain communication with appropriate policy making individuals and groups; hold responsibility for seeing that the annual elections to the faculty senate occur in the respective units represented by the senate
  3. Nominating
    1. Chair: Tara Healy (immediate past chair of the Faculty Senate)
    2. Membership: current chair, vice chair and secretary
      1. Brian Toy - CONHP Chair
      2. Roxie Black - LAC Vice Chair 
      3. Blake Whitaker - LAC Secretary
    3. Charge: propose rules for the conduct of nominations and elections which shall be in conformity with the Governance Document and which must be approved by the Faculty Senate
  4. Ad-Hoc: the executive committee recommends the following ad-hoc committees for 2001-2002
    1. By-Laws Review and Revision 
      1. Chair: Blake Whitaker - LAC
      2. Membership: faculty and non faculty senate representatives 
        1. Brian Toy - CONHP
        2. Michael Steinberg - CAS
        3. Jane Kirschling - CONHP
        4. Bob Estes - CAS
        5. David Carey - CAS
      3. Charge: review and propose revisions to the faculty senate by-laws
    2. Awards
      1. Chair: Chris Beaudoin - CONHP
      2. Membership: one faculty member from each award granting unit represented by the senate
        1. Leigh Gronich Mundhenk - LAC
        2. Susan McWilliams - CAS (social science = communications, criminology, economics, geography, anthropology, sociology, linguistics, media studies, political science, psychology, social work)
        3.  - CAS (fine arts = art, music, theater)
        4. Shelton Waldrep - CAS (humanities = history, american new england studies, english, modern classical language, philosophy)
        5. - CAS (math/science = biology, chemistry physics, environmental science, geoscience, math)
        6. - ASET
        7. - MSPS
        8. - CEHD
        9.  Tom MacDonald - SOB
        10. - LAW
      3. Charge: (from the faculty senate awards document) work with each academic unit to clarify senate expectations regarding the awards program; approve unit level written criteria and process; resolve unit level implementation problems; review program effectiveness on an annual basis and make recommendations to the full Senate; interpret Senate expectations to the academic units and approve changes to the criteria and procedure developed at the unit level; provide leadership and planning for the annual recognition dinner
    3. Multicultural Forum Planning Committee
      1. Chair: Lisa Walker - CAS
      2. Membership: faculty and non faculty senate representatives
        1. Jan Thompson - CONHP
      3. Charge: plan, coordinate and regularly scheduled university-wide forums, the goals of which are to facilitate dialogue regarding the meaning and benefits of critical multiculturalism and about ways to implement critical multiculturalism at USM.

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