Steering Committee Report February 2021
Steering Committee is glad to be back at work doing Senate business with you – we hope January has given everyone a decent recharge.
Election season is upon us – the process begins soon to fill 13 Faculty Member-at-Large seats, one CLT seat, two HEO seats, and the single Adjunct Faculty Member seat. Committee on Committees will also soon canvass the college to find individuals willing to serve on Academic Senate Standing Committees. Please encourage eligible members of your departments to run for Senate seats and to serve on a committee. Our community coming together to advance the college’s mission is critical to our success, and we need to boost faculty service in college governance. It’s important to advance the cause of diversity and inclusion in shared governance, so we encourage participation from each and every member of our college community. This is a busy time of year for CoC chair Stephen Hammel, so thanks go to him in advance for his work.
Academic Senate Bylaws call for potential nominees for Senate seats to gather signatures in support of their candidacy from their particular electorate. In past years hard copy petition forms have been used to gather signatures. Because of our online Senate operations this year, e-signatures will be collected using Google Forms. Google Forms provides an email verification process that will certify e-signatures. Steering Committee and the Senate Parliamentarian have concluded that this process will fulfill Bylaws requirements and is in accordance with current Senate Zoom and email voting procedure and the Governor’s Executive Orders allowing online meetings and electronic voting. This season’s voting and committee selection process is already faced with unavoidable and unexpected technical challenges regarding the online polling procedure, so patience and minor delays may be needed. Please contact Steering Committee with any questions.
We welcome Peter Mauro as new Parliamentarian. He is replacing Leslie Francis, who has resigned from the Senate. Thank you for your service, Pete.
We welcome our newest senator Svjetlana Bukvich-Nichols today from the Music Department. Svjetlana fills the remainder of Leslie’s term.
We will hold from the floor an election to fill the term remainder of Ben Murolo’s Faculty member at Large seat. Ben Murolo is the new chair of the Business Department. Congratulations, Ben, and we wish Kathleen Villani the best as she steps down from over six years of department chair and Senate service.
Here’s to a good semester ahead – serving our students, and helping together our college to thrive.
Academic Senate Steering Committee (AcademicSenateSteeringCommittee@qcc.cuny.edu)
Dr. Steven Dahlke, Chair SDahlke@qcc.cuny.edu
Dr. Jannette Urciuoli, Vice-Chair JUrciuoli@qcc.cuny.edu
Dr. Zivah Perel Katz, Secretary Zkatz@qcc.cuny.edu
