(l-r) Faculty Senators Dr. Linda Duska and Dr. Carol Manning
Several months ago, Dean Wilkes asked the SOM faculty senators to organize and run future General Faculty Meetings. Given the extent of the responsibility, we deliberated carefully before accepting this new opportunity.
The April 18 meeting was the first faculty meeting that was moderated by the SOM Faculty Senate, and in particular by Joel Hockensmith, who was a masterful moderator. In preparation for the meeting, Dr. Hockensmith solicited agenda topics from the faculty at large, and we were encouraged by the many responses we received. The meeting agenda included: Dr. John Densmore calling for a vote to convey degrees upon graduating students; Dean Wilkes addressing near-term growth and development, priorities, and finances; and Dr. Costi Sifri sharing an update on ImmunizeUVA. We were encouraged by the relatively large faculty turn-out, the lively discussion, and the level of engagement.
Tailoring this meeting to the needs of our faculty remains a work in progress, and we expect it to evolve over time. As a next step, we are soliciting suggestions for overall improvement and agenda items for the October meeting. Among other things, we think this new, faculty-driven format will help address two hot topics identified by our recent StandPoint survey: increased communication and greater involvement in governance.
Thank you to all who attended and participated in the April meeting. Thank you to Dean Wilkes for providing this opportunity to serve our colleagues. Thank you to our colleagues in the Faculty Senate; we value and appreciate your commitment to the school. Helping us engage faculty will make our School a stronger place. Lastly, we offer a special shout-out of gratitude to Dr. Joel Hockensmith, who agreed to be moderator for the April meeting and did an outstanding job.
Please take this opportunity to have your say: Send your improvement suggestions and agenda ideas to somfs-agenda@virginia.edu or contact one of the SOM faculty senators. For more information on the SOM Faculty Senate and for a list of faculty representatives, click here.
Linda Duska, MD, Faculty Senator
Carol Manning, PhD, Faculty Senator
Filed Under: Faculty