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Senate: source for professional support by Cindy Abole Public Relations For the 1,300 full- and part-time faculty who comprise MUSC, the faculty senate shares an important role that recognizes and responds to the concerns of its educator base while contributing to the university’s daily mission of  providing excellence in education, research and patient care throughout the Palmetto state.   Capitalizing on an opportunity to reinvent itself within a campus filled with growth and potential, the faculty senate completed a strategic planning process that allowed them to reexamine its present-day mission and future.   “The faculty senate provides the opportunity to meet and collaborate with fellow faculty throughout the university,” said Rick Albenesius, DMD, who is serving the second year of a two-year presidential term in the faculty senate.   In addition to providing faculty support and guidance in approving policies, the group strives to find new ways to involve faculty in more interactive activities while improving communications between senators and their constituencies. They’re able to achieve this thanks to the continuous support by the university’s top leaders, deans and staff in each of the six colleges and faculty and departmental support, according to Albenesius.   Members of the faculty senate executive committee are front row from left: Drs. Kathy Chessman, College of Pharmacy; Jennifer Horner, College of Health Professions; Mary Mauldin, Library; Swapan Ray, College of Medicine; and Hiroko Hama, College of Medicine; Second row: Dr. Patrick Mauldin, College of Pharmacy; Nancy Duffy, College of Nursing; Dr. Rick Albenesius, College of Dental Medicine; Dr. Walter Limehouse, College of Medicine; Dr. Ted McGill, College of Dental Medicine; Dr. Barbara Edlund, College of Nursing; Peggy Schachte, Library; Laura Cousineau, Library; and Dr. John Osguthorpe, College of Medicine. Absent: Geoff Freeman, Library. Members of the faculty senate are nominated by election within seven electoral units— College of Medicine Basic Sciences, College of Medicine Clinical Services, Dental Medicine, Health Professions, Library Science and Informatics, Nursing and Pharmacy. Senate representation is based on the electoral units and total number of qualified faculty within each area. Senate and alternate candidates are nominated by qualified faculty and are elected in September to serve a two-year term with a maximum of three consecutive terms. Senators and alternates officially begin their terms in October.   The faculty senate operates under the guidance of an executive committee composed of senators from each of the seven electoral units, the officers and immediate past president. The role of the executive committee is to review, investigate and respond to specific activities and responsibilities on behalf of the senate. Members make up the four standing committees: governance, institutional advancement, communication and education, and faculty and institutional relationships. Ad hoc committees are formed periodically to address specific tasks.   Within the last year, the faculty senate addressed a number of policies representing several institutional issues, from addressing drug pre-employment screening and record and data retention to evaluating conduct of the ethical treatment of trainees and a campuswide smoking policy proposed by the Student Government Association. Every four years, the governance committee reviews documents and makes recommendations to the faculty handbook, as well as to ratify amendments to the senate’s constitution and by-laws.   Currently, the faculty senate has proposed two changes to its constitutional amendments, which will be formally presented for ratification by MUSC’s Board of Trustees in early February.   The communication and education committee is charged with promoting organized activities such as the semi-annual New Faculty Welcome and coordinating targeted workshops and retreats to promote professional themes such as tenure workshops and mentoring programs involving faculty.   “Our efforts are focused on getting more new people involved in the senate,” Albenesius said. “The faculty senate is a great way to network and meet people on campus.”   Working with senate officers and the executive committee, Albenesius helped establish a guest presenter program which features presentations by any of the university’s newly-endowed chairs or members of the Office of the Chief Information Officer-Information Services staff.   Additionally, senate members are widely represented in leadership and campuswide university committees including president and dean’s councils, MUSC Board of Trustees,  university tenure committee, university research, university back-fill, parking, E*Value and Commission of the Southern Association of  Colleges and Schools (SACS) accreditation committees.   “Our goal is to inform senators of activities and information so they can return to their constituents and let them know what’s going on,” said Mary Mauldin, Ed.D., faculty senate secretary. “We want to continue to provide a broad scope of information from providing guest speakers to addressing technology issues. This is a real opportunity for us to make a difference.”   With all the physical growth and increased potential for collaborative partnerships across campus, Albenesius and members of the senate executive committee can only smile at their progress. According to Albenesius, there’s no better time than the present for faculty to join and get involved in the faculty senate activities.   Faculty senate meetings are held the second Tuesday of every month at 7:45 a.m., Room 125 (conference room), Gazes Cardiac Research Institute. Meetings are open to MUSC faculty, staff and students.   For more information about faculty senate, visit http://www.musc.edu/facsen.     Friday, Feb. 9, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.