John Sachs
Chair's Goals 2008/2009

It is difficult to communicate goals for an organization such as the Faculty Senate without sounding glib, not least because of the underlying complexity of the seemingly straightforward issues facing us as a body. For example, I will represent the concerns and interests of the entire faculty. But to accomplish this goal is much more complex than one would imagine.  First, identifying what are the faculties’ interests and concerns is much more convoluted than one would expect. We really should not be surprised by this reality because the faculty of the University of South Alabama is not a homogenous group.  Second, while previous Faculty Senates have made significant progress some of our colleagues do not recognize the accomplishments of the Faculty Senate. For example, the persistence of the Faculty Senate stimulated the University Administration to develop and implement a salary equity adjustment process, to add a dental plan for all employees, and to follow through on their commitment to build a University Club on campus.  While there has been progress, we need to remember that progress is not static and we need continue to communicate to the Administration the interests and concerns of the faculty.

To accomplish the main goal of representing the Faculty’s concerns and interests it is imperative that the Faculty Senate and specifically the Executive Committee successfully accomplish the following objectives:

1. To continue to communicate our concerns and interests to the administration in a manner that reflects respect and cooperation. 
2. To increase the visibility of the Faculty Senate and do a better job of communicating to the faculty at large what we at trying to accomplish throughout the year, as well as solicit input from the Faculty at-large.
3. To increase the effectiveness of the Faculty Senate by increasing the support of the faculty at-large.
   

Objective 1 is an ongoing process in which the Faculty Senate Executive Committee meets with President Moulton, the Vice-President of Academic Affairs and various administrators when appropriate.

Objectives 2 and 3 as outlined above are intertwined. In order to accomplish these objectives the Executive Committee plans to continue to conduct Town Hall meetings across the University. The Faculty Senate will sponsor three town hall meetings in October, 2008. There will be one meeting in the College of Education, one in the College of Arts and Sciences, and one in the College of Allied Health. The purpose of these meetings is to solicit information from our colleagues and to inform our colleagues of what the Faculty Senate is trying to accomplish. In addition, we are working with the administration on expanding our written communication with faculty via the University Mid-week Memo.

Please remember that Executive Committee, caucus leaders, committee chairs, and each member of the Senate care about the University of South Alabama. However a strong Senate is dependent upon the support of a strong faculty.  The faculty are an important part of the university community and without the faculty there would not be a University of South Alabama.            

I look forward to working with the Faculty at-large, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, the USA Foundation, and the University Administration during the year ahead, and I hope that all of us are successful in reaching our individual and mutual goals.

Sincerely, John J. Sachs