Senate elects new officers, recognizes top leadership

Faculty Senate President Judy Van Name presents UD President David Roselle with a special commendation award.		Van Name presents Jon Olson with a surprise award for his years of service.

At its final meeting of the year on May 7, UD's Faculty Senate passed two resolutions related to the Honors Program, elected new officers and approved committee appointments.

The senate also presented two commendations, one recognizing President David P. Roselle for his "outstanding leadership in advancing the mission of the University," and the other recognizing Jon Olson, chemical engineering, for his more than 30 years of "expertise and dedicated service" to the senate.

The commendation given to Roselle, which was presented by senate president Judith Van Name, consumer studies, recognized the president's leadership in both the Campaign for Delaware and the recent positive report by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. In accepting the commendation, Roselle said, "It feels good" to have the support of the faculty.

Olson, who was the senate's first president, has served on numerous senate committees since 1970 and has been parliamentarian since 1997. "The first year of the senate was tough, because no one knew Robert's Rules of Order," Olson recalled. "We debated whether or not to adjourn, and the discussion took 15 minutes."

Passed without challenge was a requirement for enrolled students requesting admission to the Honors Program to have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.40 and to have achieved a minimum grade of B in two Honors courses. If admitted, these "in-stream" students will be eligible to pursue the Honors Degree with Distinction, the Honors Degree or the Degree with Distinction, all of which require a minimum GPA of 3.40.

The senate also passed a resolution allowing qualified undergraduates in the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy who have completed graduation requirements for the Dean's Scholar Program to simultaneously complete University requirements for the Honors Degree.

Senators voted Jay Hildebrandt, music, president-elect, and Dallas Hoover, animal and food sciences, was elected secretary. Hildebrandt will take office during the 2002-2003 academic year, with current president-elect James Richards, health and exercise sciences, assuming the presidency next fall. Michael Keefe, mechanical engineering, was elected chairperson of the senate's Committee on Committees and Nominations.

In an announcement to the senate, David Pong, chairperson of the Senate's Committee on International Studies and acting director of the new Center for International Studies in the College of Arts and Science, told senators the committee had decided to take a more pro-active role in promoting international studies, including encouraging faculty members to participate in study-abroad programs, enhancing the quality of these programs and increasing the number of students in them, recruiting and retaining more international graduate students and supporting curricular changes that promote international study.

–Cornelia Weill

Photo by Kathy Flickinger