As campus classrooms fill with students returning from their summers away, ready to engage in classes and activities, the Office of the Provost Academic and Operational Affairs, with the Provisional Faculty Senate Executive Committee (Provisional FSEC), is continuing its efforts to ensure the smooth transition of various academic operations into a new year.
As I promised to give updates regarding the Provisional FSEC, through the summer, their work has included the creation and development of the Faculty Senate bylaws that will direct its logistics and how it operates as a body. The Provisional FSEC has been supported by the Office of the Provost (as will the future Faculty Senate) and is now working to ensure the functions of this representative body of faculty support our campus throughout the ongoing academic year. As an example, recently, the committee heard from college faculty proposing a new degree program. This particular program represents a transdisciplinary approach that is driven by faculty collaborating between our College of Pharmacy and College of Arts and Sciences, giving students additional career opportunities. As faculty, you hold the greatest expertise and knowledge in your respective fields, and as a university, we rely on our faculty to ensure we remain leaders in education for Kentucky.
In a transdisciplinary environment such as the Provisional FSEC (and the future Faculty Senate), we rely on the expertise of members representing all our colleges, including Libraries and the Graduate School, across multiple disciplines. Together, they bring vast experiences and knowledge to draw upon. In addition, the Office of the Provost has been engaging our curricular councils, including the Health Care Colleges Council (HCCC), the Undergraduate Council (UC) and the Graduate Council (GC). They have been responsive, and their expertise has been valuable, so much work was done over the summer moving curricular proposals forward. Our faculty in all these venues hold respected expertise as educators and understand the importance of shaping course curricula in ways that enrich students’ understanding and enhance their skills. Without this guidance, we would be unable to maintain the rigor and high academic standards the university continuously upholds.
These conversations among Provisional FSEC members have been fruitful — allowing members to collaborate across disciplines, each drawing upon their respective experiences to view the program proposals through multiple lenses. The discussion also allowed members to ask clarifying questions of the faculty proposer, and the group was able to lean on their expertise as well as the supplied documentation and prior reviews from fellow faculty members on academic councils. Such an engaging and thorough approach to educational matters is vital to our mission to continue maintaining the academic rigor at UK.
As we move closer to the first elections for the Faculty Senate, we will continue working toward this shared vision.