Faculty step into key leadership roles across campus departments
Faculty in 15 central campus departments have stepped into chair roles this year.
The new chairs, in departments across the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering, the College of Education and Human Sciences, and the James and Gail Ellis School of Business Leadership, hold positions that are critical to faculty success.
“Chairs are a key to faculty support, advocacy and development across UNM,” said Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Christopher Lyons.
“They play a pivotal role in everything from performing balanced and formative annual reviews, to mentoring faculty through milestones and setting the tone for department culture and climate,” he said.
Chairs also are tasked with leading the educational mission of the department to advance student success, providing sound administrative stewardship, and advancing the strategic position of the department.
“This service is a large responsibility, and our goal is to provide chairs a supportive community to grow in their roles as leaders and managers,” Lyons said.
Chair terms usually last three to five years.
ADVANCE at UNM works extensively with chairs as part of its overall faculty development programming at the university.
When the ADVANCE program started a decade ago, leaders noticed chairs needed more support for their duties. Rising faculty also need support as they consider chair and other leadership positions.
ADVANCE works with the Provost’s Office to offer a yearly new chairs’ orientation as well as a monthly colloquium for all chairs and academic program directors across central campus. The ADVANCE team also works with the Provost’s office, OVPR, and FRDO to provide leadership trainings for current and future chairs and other academic and research leaders. In addition, the faculty supports and workshops we offer through ADVANCE help reduce some of the mentoring load that can otherwise fall too heavily on chairs.
“Supporting chairs is crucial” said ADVANCE director Lisa Broidy, who recently served as the chair of Sociology and Criminology.
“We are here to partner with current and future chairs in our shared mission to support faculty in developing successful and rewarding careers.”
The Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and ADVANCE are also working on a handbook and related web-based resources for chairs and directors that will serve as a consolidation of chair relevant information, training and policies.
The new chairs and their departments are:
- Rick Arenas, Speech and Hearing Sciences
- Shawn Berman, Management
- Pisarn Chamcharatsri, Language Literacy and Sociocultural Studies
- Harish Cherukuri, Mechanical Engineering
- Marek Flaska, Nuclear Engineering
- Matias Fontenla, Economics
- Lorenzo Garcia, Languages, Cultures & Literatures
- Chris Lippitt, Geography and Environmental Studies
- Shuang Luan, Computer Science
- Cathy Qi, Individual, Family and Community Education
- Mary Quinn, Spanish and Portuguese
- Greg Taylor, Physics and Astronomy
- Reilly White, Finance and Innovation
- Erin Wilkinson, Linguistics
- Owen Whooley, Sociology and Criminology