The Linfield University Faculty Senate met (virtually) for the first time Friday, ushering in a new era of shared governance at the 163-year-old institution.
Last summer, Linfield College became Linfield University. The new university was divided into a College of Arts and Sciences and schools of business and nursing, and faculty members and staff members have been working on new governance structures in the months since. A new Staff Council met for the first time on February 4, and Friday marked the addition of the Faculty Senate.
“Shared governance is at the heart of an institution like Linfield, and always will be,” said Susan Agre-Kippenhan, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Governance, though, will look different at a different kind of university. This new structure gives everyone a voice and a chance to take part in the ongoing life of the institution.”
The Faculty Senate consists of four senators apiece from the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business and the School of Nursing. Its charter was written into the university bylaws, empowering the body to take the lead on issues involving the curriculum and faculty working conditions.
The inaugural Faculty Senate consists of:
- Henny Breen, School of Nursing
- Virlena Crosley, School of Business
- Chris Dahlvig, School of Business
- Chuck Dunn, College of Arts and Sciences
- Denise Farag, School of Business
- Julie Fitzwater, School of Nursing
- Ingrid Flanders, School of Nursing
- Gary Laustsen, School of Nursing
- Tonda Liggett, College of Arts and Sciences
- Kay Livesay, College of Arts and Sciences
- Rainer Seitz, School of Business
- Jennifer Williams, College of Arts and Sciences
“I want to thank everyone involved in doing the hard work of creating new governance structures and in doing the hard work of representing their colleagues on these bodies,” said Linfield President Miles K. Davis. “This is a big moment in the history of Linfield, and many people are helping make it possible.”
Linfield University is an independent, nonprofit university with campuses in McMinnville and Portland, Oregon. Since 1858, Linfield has connected a traditional liberal arts experience with practical education through 56 majors, including wine studies, sport management and nursing. Linfield has been recognized four years running for having the Best Ethnic Diversity in the Pacific Northwest by U.S. News and World Report. Thirty-two percent of Linfield students are first-generation college students, and more than one-third are U.S. students of color. Linfield competes in the NCAA Division III Northwest Conference. Learn more at www.linfield.edu.
