Address any questions or comments on the content of this update to the Faculty Senate Chair at a Senate meeting or via email at faculty-senate@buffalo.edu. Suggestions of items to include in future Updates are welcome.
Last week President Tripathi announced his intention of stepping down from the UB presidency in July 2026 after many years of service. He met with the Senate on September 16 and will give his valedictory “State of the University” address on Friday (September 26) at 11 am in Slee Hall’s Lippes Concert Hall. I encourage you to attend! Here’s the link to register, which is encouraged.
The Faculty Senate Executive Committee (FSEC), which represents every academic unit on campus, discussed its priorities for the year, including our involvement in the future search process for President Tripathi’s successor. More information on that will be shared as we know more.
Senate Committees have launched into their work for the year. The Committee on Research and Creative Activities is investigating bottlenecks in the approval process for research involving animals, among other topics. The Library Committee is exploring the impact of the future closing of Lockwood (possibly for several years) for renovations. The Equity and Diversity Committee plans to work with HR to make information about parental and other types of family leave more uniformly available to faculty across campus. The Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility is studying policies relating to the recording of meeting minutes and the disposal of such recordings, in addition to other matters.
The FSEC charged the Chair with creating a list of all UB-wide committees with faculty representation to enable the Senate to learn about the range of faculty participation in university business. If you are serving on such a committee (not a committee within your unit, but one with UB-wide responsibilities), please send an email to faculty-senate@buffalo.edu to help us build the list.
The FSEC voted to charge the Bylaws committee with drafting a resolution to revise the Senate’s governance documents to make the chair of the Professional Staff Senate, the student representative to the UB Council, and the chair of the Coalition for Advocacy and Leadership (or their designee) ex officio, non-voting members of the Faculty Senate and its Executive Committee.
The FSEC nominated Professor Kerry Traynor of the School of Architecture and Planning to serve a term on the Board of the Faculty-Student Association, the organization that manages Campus Dining and Shops.
SUNY Conversations in the Disciplines are grants provided to bring scholars together from multiple SUNY campuses to explore a topic of mutual interest. Applications, which are due by January 30, and are evaluated by the SUNY University Faculty Senate’s Programs and Awards Committee. For more information, see this website: https://system.suny.edu/academic-affairs/faculty-staff-awards/cid/
Campus clinics for flu and covid vaccines are open to faculty, staff, and students at the following times and places:
Bring your UB ID and insurance card. This service is offered by Tops Friendly Markets Pharmacy, in collaboration with the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Student Health.