Roy J. Hartfield, Jr.
Walt and Virginia Woltosz Professor
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, Aerospace Engineering
For Chair-elect
Roy J. Hartfield, Jr.
Walt and Virginia Woltosz Professor
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, Aerospace Engineering
Candidate Statement
Auburn University stands in at the doorway of bountiful opportunity. To realize these opportunities, creative leadership is essential. Administrative leadership is necessary for the University to function mechanically. Faculty leadership is necessary for the University to have a scholarly pulse. Leadership does not always reward in tangible ways. Instead, I see leadership as a duty. I see leadership as a responsibility of those who have the experience and ability to provide guidance, to seek common ground with the stakeholders in a way that will foster an environment of free thought, scholarship, and honest learning.
The American University flickered to life with the formation of Harvard more than 350 years ago. But it was not until the twentieth century that the American University truly blossomed into the driving force for innovation, research, thought and advancement that we know it as today. These institutions, including Auburn, are the intellectual engine driving much of the contemporary US economy and lighting the way for the advancement of our society. The heart of this engine is a faculty free to develop and express ideas. Indeed, the remarkable twentieth century development of the American University coincided with the development of rigorous protections for academic freedom primarily in the form of the formal institution of tenure on a broad scale.
Along with the academic freedom that tenure provides comes the responsibility to develop and share ideas in the governance of the University. Too often at Auburn, shared governance has been more theoretical than practical because of administrative barriers and lackluster faculty interest. I support a more zealous approach toward faculty involvement in university policy development and decision-making regarding faculty welfare, academic standards, academic programs and curricula, intellectual property, research and extension, and student academic life.
Constructive discourse between members of the faculty, the administration, and other vested parties, each expressing nonaligned views, is a sign of a healthy working relationship and is a vital element needed to guide the University to an ever-brighter future through treacherous economic and political environments. Undertaking this discourse with the intent of solving problems even when partners may seem reluctant is the essence of leadership. The immediate future is fraught opportunities for conflict which will demand strong, constructive, and cooperative leadership. The many pressures on free and open voices should be addressed proactively by strong faculty leaders who are capable and willing to promote the best interest of the faculty and the university by engaging the full suite of problems facing the University. I believe that the most effective way to protect the best interests of the university is adopt a positive, persuasive approach in which we remind and convince all stake holders that an intellectually strong faculty whose independence is protected by the tenure process is, in fact, the heart of the University and should be treasured and nourished.
I am firmly committed to the academic integrity of Auburn University including the principle of academic freedom and the key pillars of diversity and tolerance. If elected Chair, I will work to safeguard the academic function of the University and to promote more effective shared governance with the aim of positioning Auburn University as a driver of prosperity in our state and nation.
Short bio, specifically containing experience at university/college level
Dr. Roy Hartfield is the Walt and Virginia Woltosz Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Auburn University. Dr. Hartfield arrived at Auburn thirty-one years ago as an Assistant Professor and his service to the University began rather immediately, serving early in his career as a member of the Campus Planning Committee, College of Engineering Curriculum Committee, and as a Senator from the Aerospace Engineering Department. Dr. Hartfield was active in opposing the closing of his department in 1996 and the department is now one of the most vibrant in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. In the decade of the 2000’s Dr. Hartfield served on the Faculty Welfare Committee. As a member of the Faculty Welfare Committee, Dr. Hartfield volunteered to lead an effort to rewrite an outdated professional leave policy and an ambiguous and largely dysfunctional consulting policy. The vastly improved replacement policies were approved by the senate. After leaving the committee, Dr. Hartfield worked with Dr. Ed Thomas of Physics through the Faculty Welfare Committee to address the issue of an attempt to convert Faculty nine month pay to a 10-month scale upon the adoption of Banner. This would have highly disruptive, and the move was aborted after some excellent work through the Senate. Dr. Hartfield became a member of the University Promotion and Tenure Committee where he served a three-year term as a full member and for two more years as an auxiliary member. Dr. Hartfield was then selected for the College of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Committee for Promotion and Tenure. Dr. Hartfield actively coordinated with College of Engineering Development Officers to recruit Mr. Charles Davis as a donor, having introduced Mr. Davis to his Rocket Propulsion class and other activities of interest to Mr. Davis. The Aerospace Engineering Department is now housed in Davis Hall. Dr. Hartfield has taken a detailed interest in the affairs of individual faculty as well, having served as a faculty advocate in a Post Tenure Review case and separately in a Faculty Dismissal case. Both of these cases resulted in the faculty maintaining their full professorial status and both are still active, highly productive members of the faculty. Currently, Dr. Hartfield serves again as a Senator from the Department of Aerospace Engineering and just this spring introduced a resolution condemning a University HR policy which would have effectively ended tenure. The resolution passed by a vote of 47-7 and the policy was withdrawn.
In addition to Dr. Hartfield’s extensive experience in serving Auburn University, he is an accomplished scholar in his field with over 30 journal articles, a book contract, Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, mentor to over 40 graduate students, and leader of approximately 30 extramurally funded research efforts.
For Chair-elect
Lisa A. W. Kensler
Emily R. and Gerald S. Leischuck Endowed Professor of Educational Leadership
Professor, College of Education, EFLT
Candidate Statement
The three-year term for the next Chair-elect of the University Senate will be a time of transition for Auburn University. As we continue to adapt to the changing nature of the coronavirus, we will also welcome a new president, a new provost, new deans, and develop the groundwork for the University’s next strategic plan. During the nearly fourteen years here at Auburn, I have served extensively at the department, College, and University levels. I was my department’s University Senate representative from 2012–2015. From 2013–2015 I served on the University Rules Committee and the Academic Standards Committee. I went on to chair the Academic Standards Committee from 2015–2018 while also serving on the University Steering Committee. In 2020, I joined the University Promotion & Tenure Committee. I am eager to continue serving and would be honored to be elected Chair-elect.
As a member of the Senate Executive Committee over the next three years, my aim will be to represent diverse faculty interests as we grapple with decisions and recommendations related to academic policies, budget, calendar, facilities, and the overall well-being of employees. I am also deeply committed to supporting the progress Auburn is making relative to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion and sustainability more generally. The Senate has a responsibility to respond to urgent needs that arise while also working with the administration to insure a prosperous long-term future for the Auburn community. I will be a team player working for these immediate and aspirational aims.
As a member of the Executive Committee, I will contribute to enhancing trust among our administrative team and faculty through open communication, reliable competence, and professional accountability. In this role, I commit to pursuing the following goals while also remaining open to the needs and priorities that arise:
SHORT BIO, focus on College and University service
Lisa A. W. Kensler, the Emily R. and Gerald S. Leischuck Endowed Professor of Educational Leadership, joined Auburn University in 2008 as an assistant professor in educational leadership, in the College of Education’s, Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Technology department. Her teaching, research, and outreach focus on developing PK-12 school leaders with the capacity to lead purposeful and meaningful change for continuous improvement. She has over thirty publications in journals such as the Journal of School Leadership, the Journal of Sustainability Education, the Journal of Research on Leadership Education, and the High School Journal, among others. She also has work published in handbooks of educational leadership. Lisa and her co-author, Cynthia Uline, published Leadership for Green Schools: Sustainability for Our Children, Our Communities, and Our Planet in 2017; and A Practical Guide for Leading Green Schools: Partnering with Nature to Create Vibrant, Flourishing, Sustainable Schools in 2021, both with Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. Her third book, Trailblazers for Whole School Sustainability: Case Studies of Educators in Action, edited with Seydel, Merse, and Sobel, was published in 2022, also with Routledge. In 2018, the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) recognized Lisa as one of its “Hidden Figures - behind the scenes giants in the field whose work cannot be ignored.”
In her nearly fourteen years at Auburn, she has served extensively at all levels. In the College of Education, she served on the Academic Affairs and Curriculum Committee from 2008–2009, then the Dean’s University Council on the Education Profession from 2009–2011. From 2012–2021 she served on the College of Education Governance Committee, including as Chair from 2018–2020. Lisa also served as the faculty representative on the College of Education New Building Committee from 2019–2021. She earned the College of Education’s Outstanding Service to the College Award in 2021.
Lisa’s University level service began in 2009 when she chaired the Community Engagement Working Group of Auburn University’s Climate Action Plan. She served as her department’s University Senate representative from 2012–2015. From 2013–2015 Lisa served on the University Rules Committee and the Academic Standards Committee. She went on to chair the Academic Standards Committee from 2015–2018 while also serving on the University Steering Committee during the same time. In 2020, Lisa joined the University Promotion & Tenure Committee. Her service across the university has prepared her well for serving on the University Senate Executive Committee.
For Secretary-elect
Michael Fogle
Associate Professor, COSAM, Physics
A consideration in seeking a position of representation is realizing that if you try to make everyone happy, no one will like it. While that may be a precarious position for a representative, I hold fast to the idea that a diversity of perspectives is essential to shared governance even if some of the perspectives are not ultimately satisfied with the outcome. With that as a guiding principle, I am honored to be nominated for the position of Secretary-Elect in the Auburn University Faculty Senate.
Auburn University will soon find itself in the midst of a significant change at the most senior leadership offices of both President and Provost. The faculty voice is always a critical part of shared governance that impacts our missional pillars of academics, scholarship, and service/outreach, but it is especially important at times of administrative change. While administrative change brings new perspectives and ideas, these new ideas must be met by input and feedback from those that accomplish our missions at every level. I believe one of the best ways for faculty to have an impact on shared governance is through service on the various committees that touch every aspect of our mission as a land grant institution. While I know for many of us our time is indescribably valuable and our service is often underappreciated, I believe the representative participation of faculty on committees to be a valuable use of time and impactful to governance. I will make it a priority to encourage committee involvement (and appropriate service recognition) and to make the on-going work and accomplishments of committees visible so that the actions of shared governance are openly communicated across the university.
I have experienced the impact that faculty involvement in committees can have in shaping policies. I have served two terms on the Senate Faculty Research Committee (FRC) during which I served as FRC Chair for two years. As FRC chair, I worked with the VPR’s office, the ADR cohort, Senate leadership and many other administration and support offices to address issues across the Auburn research enterprise and to facilitate new initiatives. I have served three terms on the Senate Officer Nominating Committee, having Chaired the committee once. I have also served as a two-term Senator representing the Physics Department and have interacted with various committees and administrators during that time.
At the College level, I currently serve on the COSAM Curriculum Committee and the Search Committee for a new Dean of COSAM. I have also served as a faculty coordinator for building and renovation projects in COSAM, to include the new Leach Science Center addition and the STEM+Ag programming committee. These activities have exposed the detailed infrastructure necessary for our academic and research missions.
At the Department level, I am currently serving as the Undergraduate Program Officer for Physics and advisor to the Society of Physics Students. I am actively engaged in cross-institutional and international collaborative research in laboratory astrophysics. I also mentor research and student development activities in the Auburn University Small Satellite Program. I am an advocate of faculty outreach participation and have been actively engaged in outreach activities since arriving at Auburn in 2008.
I believe there are exciting times and great possibilities ahead for Auburn University. These will be shaped by new leadership and new vision, but the overall success of Auburn’s future will be dependent on the input and experience of its faculty to shared governance. I will be committed to encouraging faculty participation at every level via committees, to being a sound voice of faculty representation to the senior administration, and to advocating for the preservation and efficient use of one of the most valuable commodities of our faculty…their time.
For Secretary-elect
Linda Gibson-Young, Ph.D., MBA, FAANP
Professor, College of Nursing
AU Mission: As a land-grant institution, Auburn University is dedicated to improving the lives of the people of Alabama, the nation, and the world through forward-thinking education, life-enhancing research and scholarship, and selfless service.
My name is Linda Gibson-Young and my background centers on nursing and healthcare with an additional focus on business administration. I am delighted to work at Auburn University (AU) and Auburn University College of Nursing (AUSON), and honored to run for the Secretary-Elect position with AU Senate. As an academician for many years, I have experiences that influence the motivation and actions of my position. I consistently strive to meet our mission through service and responsibilities.
As an educator, nurse, and passionate community partner, I am committed to the development and accessibility of resources toward the success of our faculty, students, and surrounding community. As noted within the AU mission, I believe those within our organization should function to improve the lives in Alabama, the nation, and the world.
When exploring the role of AU Senate Secretary-elect, I have listened to and examined the needs prioritized by those around the organization. I see the top three pressing issues of our organization today as:
To prepare and qualify for this position, I have held several leadership roles with organizations including mentorship and coaching, Asthma Coalition leadership (chair Alabama [currently], and founder/chair in central Florida and Texas), University leadership, Alabama Healthcare Executive Forum (Region D leader), and Nursing Academy leadership with the National Academies of Practice. With AU and AUSON, I am the faculty advisor for the Graduate Nursing Organization and active with teaching, outreach, and scholarship.
Thank you for considering my placement in the role of Secretary-elect.
War Eagle!