Faculty Senate elects 2018-19 leadership

Susan Powers-Lee smiles after getting reelected during Faculty Senate on April 25, 2018. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Susan Powers-Lee, professor and director of the biochemistry program in the College of Science, was re-elected chair of the Senate Agenda Committee by the Faculty Senate on Wednesday at the first official meeting of the 2018-19 session.

Powers-Lee, who ran unopposed, was also re-elected as vice chair of the Faculty Senate.

“It’s been so interesting so far, and I’m looking forward to leveraging my first year of experience into learning more about how the academic side interfaces with the whole university system,” she said. “There’s so much to learn, and I’m excited for another year.”

Four other faculty were also elected to the Senate Agenda Committee: Neal Lerner, professor of English and director of the Northeastern Writing Program; David Kaeli, College of Engineering Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Jack Dennerlein, professor of movement and rehabilitation science; and Rashmi Dyal-Chand, professor of law. The Senate Agenda Committee’s responsibilities include maintaining an open channel of communication between faculty and university administration, arranging meeting agendas, and submitting standing committee assignments.

Deniz Erdogmus, professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering, was elected secretary of the Faculty Senate. He also ran unopposed.

Primarily, the Faculty Senate serves as a body that represents the interests of the faculty in all nine of Northeastern’s colleges and maintains communication with university administrators. It also consulted on the creation of new policies and proposals of faculty concern, such as the creation of new colleges, campuses, departments, and degree programs, among others.

In other business, members of the 2017-18 senate met for the final time on Wednesday. They passed nine resolutions, five of which established, revised, or renamed graduate degree programs. The other four resolutions adopted changes to the Faculty Senate infrastructure that had previously been approved in committee.