The UTMB mission “to improve health for the people of Texas and around the world” is accomplished by implementing the institution’s core values of compassion, integrity, respect, diversity and innovation in all arenas, an endeavor that requires collaboration on campus-wide issues and a unified vision. Nowhere is this more evident than in the UTMB Faculty Senate.
The Senate serves as the voice of the UTMB faculty and serves to link faculty members and administration on matters that advance the academic life and welfare of the university.
“We are the bridge between the administration and the faculty bodies – the connecting link. We are here to represent the faculty, to receive their comments, listen to their ideas, and to relay that information to higher administration. We are a unified body working together to achieve excellence,” said Dr. Lisa Cain, Senate chair and associate professor in the department of neuroscience and cell biology.
Comprised of 26 voting members representing the School of Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, School of Nursing and School of Health Professions, the Senate reviews policies affecting UTMB as it relates to the welfare, academic opportunities and responsibilities of the faculty. The Senate also works in conjunction with the UT System Faculty Advisory Council.
There are five committees within the Senate, each addressing specific areas:
- Senate Executive Committee
- Governance Committee
- Faculty Quality Committee
- Academic and Administrative Affairs
- Institutional Handbook of Operating Procedures (IHOP) Committee
“We have a very diverse and intellectual body of faculty including department chairs, program directors, representatives from the clinical enterprise, educators and researchers, all of whom are very capable and ready and able to do what they need to do to represent the faculty at UTMB,” Cain said.
“UTMB is a great institution with an outstanding faculty who has invested their talents and time in UTMB. The Senate is the active faculty governance body for the institution."
The full Senate convenes monthly throughout the academic year. Faculty are welcome to attend the monthly meetings, which are held the second Monday of every month at 4:30 p.m. in the Marie Hall Room, 4th Floor of the SON/SHP Building.
Pictured bottom row left to right: Ashok Chopra, Jill Seale, Susan McCammon, James Graham (Chair-Elect), Lisa Cain (Chair), Carol Wiggs (Past Chair), Patricia Crane, Xiaoyong Bao, Shannon Clark.
Top row left to right: John Papaconstantinou, Patricia Lea, Steven Fisher, Mark Clark, David Walker, Barkat, Hooda, Safa’a Al-Arabi, Yolanda Davila, Cherry Beckworth, Richard Rupp.
Senators not pictured: Tammy Babcock, Paul Boor, Werner Braun, Lynn, Knox, Laura Lawrence, Bruce Luxon, Andres Oberhauser, Michael Silva, Tony Wen.