To: SSU Faculty
From: Ben Ford, Chair of the Faculty
Date: 29 August 2011
Re: Fall 2011 Update #1

As I said at the Fall Convocation, Welcome! to the first semester of Sonoma State's second fifty years!

At convocation, I proposed a faculty conversation this year to try to articulate a (concise) academic story for Sonoma State for this second fifty years.

To begin that conversation, I invite you to join me at lunch on the following Wednesdays. Provost Rogerson will be joining us, and President Armiñana will join us about once a month. These are all bring-your-own-lunch events. Note that this Wednesday's lunch is in the Commons; all others will be in the new Faculty Center, 1125 Schulz, noon to 1 pm.

Aug 31 (Note: in the Commons instead of Faculty Center)
Sep 14
Sep 28 (with President Armiñana)
Oct 12 (No Provost; with President Armiñana)
Oct 26
Nov 9 (with President Armiñana)
Nov 30
Dec 14 (with President Armiñana)

I realize that these times won't work for everyone, and will make sure there are plenty of other opportunities; this is just a start.

Faculty governance is already up and running, with committee meetings too numerous to mention. Take a look at the Faculty governance structure by exploring the Senate's new website at http://www.sonoma.edu/senate/ . The link "What Committees Do" gives a good overview of many committees; and you can see an overview chart by clicking on "Current Year Memberships."

In future lunch reminders, I'll include updates from various committees and the Senate about significant issues currently under discussion. If there is anything else you'd like in these updates, please let me know.

Ben Ford
Chair of the Faculty 2011-12
ben.ford@sonoma.edu

Welcome to the Fall 2011 semester!

I'll be using this space to keep track of faculty governance happenings during the 2011-12 year. Together with bi-weekly emails to the faculty, I'll try to let you know about major issues moving through faculty governance, statewide/systemwide issues of concern to faculty, and ideas surfacing in the faculty-wide discussion about SSU's academic story that I proposed at the convocation.

You can see my convocation remarks here. To move forward the academic story conversation, I hope many of you will join me at lunches in the new Faculty Center, 1125 Schulz, on the following Wednesdays at noon (second, fourth, and fifth Wednesdays). Provost Rogerson will join us except as noted, and President Armiñana will join us as noted:

• Aug 31 (Note: in the Commons instead of Faculty Center)
• Sep 14
• Sep 28 (with President Armiñana)
• Oct 12 (No Provost; with President Armiñana)
• Oct 26
• Nov 9 (with President Armiñana)
• Nov 30
• Dec 14 (with President Armiñana)

You can read a bit more about me at my Departmental web site, and I hope to get to know more of you throughout the year!