Representing and Assisting Faculty

Faculty governance falls under the larger umbrella of shared governance, a critical and prominent aspect of higher education, as it pertains to academic affairs and underscores three key components: communication, responsibility, and decision making. As faculty moderator, I will strive to improve transparency and timeliness of information, encourage data-backed decisions, and increase trust between faculty and administrators, which is an essential dynamic for the legitimacy and success of faculty governance. Faculty governance involves power sharing and influencing the process, and this can be done only with greater representation of all faculty. I will be seeking your voices, collaboratively engaging faculty to assure that all who are present will be heard and represented.

Finally, at the heart of what makes faculty governance effective and trusted is faculty engagement in the decision-making process. This requires skills of organizing around key faculty-raised issues, negotiating competing and often opposing interests, and building collaboration to reach consensus. I rest on my sociological expertise to affirm that interdependence is the key to consensus building. Social solidarity and commitment to one another will increase efficacy and credibility in the work we do. My leadership as faculty moderator will be grounded in a faith-based sensibility of collective responsibility and a profound respect for the community, as well as a recognition of APU’s cornerstone mission to cultivate Christ-centered scholarship and service. I look forward to working with all faculty in this upcoming school year.

Nori Henk, PhD
Professor, Department of Sociology, TESOL, and Modern Languages
nhenk@apu.edu