Introduction

  • This election is for CAPC At-large Representative. The rules for this election are listed below.
  • The nominees for the CAPC At-large Representative election are listed to the right. The list to the right is not a ballot.
  • This list in not official until nominations have been closed and the list of nominees has been reviewed and verified by the APSCUF Nominations and Elections Committee.
  • The statements the candidates submitted with their nominations are given below. By clicking on a name in the list of candidates, you will be taken to that candidate's statement.
  • Clicking on the words Return to Top will return you to this part of the page.
  • If you are a nominee and wish to modify your statement or withdraw your nomination, click on the "Modify" button. You will need your password to make any modifications.
  • When you are finished, you may choose to view nominees for other elections, nominate yourself, view the list of elections, return to the APSCUF Nominations and Elections homepage, visit the APSCUF homepage, or visit the WCU homepage.
The nominees for CAPC At-large Representative are:

Mary Braz
Joanne C. Conlon
Dan Forbes
Erin E. Gestl
Gabrielle Halko
Brian Halsey
Scott Heinerichs
Christine Karpinski
Scott Parsell
Kuhio Walters

Nominations close Nov 28, 2011.
All Regular Faculty may be nominated.

Rules for the Election

    • Current CAPC members SHOULD NOT RUN FOR THESE SEATS.
    • Each department can have at most two representatives on CAPC.
    • The election is decided by a plurality of those casting votes unless such results violate the previous rule or the number of candidates does not exceed the number of positions to fill. In the later case, each candidate will be voted on by an approve/disapprove ballot.
    • Vacant seats will be filled one at a time with the current vacant seat filled by the candidate with the highest vote count. As each seat is filled, the candidate filling that seat and any other candidates from the same department as the candidate filling that seat will be disqualified. Votes cast for disqualified candidates, as just defined, will not be considered in filling remaining vacant seats.
    • Each candidate selected counts as a cast vote.
    • Members elected to at-large seats cannot be nominated for school representative seats.
    • Seats with longer terms will be filled first. In the case of an approve/disapprove ballot, candidates will be ranked according to number of approve votes.

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Mary Braz


Department: Communication Studies

I welcome the opportunity to continue my service to the campus community by being elected to the position of CAPC At-large Representative. For the past two years, I have served as a proxy on the CAPC Undergraduate Programs Committee. I've attended and participated in multiple meetings with this group, and this participation reflects my commitment to curriculum development at West Chester University. I would be honored to serve CAPC in a more permanent capacity. I have worked with faculty from multiple departments on campus to develop and revise curriculum for Grandparents University at West Chester University. I believe my experience with the CAPC committee and Grandparents University, along with my previous service positions on campus (such as serving on the CAS Recruitment Committee and as a proxy to Faculty Senate) will position me to be a strong advocate for undergraduate education. If elected, I will continue to serve with a commitment to the mission and values of the university. Thank you for your consideration.


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Joanne C. Conlon


Department: Educational Development

As the Director of Pre-Major Academic Advising, I represent the interests of 1600 undeclared students, among the larger student groups on campus. In order to advise these students it is very important for me to know the intricacies of all of the majors and minors at WCU. I also serve as the Chair of the University Academic Advising Committee. This perspective would benefit the CAPC members during the consideration of relevant issues.


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Dan Forbes


Department: Philosophy

I currently serve on the Pedagogy for Engagement Committee, and would like to expand my university service to involvement in university curriculum. While I regularly teach general education courses that emphasize critical thinking and broadness of perspective, I also have experience from another institution teaching courses in general learning strategies for first- and second-year students. As an educator with this background I have found that general education students at WCU have great energy, diverse experience, and much practical wisdom. But at the same time many come to us with the need to develop a broad set of skills crucial to effective learning that we as experienced educators often take for granted. As a member of CAPC I hope to further the goals of WCU’s strategic plan by participating in the continuing development of a general education curriculum that helps students to develop an interdisciplinary range of learning skills tempered with a sensitivity to and appreciation of diversity. With these skills WCU general education students can become self-directed, active learners capable of high quality academic work which will help them to adapt and compete in a changing job market.


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Erin E. Gestl


Department: Biology

I have been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology since 2007 and have also served the university as a full-time temporary faculty member for another 2 years. I have taught all levels of classes from freshman biology labs to senior and graduate level courses including two courses in the concentration of Molecular Biology that I have developed. Having taught other courses in Molecular Biology, I have gained an understanding of topics being discussed in the other courses and have adjusted my syllabus to minimize the amount of overlap allowing other current topics in the field to be added. I have also been active in the WCU Pedagogy Series which included topics such as “Teaching the Millennials” and “Educational Technology” and have worked on incorporating the concepts into my classroom. I am interested in serving on CAPC in the development of the academic programs and policies which will help shape the future of West Chester University.


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Gabrielle Halko


Department: English

As a faculty member who is invested in developing and sustaining curricular policies that best meet our institutional and student needs, I am interested in serving on CAPC. I have successfully guided new and modified courses through the CAPC process and look forward to becoming involved with CAPC as a means of serving the University.


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Brian Halsey


Department: Marketing

I would like to become more involved at the University level as a representative to CAPC. This is my 12th academic year as a full time professor, and my second at West Chester. During my time at West Chester I have created an MBA course taught via distance education and in accelerated hybrid format (approved by CAPC). I also am Assessment Coordinator for my department, and I serve on various graduate and undergraduate committees with the CPBA and my department.

I have experience from my prior academic career and as an attorney to navigate the ins and outs of policies and procedures and to facilitate consensus among different groups. At my prior college, I worked with diverse groups (faculty, students and administrators) and co-wrote the sabbatical policy for faculty, the Professor Emeritus policy for faculty, the attendance policy for students, the drug and alcohol policy for students, and the grading policy. I also wrote the academic honesty policy for the college.


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Scott Heinerichs


Department: Sports Medicine

It would be an honor to serve as a CAPC representative. I have been at West Chester University for 10 years. I currently serve on the CAPC subcommittee for writing emphasis designation as well as the university wide assessment advisory committee. Within my profession I serve as a site visitor for our discipline's specialized accrediting body. These experiences, as well as my interest in curriculum and academic policy issues, have given me a variety of perspectives and skills that will allow me to be an asset to this committee. I would appreciate your vote. Thank you-


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Christine Karpinski


Department: Health - Nutrition

I have a passionate belief in the iterative process of curriculum development and the value of shared governance, and it would be an honor to serve on CAPC. Although I have taught at WCU since 1999, I have just finished my first year as a tenure-track faculty member – and am finally in a position to be able to serve my department, college and the university more fully. Last year, I had the great opportunity to be a proxy for Dr. Jeff Harris at a CAPC meeting, and I was very impressed with the people and the process. In addition to my enthusiasm, I also have experience in curriculum/program development within the department of Nutrition. I hope to have the opportunity to serve on CAPC – with the ultimate motivator being improving the experience of the students at WCU.


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Scott Parsell


Department: Mathematics

We currently face a number of academic policy challenges that demand thoughtful attention. It is important that CAPC work efficiently with departments to adapt programs to frequently changing external requirements and in response to feedback from the assessment process. CAPC will also play a critical role in the evolution of distance/hybrid education and must carefully consider not only specific course proposals of this type but also general policies and their ramifications. Following ten years of teaching at other institutions, where I was involved in reforming both general education and mathematics degree programs, I’m currently in my third year as an associate professor at West Chester. I have been fortunate to become familiar with our curriculum via academic advising, serving on the department’s undergraduate and graduate committees, and spending the past two years as assessment coordinator. CAPC plays a vital role in maintaining the integrity of our academic programs, and I look forward to bringing a broad range of perspective and experience to this endeavor.


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Kuhio Walters


Department: English

Serving on CAPC is intriguing to me because I want to learn more about the processes involved with submitting new courses and because I am invested in the idea of strengthening and growing our curriculum. Also, I like the idea of working with new colleagues from across the campus. Overall, having worked on several committees at the departmental and college levels, I’ve observed the kind of thoughtfulness and dedication it takes to deal well with maintaining any program, and understand how valuable such service is to all of us. I hope I have the opportunity to bring this same level of commitment to the wider university community.


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