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:

Mahmoud Amer
Francis Atuahene
Susan Johnston
Rodney Mader
Jackie Owens
Adam Rainear
Simon Ruchti

Nominations close Mar 1, 2024.
All Regular Faculty may be nominated.

Rules for the Election

    • Currently, At-large seats are held by faculty in the departments of Anthropology and Sociology, Biology, English, and Languages and Cultures.
    • Each department can have at most three 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, if that candidates department reaches the 3 representatives limit, any remaining candidates from the same department will be disqualified. Votes cast for disqualified candidates, as just defined, will not be considered in filling remaining vacant seats.
    • Each ballot submitted counts as a cast vote.
    • Members elected to at-large seats cannot be nominated for department 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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Mahmoud Amer


Department: Languages and Cultures

Dear colleagues: I would appreciate your support to allow me to continue serving CAPC. I have been very fortunate to serve CAPC for the last 7 years, mostly as a member of UGPC and the Culture Cluster Committee. Since I joined WCU in 2011, I have created a minor in Arabic, and successfully facilitated the creation of a Chinese and Japanese Minors. Outside of my department, I collaborated with colleagues in English and History to create the Digital Humanities Minor. I have also created several new courses during my time at WCU, and I have come to appreciate the incredible intellectual capital faculty have at WCU. Some of the most rewarding experiences I have been part of include working with colleagues across several departments to identify through coursework opportunities for our students to take advantage of what we have at WCU (e.g., The Global Awareness Pathway Certificate). During my term as Chairperson of Languages and Cultures, we passionately made the case that our students benefit from double-majoring, minoring, and taking advantage of the diverse curricula at WCU. I will continue to be an advocate to support new ideas and new programs, especially certificates that can benefit both traditional and non-traditional students. Thank you!


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Francis Atuahene


Department: Public Policy and Administration

Dear Esteemed Colleagues, I respectfully ask for your support and vote to continue serving our University's Curriculum and Academic Policy Council (CAPC). I have been honored to serve this august body for over a decade. During this period, I have served on many committees - including the Undergraduate Policies Committee (UPC), Undergraduate Programs Committee (UGPC), Restrictive Entrance Committee, CAPC Executive Committee, Chair of CAPC, and CAPC Recording Secretary. Serving in these various leadership capacities has helped me learn and gain experience in supporting our faculty and students. Also, having worked in different colleges and in multiple roles in the university as a teaching professional who supports our students, staff, and faculty, I always come to this body with a different lens when looking at our curriculum and policies. My goal is to support and maintain the integrity of WCU's diverse academic curriculum while ensuring that student voices are also heard in our decision-making process. It will be an honor to continue this service, and for that, I ask for your support and vote.

Thank you Francis Atuahene


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Susan Johnston


Department: Anthropology & Sociology

Colleagues: I would be most grateful for your support to continue my CAPC service. I have been an elected member since 2009 and am currently serving as the CAPC Chair. I have also served as Vice Chair, Secretary, founding Chair of the Academic Review Committee, and Faculty Co-chair of UGPC. Being involved with CAPC has been a rewarding experience for me, and I would very much like to continue to represent the faculty on this important body. My interest in and experience with curriculum development and review run deep, spanning my academic career at WCU, where I have served on my department’s curriculum committee, as department chair, and as an interim associate dean whose duties included review of curriculum proposals as they made their way through the approval process. I believe I can continue to contribute in a meaningful way to ensuring an effective and central role for faculty in creating and maintaining quality curricula. Thank you.


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Rodney Mader


Department: English

Dear Colleagues,

I would very much appreciate your vote for an At-Large seat so that I may continue to serve on CAPC. I have been fortunate to sit on various CAPC committees including Gen Ed, Academic Review, Policies, and CAPC Exec. I find this work to be intellectually stimulating and often even fun. More importantly, I believe that faculty oversight of the curriculum is essential for the health of our institution and for the success of our students. Thank you for your consideration.


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Jackie Owens


Department: Nursing

In the Department of Nursing, I serve on the curriculum committee and am the graduate coordinator for the MSN and DNP programs. Through these opportunities, I have had extensive experience creating, reviewing, and submitting course, program, and policy proposals. I would like to serve on the other side as a CAPC at large representative. Should I be elected, my interest in curriculum development, along with my responsiveness and organization skills, can enhance my collaboration with fellow colleagues at CAPC.Thank you for your consideration.


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Adam Rainear


Department: Communication and Media

Colleagues -

I write to ask for your support and vote to serve on CAPC as an at-large member. Since joining WCU 5 years ago, I have served in a variety of curricular roles. Most recently, I have served in the capacity of Co-Chair for the Department of Communication and Media curriculum committee, reviewing department curriculum proposals and providing assistance to faculty in CIM submission and idea generation. Additionally, I presently serve on the First Year Experience Review Task Force, helping to ensure our First Year Experience course sets students up to ultimately become successful college graduates.

I have a strong interest in ensuring our general education is designed in a manner which serves our students the way a liberal arts education should: grounding our students in the ability to problem solve, think logically and broadly, and offer up solutions for future problems. Today's interdisciplinary college experience requires students be apt at leveraging skills across a variety of departments, programs, and colleges to be most successful in their career. I believe I can continue to help push WCU's general education and curriculum forward with this in mind.

Thank you!

Adam Rainear


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Simon Ruchti


Department: Philosophy

I would like the opportunity to serve on CAPC. I have been active in CAPC service throughout my time at WCU and recently took on the role of Director of the Interdisciplinary Gen Ed requirement. I stepped back from running for CAPC rep. positions years ago, however, after I realized I was falling into the trap of finding fault in proposals to prove I was reading them carefully. I did not like the colleague I was becoming, creating work for work's sake. I now want to return to CAPC to help put an end to that kind of unnecessary labor. My guiding principle on CAPC will be: If it actually helps students learn, then it is important.


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