Introduction

  • This election is for Faculty Senate College of the Sciences and Mathematics Representatives. The rules for this election are listed below.
  • The nominees for the Faculty Senate College of the Sciences and Mathematics Representatives 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 Faculty Senate College of the Sciences and Mathematics Representatives are:

Premalatha Junius
Thomas Kwiatkowski
Julie Wiest

Nominations close Mar 8, 2024.
Regular Faculty in the College of the Sciences and Mathematics may be nominated.

Rules for the Election

  • The election is decided by a plurality of those casting votes.
  • Faculty may be nominated as both a school, college, or non-classroom faculty representative and as an at-large representative; however, candidates elected as a school, college, or non-classroom faculty representative will be removed from the list of nominees for the election of at-large representatives.
  • Each candidate selected counts as a cast vote.

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Premalatha Junius


Department: Mathematics

It has been a privilege to serve on Faculty Senate for several years and most recently as an at large member. I have learned much from my colleagues, especially from those on the Research and Creative Activity Committee that I was a part of. In the new term, I hope to continue to serve in more areas of our University that Senate contributes to. So far I have helped in only two areas.


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Thomas Kwiatkowski


Department: Chemistry

I recently joined WCU in the fall of 2022 after completing a Visiting Assistant Professor position in Biochemistry at Illinois Wesleyan University. As I continue to navigate the WCU community, I have learned the importance and value of faculty representation in policymaking at the university level and how those policies directly impact our current and future students. Graduating from a state university in New York in 2015, I have a strong connection to and passion for public higher education and appreciate the importance of shared governance between faculty and administration in shaping our students' college experience. Although my current affiliation with the faculty senate has been as an observer, if elected, I will take the representative role very seriously to actively advocate for all CSM departments and push for more transparency and collaboration from the administration.

Within the past year, I have strived to be very active in the teaching, research, and service of WCU and understand the direction the university is heading. In teaching, I am part of the faculty learning community, with the initiative to increase student engagement and success. For research, I completed the DREAM program, advised SURI research students, and, through a multi-department collaborative project, submitted an R15 NIH proposal as a Co-PI. For service, I am part of several department and college-level committees, including the future chair of the CSM Outstanding Student Award Committee.

I am very optimistic and proud of the direction our college and WCU are moving in, but I see that improvements can be made in increasing interdepartmental communication, justifying class size ratios, and conducting transparent evaluations of current programs geared toward student support. It is also important that the shared governance includes new faculty who are greatly impacted by the long-term subsequent policy decisions that happen at the higher level. Thank you for your consideration.


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Julie Wiest


Department: Anthropology & Sociology

Now nearing the end of my third term as a senator (and second as a CSM rep), I would be honored to have the opportunity to continue serving my colleagues and the campus community in this capacity. The Faculty Senate is an important part of the shared-governance structure on campus, and I take my role as a senator seriously.

I have served as a member of the Senate Executive Committee for six years, including one year as an at-large member, two as Senate Vice President, two as Senate President, and currently as Senate Past-President. My current role on Exec focuses on providing support and continuity between outgoing and new Senate administrations, as well as acting as an adviser to the Senate President and Executive Committee on matters of Senate procedure, practice, and history. In this capacity, I also serve (along with the Senate President) on the university-wide Shared Governance Council, which meets regularly with leaders in Academic Affairs and also includes representatives from APSCUF, CAPC, Council of Chairs, and the Graduate School Council.

During my time as a senator, I have served on and/or chaired every Senate standing committee, as well as represented Senate on multiple university-level ad hoc committees, including the recently concluded CSM Dean search committee and the ongoing Facilities Master Plan Steering Committee. I have worked hard to fulfill the purposes of Senate and to represent CSM well within this body, and I hope to continue contributing to university-wide shared governance and promoting a positive campus climate if re-elected. Thank you for considering my nomination for another term on Faculty Senate.


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Created and copyrighted by Clifford Johnston, 2000-12