Introduction

  • This election is for Special Election for Faculty Representative to Presidential Search Committee. The rules for this election are listed below.
  • The nominees for the Special Election for Faculty Representative to Presidential Search Committee 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 Special Election for Faculty Representative to Presidential Search Committee are:

Kevin Flynn
John Helion
Seth Kahn
Sandra Kerr
Brent Thompson

Nominations close Feb 18, 2016.
All Regular Faculty may be nominated.

Rules for the Election

    • The purpose of this election is to fill a faculty representative seat on the Presidential Search Committee and appoint an alternate who will serve if that representative is no longer able to serve.
    • Only Tenured Faculty Members may be nominated for this seat.
    • All Regular Faculty will be able to vote in this election.
    • The election will be decided by a plurality of votes cast. The nominee with the highest vote count will be seated on the committee. The nominee with the second highest vote count will be the alternate.
    • The term will begin when the results of the election are published. Actual meeting dates of the committee will be announced once all members of the committee have been determined.
    • A statement of interests and qualifications is required with nomination.
    • Balloting will begin for this election within 24 hours of the close of the nomination period.

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Kevin Flynn


Department: Accounting

It would be an honor to represent the faculty on the Presidential Search Committee. I like the niche that we have carved in the academic community of being a teaching school, and I will do my best to ensure that the next president will continue to lead us in this direction. Thank you.


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John Helion


Department: Kinesiology

I have been at WCU for 25 years. In this time, I have worked in both faculty and administrative positions. I have worked during the tenures of three different Presidents and one interim President. I served as the Co-chair for the Associate Provost position that resulted I the hiring of Darla Coffey and also served on the search committee for the selection of the Dean for the College of Health Sciences as well as a number of faculty positions. West Chester University has been an important part of my professional life. It is a wonderful institution that performs the important role of educating the future leaders of our society quite well. Who takes over as leader of the institution is important to me. I believe that my time at the university and my knowledge of its workings put me in a position to be a positive asset in this search.


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Seth Kahn


Department: English

I've been a WCU faculty member for fourteen years and have served APSCUF in a variety of positions: department rep, state delegate, grievance chair, mobilization chair, at-large executive committee member. I also served as the APSCUF rep on two management searches (Social Equity Director and Associate Provost), during which I learned a lot about how to work effectively on the large, complex committees like this one will be. That experience positions me well to represent the faculty. I'd be honored to be elected to the committee.

If you follow the national news regarding presidencies at US colleges and universities, you know that there's an alarming tendency to hire leadership with little or no knowledge of or experience with higher education, leaders who then make anti-faculty and anti-student decisions because they have no idea what they're doing. My very top priority as a member of this committee would be to work against that pattern, to do anything I can to make sure we hire a president who understands how universities work; what faculty actually do; and the kinds of support faculty, students and staff need. We need a leader who genuinely cares about higher education and our institution.


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Sandra Kerr


Department: Psychology

Dr. Kerr is former chairperson of the Department of Psychology and she served as CAS Interim Associate Dean from 2007 - 2010 and as CAS Faculty Associate for Data Analysis and Scheduling from 2010 - 2012. She was a member of the Academic Year Model Task Force, the Fiscal Subcommittee of the Strategic Planning Committee, interim chairperson in two departments, and is currently a member of TeP. The rise in enrollments and the increase in class size, numbers of advisees, and heavy service commitments we as faculty juggle on a daily basis, make it imperative that the needs of faculty and the students we serve are represented on the presidential search committee. As a result of her varied experiences on campus, she brings an appreciation for the many challenges faculty in both large and small departments face and she is committed to representing multiple campus constituencies as part of the Presidential Search Committee.


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Brent Thompson


Department: Nursing

I am asking for your vote to represent the faculty on the Presidential Search Committee. I have been a department representative on APSCUF since 2009, and I also have experience on our College Dean Search Committee. My 15 years experience as a WCU faculty member serving on several University committees has also taught me about the diverse needs among our faculty. I have always been a strong advocate for faculty at the Department, College, and University levels. On the Search Committee I will focus on how the Presidential candidates will support faculty at all ranks, and in all disciplines. I believe I am a candidate who has the experience, empathy, and assertiveness to strongly represent the needs of the WCU Faculty. Thank you for your support.


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Created and copyrighted by Clifford Johnston, 2000-12