Introduction

  • This election is for Tenure and Promotion Committee College of the Sciences and Mathematics Representative. The rules for this election are listed below.
  • The nominees for the Tenure and Promotion Committee College of the Sciences and Mathematics 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 Tenure and Promotion Committee College of the Sciences and Mathematics Representative are:

Md Amiruzzaman
Kristen Breit
Richard Burns
Constantinos Pistos
Jessica Sowa

Nominations close Sep 18, 2026.
Tenured Faculty in the College of the Sciences and Mathematics may be nominated.

Rules for the Election

    • This is a special election to fill a one year vacancy caused by a resignation.
    • Faculty from the Department of Earth and Space Sciences may not be nominated for this election since that department has continuing representation on the committee.
    • Each Department and each School within a College can have at most one representative on the university wide Tenure and Promotion Committee.
    • Membership on the committee is restricted to the following structure: 2 faculty representatives from each of the five academic Colleges and 1 faculty representative from the non-classroom faculty.
    • The election is decided by a majority of those casting votes unless such results violate the previous rules 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.
    • Each candidate selected counts as a cast vote.

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Md Amiruzzaman


Department: Computer Science

I am interested in serving as the College of Sciences and Mathematics representative on the Tenure and Promotion Committee. Having chaired and currently serving on my department’s Evaluation Committee, I bring direct experience evaluating faculty accomplishments in teaching, scholarship, and service against departmental and university standards. My administrative experience as former Graduate Coordinator and Assistant Department Chair has further deepened my understanding of university policy, contract compliance, and faculty support.

While my primary academic home is Computer Science, my professional background extends well beyond a single discipline. I routinely collaborate with colleagues from other departments on joint research and university service, and I have taught courses outside of Computer Science as well. This firsthand, cross-disciplinary experience equips me to meaningfully evaluate, contextualize, and appreciate the diverse forms of scholarship and pedagogy across our college and university.

If elected, I will bring fairness, an equitable perspective, and a firm commitment to a thoughtful and transparent tenure and promotion process. I would be honored to represent CSM on this committee and sincerely appreciate your vote and support.


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Kristen Breit


Department: Psychology

My recent, positive experience going through the Tenure and Promotion process at WCU greatly encouraged me to run for this University TeP CSM Representative position. In serving on this committee, I hope to support and learn more about other faculty pursuing this incredible milestone. Moreover, I hope to support our university by recognizing the accomplishments of our educators and solidifying their place here at WCU. I have extensive experience serving as a CSM/PSY representative on several multi-college/department member committees at WCU, such as my current roles as the IACUC Chair, CAPC Gen Ed Distributive Chair, and CAPC Gen Ed Pathways Director. In these roles, I have been grateful to work closely with my colleagues and provide my perspective with the greater goal of advancing the university as a whole. I also currently serve as a faculty mentor and have previously served as co-chair for the Psychology department's Diversity Science search, which have given me opportunities to support our incoming faculty at their starting points. I would be honored to serve as the CSM Representative for the University TeP committee, further expand my service experience, and continue to support our faculty and university in a new way.


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Richard Burns


Department: Computer Science

I am a full professor at WCU in my 15th year, and have gone through the promotion process twice. I have served as Department Chairperson of Computer Science for two terms (2020-23 and 2023-26). As chairperson, I have overseen the regular evaluations for probationary faculty and the TeP applications for both junior and senior faculty. I think I have a good understanding of our contract, local policy, and culture with respect to evaluations. Proper evaluations and the mentorship of our faculty peers is some of our most important work that we do. I would be honored for your support.


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Constantinos Pistos


Department: Chemistry

I am seeking your vote to represent the College of Sciences and Mathematics (CSM) on the WCU Tenure and Promotion Committee (TeP). As a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry, I am dedicated to ensuring a fair, objective, and transparent evaluation process that rigorously honors the WCU Teacher-Scholar Model and protects faculty rights under our CBA. My background in peer review, institutional and external evaluation prepares me to serve effectively from day one. At the department level, I have served numerous times as chair or member of the Departmental Evaluation Committee, directly interpreting tenure and promotion criteria and guiding colleagues through the tenure track. I have also served on faculty search committees and as one of the department representatives on the WCU APSCUF DRC. Beyond my department, I actively contribute to university service as a current member of the Self-Study Sub-Committee (Standard V) for the upcoming MSCHE on-site visit, and as one of APSCUF’s representatives on the University Safety Committee. If elected, I commit to reviewing every dossier with deep respect, complete confidentiality, and meticulous attention to equity. I would be privileged to represent our college and support the professional advancement of our faculty. I kindly ask for your vote.


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Jessica Sowa


Department: Biology

Tenure and promotion decisions are one of the most consequential ways that we as faculty shape the future of WCU. I believe that I can bring to this position the perspective of having relatively recently (2024) gone through the tenure and promotion process myself, together with a substantive amount of experience on faculty evaluation committees. I served for three years on the Biology department advisory committee, which conducts our department's evaluations for pre-tenure faculty, 5 year evaluations, and tenure/promotions. I also previously served seven years on the university academic recognition committee, and have co-chaired two tenure track faculty searches for Biology. In each of these roles I enjoyed the opportunity to learn about the accomplishments of my colleagues and to support them by recognizing their achievements, and I would be excited to expand my service in this area by serving as the CSM representative on TeP.


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