UNF Faculty Association President's Message

Faculty Association	September 3, 1998

PRESIDENT'S REPORT

Chris Rasche,
Faculty Association President
1996-1998

It is difficult to believe, in some ways, that my tenure as your Faculty Association President is coming to an end. The past two years have been alternately exhilarating and exhausting, fleeting and unending.

However, this past year has been filled with what seems like an unusual mix of frustrations and joys. These include such things as: the loss of our University's President in mid-year, but the joy of losing him only as far as the SUS Chancellorship; the frustration of engaging in an exhausting Presidential search which was ultimately aborted, and the frustration of starting all over again this summer; the joy of receiving approval and funding for a long-overdue UNF Faculty Center, but the challenge of trying to define the specifics of that Center; the joy of receiving funding for two new faculty achievement awards, but the frustration of realizing that there are more deserving faculty than there are awards to give, even now; and the frustration of having more to do than a faculty member on a one-course release and a full-time Executive Secretary can manage most of the time, but the joy of realizing that the Faculty Association is a real partner in governance on this campus. Thus it is that I come to the end of my tenure in this position with a mixture of relief and regret.

I believe that I and my fellow officers are leaving the Faculty Association to our successors in good condition. Our budget for the upcoming 1998-99 Academic Year was approved at an all-time high level, with special funding for new initiatives such as a Faculty Association Webpage. Our committees have accomplished a lot this past year, as the attached Legislative Calendar for 1997-98 indicates. There are only a few Legislative Items from this past year still pending at the Administration's level, and those are well on their way to resolution. There are some new issues which have arisen over the summer, of course, and these will be sent to Faculty Association committees this fall. There are also other issues, such as the revision of our Bylaws, which were partially handled this past year and will hopefully be brought to closure this fall. And last, but absolutely not least of all these considerations, we have enjoyed a collegial working relationship with key members of the Administration, which I trust our successors will continue to enjoy and foster.

The successes of this past year belong to all the officers and committee chairpersons who provided leadership to your Association. Happily, your new officers for 1998-2000 are experienced and wise faculty leaders in whom you can place great trust and confidence. It has been a honor to serve as your President, but I happily pass the gavel to Steve Shapiro and encourage you to give him and the other officers all the support, patience and cooperation you have given me for the last two years.

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