I am Donna Forsyth Wilt, Associate Professor of Aeronautical Science, School of Aeronautics. I am serving as Faculty Senate President for 1999-2000. Those of us who view Faculty Senates as having a vital role in campus life do so because we cherish values of academic freedom, shared governance, due process, fairness, and teamwork.
Academic freedom is the concept which helps universities become honest brokers of knowledge.
The idea of shared governance derives from the notion that only free scholars who have a role in the shaping of policy and curriculum have real academic freedom. A university's foundation is its faculty. Therein lies the commitment to the learning process of higher education and a source of constructive progress upon which universities can build and prosper. At Florida Tech, as is true in other universities, the interests of students, administrators, and staff are best served when the faculty brings its special talents to bear through cooperative participation in the overall policy formulation of the university. Opportunities for shared governance will arise during this year and the Faculty Senate intends to pursue an active role in formulating and revising University policies.