Story by Daniella Tebib
News Editor
dtebib@murraystate.edu
Five faculty members have been nominated to take on the role of faculty regent.
Whoever is elected faculty regent will be responsible for representing faculty members on the Board of Regents.
The candidates competing for the position are Bassam Atieh, Katherine Farmer, Kemaly Parr, Melony Shemberger and Paul Walker.
A candidates’ forum will take place on April 9 at 5 p.m. in the Freed Curd Auditorium to give faculty members a chance to hear from them.
Faculty members can vote in the election via MyGate on April 10 and 11.
Candidates answered the following questions from The News on April 2. Some answers have been lightly edited for clarity.
Why did you choose to run for faculty regent?
Atieh: “With 28 years of being a faculty at Murray State, I have experienced both the highlights and the challenges. In the current economic and political environment, as faculty regent, I will ensure that the faculty have a strong voice and that they will be heard.”
Farmer: “I decided to run for re-election because I do not feel that the job I started almost three years ago is done. When I ran for office the first time, I was the only faculty member who stood up to serve as faculty regent during times of great struggles of budget cuts, low faculty morale and low enrollment. I feel that in the past eight months that the University has finally made a turn toward better times. I would still like to be part of the process of turning the corner toward a better future for the University.”
Parr: “I honestly hadn’t thought too much about this opportunity until I was asked to consider running by a couple of colleagues. While thinking about this option, I realized that it could be an opportunity to represent my colleagues and friends on the Board of Regents. I feel like communication between the faculty ranks and our Board of Regents is very important.”
Shemberger: “When the General Assembly eliminated state tuition waivers for state employees in 2018, I was disheartened with this news because I had just returned to the graduate classroom in spring 2018 to earn a master’s degree in instructional design. I voiced my concerns about this on my Facebook page. Several faculty emailed me with their concerns and questions, and I knew then that our voice needed to be loud on this matter, as well as other topics. Eventually, state waivers were granted for fall 2018 and spring 2019, but the benefit disappears after this semester. Faculty received little to no warning on this. I learned this news from a news report and asked President Jackson, who was able to work with other university presidents in extending the waivers for employees to take classes at other Kentucky public schools. In addition, faculty deserve transparency. Frequent communication is desired. My campaign slogan, if you will, is “Empowering the Faculty Voice,” which I launched on my Facebook page after I filed my petition. This message would act as the core of my service to faculty throughout my three-year term, if elected.”
Walker: “I believe that my experience and accomplishments can best serve our University at this time. I have full confidence in my fellow faculty members including the others running for this position, but I feel that I can be the most effective as regent in representing the faculty in decisions as the board moves our University forward.”
If chosen as faculty regent, how will you meet the needs of the faculty and represent them?
Atieh: “My experience at Murray State has allowed me to meet and work with faculty and administration across campus. I will try to find out what concerns faculty most and take the concerns to the appropriate channels to discuss and create avenues for resolutions.”
Farmer: “If I am chosen to be faculty regent again, I would continue to work to meet the needs of the faculty by remembering to listen first, asking questions to find an understanding of all sides of an issue, and being an advocate for the faculty with the administration and the Board of Regents.”
Parr: “Through my experiences, I have developed a picture of the needs of our faculty, students and region. I understand the educational needs of employers, the challenges of being a faculty member who strives to meet these needs and the students’ perspective who are looking to better themselves. I will carry these needs to the board for consideration as well as maintaining a constant outlet of communication between faculty and the board.”
Shemberger: “Frequent communication with faculty is paramount. First, I would send emails to faculty as soon as I receive the Board of Regents agenda, so that faculty can see what is slated for discussion and/or approval. Second, immediately after Board of Regents meetings, I would send emails to faculty to report to them all the activities and how I voted. Third, I would hold monthly faculty forums leading up to Regents meetings to share with faculty what I know, issues and other topics – and ask them what needs to be brought to the Regents table. Faculty not only want to be heard, but they want someone to fight for them. I am that person to lead the charge.”
Walker: “As faculty regent, I will be accessible, transparent and open to ideas from all faculty members. The priorities of all faculty are my priorities – I will not use the position for my own agenda or ambition. I believe we need to protect and increase our governance role, ensure that we have full academic freedom and have the resources and morale to do the best we can do in teaching, scholarship and service.”
Why do you feel like you would be a good faculty regent?
Atieh: “Murray State is my home and I want to ensure that current and future faculty have the same sentiments. As a faculty member, it is my duty and obligation to support fellow faculty and assist them in having a conducive and productive environment. I will always speak out loud and clearly.”
Farmer: “I feel that I am a good faculty regent because I have a proven track record of: being willing to step up to get the job done, taking the time to listen and research all sides of an issue before making a decision and developing relationships to create the best environment for working toward solutions.”
Parr: “I am a first-generation college student and I fully understand the value and role that faculty play in the development of our students. I will strive to communicate the needs of our faculty to fulfill those roles to the Board of Regents. I am a hard worker and I love Murray State. During my time at Murray State, I have had the chance to teach 11 graduate and 14 undergraduate classes, serve as director of CTE, and have served on over 35 committees at the University, college, regional, state and national level in service to the 18-county region and brought in $222,000 dollars in external funding. I have created Graduate and Undergraduate CTE Certificates in CTE and created and revised curriculum for all CTE programs to meet the needs of community stakeholders and students. I want our faculty to always be proud to work for Murray State and have confidence in our leadership.”
Shemberger: “First, let me say that I am encouraged by the number of faculty who have stepped up to seek the faculty regent seat, and I commend each of them for doing so. Our faculty now have five choices on who to send to the board to represent them. I was proud to see this. Second, my skills as a communicator — a veteran journalist and public relations practitioner — position me well to serve faculty the best. I am not afraid to ask tough questions, I listen, and I report — both to the faculty and to the board, bringing forth what the faculty concerns are. As in public relations, the faculty regent must claim his or her seat at the board table. The faculty regent is not just another regent; this person stands for faculty, plain and simple. Plus, my knowledge and expertise in Kentucky’s sunshine laws will prove useful in these public meetings and gatherings. Third, I have served on the faculty senate since 2014 and was vice president in 2016-17. I have attended meetings faithfully and followed faculty issues, such as COLA increases, with the help of my senator colleagues. I have a solid understanding of these matters because of their expertise. “
Walker: “I’m active in university service, highly productive in my scholarship, and committed to quality teaching. Further, I’ve served in administrative positions, managed budgets, and chaired committees throughout my time at Murray State. I’m on track to be promoted to full professor this summer, reflecting that I’ve established myself in my discipline and at Murray State. I’m known among faculty and staff and will listen intently to the needs of my fellow faculty members so their collective voice is influential with the board. I believe it is important to make communication between the faculty and board easy and effective, so that all faculty have the opportunity to contribute to university governance.”
What would be some of your priorities and goals as faculty regent?
Atieh: “To help create an environment where faculty feel needed and wanted; to make sure that we are competitive when it comes to distribution of assignment and compensation in comparison to other universities and institutions; to assist in advancing Murray State to become a magnet institution for higher education to local and national students.”
Farmer: “My main priorities as faculty regent would be to continue to work toward better faculty salaries and to advocate for better faculty work-life balance as advocated for by the ADVANCE grant.”
Parr: “I feel like in discussions concerning University operations, academics are sometimes overlooked. In times of tough budget constraints, it will be my mission to effectively communicate the needs of faculty for their academic programs to the Board of Regents.”
Shemberger: “Here are some of my immediate priorities and goals as faculty regent that I would bring to the faculty’s table and to the board’s table:
- Communicate frequently with faculty. The more interaction that faculty and I have in discussing issues coming before the board, the more we can accomplish.
- Protect the tuition waiver incentives that Murray State employees now have for themselves and their dependents at Murray State, and seek to improve the tuition waiver program by considering options for professional development and academic credentials for faculty at other Kentucky public institutions.
- Recognize faculty. Our faculty achieve tremendous successes in the classroom and in their scholarly activities. Frankly, they don’t receive enough kudos, and they are the heart of this institution. Without faculty, there would be no University. I want Faculty Recognition Roundups, as I am calling them for now, to be a regular feature at Board of Regents meetings. I also want to seek ways to recognize adjuncts and instructors. They are part of our faculty family, too.
- Work to establish a schedule of consistent COLA increases. The Finance Committee of the Faculty Senate performs a fantastic job in keeping faculty senators informed about these discussions, and I want to elevate this matter to the board level.
- Increase resources for faculty development. With Murray State embarking on an exciting online campus launch, faculty who will teach in online programs must have greater support. Our Faculty Development Center is an enormous treasure. The FDC was the one resource that helped me to establish a solid teaching career. I would be at a loss without it, and I enjoy attending and presenting workshops regularly. For the FDC to play a larger role in the upcoming global campus landscape, it must be given increased priority.”
Walker: “The most important priority is to be accessible and transparent as the faculty’s representative so that faculty’s needs are heard. Specifically, from conversations I’ve had with other faculty, major issues that need to be addressed are the KERS situation, faculty compensation, and salary compression — all of these are affected by the current budget situation and reduced enrollment. I believe faculty can be utilized and compensated for efforts to address these issues, especially if they are respected and provided opportunities by the administration.”
How do you plan to accomplish those goals?
Atieh: “By listening to concerns, being honest and transparent and working hard and through advocacy.”
Farmer: “I plan to accomplish these priorities by working with the Faculty Senate to continue to advocate for salary and work-life balance initiatives with the administration and the Board of Regents.”
Parr: “The key to all our successes is effective communication. As a career educator, I specialize in communication. I intend to request attendance at departmental meetings, college and school functions as well as other venues where faculty will be in attendance and their opinions or concerns may be shared.”
Shemberger: “Frequent communication with faculty is key. Yes, discussions and meetings with administrators and others on the priorities and goals that I mentioned are necessary, but the faculty are my constituency. They are my number one concern, and I must listen to them. I don’t have all the answers; therefore, I must rely on faculty to help me so that I can help them.”
Walker: “I don’t have all the ideas yet, but in addition to working with the faculty senate I will facilitate ways for faculty to share ideas and be active in governance roles. A few things that are on my mind: we need to address the KERS decision; we need to address potential safety issues with new state laws; we need to set up a more effective and fair salary schedule; we need to strengthen our reputation as a quality residential university by prioritizing our academic programs; and we need to make strategic, proactive decisions that will ensure that Murray State succeeds in the short and long term.”