Faculty Senate Convenes Tenure tracks, gynecology and Global Hubs discussed

By JULIA SENZON Sun Staff Writer

The Cornell Faculty Senate met in Schwartz Auditorium at Rockefeller Hall on Wednesday to discuss three proposed resolutions — standardizing tenure tracks, implementing a permanent M.D. gynecologist and guaranteeing free speech at global partner campuses — which they will vote on via online ballot from Feb. 16 to March 2.

First, Prof. Suzannne Shu ’90 M.Eng. ’92, applied economics and management, who is also dean of faculty and research, discussed harmonizing tenure tracks for faculty within the same areas in the S.C. Johnson College of Business.

Most colleges within Cornell utilize a six-year tenure clock, where tenure is allocated to faculty based on their scholarship, teaching and service during their first five years of work.

In 2012, the Faculty Senate passed a resolution to extend the Johnson Graduate School of Management’s tenure clock to an eight-year period. This move was made based on competitive pressures, with other business schools opting for longer pre-tenure periods.

Last year, the S.C. Johnshon College of Business restructured its tenure process to align faculty under research areas, rather than under their respective schools: the Johnson Graduate School of Management, the Nolan School of Hotel Administration and the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management.

However, Nolan- and Dyson-affiliated staff still see six-year tenure clocks, while their Johnson colleagues see eight-year tenure clocks. According to Shu, this discrepancy has caused recruitment issues.

“We are up against a competitive set that has been moving to longer tenure clocks, anywhere from seven to nine years,” Shu said. “And our candidates we’re bringing in know this — they prefer longer clocks.”

During the meeting, Shu also commented that the majority of current faculty supports a switch to an eightyear clock.

Next, Ariel Johnson grad, a Ph.D. candidate in the school of integrative plant science, who is also the co-founder and current treasurer of Pelvic Pain Association at Cornell, discussed a resolution to implement an M.D. gynecologist at Cornell Health.

According to Johnson, gynecology care on the Cornell Ithaca campus is performed by nurse practitioners with expertise in gynecology.

See SENATE page 3

Running from Feb. 17 to Feb. 20, this year’s GBBC encourages participants from around the globe to birdwatch for at least 15 minutes this weekend. Participants can birdwatch from anywhere — a nearby park, their backyard or simply outside their window — counting and identifying any birds that they see or hear.

“The thing to decide is where you can go and give your best counts when you’re there. Where can you be comfortable and do your best job?” said Chad Witko, senior coordinator at National Audubon Society. “That’s really the best place for you to be.”

For new birders, identifying unfamiliar species may seem daunting. However, GBBC encourages everyone to join in, offering a wealth of information to help get new birders on their feet — from location-based checklists of likely bird sightings to apps that suggest potential species from photos and sound recordings.

“[The GBBC] is one of the best entry-level programs to get people into birding,” said Jody Allair, director of community engagement at Birds Canada. “The data’s great for sure …but really, [the GBBC] is a great excuse to get outside and count and ID things.”

Participants will compile and submit checklists through eBird, an online database managed by the Lab of Ornithology. The database is the world’s largest biodiversity-related citizen science project, collecting worldwide data on bird species, number and location.

To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com