Salcido and Kear will vie for Senate Council president

By DONOVAN HARRELL

Outspoken and long-time participants of Pitt’s shared governance are running for Senate Council officer positions.  

In the Feb. 17 Senate Council meeting, former Senate Council President Frank Wilson revealed the candidates for vice president and Senate Council president.

Former Senate Vice President Robin Kear, a liaison librarian in Research and Educational Support, and current Senate Vice President David Salcido, a research assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine, are vying to be the next Senate Council president.

Three candidates are running for vice president:

  • Kristin Kanthak, associate professor of political science

  • Melanie Scott, associate professor of surgery and director of graduate education for surgery research

  • Geoffrey L. Wood, associate professor of sociology and director of the Center for Applied Research at Pitt-Greensburg

Current Secretary Gosia Fort is the only candidate running for that position.

Wilson said the candidates for these positions are strong and great for the future of the University.

“I would say the Senate will not lose because these folks are all dedicated, have proven their worth and their concern for the University by working through the shared governance process,” Wilson said.

The University Times will publish an article on March 26 that will contain candidate statements and answers to several questions about each candidate’s goals and priorities.

Elections will take place from April 1 to 16 for Senate officer positions. Candidates for vacant and open Faculty Assembly positions are still being assembled, and elections for these and other Senate committees will occur soon afterward.

Senate Council President Chris Bonneau will end his term but still be actively involved in shared governance as the former Senate Council president.

Wilson said the two and a half years Bonneau has served as president have been “one of the most difficult times for the University.”

“Part of what has happened is Chris has become, as the Senate president, involved in much more of the workings of the University than I think he anticipated, that certainly I experienced in my three years,” Wilson said. “I think he’ll be there to add fun, but also wisdom and his institutional knowledge.”

Donovan Harrell is a writer for the University Times. Reach him at dharrell@pitt.edu or 412-383-9905.

 

Have a story idea or news to share? Share it with the University Times.

Follow the University Times on Twitter and Facebook.