The University of Oregon is looking for volunteers from all ranks and classifications to fill positions on both appointed and elected committees and the University Senate. This week AroundtheO is running profiles of several of the employees who graciously volunteer their time to serve on the University Senate or a committee on campus.

For more information on how to serve the university by volunteering for a position, please see Employees needed for positions as part of the university’s shared governance. The deadline to submit your Committee Service Preferences Survey is Friday, April 25, at noon.

From Lisa Wolverton:

I am a firm believer in the principle of shared governance. And from my time on the Committee on Committees and the Committee on Courses, I’ve learned that it’s the work of 50-odd mundane committees that makes those two words real: whether evaluating courses for inclusion in the UO catalog, revising the student conduct code, reviewing faculty tenure and promotion cases, or advising the administration about issues facing LGBT members of our community.  The list goes on and on – and in every one of these committees, UO faculty and other employees make a difference by devoting their time to solving a problem, large or small, thus framing or implementing many of the policies that make our university run from day to day. You know the old cliche about Congress being comprised of “work horses” and “show horses”?  Shared governance at UO is about the work horses, who quietly serve in many capacities to shape their university. We always, always need more of our colleagues to take their turn. It’s very rewarding to know that shared governance rests on your shoulders.