The University of Maryland Senate chose Pamela Lanford to be its new chair-elect at Wednesday’s meeting.
Lanford will spend the next year as chair-elect under chair Christopher Walsh.
The previous chair-elect, Walsh will move up to take over for Daniel Falvey, who has completed his year-long term as the senate chair. Next year, Lanford will take over as chair.
Lanford said she looks forward to working with the senate officers, such as executive secretary and director Reka Montfort, and learning from Falvey and Walsh.
“I’ve always said I like committees,” said Lanford, the director of animal research support and management at this university. “I’m good at policy, I’m good at synthesizing things. It’s probably one of my biggest strengths. I’ve got a lot to learn in the next year or so, but I know I’m going to have a lot of fantastic guidance.”
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Lanford has served on the Committee on Committees and the Senate Executive Committee. She hopes to communicate more with committee members, especially undergraduate and graduate students, as she has worked with very few, she said.
As chair-elect, Lanford will attend senate meetings, Executive Committee meetings and meetings with the chair of each committee. She’ll spend most of the year learning about the role of the chair and shadowing Walsh, who will direct the senate by making sure committees are working well.
Walsh and Falvey will also attend these meetings. As past chair, Falvey will work to help Walsh and Lanford for the next year as they take on their new roles.
Walsh, a plant science and landscape architecture professor, has worked on the campus for the past 38 years. He worked on the senate in the early 1990s, and in 2015 he rejoined the body.
“I think that all of the committee work does take time,” Walsh said. “It takes a lot of time, and it takes commitment. It takes passion for making sure that it’s done and it’s done right.”
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Falvey, a chemistry and biochemistry professor, was given a plaque with a gavel for his leadership in shared governance by senate officers Montfort, Walsh and parliamentarian Vin Novara on behalf of the body.
“I really appreciate all the hard work everyone on the senate has done,” Falvey said. “You learn a lot about the university when you serve on the senate, and I would recommend it to anybody.”
The Senate also elected 13 members to the Executive Committee, six to the Committee on Committees, three to the University Athletic Council, three to the Council of University System Faculty and four members to the Campus Transportation Advisory Committee. The elected members are expected to be announced by tomorrow, according to Sarah Hughes, the senate’s senior coordinator.
