Faculty Senate Officers and Executive Council

The Faculty Senate is presided over by an elected President and Vice President. The Executive Council oversees the implementation of the authority granted to the Senate and sets the agenda for Faculty Senate meetings. Duties of the Executive Council are outlined in the Faculty Senate Constitution and Bylaws

Faculty Senate President

Body
Abigail McGowan

Abigail McGowan, Professor of History

Term: President-Elect through June 30, 2025. Assumes role of Faculty Senate President on July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2027.

Faculty Senate Vice President

Body
Amy Trubek

Amy Trubek, Professor of Nutrition and Food Sciences

Term: July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2027

Immediate Past-President

Body
Thomas Borchert

Thomas Borchert, Professor of Religion

Term: Immediate Past-President July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026. Faculty Senate President July 1, 2021-June 30, 2023, and July 1, 2023-June30, 2025

Executive Council

Body

The Executive Council consists of the following voting members:

  • The President
  • President-Elect
  • Immediate Past President
  • Vice President
  • The chairs of the eight standing committees
  • Four members-at-large elected in March by the Senate from among the Elected Senators

Members of the Executive Council - Chairs of the Standing Committees

Jen Prue

Jennifer Prue

Senior Lecturer of Secondary Education • Program Coordinator, Secondary Education

Jennifer.Prue@uvm.edu
Helen Read

Helen Read

Senior Lecturer, Department of Mathematics and Statistics • Vice Chairperson

helen.read@uvm.edu
Bikki Tran Smith

Bikki Tran Smith, Ph.D., M.A.

Assistant Professor

bikki.smith@med.uvm.edu

Guillermo Rodríguez

Program Director • Associate Professor of Linguistics

guillermo.rodriguez@uvm.edu

Stephen Everse, PhD

Associate Professor

Stephen.Everse@uvm.edu

Kathleen Scollins

Program Director and Associate Professor of Russian

Kathleen.Scollins@uvm.edu

At-Large Members of the Executive Council: Term 2024-2026

Colby Kervick

Colby Kervick

Associate Professor of Special Education

Colby.Kervick@uvm.edu
Brian Beckage smiling at the camera

Brian Beckage

Professor • Gund Institute for Environment Faculty Fellow

Brian.Beckage@uvm.edu

At-Large Members of the Executive Council: Term 2025 - 2027

Ken Allen

Kenneth Allen, Ed.D., M.B.A.

Senior Lecturer

Kenneth.Allen@uvm.edu

Julia Perdrial

Associate Professor of Geochemistry • Director of Geosciences

Julia.Perdrial@uvm.edu

Executive Council Meeting Schedule

AY 2025-2026 Meeting Schedule

Body

The Senate Executive Council meetings are held the second Monday of each month from 4:00 - 5:30 PM on Teams

List of 2025 - 2026 Meeting Dates

  • August 18, 2025*
  • September 8, 2025
  • October 13, 2025
  • November 10, 2025
  • December 8, 2025
  • January 12, 2026
  • February 9, 2026
  • March 16, 2026*
  • April 13, 2026
  • May 4, 2026

The August and March meetings will be held on the 3rd Monday this AY

The Duties of the Executive Council

Body

As outlined in the Faculty Senate Constitution and Bylaws, Section 8. Executive Council

8.1  Membership. The Executive Council shall consist of the following voting members:

  1. The President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, and Vice President of the Faculty Senate.
  2. The chairs of the standing committees.
  3. Four members-at-large elected in March by the Senate from among the Elected Senators. The members-at-large will serve two-year terms beginning on July 1. A member-at-large ceasing to be an Elected Senator shall be replaced by another Elected Senator. A special election will be held if needed. Terms shall be staggered so that approximately half of the members-at-large are elected each year. No more than two of the members-at-large may be from the same academic unit.

8.2  Duties. The Executive Council shall perform the following duties:

  1. The Executive Council (EC) shall be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the authority granted to the Senate as outlined under Articles 1.1 through 1.6.  Members of the Executive Council shall act in the interest of the Faculty Senate as a whole and of the University of Vermont.
  2. The EC shall set the agenda for meetings of the Faculty Senate and shall be responsible generally for administration of the Senate.
  3. The EC shall monitor the activities of Senate committees, establishing committee priorities where necessary to ensure that committee responsibilities are discharged in a timely fashion.
  4. The EC shall serve to receive requests from the administration, the faculty, student bodies, etc. and direct those requests to the appropriate Senate body to ensure prompt and effective resolution of matters within its jurisdiction.
  5. The EC shall consider University policies and priorities, including budgetary implications and make appropriate recommendations to the Faculty Senate and the administration in these matters.
  6. The EC shall arrange for updates regarding University finances to be presented to the Faculty Senate as frequently as necessary, at least annually.
  7. The EC shall maintain a close liaison to ensure appropriate communication between the Faculty Senate and the union representing members of the faculty.
  8. The EC shall be responsible for periodic and regular review of the items in University governance documents, such as the University Manual, within its areas of jurisdiction, making recommendations for revisions as necessary. As appropriate, the Executive Council may refer items to the standing committees as part of this work.


8.3  Ratification of Action. The Executive Council shall decide whether matters under its consideration require the attention of the full Senate, or only require action by the Executive Council. In the latter case, the Senate shall be fully informed of the actions of the Executive Council. The Senate, upon receiving such a report, may by majority vote, decide to take the matter to the full Senate for further consideration.


8.4  Officers. The President of the Faculty Senate shall serve as Chair of the Executive Council. In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall serve.


8.5  Meetings. The Executive Council shall meet prior to each scheduled Faculty Senate meeting and at least once a month throughout the academic year. In addition to the regularly scheduled meetings, the Executive Council must also meet upon written petition of four of its members. At the discretion of the Senate President, the Executive Council may meet morefrequently if needed.

Recent Approved Minutes and Agendas

Body

Visit the Executive Council SharePoint to access recent approved minutes and agendas (UVM login required)