Darren Ruddell elected president of the USC Dornsife Faculty Council for 2015-16
Darren M. Ruddell, assistant professor (teaching) of spatial sciences and director of undergraduate studies for the Spatial Sciences Institute, will serve as the president of the Faculty Council for the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences for 2015-2016.
The USC Dornsife Faculty Council (DFC) is the only elected body that represents the interests of the whole of the USC Dornsife faculty. Full-time USC Dornsife faculty members, including tenured, tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty, elect Council officers and members to represent the USC Dornsife faculty on matters of general associated concern. The DFC plays an advisory role to the administration within USC Dornsife, and also an important role in representing USC Dornsife to the University of Southern California as a whole.
The DFC regularly communicates with the Dean of USC Dornsife and with members of her or his senior administration, and it brings forward to the USC Dornsife deans problems and concerns identified by faculty members. “The Council works with the deans in addressing these issues, both as a deliberative body of the whole and through our Council caucuses: Faculty Affairs and Mentoring, Non-Tenure Track Affairs, Curricular Planning and Research,” said Ruddell. “At the level of University-wide faculty governance, we represent the faculty of USC Dornsife in the Academic Senate, and bring USC Dornsife perspectives to the deliberations of that body, as well as directly to the Provost’s office and other university administrators,” added Ruddell.
“We understand that Darren Ruddell is the first non-tenure track faculty member to serve as president of the USC Dornsife Faculty Council, and therefore are very pleased and proud to have a member of the Spatial Sciences Institute faculty serving in this important capacity,” said John P. Wilson, professor of sociology and spatial sciences, and founding director of the USC Spatial Sciences Institute.
Among Ruddell’s goals for his term is to involve faculty who are not representatives on the DFC caucuses in the discussion and consideration of agenda items. Said Ruddell, “I particularly encourage faculty to attend the Council meetings, which are held the first Wednesday of each month from 3-5 p.m. in 321 Ray Irani Hall. All meetings are open to any faculty member. We also are always looking for strong and active contributing members with good ideas about how to strengthen faculty governance within USC Dornsife and work constructively with the Dornsife administration.”
“I’m excited to have this opportunity to further faculty interests, advance USC Dornsife within the University, and improve USC Dornsife for everyone,” said Ruddell.
For more information about getting involved in the USC Dornsife Faculty Council or to bring a matter to the attention of the Faculty Council, please email facultycouncil@dornsife.usc.edu.
