Undergraduate Council chair leaving Truman

Undergraduate Council chair Justin Jarvis announced he was leaving Truman State University at the end of the current academic year. The council is looking to fill his position for the upcoming year.

Jarvis will start teaching at the University of Arizona in August 2019. He spent four years at Truman and one year as the council chair. The term of office for the Undergraduate Council chair is one year, but there is no term limit.

He said the position is a time commitment and involves a lot of work. Jarvis said he has spoken with some people who have shown interest, but no one has come forward wanting to be an official candidate.

He said he is unsure of what will happen if no one steps up to be chair by the time elections arrive at the council’s second May meeting. This meeting will consist of the new 2019-2020 Undergraduate Council members.

Jarvis said he thinks the Undergraduate Council will be different this next year than from when he took office. Jarvis has worked to make both procedural and cultural changes to the council to improve its functioning, and he said he hopes his successor and the council in general adopt the changes.

“The UGC chair role is a very important role at Truman, especially with the curricular changes that have been established and the ones that are yet to come,” Undergraduate Council Secretary DeeDee Moore said.

She said a strong leader is needed in faculty governance to help guide members through the complicated process of curricular forms, bills, resolutions and amendments in order to provide the best curriculum possible for students.