Faculty Senate

The Wentworth Faculty Senate is a representative body whose purpose is to maintain and improve the quality of the Institute’s teaching and learning environment. Launched in 1992, the Faculty Senate serves to promote shared governance as a means to elevate the quality of learning and influence decision-making processes at WIT. You’ll find several resources to acclimate you to the history of the Senate, organizational structures, and ongoing business.
Meetings
The Senate meets on the first Tuesday of every month from 3:30 - 5 PM. Meetings are open to all faculty regardless of status or rank. If the first Tuesday of the month conflicts with a School holiday, a new date will be set and communicated here. Please see our meeting Schedule for the Fall of 2022 and Spring 2023.
Fall 2022 Meeting Dates, Times & Location
September | 3:30 - 5 PM | CEIS 300 or Zoom |
October | 3:30 - 5 PM | CEIS 300 or Zoom |
November | 3:30 - 5 PM | CEIS 300 or Zoom |
December | 3:30 - 5 PM | CEIS 300 or Zoom |
Spring 2023 Meeting Dates, Times & Location
January | Faculty Days | Designated by Provost's Office |
February | 3:30 - 5 PM | CEIS 300 or Zoom |
March | 3:30 - 5 PM | CEIS 300 or Zoom |
April | 3:30 - 5 PM | CEIS 300 or Zoom |
History of the Faculty Senate
Faculty governance has a long history at Wentworth and initially existed as a “Faculty Assembly”. In this structure, all faculty participated as members of the Faculty Assembly and could contribute to discussions related to shared governance and institutional well-being. As the number of faculty grew, however, it became increasingly difficult to efficiently conduct business. As a result, the Faculty Assembly dissolved in 1988.
It soon became clear, however, that a faculty governance structure needed to be in place to promote shared governance and accreditation. Thus, in the Fall of 1991, the Institute’s full professors convened to discuss possible faculty governance structures that would contribute to shared governance at Wentworth. The result of this collaboration was the establishment of the Wentworth Faculty Senate which held initial elections in the Spring of 1992 and met for the first time on September 8, 1992. Some of the first actions by the Faculty Senate were to develop a committee structure that aligned with the committees of the Academic Council (a cross-functional committee of the whole composed of administrators, departments heads, academic directors, committee chairs, and the Senate Chair) and provide recommendations to support academic reorganization from three Colleges to five Schools. During these deliberations, the Senate settled on six committees and made recommendations that altered the proposed reorganization from five Schools to seven Departments. Since then, the Faculty Senate (and its committees) has worked on behalf of the faculty to promote shared governance and strengthen the faculty voice at Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Previous Chairs
1992 – William Westwood
1997 – Charles Cimino
1998 – Jon Ripley
2002 – Michael Greene
2004 – Peter Rourke
2006 – Tom Lesko
2010 – Joe Santacroce
2014 – Beth-Ann Cooke Cornell
2018 – Emma Smith Zbarsky
2021 – David Lemar Simpson
Current Officers
Chair

David Simpson, School of Engineering
Vice-Chair

Magdy Ellabidy, School of Computer and Data Science
Secretary

Cynthia Williams, School of Science and Humanities
Members-At-Large

Payam Bakhshi, School of Management

Sylvia Masters, School of Architecture and Design
Current Senators
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School of Architecture and Design
Sylvia Masters (Interior Design)
Carlos Villamil (Industrial Design)
Robert Trumbour (Architecture)
Jennifer Lee Michaliszyn (Architecture)
Ann Pitt (Architecture) -
School of Computing and Data Science
Jones Yu (Computer Science)
Rachel Maitra (Applied Math)
Mel Henriksen (Applied Math)
Leon Deligiannidis (Computer Science)
Magdy Ellabidy (Computer Science) -
School of Engineering
Hadi Kazemiroodsari (Civil Engineering)
Uri Feldman (Biomedical Engineering)
David L. Simpson (Biological Engineering)
Wayne Bynoe (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
Jim McCusker (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
Ted Greene (Mechanical Engineering)
Abhishek Kumar (Mechanical Engineering) -
School of Management
Monica Snow (Construction Management)
Hossein Noorian (Management)
Payam Bakhshi (Construction Management) -
School of Sciences and Humanities
Cynthia Williams (Humanities and Social Sciences)
Jody Gordon (Humanities and Social Sciences)
Keith Zengel (Sciences)
Mike Tylinski (Sciences)
Senate Committees
Senate committees represent the working bodies that allow the Senate to make informed recommendations to the teaching and learning landscape at WIT. Each committee serves a specific purpose in promoting shared governance and elevating faculty voice. To learn more about the purpose of each Committee (and contact information for Committee Chairs) please see below.
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Academic Instruction
The Academic Instruction Committee’s mission is to act as a conduit of faculty voices regarding all areas of academic instruction support at WIT. This includes, but is not limited to, facilities, equipment, technology, training, and other support related to academic instruction. The committee will seek to foster communication among faculty and staff regarding these aspects of academic instruction and make recommendations and proposals to the Senate in any matter impacting these areas.
Co-chairs: Mami Wentworth and Mel Henriksen
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Academic Policy
The Academic Policy Committee’s mission includes the creation, revision, improvement, and/or oversight of policies regarding any academic interactions at WIT.
Co-chairs: Haifa El-Said and Memo Ergezer
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Enrollment and Admissions
understand how the university’s strategic goals are translated into admissions policies, practices, and priorities. Similarly, the committee serves as a resource and point of interface with the faculty, including faculty governance, academic leadership and the schools regarding enrollment trends, the competitive landscape, as well as the desired composition of the student body. It will also provide an avenue for feedback regarding the relative success of Admissions criteria in cultivating a student body that is prepared for success in their chosen courses of study. The committee provides recommendations to other decision-makers across campus in support of enrollment goals and student success.
Chair: Faith Litchock-Morellato
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Faculty Affairs
The Faculty Affairs Committee’s mission is to examine initiatives as they relate to Faculty Affairs, providing context, resources, and recommendations to ensure the continued success of students and faculty.
Chair: David Simpson (interim)
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Institute Curriculum Committee
The ICC ensures that all Institute courses and curricula meet the academic standards of the Institute, fit within the Institute’s mission, and fulfill accreditation and legal requirements. The ICC sets all Institute-wide policies related to courses and curricula and enforces those policies through faculty review of new, revised, and existing courses and curricula.
Co-chairs: Ted Rooney and Afshin Pourmokhtarian
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New Programs
The New Programs committee is charged with making recommendations on the implementation of new programs to the Faculty Senate and Provosts. The committee will review oversee the submission and review process of all new programs (both undergraduate and graduate) at WIT.
Chair: Joe Martel-Foley
This is a joint committee between the Faculty Senate and Office of the Provost.
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Program Review
The Program Review Committee was created to review all of the programs through the lens of the criteria established by the committee, to assist each program in improving overall program objectives, and to assist in the accreditation process when possible.
Chair: Joe Martel-Foley
This is a joint committee between the Faculty Senate and Office of the Provost.