Committees

At a liberal arts college like St. Lawrence, committee work is an integral part of being a faculty member. Unlike large or technical universities where a faculty member’s responsibilities are almost entirely focused within his or her department, each faculty member at St. Lawrence is expected to carry some responsibility for the work of the entire University. Thus committee work is not an additional task, but an important part of your contribution to the University.

You are not expected to serve on any committees during your first year at St. Lawrence. You will be busy enough without committee work! If there is a committee that you are particularly interested in, however, feel free to ask about it. If you would like to get involved in committee work early, a good choice would be to contribute to a department committee or an ad hoc committee in which your particular expertise would be welcome. Beginning in your second year, you are expected to serve on one Standing University Committee. Committee membership is on a two-year cycle. Every two years, during the spring semester, every faculty member is asked to fill out a form indicating committee preferences. You may also get contacted at other times as new committees are formed or as sabbatical replacements are needed. Faculty committee assignments are made by Faculty Council. You will receive (via email) minutes of all Faculty Council meetings. Read these to find out about committee vacancies and to keep up on University activity.

Committee service will give you insight into your department and insight into other departments' standings on certain issues, as well as the concerns and issues of administrative staff and students. Being part of a campus committee lets you learn how the university works and provides you with insight into the intricacies of the campus system as a whole. In committee work, faculty, administrative staff, and students work together in tripartite committees to govern the University. Thus committee work gives you a chance to work with people from the other campus constituencies. It also gives you a chance to interact with other faculty inside and outside your own department. Committee work is an important way to make connections across campus. It can help give you a broader perspective of the University and to introduce you to people across campus. When you begin attending the meetings, take a few sessions to learn the "style" of the committee. As a newcomer we would advise you at first to listen and observe the system as it currently is operating. After that, jump right in. Your new perspective will be appreciated. You do not need to contribute to every topic or contribute brilliant ideas. When you do have something to contribute you will have taken the time to develop a relationship with your committee members and you will know how to present your idea so that it can be heard most effectively by the rest of the committee.

University wide committees often give you the feeling that you are “part of the system” and that you have a say in the way things are run and done at St. Lawrence University. In this, committee work can be quite gratifying in giving you a sense of contribution and involvement. However, this hides a downside to this work, which is that it is very easy to become over-involved in committee work to the detriment of your other responsibilities. In the hierarchy of your responsibilities keep in mind that:

TEACHING MATTERS MOST BEFORE TENURE!
RESEARCH MATTERS A LITTLE LESS THAN TEACHING.
University service matters less than teaching and research.

No one has received tenure based solely upon his or her superb committee work! Yet committee work is important to your career and to the University. It is important to serve on a committee or committees during your pre-tenure time, but do not get so bogged down by the work that your teaching and/or research suffer.

In your first few years volunteer for committees where you can be involved, but be careful not to get over-extended. And don’t serve on too many committees: you are allowed to say “no” and most of your colleagues will understand. Saying “no” is not always easy, and the pressure to serve on various ad hoc committees, new subcommittees, and work groups can be intense. New faculty frequently fall victim to “creeping committeeism”, which happens when you are signed up for, let’s say, one University standing committee and one search committee in your department. Then, half way through the semester you find yourself on those two committees plus a subcommittee of the standing committee, a search committee for another department that is hiring someone in your field, another subcommittee for your department, and the advisory board for an interdisciplinary program in your field. This scenario is typical, and can be overwhelming. Then, consider how many service commitments you already have, think about your research agenda, teaching responsibilities, and whether you have enough time to have a life outside work. Only then should you say “yes”. If you have doubts, or find it difficult to say “no”, talk to some faculty in their third or fourth year here, and you will very likely be told that doing fewer things and doing them well is better than getting over-committed. Most of us have been there.

The charges and membership of University committees are given in the Faculty Handbook and are also available on the web under Academics, Academic Affairs, Faculty Handbook, part II. E. (The web address is www.stlawu.edu/acadaffairs/handbook4.pdf) In addition to the standing committees given there, there are additional committees such as area studies committees, search committees, and ad hoc committees as needed. Ask around to find out what the different committees do and how much work each involves. The time commitment required for different committees varies enormously.

We STRONGLY recommend that new faculty memorize the following reply to be used EVERY SINGLE TIME you are asked to join a committee:
“Thanks for asking me. It sounds interesting. Let me think about it and get back to you in a day or two.”

Anne Csete and Patti Lock are the primary authors of this chapter.