LEAD - FASOS
LEAD stands for Leadership for an Equitable Academic Democracy. We are a UM party networked across administrative boundaries: we currently hold 3 WP seats in the University Council and are represented in several Faculty Councils, with lists of both Academic (WP) and Support (OBP) staff. We use this network to be better informed on policy decisions across the university and to work in solidarity on key issues for UM.
LEAD-FASoS’s central platform is for strategic sustainability.
The recent Townhall meeting (28 March) showed a preview of the challenges to come: diminishing budgets and student numbers, major programme revisions, reductions in research funding opportunities. As your spokespeople for the Faculty Board, we pledge to represent the views of FASOS academic staff – both those on permanent and temporary contracts – while we simultaneously liase with and learn from our LEAD network across UM. We are committed to finding strategic responses that evoke solidarity among staff at FASoS across the departments, research groups, research centres and education programmes where we are active members.
Our goals for strategic sustainability in the coming years include:
- Maintaining and creating pathways for career growth for all staff – from teaching fellows, to support staff, to non-EEU citizens – even in light of de-internationalisation demands and budget cuts to come
- Monitoring and balancing the FB’s Strategic Plans as the composition of our faculty changes through staff retirements, student body configuration, and political pressure,
- Pushing for an ethical, responsible, and sustainable future for FASOS that maintains values of academic integrity and upholds the importance of SSH fields, beyond weathering the current crises.
We plan to induct members of our list based on vote count, rather than list order. Cast your vote for whomever you find represents your interests, and we will as a list support them in their responsibilities.
Lauren Wagner
What I do in FASOS: DSS/GTD and sometimes visiting MUSTS; UD2->UD1->UHD2; teaching in MA & Minor GDS, BA GS, and sometimes CAST; Sector Plan local leader - Social Inequality and Diversity; member of Centre for Gender & Diversity; former member GSAB, former Programme Director; my Bandito’s order is a double shot macchiato and kaneelbroodje.
Why I am running for Faculty Council: I pulled this list together for LEAD to ensure that strong voices will be present on the FC, who are ready to show up and contribute constructively to our faculty’s future.
Tullio Viola
What I do in FASOS: UD-1 in Philosophy Department; teach in the BA and MA Arts and Culture programmes. Currently academic secretary of AMC, doing occasional forays into MUSTS and enjoying creating bridges between different research groups. Member of the Board of Examiners for the last two years.
Why I am running for Faculty Council: My involvement in the Arts and Culture programmes has made me aware of the threat to the humanities at this political juncture. I will lend my expertise to ensure that all of FASoS's educational programmes continue to thrive under a prevailing principle of solidarity.
Clara Weinhardt
What I do in FASOS: UD-1 in Politics Department; teach in BA and MA ES, also in Minor GDS. Chair the MA EPC “Europe in a Globalising World”. Currently grateful for the opportunity to co-coordinate a large Horizon Europe consortium with 14 institutions across the world.
Why I am running for Faculty Council: I truly value the diverse community of students and staff at FASoS, with concern about the growing pushback against internationalisation. I am eager to think creatively about how we can best foster societal support for it - while ensuring that our institutional responses work for everyone.
Simone Schleper
What I do in FASOS: GTD and former MUSTS member; environmental historian; coordinator in three BA programs; member of the EPC of the BA Arts and Culture; have worked on four different temporary contracts in different branches of the UM prior to becoming UD.
Why I am running for Faculty Council: I believe in the importance of making sustainability a key concern in faculty operations, research support, and teaching programs.