For nearly 18 years, Steven Craig, professor of economics, has served as a member of the University of Houston’s Faculty Senate. After serving on numerous committees and lending his expertise to the organization, he now assumes the role of president for 2006.

According to Craig, it was worth the wait to serve in this capacity as UH is experiencing exciting new growth as an institution. He recently found time to sit down with UH Today and discuss his goals for the year and the issues facing the senate and university.

Q Why were you interested in becoming Faculty Senate president?

A I sought this position because I am optimistic about the university. UH is going through big changes. First, we have President Jay Gogue, who is doing a good job trying to get the administration and faculty going in the same direction. He’s doing that by fostering communication between these two groups, and by attracting a large number of high quality administrators to work with him. It’s also fortuitous that that he’s here now because of the shift to state deregulated tuition, which allows UH to charge differentially based on the quality of the programs it provides. Before, the university received state and local funding based on its number of student-credit hours. This institutional change puts the faculty and the administration on the same page in terms of developing superior programs for which students would be willing to pay. Also, I was interested in taking this position because UH is emerging as a research institution, and the faculty is supportive of this. These factors are indicators that the university is going in a positive direction.

QWhat are your goals?

A One is for the senate to engage in long-range planning. For example, I feel UH needs to set objectives to remain competitive with a host of other institutions. In doing so, we need to evaluate the intermediate steps en route to this goal and determine whether they provide immediate solutions consistent with those that benefit the university in the long run.

Q Every president has his or her own way of running meetings or conducting business. What kind of presence will you maintain in this position?

A Faculty Senate is largely about communication. It’s important to make sure that everyone is talking. The senate does this best in its committees, but discussion is also a vital aspect of our meetings to discuss problems and suggest ways of solving them. At the same time, time-efficiency is also imperative, so discussions during meetings have to be focused. My predecessor, Allen Warner (professor of curriculum and instruction), did a great job of managing time during meetings, and I hope to continue this trend. What I’d like to bring to meetings is a blend of time-effectiveness and open communication.

Q What are some of the events or things you’re looking forward to as president in 2006?

A The senate, Research Council and Graduate Professional Studies Council passed a resolution requesting a scholarship report from Provost Foss. This report would measure the research output of the university. The university already compiles a research report that details outside grant dollars, but we pushed for another report to offer a new view on research. It’s supposed to come out at the end of May. In February, the senate also will have its retreat, where we’ll focus on planning. We’ll look at ways to encourage the university to develop a plan centered on making itself a serious research university that is attractive to both undergraduate and graduate students.