2008 Woodie Awards
A life of unexpected turning points
Carrie Wells
Issue date: 5/8/08 Section: News
Most of the major turning points in life happen by accident, said Kenneth Holum, who becomes chair of the University Senate today.
It was chance that he was stationed in Washington when he joined the Navy, and he ended up spending the rest of his life here. It was chance that he was assigned his specific office in Francis Scott Key Hall when he began teaching at the university, and he ended up marrying the woman whose office was next to his. It was chance that he could only take history classes at the university because of his schedule, and history ended up being his profession and passion.
"There's a very important element of seeing open doors and going through them," he said. "That's why I decided when [current Senate Chair] Bill Montgomery called me and asked me to become senate chair, I should probably say yes."
Holum, a history professor who has served on the University Senate since 2005, will take over as chair today. The Senate is a legislative body that consists of faculty, staff and undergraduate and graduate students.
The Senate next semester will likely debate a prayer read at graduation, the university's strategic plan implementation, plus-minus grading and the Good Samaritan" policy to reduce punishments for students who call ambulances for their friends under the influence of drugs or alcohol - all of which were brought up in this year's session but never resolved.
While Holum stressed the Senate is about "shared governance" and seeking opinions from the entire campus community, he does have a pet project in mind. He said he hopes to push forth a plan to address the way faculty are honored for excellent teaching.
"The university needs a much more coherent system of rewarding good teaching," he said, adding that a plan to better reward professors for good teaching would be in line with the strategic plan. "Other schools have more substance in their rewarding of good teaching. Why shouldn't we be like them?"
It was chance that he was stationed in Washington when he joined the Navy, and he ended up spending the rest of his life here. It was chance that he was assigned his specific office in Francis Scott Key Hall when he began teaching at the university, and he ended up marrying the woman whose office was next to his. It was chance that he could only take history classes at the university because of his schedule, and history ended up being his profession and passion.
"There's a very important element of seeing open doors and going through them," he said. "That's why I decided when [current Senate Chair] Bill Montgomery called me and asked me to become senate chair, I should probably say yes."
Holum, a history professor who has served on the University Senate since 2005, will take over as chair today. The Senate is a legislative body that consists of faculty, staff and undergraduate and graduate students.
The Senate next semester will likely debate a prayer read at graduation, the university's strategic plan implementation, plus-minus grading and the Good Samaritan" policy to reduce punishments for students who call ambulances for their friends under the influence of drugs or alcohol - all of which were brought up in this year's session but never resolved.
While Holum stressed the Senate is about "shared governance" and seeking opinions from the entire campus community, he does have a pet project in mind. He said he hopes to push forth a plan to address the way faculty are honored for excellent teaching.
"The university needs a much more coherent system of rewarding good teaching," he said, adding that a plan to better reward professors for good teaching would be in line with the strategic plan. "Other schools have more substance in their rewarding of good teaching. Why shouldn't we be like them?"
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