A Note from the New College Senate Chair, Jack Lechelt
Hello NOVA Colleagues. I hope the summer has been awesome for all. My name is Jack Lechelt and I am your College Senate Chair. I was elected in the late spring of this year, and my term is for one year, ending May 1, 2024. I have been at NOVA since 2006 as a political science professor. Most of that time has been spent at the Alexandria Campus. Since I live in Leesburg, and with the retirement of a beloved colleague at Loudoun, I was able to transfer to the Loudoun Campus in 2021. With my election to the Loudoun Forum Council, and my election from that Council to the Senate, I was able to run for the College Senate Chair position. Do you want to know more about me? I am convinced I’m a very boring person, and as proof, I put together this bio of my existence. Read it if you’re having trouble falling asleep.
I ran for Senate Chair for a number of reasons:
- First, I think this is a great way to help NOVA achieve its main goal–to help our students learn and get awesome jobs.
- Second, I want to help make College decision making more transparent and accessible.
- Third, I hope to convince all members of the NOVA community that they can step up and play a useful role in all its processes.
- Fourth, I find this stuff oddly interesting.
- Fifth, I’d rather have a seat at the table than appear on the menu. And
- Sixth, I need to get out more and meet people–and what better people to meet than NOVA people!
If any of you share any of my goals, I think the College Senate is the place to make them happen. It’s not easy. NOVA is a large, complicated organization. So is the College Forum, of which the College Senate is the leading entity. The College Forum includes the College Senate, committees like the Instructional and Student Services Committee (ISSC), the Personnel Services Committee (PSC), the forum councils of the different campuses (and one for College Staff) and other senate committees. This organizational chart for the College Forum SharePoint site is the most helpful. The most important resource for understanding all of the College Forum is the Constitution and Bylaws, which can also be found here on SharePoint.
Our first College Senate meeting is Thursday, August 24 from 12:30 p.m. until 3 p.m. This first meeting includes an orientation of what the Senate does. We will also have a presentation from Vice President of Finance and Administration John Ferrari and his team on some new budgeting policies. After that, normal Senate business. The rest of 2023-2024 Senate meetings will take place on the third Thursday of every month (not December), from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. The meetings are in Brault 321 or via Zoom. Zoom info is on the College Senate SharePoint site, on the right. ALL ARE WELCOME! Please know that only Senators and scheduled guests of the College Senate can speak at these meetings. But employees can forward questions to me or any of your Senators from your Forum Councils. Meet the Senators through, you guessed it, the SharePoint site for the Forum Councils!
Every week, I send out a “Senate Chair Chat” email to your Senators. I’m happy to add anyone interested to the list of recipients. Just email me at jlechelt@nvcc.edu. You might also find information at these two links to be helpful: Links of Value and Senate Chair Chat Archives
Other questions or concerns? Feel free to reach out to me at jlechelt@nvcc.edu, via Teams or call/text me at 703-473-8287.
Submitted by:
Jack Lechelt, College Senate Chair, JLechelt@nvcc.edu