With the faint sound of classical music audible on the second floor of Hinds Hall, it is clear that Ian MacInnes is in his office. The music follows the new University Senate moderator’s tone: subtle, calming and reassuring. MacInnes can only speak of himself modestly, and his sincerity is noted.

‘There are a lot of other people who would be very good moderators. I don’t really think I am necessarily the only or the best,’ MacInnes said.

MacInnes’ resume suggests otherwise. As associate dean for academic affairs at the School of Information Studies, he holds three political science degrees and has 10 years of experience in USen, in which he has served on four committees, chairing two. His inherent sincerity and dedication is also evident, as noted by Thomas Wolfe, senior vice president and dean of student affairs and a two-year Agenda Committee member.

‘He’s got a nice way of listening and making encouraging conversation, but also helping the senate keep order so it can go about its business,’ Wolfe said.

MacInnes is only the second non-chancellor moderator for USen, the first being Jonathan Massey, who resigned as USen’s presiding officer after the 2010-11 academic year to focus on research in organic architecture.

Previously, USen bylaws mandated that the chancellor preside over meetings. But Chancellor Nancy Cantor, while serving as moderator, often felt uncomfortable fielding questions in which she was the focus.

‘You shouldn’t be the one receiving questions and answering questions substantively and also holding the clock in your head to make sure things run on schedule,’ Wolfe said. ‘It just makes perfect sense.’

After Massey decided to take a research sabbatical, MacInnes said colleagues encouraged him to run for Agenda Committee chair. At the first USen meeting of the fall 2011 semester, MacInnes was elected chair, and thus appointed as the USen moderator.

With one meeting under his belt, MacInnes has already begun to enact and encourage changes. After the first meeting of the fall semester, he began a three-minute time limit for senators to speak during discussion. MacInnes said he hopes that this new rule will bring a variety of voices to discussions. While not a mandate — there will be exceptions, MacInnes mentioned — the rule will encourage senators to err on the side of succinctness.

‘If you state that as an aim, people might think, ‘How can I state my idea in a succinct way in a few minutes?” MacInnes said.

MacInnes feels the role of the moderator, and agenda committee as a whole, is not to drive the agenda, but rather to determine the agenda after receiving input from senators and other committees.

‘It’s really the senators that are in charge, not the Agenda Committee,’ MacInnes said.

Still, MacInnes does have novel interests and ideas for USen. Most importantly, MacInnes said he hopes to continue to involve multiple areas of the university, a practice he is familiar with in the iSchool.

Elizabeth Liddy, dean of the iSchool, said she thinks MacInnes is extremely qualified for the job.

‘Ian is highly respected by his colleagues in the iSchool, other schools on campus, and administrators for his deep understanding of policy, fair-mindedness, and willingness to discuss differences in opinion,’ Liddy said in an email.

The iSchool has reached out to collaborate with the School of Visual and Performing Arts, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the Martin J. Whitman School of Management for programs as diverse as Global Enterprise Technology and Information Technology, Design and Startups. Being able to collaborate with diverse schools is important for his home school, MacInnes believes, but also draws parallels in senate meetings.

‘I really enjoy these kinds of abilities to connect with people from other schools because you learn so much,’ MacInnes said.

He said he hopes to further discussions on having professors of practice in the university. Traditionally, universities favored tenured and tenure-tracked faculty. Professors of practice are former industry experts who become full-time faculty members but generally don’t have doctorate degrees. MacInnes said there is a broad consensus among faculty members for the practice.

‘The ability to recognize faculty members who come from nontraditional academic areas is very good for the classroom and for the general interaction of faculty at the university,’ MacInnes said.

Also, with such an extensive digital background, he would like to expand upon digitization practices. The eco-benefits are great, he said, but building up a catalog of searchable material is another plus.

‘I really believe in having digital copies,’ MacInnes said. ‘It’s a lot easier to find things later, and it makes your offices less messy.’

bjweight@syr.edu

Published on October 11, 2011 at 12:00 pm