Faculty Senate Chairperson Platform Statement 4 Philip L. Glick, MD, MBA, FACS, FAAP, FRCS

Faculty Senate Chairperson Candidate Platform Statement for:

Philip L. Glick, MD, MBA, FACS, FAAP, FRCS (Eng.)
Vice Chairperson, Department of Surgery
Professor of Surgery, Pediatrics, Ob/Gyn, and Management
SUNY @ Buffalo
E-mail: glicklab@buffalo.edu

Academic Faculty Profile - UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Dr Glick's Clinical Website
Twitter: @glicklab
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/philiplglickmdmba

As we realize the vision of UB 2020 strategic plan coming to fruition, the next 3 to 5 years will be the most important period in UB’s history.  Moving from vision to implementation will require more than adequate programmatic funding and capital investments; visionary leadership will be key.  It will also require transparent communications, negotiations with the various constituencies (i.e., academic faculty, professional employees, students, and bargaining groups (UUP)), and win-win compromises.  The faculty, UB’s human academic capital, is the “secret sauce” to the success of UB 2020.

The faculty Senate and the Faculty Senate Executive Committee are true examples of academic joint governance and volunteerism.  Faculty Senate Meetings may often feel impersonal and ineffectual.  The Faculty Senates needs to consider employing new methods of communication, i.e., Web Conferencing (UB Lync) and Twitter (@UBFacultySenate), to improve the faculty’s Faculty Senate experience.  However, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee and the various charged committees are doing a great job, as is the current Chairperson of the Faculty Senate. I currently serve on the Budget Priorities and the Law School Decanal Review Committees.  The Law School Decanal Review was most meaningful to me because it exemplified the essence of faculty and Faculty Senate involvement in UB’s joint governance.  To assure a continuous positive trajectory of these Faculty Senate accomplishments, a seamless transfer in Faculty Senate leadership is essential.

The Chairperson of the Faculty Senate is the “servant leader” of the Faculty Senate.  The Chairperson of the Faculty Senate will play a central role in this upcoming UB period of evolution and change.  I believe that the chairperson of the Faculty Senate is in a key position to provide advocacy for all the academic faculty in UB’s joint governance process.  Unlike the myriad of other academic leaders on campus, i.e., provost, chairs, deans, and vice presidents, who serve “at the pleasure” of the individual they were appointed by and may consciously or subconsciously have a conflict of interests when advocating for their faculty, the Chairperson of the Faculty Senate is completely independent and  only accountable to the faculty.  This unique position makes the Chairperson of the Faculty Senate a key advocate, influencer and spokesperson for the faculty. The Chairperson of the Faculty Senate is an objective sounding board to all levels of leadership in Capen Hall (the Provost, the Deans and the various Vice Presidents) and has a unique position, by both physical proximity (an office in Capen Hall, 5^th floor) and with earned respect and confidentiality, to be the “go to point person” for “all things” faculty related.

I am an academic pediatric surgeon with appointments in both the School of Medicine and Biomedical Science and the School of Management.   My career development and life experiences make me uniquely qualified for this position.  I was educated in state university systems (UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco and University of Washington).  After my wife, Dr Drucy Borowitz (Professor of Pediatrics) and I finished our training, we recognized the unique attributes of UB’s School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The Children’s Hospital of Buffalo and WNY.  After being in practice for a short time, I recognized some key skill sets were deficient in my medical school, surgical and pediatric surgical training that led me to get an MBA (Kellogg, Northwestern University).  I now use these additional skills every day.  

Leaders are made not born.  Education, training, skill sets, experience, mentors, sponsors and luck makes us the leaders we become.  I strongly believe in intra-professional collaboration, which is an underlying seminal principle in my leadership style.  If I am elected the Chairperson of the Faculty Senate, I believe I can be an objective, ecumenical and tireless advocate for all of the faculty.

I hope that this explanation has helped you understand why I would like to represent all of you as the Chairperson of the Faculty Senate. Please remember to vote.  And please remember to vote for Phil Glick. It would be an honor to serve you.   Thank you.