Why I’m running for the UWO Board of Governors

I am a candidate for the open faculty seat on the Board of Governors, and the election is being held today and tomorrow (Jan 29 & 30). I hold a joint appointment as an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law and in the Faculty of Information & Media Studies. Before coming to Western in 2001, I was a law librarian at UC Berkeley and I did my doctoral work at UCLA.  My academic interests emphasize intellectual property and information technology issues, and I live in the near-campus neighbourhood with my wife Marie and our three cats.

Having been actively involved in campus governance issues through my work in the University Senate and UWOFA, I’m eager to take the next step and serve on the Board.  Western faces unprecedented challenges, and university governance issues are increasingly important. We need strong voices on the Board of Governors who will work to preserve UWO as an accessible public institution and to insure that our joint system of governance between the Board and Senate is balanced and respected.

Last term I served on the Provosts’ Ad-Hoc Committee on Freedom of Expression and I’m currently a member of the University Senate and several sub-committees. I’ve served on several UWOFA Committees including its Grievance Committee, Governing Board, and Executive Committee as Secretary. I was previously a member of the campus Copyright Working Group and the Joint Committee on the Implications of Technology.

I believe the University’s best interests are served by having strong voices on the Board that reflect faculty and community concerns.  My broad experience in university governance along with my work in the London community has given me the experience to be such a voice. If elected to the Board, I will work to strengthen the transparency, accountability and inclusiveness of our University’s governance.

Online voting is now open and runs until Wednesday, January 30 at 8pm.  Full time faculty can log in at https://westernuniversitysecretariat.simplyvoting.com/

Samuel Trosow
Associate Professor, Faculty of Law and
Faculty of Information & Media Studies
<strosow@uwo.ca>