Senator Spotlight November 2017

This month's Senator Spotlight is on Marco Janssen 

What unit do you represent?  

School of Sustainability

How many years have you served in the Senate?

This is my second year in the Senate

How many years have you been employed at ASU?

I have been at ASU for 12 years

What other institutions have you taught at before coming to ASU?

I was at Indiana University before I moved to ASU.

What is your research and/or creative activities focus?  

I study how groups govern shared resources such as groundwater in rural India and potable water in a megacity like Mexico City.

Why did you decide to get involved with the Senate?

I was volunteered by my unit to serve and agreed it might be an interesting way to learn more about the governance of the University.

Describe what you have learned during your time in the Senate. 

I learned more about the complexity and diversity of the university, and the challenges in the governance of such a large organization.

What committees have you participated in, or would like to participate in and what were you able to (or hope to) accomplish.  

I am a member of the Student-Faculty Policy Committee. A wide variety of issues passes this committee varying from challenges related to drug use, cheating, students who serve in the military and comfort dogs. It is rewarding to contribute to solutions of concrete problems affecting students.

What would you say to your peers who might be considering accepting a nomination or nominating himself or herself for a position in the Senate?  

Even though one may collaborate with colleagues around the university, it is difficult to grasp the workings of the university as a whole. Serving at the university senate helps to derive a better understanding and appreciation of the goals and achievements of ASU.