SALA’s governance structure consists of two primary consultation and coordinating groups:
SALA Council: Meets twice a month to lead high-level visioning for the school and oversee school-wide affairs. It provides a forum for discussing, coordinating, and communicating issues, academic policies, and initiatives across programs. The Council advises and assists the Director and recommends agenda items for discussion with the larger SALA community. The Council comprises four academic program chairs, the Director, and the Associate Director.
Academic Program Working Groups: Meet once a month and include academic program chairs, program faculty, and appropriate staff. These groups identify issues relevant to the whole SALA community and bring them forward for discussion at monthly all-School meetings.
Additionally, two retreats are held at the end and beginning of each academic year to review progress and set directions for the future. This comprehensive governance structure ensures SALA remains responsive and dynamic, aligning with its strategic goals and priorities.
Committees
Our committees are in place to delegate operational tasks to staff while assigning curricular and content responsibilities to faculty. Each committee is focused on a crucial School priority, ensuring both academic and operational efficiency. Ad-hoc committees may also be formed to support specific projects.
The Curriculum Committee is dedicated to addressing issues and initiatives relevant to SALA’s diverse academic programs. The committee develops and proposes policies and practices related to teaching and curricula, and works in conjunction with related ad-hoc committees to ensure cohesive and comprehensive academic planning.
2024/25 members:
Faculty:
John Bass Chair
Fionn Byrne
Tania Gutierrez-Monroy
Susan Herrington Term 2
James Huemoeller
Xun Liu Term 2
Bill Pechet
Adam Rysanek Term 2
Thena Tak
Program chairs:
Tijana Vujosevic
Daniel Roehr
Joe Dahmen
Staff:
Theresa Juba
Jaynus O’Donnell
Tharanee Nakandala
The EDI Committee is dedicated to fostering a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment within SALA. This includes addressing a broad spectrum of issues across academic, operational, human resources, and economic domains. The committee actively involves the SALA community in EDI initiatives, investigates and identifies areas for improvement, and proposes policies and practices to enhance equity, diversity, and inclusion.
2024/25 members:
Faculty:
Sara Stevens Co-chair
Sara Stevens Co-chair
Staff:
Tamara Ross
The Outreach Committee focuses on SALA’s interactions with external constituencies, including alumni, aligning these efforts with SALA’s strategic priorities. Lecture series and events fall into this committee’s purview. The committee organizes lectures and exhibitions to engage the broader community, provides guidance on communication strategies, themes, and schedules, and works with other School committees and academic programs to identify and pursue outreach opportunities.
2024/25 members:
Faculty:
Matthew Soules Chair
Rana Abughannam
Inge Roecker
Staff:
Emma Fennell
The Student Affairs Committee is responsible for managing and enhancing the student experience at SALA. The committee oversees student-related policies, initiatives, and practices, manages the coordination of student experiences in collaboration with related student groups and the Applied Science department, and engages faculty as consultants on specific projects and initiatives to provide expertise and guidance.
2024/25 members:
Staff:
Tara Deans
Jaynus O’Donnell
Tharanee Nakandala
Malika Kanasheva
Theresa Juba
Faculty consulted as needed
The Infrastructure Committee is responsible for managing and addressing issues related to SALA’s physical, shop, and IT infrastructure, focused primarily on that which supports our academic programs. The committee oversees the maintenance and improvement of existing spaces, equipment, and IT, ensures that the infrastructure supports SALA’s academic programs effectively, addresses specific infrastructure initiatives on a project basis, and collaborates with the Director on significant infrastructure projects.
2024/25 members:
Operations:
Robert Geyer
Graham Entwistle
CHBE:
Blair Satterfield
Graham Entwistle
Applied One:
Blair Satterfield