Faculty Trustee Election Begins Final Phase

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 10, 2012) -- The final round of voting has begun in the election of a new University of Kentucky faculty trustee.

The outcome of the recent first-round voting process that ended last week resulted in the determination of three finalists. They are Terry Conners of the College of Agriculture, Sheldon “Shelly” Steiner of the College of Arts and Sciences and John Wilson of the College of Medicine.

Conners, an associate Extension professor of forestry products, earned his doctorate in forestry and forestry products at Virginia Tech in 1985. Steiner, a professor of biology, earned his doctorate at the University of Kentucky in 1967. Wilson, an assistant professor of medicine, earned his medical degree at the University of Kentucky.

“All university faculty employees, regardless of rank, title series or administrative assignment, as well as any of the elected College Faculty Councils, are encouraged to urge their colleagues to turn out even more strongly in the final round of voting,” said Davy Jones, chair of the University Senate Rules and Elections Committee.

Voter turnout in the first round was 48 percent, ranging among the colleges from 25 percent to 81 percent.

According to the University Senate election rules, in this final round of voting, each voter will identify a first choice and the option to identify a second choice.  If any of the three candidates receives more than 50 percent of the first choice votes, that person is the winner. If none of the three candidates receives more than 50 percent of the votes, then both the first choice votes and second choice votes will be used to determine the winner.

The electronic voting process for voting in the final round is open at https://sweb.uky.edu/FacTrust/finals/ now through noon Wednesday, Feb. 15. The election statement, brief biography and home department web page of each of the candidates can be found within the election site, as well as on the University Senate’s home page at http://www.uky.edu/Faculty/Senate/.

“Our University is in a particularly sensitive time,” Jones said. “The Board of Trustees is formulating new budgetary and programmatic policies that will affect the careers and programs of every university faculty member.  A large turn-out by the faculty in this election will empower our elected representatives to the Board of Trustees with a strong mandate to participate vigorously in the formation of these policies.”