Date: October 16, 2007
Contact: Lindsay Gladstone
Governors State University
Phone: (708) 534-7090
Fax: (708) 534-8399
Email: l-gladstone@govst.edu
For Immediate Release
University Park, IL, October 16, 2007 – Paul Blobaum, of Park Forest, was recently elected to a two-year term as president of the Governors State University Faculty Senate.
The Faculty Senate is the representative body of the 219-member university faculty. According to Blobaum, the Faculty Senate committees reviews academic policy and programs and makes recommendations on curriculum and academic programs to the university administration.
“Shared governance between faculty and administration is a hall mark of Governors State University. The Faculty Senate president meets periodically with the presidents of the Civil Service Senate and the Student Senate, and the university president and executive vice president, to advice them on important matters,” said Blobaum. “The Faculty Senate is primarily concerned with academic policy and the quality of curriculum and programs.”
Blobaum is an associate professor, reference librarian in the University Library, and librarian for the College of Health Professions at GSU. He grew up in Gifford, Illinois. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa; a Master of Arts degree from Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, and a Master of Science in Library Science from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
“My tenure as president of the Faculty Senate coincides with the arrival of the new president of the university, Dr. Elaine Maimon. The Faculty Senate hopes to help the new administration get to know the university and help form strategic plans to increase the doctorate programs to meet the university’s mission of serving the underserved,” said Blobaum.
Governors State University was founded in 1969. It offers 22 bachelor’s degree completion programs and 26 professional graduate programs. The majority of GSU’s students are adults who are balancing the demands of home, family, and a job with their pursuit of an education.
