Attendees and award recipients pose for a photo at the BFA Excellence Awards ceremony in 2018
A shared governance group, the Boulder Faculty Assembly (BFA) is a body designed to allow the academy to collaborate in major decisions affecting the welfare of CU Boulder.
Comprised of some 70 faculty representatives from across the academic areas of the campus, the Boulder Faculty Assembly meets regularly, hosts signature events and contributes faculty viewpoints to the campus community and public discourse.
Examples of statements delivered by BFA to the campus community and public have addressed support for DACA students, support for the CU transgender community, the selection of CU’s next president and best practices in teaching evaluations.
The executive committee and the 12 standing committees that make up the BFA evaluate campus policies and practices. The committees concern themselves with a wide range of important campus issues, including diversity, administrative services and technology, intercollegiate athletics, administrator appraisal and more. The monthly meeting of the General Assembly brings the most important of these concerns before the whole BFA for consideration and, when appropriate, decisions and actions.
Each year, the BFA calls for nominations and presents the BFA Excellence Awards, recognizing outstanding faculty work in leadership and service; teaching and pedagogy; and research, scholarly and creative work. The recognition ceremony, held typically in the spring, features a keynote address by the previous year’s Hazel Barnes Prize recipient. This year’s ceremony will be on April 2.
“Direct participation in faculty governance is not for everyone,” BFA Chair Bob Ferry said. “Of course teaching and research are most important to the faculty, but I’d be glad, and it would be very good for the BFA, if there were wider awareness of the variety of important things that the assembly does on behalf of our colleagues.”
Getting involved
The BFA holds elections each spring to fill at-large seats on the Boulder Faculty Assembly. Eligible CU Boulder faculty members may nominate or be nominated for these openings.
This year, election nominations for open seats will be accepted March 8 to March 15. Senate elections will be held between March 18 and March 22.
For more information on getting involved with the BFA see the website or email bfa@colorado.edu.
