UK Law’s Jennifer Bird-Pollan elected chair of University Senate Council
December 13, 2017
Jennifer Bird-Pollan, James and Mary Lassiter Associate Professor of Law at the University of Kentucky College of Law, has been elected as the next chair of the University Senate Council.
Prof. Bird-Pollan will serve as chair from June 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019, with the opportunity to be elected for an additional one-year term.
“It’s a chance to work with faculty from all across campus, and to work closely with the central administration, to try to make a difference here at UK. It’s a really exciting opportunity,” said Prof. Bird-Pollan.
A year ago, Prof. Bird-Pollan was selected as a member of the University Senate Council for a three-year term. She was then nominated by the Senate at large as one of three candidates for the chair position and, after accepting the nomination, she wrote a 200-word statement about her vision for the role. Prof. Bird-Pollan was selected as chair by a majority in the first round of voting.
“It seemed like a lot of important policy decisions and choices about the direction the Senate was taking were made at the level of the Senate Council, before it got to the Senate floor,” said Prof. Bird-Pollan. “I wanted to be part of that conversation.”
As the chair of the University Senate Council, Prof. Bird-Pollan will facilitate the Senate Council’s weekly meetings. She will also meet regularly with the President and the Provost to keep them appraised of the Senate’s work. The Senate Council Chair is also often asked to participate in university-wide committees, which currently includes being a member of the Provost Search Committee.
Prof. Bird-Pollan is looking forward to getting to know faculty members from each of the colleges on campus. She wants to find ways to engage everyone interested in faculty governance to be part of the conversation.
Prof. Bird-Pollan joined the UK Law faculty in 2010. She teaches Federal Income Tax, Estate & Gift Tax, International Tax, Partnership Tax, Corporate Tax, and a Seminar in Tax Policy. She received her JD from Harvard Law School, where she was the articles editor for the Harvard Journal of Law and Gender, and her BA in Philosophy and French from Penn State University, where she graduated with distinction and honors in Philosophy. Prof. Bird-Pollan also earned an MA and PhD in Philosophy from Vanderbilt University. Before law school she taught undergraduate philosophy courses at Vanderbilt and at Harvard College.