Statement of Candidacy:
Mohammad Salama, Assistant Professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures and Arabic Program Coordinator

I seek your support for my election to the position of SF State Academic Senate Executive Committee Member At-Large for the academic year of 2008-2009.

I have been the coordinator of the emerging Arabic Initiative in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures since the fall of 2005.

The year I have served on the Academic Policies Committee (APC) has in every sense been an outstanding and enriching experience. My involvement in reviewing and crafting policy with a dedicated body of colleagues has enhanced my understanding of our university's complex dynamics and diverse composition. This experience has broadened the scope of my responsibilities to the SFSU community beyond the role of instructor and scholar to active participation in the very process that governs our university's unique relationship to its faculty and students. More importantly, over the course of the last year I have been inspired anew by our university's commitment to the ideals of academic excellence and the principles of shared governance. To crown it all, my experience in the Academic Senate and APC has given me the opportunity to meet and engage in a fruitful dialogue with my colleagues and to learn from their invaluable feedback.

I feel confident that my experience as a member of the Academic Policies Committee (APC) and my contributions to our Senate discussions qualify me to be an engaged and active member of EXComm, a committee that offers a vital link between faculty and upper administration. Now that I have largely overcome the "stage fright" and jitters of a novice Senator, I welcome an opportunity to serve as an EXComm Member At-Large and hope to receive your support in this nomination.

Mohammad Salama