A pragmaic leader
Frank Spikes hopes to follow a practical leadership style for his term as Faculty Senate president
Faculty Senate President Frank Spikes, pictured at left, speaks quickly but with careful forethought.
It's not uncommon for him to pause after being asked a question, brow furrowed, until his answer tumbles forth a moment later in a steady stream of complex thought.
"From a programmatic perspective, it's hard for a Faculty Senate president to have an agenda of his or her own," said Spikes, professor of educational leadership and director of the doctoral program in adult and continuing education. "But this doesn't mean there's not a lot on my plate. Over time, issues come up and as time goes by, things and priorities change. We just don't know what we don't know.
"There are several things that are going to be important this year. The Senate has always been and will always be placed in the middle of an important dialogue at K-State. We'll always have some relationship to hearing of grievances, implementing strategies and programs which acknowledge faculty excellence awards, and dealing with policy questions regarding tenure --things of that nature. We will always be a part of this, the normal ebb and flow of doing university business."
Spikes explained that the Faculty Senate, which he has served for almost a decade, has been "quite actively engaged" recently in working with faculty, staff and the university administration on ways to advance the university through the development of the technological infrastructure, creating and maintaining an environment that supports the work of K-State's faculty and shapes the institution for the future.
"We (the Senate) often have conversations around organizational and curricular concepts about what we want the university to look like as times change," Spikes said.
He notes that years ago, university faculty and administration made the decision to focus on animal health and food safety, which later put K-State in a good position to develop and fund the Biosecurity Research Institute.
Meet Dr. Frank Spikes: * At K-State since 1990 * Grew up in Elmhurst, Ill., outside Chicago * Married to Jamie, a professor of nursing at Kansas Wesleyan * Their son, Jonathan, a K-State master's graduate last May, is now * Spikes doesn't have much free time, but when he finds it, he enjoys photography and classic cars. * If forced to choose a "dream car," Spikes would pick an early 1960s Corvette. Spikes has been around classic cars since he was a kid and said he enjoys the "nice, low-key environment" the hobby provides. |
Spikes understands that having this institute helped put K-State in the running for the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility. He hopes that as Faculty Senate president he is able to represent his colleagues in a positive light when it comes to meetings about NBAF.
"For many faculty members, siting the NBAF adjacent to our campus would be an opportunity of a lifetime," Spikes said.
Spikes is Faculty Senate president during a time that has the potential to bring great changes to K-State and the community. Spikes said he hopes to adopt a pragmatic leadership style, something he has learned from various mentors.
"Leadership is an elusive concept for me," Spikes said. "We all speak about it and acknowledge it exists in the world, but contextually, it takes different forms.
"People in roles like this have to be somewhat intellectually eclectic in dealing with the many complex issues and competing interests on campus," he said. "Overall, however, I tend to approach the matter of leadership from the perspective of what a reasonable person would do in any given situation."
Spikes enjoys his work with the Faculty Senate and said the knowledge and experience he's gained working with entities such as the Kansas Board of Regents have helped him gain a broader understanding of the university.
"For me and many of my Faculty Senate colleagues, this opportunity has helped me appreciate the nuances of organizational flow of the university in a way that would otherwise not be possible," he said.