About Us
The University Senate of the University of Maryland provides a gateway for all faculty, staff, students, and administrators to inclusively participate in our unique system of shared governance. Please explore more about our Mission & Impact statements and our form of Shared Governance.
The University Senate is supported by a leadership team consisting of a Chair, Chair-Elect, Past Chair, Parliamentarian, and Executive Secretary & Director.
Jordan Sly
Senate Chair
Jordan Sly is the Head of the Humanities and Social Science Librarians in the University Libraries. Jordan has been with the University of Maryland in a professional capacity since 2016 serving as the librarian for multiple academic departments including departments in ARHU and BSOS.
Jordan has been involved with the Senate since 2017 and a senator since 2021. In this time Jordan has served on multiple senate committees such as the Programs, Curricula, and Courses committee, the Student Conduct Committee, the Committee on Committees, and the Senate Executive Committee.
In addition to his position in the libraries, Jordan is also an affiliated faculty member in the College of Information where he teaches in the Library and Information Science program. Jordan’s research interests are divided between library and higher education publications and seventeenth-century European and Global Atlanitic history work. Jordan’s work has included studies on the quantification of higher education, first-generation and transfer student experiences as well as digital history projects on English recusancy in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the attempts of the Cromwellian Protectorate to establish a global Protestant alliance (and the ramifications), and contributions to the Slavery, Law, and Power project, among other projects. Jordan received his BA and MA from UMD and is currently finishing his PhD (abd) in History and received his MS from Simmons College.
Christopher Jarzynski
Past Chair
Christopher Jarzynski has been a faculty member at the University of Maryland, College Park, since 2006. He is currently a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, with additional appointments in the Institute for Physical Science and Technology (IPST) and the Department of Physics. From 2014 to 2019 he was the Director of IPST, and from 2019 to 2020 he was the Interim Director of the Chemical Physics PhD Program. Before moving to Maryland, he spent ten years at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, first as a postdoctoral researcher and later as a technical staff member.
Jarzynski’s research interests include theoretical and computational work at the interface of physics, chemistry and biology, with an emphasis on nonequilibrium phenomena and the application of thermodynamic principles to microscopic systems. At UMD he has taught courses ranging from introductory chemistry to graduate thermodynamics, and has developed a new course on nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. He has mentored undergraduates, graduate students and postdocs. Eleven students have completed their PhD’s with Jarzynski as their advisor or co-advisor.
Jarzynski received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, and his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, both in Physics. He spent a year in Warsaw, Poland on a Fulbright Fellowship. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and an elected member of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences.
Daniel Falvey
Parliamentarian, Past Chair
Daniel E. Falvey has been a member of the University of Maryland community since 1989, when he was appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He is currently a Professor and Associate Chair in that department. Falvey has had an active, NSF-funded research program in the area of organic photochemistry since 1989 and is co-author on over 120 publications in that field and holds 2 patents. He routinely teaches chemistry courses at both graduate and undergraduate level, advises undergraduate students, and has mentored 19 Ph.D. students. Falvey served on the Graduate Council from 1998-2001, the Senate APAS committee from 2013-1015, the Senate PCC Committee from 2009-2012, the Provost's Task Force on Open Access from 2011-2012, and the Search Committee for the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs in 2009-2010. Falvey previously served as a Faculty Senator for CLFS from 2005-2008. During that time, he chaired the Senate Faculty Affairs Committee. Additionally, he was a member of the Senate Executive Committee and the Committee on Committees. Falvey received a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1989), and a B.S. from North Dakota State University (1983).
Veronica Marin
Executive Secretary & Director
Veronica Marin (she/her/hers) is an accomplished higher education administrative professional currently serving as the Director of the University Senate at the University of Maryland. With a Master's Degree in Higher Education and a Bachelor's Degree from the same institution, Veronica brings a diverse experience in the higher education field.
In her current role as Director of the University Senate, Veronica leads a team and oversees the University Senate, which comprises over 220 members from faculty, staff, and students. Veronica provides strategic advice on a wide range of university policies and programs, guiding the development of new policies, and managing the operations of the Senate Office. She plays a crucial role in fostering collaboration between the University Senate, its leadership, and the university administration, ensuring effective governance and decision-making processes.
Prior to her current position, Veronica held the role of Director of Program Management for Custom Executive Education at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. In this capacity, she demonstrated her expertise in client experience, program portfolio management, and strategic projects. Veronica played a pivotal role in expanding the program management team, enhancing the quality of programs for domestic and international clients, and forging strong partnerships with faculty and external stakeholders.
Veronica's commitment to the field of higher education extends beyond her professional roles. She actively contributes to the advancement of the field through her involvement in various committees and associations. Veronica has presented at national conferences and served as a committee chair. She has also served on the board of The Esperanza Education Fund, contributing to their mission of supporting the educational pursuits of immigrant students.
With her deep knowledge of higher education administration and policy, Veronica is dedicated to creating positive change and fostering an inclusive environment within educational institutions. Fluent in both English and Spanish, she brings a unique perspective to her work and excels at developing strategies that cater to diverse stakeholder groups. Veronica's leadership, innovation, and strategic thinking continue to make a significant impact in the field of higher education.