Members of the Faculty Senate voted to elect Max Wortman as the new president-elect after 13 years of commitment and service to Iowa State.Wortman, distinguished professor of management, has been involved with Faculty Senate for 12 years and is currently serving his second term as senator. He said he is excited about starting the new position in May.”I really did want to be president, and I have been waiting for this for years,” he said.David Hopper, Faculty Senate president, said he believes Wortman will be very effective as president.”He has been affiliated with Iowa State University for many years and has a broad appreciation of the challenges and opportunities facing the institution,” said Hopper, professor of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine.Wortman, chair of the Academic Affairs Council, said he plans to focus on three main issues — academic freedom, collegiality and freedom of speech.”Academic freedom to me is extraordinarily important for all faculty,” he said.Freedom of speech for all faculty, regardless of whether they are tenure or non-tenure, Wortman said, is also important.”As role of faculty president, I would like to make sure that everyone, pro and con is heard in the deliberations of the Faculty Senate,” he said.Hopper said the transition between presidents runs smoothly. The senate president serves as president-elect for one year and then assumes the office of president, he said.”The one-year term as president-elect is basically a time during which president-elect can learn the job of the president,” he said.Wortman said one of his goals is to make sure the Faculty Senate is well represented throughout Iowa State.”I want to make sure there is outstanding communication between the Faculty Senate and the administration in its shared governance,” he said.Diversity of opinion is important to him, Wortman said, and he wants Faculty Senate members to approach issues in different ways.”All of us have different opinions, and all of us hold them strongly,” he said.Wortman said he is concerned about the defense of faculty rights and the conduct code and would like to see these issues be presented in the Faculty Senate in the future.”I am one who truly loves the Faculty Senate as a body that really does what if feels is good for the university, faculty, staff and students,” he said.Hopper said senate elections are approaching fast, and he encourages faculty to participate in shared governance by being a part of the Faculty Senate.”The Faculty Senate has a distinguished record of accomplishment in service to faculty, students and the institution,” he said, “and faculty participation will ensure that this record of service and accomplishment continues.”