McFalls, Cantrell elected to lead university governance organizations

June 14, 2023

Columbus State University’s faculty and staff governance bodies will begin the 2023-24 academic year in August with new leadership. They include Libby McFalls, who will serve as the executive officer of the Faculty Senate, and Lauren Cantrell, who will chair the Staff Council.

McFalls and the Faculty Senate

McFalls succeeds Dr. Troy Keller as the Faculty Senate’s 2023-24 executive officer. A professor and Art Foundation coordinator in the Department of Art, she has served on the CSU faculty since August 2007. She previously served the Faculty Senate, and her term as its executive officer will be her third year serving on the Faculty Senate.

McFalls holds a master of fine arts in print media from the Cranbrook Academy of Art (Michigan) and a bachelor of fine arts from the Columbus College of Art & Design (Ohio). Her previous teaching appointments include roles at the University of Maine at Farmington and Pellissippi State Community College. At Columbus State, she has received the university’s Creative Endeavors Award (2020) in addition to the Faculty Service Award (2009 and 2011) and the Faculty Research and Scholarship Award (2010) from the College of the Arts. She is an active member of the Foundation of Art: Theory and Education and served as its national vice president of communication over the last seven years.

The Faculty Senate serves as a representative voice for the university’s faculty in the operations of the university and operates through a structure of elected officers and college senators.

Serving with McFalls on the Faculty Senate’s Executive Committee will be Dr. Rosa Williams, executive secretary (Department of Earth & Space Sciences); Dr. Shannon Godlove, member-at-large (Department of English); and Dr. Steven Wright, member-at-large (Department of Teacher Education, Leadership & Counseling).

Cantrell and the Staff Council

Cantrell succeeds William Keen as the Staff Council’s 2023-24 chair. The human resources information systems coordinator in the Office of Human Resources, Cantrell tenure at Columbus State began in February 2019. Her previous Staff Council roles have included being a human resources department representative for two years and serving as chair-elect for one year.

Cantrell earned a bachelor of arts in art history, criticism and conversation from Columbus State before completing a master’s degree in the same field at Georgia State University. Her professional experience has included administrative, artistic curation and data analytic roles. 

Comprised of staff representatives from units throughout the university, the Staff Council is a voice for staff interests and a conduit for communications between staff and university leadership. The Staff Council creates new and promotes existing opportunities for staff development and growth, as well as provides a forum to discuss issues of importance to staff.

Serving alongside Cantrell as Staff Council officers will be Executive Board members Elizabeth Chess, chair-elect (Turner College of Business & Technology); Kristi Rehrauer, financial officer (Honors College); Ria Stringfellow, secretary (College of the Arts); Jessie Merrell, membership coordinator (Columbus State Libraries); Ashley Herbolich, webmaster (Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center); and William Keen, immediate past chair (Student Life & Development).

Media contact:
Michael Tullier, APR, Executive Director of Strategic Communication + Marketing, 706.507.8729, mtullier@columbusstate.edu