Outgoing University Senate president Dogan Comez, professor of mathematics, passed the gavel to incoming president Mark Meister, associate professor of communication, during the group’s May 11 meeting.

““My goal as president of the University Senate is to further promote the legitimacy and significance of the university faculty,” said Meister, who will hold the office until May 2010. “I will work closely with administrators and officials to represent faculty concerns.”

Meister earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communication and environmental studies from Carroll College, Helena, Mont., master’s degree in speech communication from NDSU and doctorate in communication studies from the University of Nebraska.

Amy Rupiper Taggart, assistant professor of English, was elected University Senate president-elect. She will serve as president during the 2010-11 academic year.

Rupiper Taggart, who joined NDSU in 2002, earned a bachelor’s degree in English and German from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., and doctorate in English from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas.

She is a board member of the Reflections journal, and a member of the Vertical Writing Curriculum Committee and First-year English Committee. She also is the board vice president of the March of Dimes in Fargo.