Descriptions for Senate Committees
Click on the name of a committee to view current membership
Academic Computing Senate
The committee shall review on an annual basis the status and needs of academic computing and shall recommend action and policies, or policy changes, with regard to academic computing.
Faculty Nine faculty
Continuing/Ex-officio Executive Director, Division of University Computing or designee
Undergraduates Two undergraduate students nominated by the President of the Student Government Association
Graduate One graduate student nominated by the President of the Graduate Student Organization
Academic Program Review Senate
The committee shall periodically review each academic program of the University in terms of its quality, productivity, and centrality of the University's role and purposes and, on the basis of this shall develop appropriate recommendations for review and implementation by the President.
Faculty One faculty member from each college or school
Continuing/Ex-officio Vice President for Outreach
Dean of the Graduate School
Vice President for Research
Restrictions No faculty member shall serve more than two consecutive three-year terms.
The chairperson of the committee shall be a faculty member.
Senate
The committee shall study policies governing scholastic standards for all students regarding admission to the University, continuation in residence, and graduation, and make recommendations to the Senate. In addition, the committee shall recommend approval or disapproval of all college, school, and department requests to establish additional standards for admission in individual programs or curricula.
Faculty Nine faculty
Continuing/Ex-officio Provost or designee
Registrar (non-voting)
Administrator Evaluation Senate
The committee shall oversee and/or conduct a periodic evaluation of University administrators involved in the University’s teaching, research, and extension programs and provide a report of aggregate data to the Senate.
Faculty Five faculty
Staff One staff member nominated by the Staff Council
The committee shall submit a proposed University Calendar for approval by the Senate. It shall recommend policies concerning scheduling to promote effective use of the University's facilities
Faculty Six faculty
Continuing/Ex-officio Registrar as secretary
Staff One staff member nominated by the Staff Council
AP One administrative and professional member nominated by the Administrative and Professional Assembly
Undergraduates One student nominated by the Student Government Association
Core Curriculum Oversight Senate
The committee shall have the responsibility of recommending educational goals for the Core Curriculum and monitoring the effectiveness of the Core in fostering student achievement of those goals. Toward this end, the committee shall oversee the assessment of student learning in the Core, including the evaluation of courses, and may recommend to the University Senate changes in the Core Curriculum, including the admission or deletion of courses and other changes to the Core.
Faculty Seven representatives from the core areas:
1) Composition or Literature
2) Fine Arts
3) History
4) Mathematics
5) Natural Sciences
6) Philosophy
7) Social Sciences
One representative from the faculty of the University Libraries
Three representatives selected from colleges or schools that are not represented by the seven core areas
Continuing/Ex-officio Provost or designee as chair
Director of Assessment (non-voting, ex-officio
Curriculum Senate
The committee shall recommend approval or disapproval of requests for undergraduate and graduate curriculum changes. Graduate curriculum matters, including requests involving 6000-level courses, shall come to the Curriculum Committee following approval by the Graduate Council. In addition, the committee shall review overall curriculum patterns and course content of the instructional program other than the University Core Curriculum and shall recommend to the Senate curriculum changes needed by the University.
Faculty One faculty member from each college or school
Continuing/Ex-officio Provost or designee as chair
Dean of the Graduate School or designee
Registrar or designee as secretary
Faculty Grievance Senate
The committee shall evaluate grievances filed by faculty members and make recommendations to the President. The committee shall follow the Faculty Grievance procedure outlined in Article 6 of the Senate Constitution.
Faculty One elected member from each of the academic schools or colleges
One elected member from the Library
One elected member from the non-tenure track faculty members of the Cooperative Extension Service who are not included in academic departments
One elected member from the non-tenure track faculty in University Extension who are not included in academic departments
Restrictions The chair shall be elected from within the Grievance Committee and shall serve one year as chair-elect before assuming duties of the chair as provided in Article 6, Section 3.
No member shall serve more than two consecutive three-year terms.
Faculty Handbook Review Senate
The committee shall receive and solicit suggestions for changes and updating of the Faculty Handbook and recommend to the University Senate such changes as it deems appropriate.
Faculty Six faculty
Continuing/Ex-officio Provost or designee
Faculty Salaries Senate
The committee shall examine the salaries of all University Faculty within the institution and in comparison to those at other universities and shall make recommendations to the University Budget Advisory Committee as to the most effective means of remedying existing salary inequities and ensuring the maintenance of equity in the salary structure.
Faculty Five faculty
Continuing/Ex-officio Provost or designee
Executive Vice President or designee
Non-voting Executive Director of Planning and Analysis or designee as a non-voting member
Restrictions Faculty members shall serve three-year staggered terms.
Faculty Welfare Senate
The committee shall look into and make recommendations concerning faculty benefits and welfare programs of the University.
Faculty Eight faculty
Continuing/Ex-officio Executive Vice President
Director of Payroll and Benefits
Staff One staff member nominated by the Staff Council
AP One administrative and professional member nominated by the Administrative and Professional Assembly
Graduate Council Senate
The council shall review requests for curriculum changes in courses that may be taken for graduate credit, review and recommend approval of all proposals for new graduate programs and modifications to existing programs, review existing programs, recommend regulations and policies for the Graduate School, and assist the dean of the Graduate School in carrying out those regulations and policies.
Faculty Twelve to fifteen faculty members, with at least one from each school or college with a graduate program
Continuing/Ex-officio Dean of the Graduate School as chair
Assistant to the Dean of the Graduate School as non-voting secretary
Associate Dean of the Graduate School as non-voting vice chair
Graduate One graduate student nominated by the Graduate Student Organization
Restrictions Faculty members shall be appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School from a list of nominees provided by the Senate Rules Committee. The list of nominees shall, at a minimum, exceed the number of openings by two and shall contain at least two nominees from any college or school without a continuing representative. Faculty members must be full members of the Graduate Faculty.
Lectures Senate
The committee is a companion to the student-run University Program Council and shall augment the instructional programs of the University by supporting speakers of distinctive scholarship and accomplishment who would be of interest to students, faculty, and staff.
Faculty Three faculty
Continuing/Ex-officio Associate Provost or designee as chair
Undergraduates Two undergraduate students nominated by the Student Government Association
Graduate One graduate student nominated by the Graduate Student Organization
Library Senate
The committee shall recommend policies governing the distribution of funds for acquiring library materials, policies for the selection and location of such materials, and library services to be offered.
Faculty One library faculty member
One faculty member from each school or college
Continuing/Ex-officio Dean of Libraries
Undergraduates One undergraduate student nominated by the Student Government Association
Graduate One graduate student nominated by the Graduate Student Organization
Non-Tenure Track Instructors Senate
The committee will consider the special concerns of non-tenure track instructors and may propose policies relating to the status, function, and rights of non-tenure track instructors within the University. Each fall the committee chair will inform all non-tenure track instructors of the committee's existence and purpose.
Faculty Six tenured faculty members
Two department heads/chairs
One representative of the central administration
Three non-tenure track instructors
Restrictions All with staggered three-year terms
Research Grant-in-Aid Senate
The committee shall establish policy for the Grant-in-Aid programs and review and recommend proposals
Faculty Thirteen faculty members. Each school or college shall be represented by at least one faculty member.
Continuing/Ex-officio Associate Provost and Vice President for Research as chair
Associate Vice Presidents for Research as non-voting members
Retention Senate
The committee shall be responsible for continuous monitoring of the retention of undergraduate students and for recommending retention initiatives and working with the appropriate deans and student affairs to establish them.
Faculty Five faculty
Continuing/Ex-officio Director of Financial Aid
Director of the Student Success Center
Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Studies
Undergraduates Two students
Restrictions The faculty members will serve 3-year rotating terms
Rules Senate
The Senate Rules Committee shall have the responsibility for providing the President with a list of faculty nominations for University committees. The committee shall serve as the Committee on Committees.
Faculty Six members elected by the Senate
Continuing/Ex-officio Chair of the Senate as chair
Chair-elect
Secretary
Secretary-elect
Immediate past-chair
Restrictions Elected members shall serve two-year staggered terms. Election of members to two-year terms shall be held by secret ballot at each March meeting of the Senate. Candidates who receive a majority vote shall be elected and their appointment shall become effective immediately. Nominations shall be made from the floor at the Senate's February meeting. Information about candidates shall be distributed to all Senators with the agenda for the March meeting.
The committee shall act for the Senate on those matters requiring attention between meetings of that body and shall assist the chair of the Senate in setting the agenda for Senate meetings. In addition, it shall be concerned with the academic affairs of the University, with particular attention given to the need for developing and recommending policies under which these affairs are conducted. It shall work closely with other Senate committees to aid them in their assignments and shall receive an annual written report from each committee chair describing the committee's activities for the past year.
Minutes reporting formal action taken by the Steering Committee shall be given to each member of the Senate following their distribution.
Faculty Two faculty members appointed by the Rules Committee and approved by the Senate
Two faculty members appointed by the President
Continuing/Ex-officio Provost
Chair of the Senate as chair
Chair-elect
Secretary
Secretary-elect
Teaching Effectiveness Senate
The committee shall review what is currently in place in the University with respect to appropriate and reasonable teaching assignments. The committee shall establish policy for the Teaching Grant-in-Aid program and review and recommend proposals for funding. It shall also evaluate existing resources for teaching, provide systematic approaches to faculty evaluation, offer formal faculty development programs, and recognize excellence in teaching.
Faculty Thirteen faculty. Each school or college shall be represented by at least one faculty member
Continuing/Ex-officio Provost or designee
Undergraduates One undergraduate student nominated by the Student Government Association
Graduate One graduate student nominated by the Graduate Student Organization