Faculty Senate

About the Faculty Senate

Utah State University establishes for itself in its Policy Manual a system of shared authority or participatory governance between faculty and administration. In this system the Faculty Senate - comprised of elected and ex officio faculty, appointed administrators, and appointed student officers - occupies a central position. To quote from the Policy Manual (Section 402.2):

The Senate shall have the power to act for and represent the faculty in all matters of educational policy, including requirements for admission, degrees, diplomas, schools, and certificates, and curricular matters involving relations between colleges, divisions, or departments.

The Senate shall also have the following powers:

1. Receive and consider reports from any faculty committee, and from any council, department, division, administrative officer, library or college; and to take appropriate action.
2. To consider matters of professional interest and faculty welfare and to make recommendations to the President of the University and other administration officers.
3. To propose to the President amendments or additions to these policies.

Clearly, then, the Senate has as its main charge the development, review, and modification of educational policies; but other duties and responsibilities are specified, and in practice the Senate has assumed the right to consider any opportunity or problem facing the University or any of its units, and to formulate a Senate position or recommendation. Its agendas have included information, discussion, or action on items as diverse as post-tenure review, course evaluations, distance education, and reports from many different councils and committees.

We invite new and returning Senators to participate in Senate activities with diligence and enthusiasm. If the processes on occasion seem to grind too rapidly or too slowly, too coarse or too fine, know that the Senate's overall accomplishments substantially benefit the University and those whom it serves.

To learn more about the Faculty Senate, review the links to membership, calendars, meeting agendas, archives, and minutes of past meetings. These can be found on the menu above.