1.06 – Membership and Structure of the Faculty Senate

  1. The Faculty Senate consists of the University Committee and forty (40) additional elected members, except as additional membership may be provided under 1.06(4). The University Committee serves as the executive committee of the Faculty Senate.
  2. Members of the Faculty Senate are elected at large by the University Faculty. Representation is apportioned among the various Faculty Divisions of the University on the basis of the number of Faculty members in each. The University Committee makes an annual review of representation and provides for necessary adjustments in the next election.
  3. Members are elected for three-year terms, and no member serves more than two (2) consecutive full three-year terms. Partial terms of more than two years are considered the equivalent of a full three-year term for the purpose of this rule. Partial terms of two years or less are not considered full terms. Additionally, no member may serve for more than eight consecutive years. The term of office begins the first week of instruction in each academic year. One-third of the Faculty Senate members are elected for three-year terms annually. The Nominations Committee prepares the slate of nominees.
  4. Should the elections result in the Faculty Senate having no member from a college, then the candidate from that college who received the greatest number of votes shall be deemed elected for a one-year term as an additional member authorized by 1.06(1). Should the election result in the Faculty Senate having fewer than two (2) members who are Assistant Professors or Instructors from each of the various Faculty Divisions of the University, then the one (1) or two (2) Assistant Professors or Instructors from that Faculty division with the greatest number of votes, shall be deemed elected for a one-year term as additional members authorized by 1.06(1).
  5. Faculty Senate attendance is published by the Secretary of the University in the calendar of the two regular meetings of the Faculty. Attendance at Faculty meetings is a part of each Senator’s duties.
    1. The seats of those Senators who fail to attend three consecutive regular Faculty/Senate meetings are automatically declared vacant.
    2. A member of the Faculty Senate may be granted a leave from the Faculty Senate of up to one year for any legitimate reason that would cause the individual to miss three or more consecutive meetings, e.g., obtaining a sabbatical. A request for leave from the Faculty Senate should be approved in advance by the University Committee. When a leave from the Faculty Senate is granted, a replacement will be appointed for the duration of the leave. The replacement will be the next qualified candidate per 1.06(6).
  6. When a vacancy occurs in the Faculty Senate:
    1. The vacancy is filled by the available candidate in the appropriate division who had the highest number of votes. If there is no available candidate, a vacancy is filled by an appointee of the University Committee. The person so designated shall serve until the first week of the next academic year. If the term of office extends beyond the current academic year, an election for the unexpired term is held at the next regular election.
    2. Vacancies in the Faculty Senate are filled in such a way that the distribution specified in 1.06(2) is preserved.
  7. The Faculty Senate shall not have among its members any member of the administrative staff of the University. Administrative staff shall mean Presidents, Vice Presidents, Associate Vice Presidents, Assistant Vice Presidents; Chancellors, Provosts, and Vice Chancellors; Deans, Associate and Assistant Deans; Divisional-level Directors, Associate Directors and Assistant Directors or those holding titles as Assistants to such officers.