The Faculty Senate represents the University Faculty, and consists of forty (40) elected members and the University Committee. The Senate meets on the third Thursday of every month at 2:30 p.m. during the academic year.

Meeting Schedule

DateTimeLocation
Thursday, September 18, 20252:30pmCurtin 175 & Microsoft Teams
Thursday, October 16, 20252:30pmCurtin 175 & Microsoft Teams
Thursday, November 20, 20252:30pmCurtin 175 & Microsoft Teams
Thursday, December 11, 20252:30pmCurtin 175 & Microsoft Teams
Thursday, January 29, 20262:30pmCurtin 175
Thursday, February 19, 20262:30pmCurtin 175
Thursday, March 19, 20262:30pmCurtin 175
Thursday, April 16, 20262:30pmCurtin 175
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 (if needed)2:30pmCurtin 175
Thursday, May 14, 20262:30pmCurtin 175

Agendas

Minutes

Materials for Information Only

Additional Resources

Operating Procedures

When setting the agenda, the Rules Committee shall:

  1. Specify a time limit for each agenda item.
  2. Set a beginning time for each agenda item by inserting the language “not later than”
    after each item.
  3. Place the item “Unfinished Business” near the end of the agenda. Items that are not
    considered in a timely fashion, nor voted upon, are moved to Unfinished Business
    with a time limit of 5 minutes. At the end of this allotted time period, the body may:
    1. vote on the item, if ready, or vote to extend time
    2. move item to Unfinished Business. If the business item is not completed, or
      tabled, it automatically moves to the next meeting. If tabled, the item takes 2/3s
      vote to bring back for action.
Rules for a Question Period
  1. Forty to fifty minutes of every meeting of the Senate may be devoted to a question period, during which members of the Senate may address questions to the Chancellor and the Chair of the University Committee. Five minutes of the period will be allocated to the President (or representative) of the Student Association.
  2. Members of the Senate may file questions with the Secretary of the University at least three days prior to the Senate meeting. These questions shall be listed in the order of their delivery to the Secretary, and a document containing these questions shall be given to each member of the Senate at the beginning of the meeting.
  3. Questions may be addressed to the Chancellor and Chairs of the Committees without prior notice, but priority shall be given to questions filed in advance, and questions without notice shall be presented only after questions on notice have been put.
  4. Any member of the Senate may ask supplementary questions growing out of the replies to the principal question, but it shall be the duty of the presiding officer to prevent the presentation of supplementary questions from becoming a debate.
  5. The presiding officer has discretion to extend the question period beyond the time allotted by the standing Rule of the Senate.

(The “Rules for A Question Period,” will be distributed at the first Faculty meeting of each academic year.)

Amended by the Faculty Senate Rules Committee: 09/06/1995; 04/28/2011; 09/06/2012

How Motions Get to the Senate & Chancellor

UWM Policies & Procedures Chapter 1.05 states that the same procedures apply to both Faculty meetings and Faculty Senate meetings.

  1. Motions from a Faculty Standing Committee
    • The motion is sent to the Office of the Secretary of the University (SecU).
    • SecU forwards the motion to the Codification Committee (Cod).
      • Cod reviews the motion and either:
        • Returns it to the originating committee, or
        • Sends it to the Faculty Senate Rules Committee (Rules).
    • Rules places the motion on the Faculty Senate agenda.
  2. Motion from an Individual Faculty Member (per UWM P&P 1.04 (4)(b))
    • The motion must be sent to SecU at least 2 days before the Rules Committee meets.
    • SecU forwards the motion to Rules.
    • Rules refers the motion to the appropriate faculty standing committee for a recommendation (within 4 weeks)
      • If the faculty member believes the motion is being delayed, they may appeal directly to Rules (P&P A 3.0(3)(b)).
    • Emergency proposals may be placed directly on the agenda without referral (P&P A 3.0(3)(c)).
    • If the motion affects UWM Policies & Procedures, it goes to Cod for review (P&P A 1.7(2)(a)) before returning to Rules.
    • Rules places the motion on the Faculty Senate agenda.
      • If the proposal comes from a non-Senate member, it appears on the agenda as a motion of the committee or Rules (P&P A 3.0(3)(d)).
  3. Adding Omitted Items to the Agenda (P&P 1.07(3))
    • If something is omitted from the Senate agenda:
      • A motion can be made during the Senate meeting to add it to the calendar.
      • If approved, the item will appear on the calendar for the next regular Senate meeting.
  4. After Senate Approval (P&P 1.09)
    • Once a motion is approved by the Senate:
      • SecU sends the motion, with a transmittal form, to the Chancellor and Provost.
      • They have 30 days to approve or not approve the motion.
      • If they need more than 30 days, they must notify the University Committee with their reasons and expected timeline.
Attendance Policy

Per UWM Policies and Procedures 1.06:

  • Attending Faculty Senate meetings is part of every Senator’s duties.
  • Attendance records are published in the calendars of the two regular Faculty meetings each year.

Absences

  • If a Senator misses three consecutive Faculty Senate meetings, their seat will automatically be declared vacant.
  • If a Senator anticipates missing three or more consecutive meetings (for example, due to a sabbatical), they may request a leave of up to one year in advance.
    • Leave requests must be approved by the University Committee.
    • A temporary replacement will be appointed for the duration of the leave (per P&P 1.06(6).
  • If you miss two consecutive meetings, the Secretary of the University’s Office will send you a courtesy reminder.

Roll Call

Roll call is taken at every Faculty Senate meeting.

If you miss roll call: Sign the attendance sheet at the back of the room

More Resources

Subcommittee