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Faculty Senate Meetings
View the agendas, minutes, and discussed documents from UMass Amherst’s Faculty Senate meetings from this academic year, as well as access archived documents.
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Secretary's Notes
Introduction to the Faculty Senate:
The Faculty Senate provides faculty and librarians at the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a channel for participating in policy-making and governance of the campus. To function well, it needs active participation by librarians and faculty from all areas of campus.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts General Laws: Title XII, Section 75
[Basis of Existence and Governance]
Section 1. There shall be a University of Massachusetts consisting of campuses to be maintained at Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and Worcester, which shall continue as a public institution of higher learning within the system of public higher education and shall be governed by the board of trustees established herein.
[Delegation of Governance Powers]
Section 3A. The trustees may, except as to duties imposed or powers granted under sections two, three, four, and five, delegate their authority or any portion thereof to the president or other officers of the university whenever in their judgment such delegation may be necessary or desirable.
University Governance - Board of Trustees Document 73-098, paragraph I.B.1
The Board of Trustees recognizes that while it must exercise general authority over the University, certain components of the University, such as the President’s Office, the campus administrations, and the representative and administrative governing bodies of the faculty and the students have, by virtue of interest, training, and experience, a special concern and competence in certain areas. Subject to precedents established by components on each campus and/or the restraints and procedures specified in their constitutions, these components shall have primary responsibility in their areas of special competence and concern. Whenever the phrase “primary responsibility” appears in this statement, it shall mean the capacity to initiate recommendations, after appropriate consultation, in accordance with the procedures specified in section II. D below. Such recommendations will be overruled only by written reasons stated in detail. While it in no way is intended to contravene the authority and participation of the Board of Trustees in governance, the following is a general statement of primary responsibility in the major areas of University life.
Faculty Areas of Primary Responsibility, Board of Trustees Document 73-098, paragraphs I.B. 2 and 3
ACADEMIC MATTERS: the faculty will exercise primary responsibility in such academic matters as curriculum, subject matter and methods of instruction, research, admissions, libraries, and other aspects of University life which directly relate to the educational process.
FACULTY STATUS: the faculty will have primary responsibility for matters of faculty status, such as appointments, reappointments, promotions, tenure, and salary adjustments.
The Faculty Senate (86 elected members; 20 ex-officio members)
- Presiding Officer – runs Faculty Senate meetings
- Secretary – formal spokesperson for the Faculty Senate – maintains the flow of business, keeps the records, – receives and forwards suggestions for agenda items to the Rules Committee – keeps track of Senate and Council/Committee workflow – answers questions regarding Senate actions and processes Faculty Delegate and Associate
- Faculty Delegate to the Board of Trustees – follow Board proceedings, speak for Faculty at Board and its committees as they permit; report to Faculty Senate on Board decisions and discussions
- Rules Committee (9 members – the 4 officers already listed plus 5 elected from among the elected Senators) – sets meeting agendas; assigns proposals for programs and policies to Councils or Committees; – meets with, provides advice to central administration – assesses campus situations and considers FS response
- Nominating Committee – recommends faculty and librarians for membership on Councils and Committees
Councils and Committees directly involved in areas of primary faculty responsibility:
| Academic Matters Council | evaluate proposals for new undergraduate courses, new or changed undergraduate programs, and policies regarding undergraduate academic conduct and programs. |
| Academic Priorities Council | evaluate proposals for new or changed undergraduate and graduate programs and policies, particularly their place within the overall academic endeavor. |
| General Education Council | proposes organization, goals, learning outcomes desired in the General Education part of the undergraduate curriculum; approves individual courses for Gen Ed designations (except Junior Year Writing); reviews designated courses every five years; monitors effectiveness of General Education program. |
| Graduate Council | evaluate proposals for new graduate courses, new or changed graduate programs, and policies regarding graduate student academic conduct and programs. |
| Program and Budget Council | considers budget implications of new or changed academic programs and assesses their feasibility; advises administration on operating and capital budgets; |
| Commonwealth Honors College Council | approves courses for Honors designation (Honors Colloquia attached to other courses are approved by CHC administrators); approves proposed changes to the CHC and departmental honors programs; provides general advice about the Honors Program, admission of students to CHC, and running of CHC. |
| International Studies Council | recommends exchange agreements with other universities to the Faculty Senate; approves other programs of study abroad, including international travel part of UMass courses including such a component; advises International Programs Office; advise the administration regarding international and ethnic programs; coordinate internationalization efforts. |
| Undergraduate Education Council | may be asked to provide a review of proposed policies; advises on undergraduate academic matters such as advising, New Students Orientation, promotion of excellent teaching, maintaining or improving the quality of the undergraduate experience. |
| University Writing Committee | recommends policies for the writing program, both the first-year and Junior Year Writing components; approve courses for JYW designation, reviews designated courses every 5 years; evaluates the program and suggests changes as needed. |
| Committee on Admissions and Records | deals with applications for readmission to the university and with appeals of suspensions or dismissals. |
Councils and Committees providing advice to the relevant senior administrator(s) in areas of primary administration responsibility:
| Athletic Council | monitors Athletic Department activity; advises on all levels of athletic activity including intercollegiate sports and support for student-athletes, club sports, intramural competitions, and campus recreation center programs. |
| Campus Physical Planning Council | advises on plans to construct buildings or other physical facilities that change the physical configuration of campus; advises on use of space inside buildings. |
| General Education Council | proposes organization, goals, learning outcomes desired in the General Education part of the undergraduate curriculum; approves individual courses for Gen Ed designations (except Junior Year Writing); reviews designated courses every five years; monitors effectiveness of General Education program. |
| Council on Public Engagement and Outreach | monitor and review campus activities involving public service or outreach; advise on promotion, accomplishment, and evaluation of such activities; provide liaison to UMass system level bodies concerned with public engagement and outreach. |
| Health Council | advise on operation of existing health programs, propose modes of evaluating their effectiveness, recommend policies related to health needs of members of the UMass community. |
| Information and Computer Technology Council | review and advise concerning ICT infrastructure, planning, priorities, and policies. |
| Research Council | advises the administration on research-related matters and policies; awards internal research grants; advise Faculty Senate regarding establishment of new research centers and institutes. |
| Research Library Council | advises Dean of Libraries on policies and operations; advises campus on financial priorities as affect the libraries; advise administration on budgets for fundraising activities. |
| Status of Diversity Council | advise on all matters relating to diversity and historically underrepresented faculty, staff, and students – including recruitment and retention, pay or financial aid, programs addressing their particular needs. |
| Status of Women Council | advise on all matters relating to women faculty, staff, and students including recruitment, retention, and pay; also regarding availability of day care on campus and programs addressing interruptions of career to raise a family, availability of part-time work. |
| Student Affairs and University Life Council | advise administration on non-academic aspects of student life on campus; advise Faculty Senate on maters in areas where it has authority to review policy. |
| University Relations and Advancement Council | advises on activities of University Relations and University Advancement Offices, including fundraising, alumni affairs, university communications to outside audiences. |
| University Press Committee | approves all publications of the press; recommends policies and modes of funding the press |
The Faculty Senate also names faculty members to serve on these bodies:
| Arts Council | assists with selecting winners of internal grants for art projects and performances. |
| Transportation and Parking Advisory Board | advises on operation of the campus’s various transportation systems and policies relating to parking. |
| Community/Police Advisory Board | provides recommendations on safety, police matters, police communications to the campus community to the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs & Campus Life. |
Faculty members and Librarians serving on Councils and Committees need not be members of the Faculty Senate. In fact, it would be impossible for the Faculty Senate to maintain a full complement of members on all Councils and Committees if their members had to be members of the Senate as well. Thus the Councils and Committees provide a way that individual faculty members and librarians can become involved in an aspect of campus governance in areas close to their own particular interests.
Most Councils meet once a month; their current schedules can be seen on Councils and Committees page of the Faculty Senate website (www.umass.edu/senate/councils-and-committees). Committees have varying schedules depending on their duties.
The Faculty Senate meets approximately once a month, from 3:30-5pm (or sometimes a bit later) on a Thursday afternoon.
Elected senators are chosen by their faculty or librarian peers through a system of districts that ensure participation from all areas of campus. Tenure-track and non-tenure track faculty and librarians on a half-time or more appointment, as well as faculty on a post-retirement appointment are eligible to vote in Faculty Senate elections and to serve as a senator.
Address or presentation on a topic of campuswide concern.
Announcements: opportunities for senior administrators, Senate officers, and representatives of the Graduate Student Senate, the Student Government Association, and the Massachusetts Society of Professors to inform the Faculty about new developments.
Questions : opportunities for members of the Faculty Senate to ask senior administrators or officers of the Senate about campus or Faculty Senate matters.
Course approvals: approval of new courses for addition to the permanent catalog on recommendation of the Academic Matters Council and the Graduate Council.
New Business: which can include:
– approval of new degree programs (undergraduate majors, master’s degree programs, doctoral programs), approval of revisions to existing programs as recommended by relevant Councils
– approval of changes to academic policies (e.g., General Education requirements, grading system, course repeat policy
– discussion of matters noted in Council and Committee annual reports submitted at a particular meeting
– establishment of Senate and Joint Senate
-Administration ad hoc committees and task forces for particular purposes – adoption or endorsement of ad hoc committee proposals – approval of membership of Councils and Committees
– approval of changes to the bylaws; formal proposal of amendments to the Faculty Senate constitution
Old Business: return to items postponed at previous meetings or to previously-adopted decisions for purposes of amendment.
Faculty Senate meetings are conducted according rules specified in the Bylaws and, where the Bylaws are silent, by Robert’s Rules of Order. These are not as complicated as many people think, and the more complex procedural maneuvers they describe seldom arise in the course of Faculty Senate meetings. The texts of rules contained in the current (12th) edition of Robert’s Rules and explanations of how to apply them are available on http://www.robertsrules.org and several parliamentarian’s association websites.