Committees
VCU Committees
VCU Faculty Senate
Description
The Faculty Senate strives to facilitate shared responsibility and cooperative action between the faculty and administration to promote the general welfare of the university.
In 1970, the Board “unanimously approved that the Faculty Senate be established and recognized to represent the faculty in the areas of (its) responsibilities and concerns.”
Procedures for Election
The Faculty Senate is composed of 62 elected members. Two senators are elected by the faculty of each school and by the professional staff of the University Library Services. Larger schools are allotted additional members in proportion to their size.
Membership and Term
Senators serve three-year terms and may not immediately succeed themselves. One-third of the senators are elected each spring.
The Faculty Senate elects its president, vice president, secretary, and two executive board members; it also elects two representatives to the University Council, and four representatives to the Faculty Senate of Virginia.
The Executive Committee, chaired by the president of the Faculty Senate, consists of the vice president, secretary, immediate past president and two members-at-large elected by the senate. Much of the work of the senate is done by its standing committees:
- Academic and Professional Status
- Academic Support Services
- Affirmative Action
- Budget and Planning Liaison
- Communications and Publications
- Credentials
- Economic Status
- Governance
- Student Affairs
- Alumni and Community Relations
The president of the senate appoints committee members, including some non-senators.
University Faculty Meetings
The Bylaws of the Faculty, Article V, Section 1 state: “The President of the Faculty Senate shall formally request of the President of the University that he or she convene the Faculty during the fall and spring semesters for the purposes of reporting on the state of the University and receiving questions from the Faculty. The requests shall be conveyed each year by October 1 and by February 1.”
A faculty meeting is held at the beginning of each academic year to welcome faculty and to provide general information. The vice presidents may also call additional meetings when they are needed. Each college, school and/or department has its own internal governmental structure which determines the time, place, and frequency of faculty meetings; attendance at the meetings is urged most strongly.
