Faculty Senate, University of Vermont

Meetings of university officials date back as early as 1827 from when James Marsh was president of the university. Faculty committees were established in the late nineteenth century during Matthew Buckham’s presidency. In 1911, President Guy Benton formally established the University Senate, which was not specifically for faculty but consisted of various university officials. By 1940 there were twenty extant faculty committees. The Policy Committee was formed in 1942, marking faculty becoming more involved in institutional policy decisions. President John Fey created a faculty committee to prepare a constitution and bylaws in 1963, which went into effect in February 1966, formalizing the Faculty Senate. The Senate then adopted a town hall style where all faculty members could attend and had a vote. The bylaws were amended in 1970 to remove the university president as the senate chair.

According to the constitution and bylaws, last amended in 2015, functions of the Faculty Senate include reviewing and establishing or recommending policy in regard to curricular matters, the academic calendar, research and scholarship, admissions standards and student financial aid, teaching quality and professional standards for appointment and tenure, institutional priorities, academic organization, honorary degrees, and more. Policy decisions are submitted to the UVM president, who has the power to veto. Although they do not have final authority to implement policy, the Faculty Senate has considerable influence on university matters.

The Senate is comprised of elected faculty members, one from each department or two from departments consisting of greater than twenty-five faculty members, who have voting privileges. The President and Vice President of the Faculty Senate are also elected positions but do not have a vote. Meetings are open to the public and the Senate meets at least four times per semester. The Senate is made up of standing committees which deal with reviewing and regulating policies that fall under that committee’s area of concern. Each standing committee includes at least one faculty member from each college or major academic unit. Some committees include subcommittees to focus on specific areas. Ad hoc committees may also be formed to deal with specific issues; thus, committees are often in flux. Major committees include the Faculty Affairs Committee and the Academic Affairs Committee. The Executive Council of the Faculty Senate presides over the agenda with recommendations from committees.

Information on the history of the Faculty Senate can be found at: http://www.uvm.edu/faculty_senate/history_uvm_faculty_senate

The constitution and bylaws can be found at: http://www.uvm.edu/faculty_senate/faculty_senate_constitution_and_bylaws