UCF Faculty Senate: A Comprehensive Overview

The UCF Faculty Senate serves as the legislative body of the university, creating a forum for the mutual exchange of ideas between senior administrators and faculty. In this role, the Senate addresses and may legislate on matters concerning colleges, schools, other major academic units, or those of general university interest. The Faculty Senate operates according to the principles of shared governance. It stands as the main channel of communication between faculty members and the central administration of the university. As an advisory group to the president and provost, the Senate actively engages in shared governance, collaborating on important decisions that shape the academic community. The Senate constitutes the principal advisory body to the president and provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. In this capacity, the Senate has the responsibility to review and make recommendations to them concerning decisions of the university on all matters pertaining to the welfare of the university, focusing particularly on those related to the academic mission.

Membership and Election

The Faculty Senate consists of seventy-five elected members from the general faculty. Eligible members are those employed by the University of Central Florida during the regular academic year, with their primary duties focused on the university’s academic mission: teaching, research, and academic service. The specific titles of these members are detailed in the Senate Bylaws. At the first meeting of the new Senate in April, the Senators’ initial task is to elect a chair, vice chair, and secretary from among the voting members by a majority vote. Each officer serves a one-year term, beginning immediately after the election.

Key Responsibilities and Functions

The UCF Faculty Senate is your essential legislative body at the University, representing the collective voice of the faculty. We serve as the primary channel of communication between faculty members and the administration, ensuring that your concerns and ideas are heard. Senators shall report Senate activities regularly to their constituencies. The Senate may discuss and take a position on any subject of university concern, and may initiate policies on these matters, either directly or through its committees. The Senate appoints faculty members to serve on the Senate committees as well as joint committees and councils; these committees carry out much of the work of the Senate. Faculty members are afforded an opportunity each year to participate in committee service. Attendance is determined by the signing of an attendance roster at the beginning of each Senate meeting.

In addition to these collaborative efforts, the UCF Faculty Senate can pass formal resolutions to take a stand on key issues or call for action. Some of our recent resolutions have led to significant improvements in faculty life, such as implementing a five-year review process for faculty-facing vice presidents and vice provosts and securing ongoing UCF seed research funding for faculty.

Senate Committees: Operational, Curricular, and Ad Hoc

The Senate appoints faculty members to serve on the Senate committees as well as joint committees and councils; these committees carry out much of the work of the Senate. Faculty members are afforded an opportunity each year to participate in committee service.

Senate Operational Committees

Senate Operational Committees are established to optimize the Senate’s operations, address faculty interests, and ensure effective governance.

Senate Curricular Committees

Senate Curricular Committees govern college and university curricular and academic policies and procedures in cooperation with the College of Undergraduate Studies and/or the College of Graduate Studies and report to the Faculty Senate at each meeting of the Faculty Senate. Our committees play a crucial role in maintaining academic excellence by reviewing and approving policies, new courses, course changes, new programs, and program revisions. The Faculty Senate establishes Senate curricular committees, which report to the full Faculty Senate at each meeting of the Faculty Senate. As the elected representatives of the faculty, the Faculty Senate is responsible for all university curricular committees and councils. Even though there is no voting by proxy for Senate meetings, Senate curricular committees may adopt policies at the start of the year to allow voting by proxy.

Joint Committees and Councils

Faculty involvement is important for the disposition of certain key university issues with academic and administrative implications. In the spirit of shared governance, these issues are dealt with by joint committees and provide an annual report to the Faculty Senate. The identification of faculty for service on joint university committees and councils is the result of collaboration between the college Committee on Committees representative and a representative of the college dean. Based upon the criteria for the committee position, both parties may solicit nominations from the college’s faculty or administrators.

Ad Hoc Senate Committees

Ad Hoc Senate committees can be established by the Senate or by the Steering Committee. These committees can span academic years however, are short-term committees designed to focus on specific issues.

Faculty Senate Student Success Council

The Faculty Senate Student Success Council shall consist of at least one faculty member from each academic unit (selected by the Committee on Committees), at least two of whom are current members of the Faculty Senate, the senior vice president for Student Success (ex officio), one representative from the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning, four students, with at least one undergraduate student, one graduate student, and one international student (nominated by the president of the Student Government Association), one representative of the Student Success & Well-Being Leadership Council Team (selected by the senior vice president for student success), one representative from UCF Global (appointed by the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs), one representative from the College of Graduate Studies (appointed by the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies), and one representative from the College of Undergraduate Studies (selected by the vice provost and dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies). A representative from the professional advising office for each college or unit may serve as a non-voting committee member. The senior vice president for Student Success (or designee) shall identify additional ex officio members, making every effort to ensure that areas relating to student success are represented. The chair and vice chair shall be elected annually from its faculty membership.

The Faculty Senate Student Success Council has several key objectives:

i. To promote the development and implementation of programs, policies, including admission policies, and practices that help students succeed in their academic pursuits and personal wellbeing.ii. To advise and assist the University Student Success Steering Committee, the senior vice president for Student Success, the vice provost and dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies, the dean of the College of Graduate Studies, and other relevant committees, units, and individuals in developing student success initiatives and recommending actions to meet student success goals.iii. To review and monitor the performance and progress of state performance- based funding, preeminence, and other strategic student success metrics that are important for UCF and its students.iv. To support and collaborate with the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning and the Center for Distributed Learning to create professional development for faculty to facilitate student success.v. To serve as an advisory and recommending body for the Faculty Senate on strategies and procedures that relate to student success.vi. To support and collaborate with professional advising offices across UCF to help facilitate student success.

Key Committees and Councils

Several committees and councils play critical roles within the Faculty Senate structure.

Committee on Committees

The senators from each academic unit elect their representatives to the Committee on Committees from amongst the unit’s Steering Committee members. Members of the Committee on Committees are elected at the first Senate meeting of the year to a one-year term. Should a vacancy occur on the Committee on Committees, the senators from the academic unit in which the vacancy occurs shall designate a replacement.

The Committee on Committees is responsible:

To provide the Steering Committee of the Faculty Senate with a list of nominees for all Senate operational and curricular committees and the responsible university administrator with nominations for joint committees and councils.

Undergraduate Council and its Subcommittees

The Undergraduate Council oversees undergraduate academic policies and curriculum. Subcommittees of the council carry out the work of the council.

Undergraduate Policy and Curriculum Committee

The Undergraduate Policy and Curriculum Committee shall consist of the chair of the Undergraduate Council, an elected vice chair, and fifteen faculty members, with at least one representative from each of the academic units. Faculty membership shall proportionally represent the number of faculty of the colleges, and an effort shall be made to include members of the college curricular committees. The ex officio members include the dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies (or designee) and the assistant or associate dean (or designee) whose responsibilities include undergraduate curricular issues from each of the colleges. The Undergraduate Policy and Curriculum Committee transmits its recommendations to the dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies, who submits his/her recommendations to the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.

Undergraduate Course Review Committee

The Undergraduate Course Review Committee shall consist of the vice chair of the Undergraduate Council, an elected vice chair, and fifteen faculty members, with at least one representative from each of the academic units. Faculty membership shall proportionally represent the number of faculty of the colleges, and every effort shall be made to include members of the college curricular committees. The ex officio members include the dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies (or designee) and the assistant or associate dean (or designee) whose responsibilities include undergraduate curricular issues from each of the colleges.

The Undergraduate Course Review Committee is responsible:

To review all undergraduate course additions, revisions or deletions, and special topics course requests and transmit its recommendations to the dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies (or designee) for approval.

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee acts as the Faculty Senate’s “executive committee” and usually convenes two weeks before the Senate. The Steering Committee typically meets two weeks prior to the Faculty Senate. The Steering Committee is composed of the chair of the Faculty Senate, the vice chair, the secretary of the Faculty Senate, and the immediate past chair of the Senate. In addition to the current officers and the immediate past chair of the Faculty Senate, the total number of senators on the Steering Committee shall be no greater than one-fifth (15) of the total number of senators (75) and apportioned as provided below. Steering Committee members shall be elected by a majority vote of senators present and voting within each of the academic units. There shall be no voting by proxy.

The Steering Committee has several key responsibilities:

To act on behalf of the Senate on matters declared by the chair of the Faculty Senate to be of an emergency nature. Any action taken in this respect by the Steering Committee shall be reported by the chair of the Faculty Senate to the members of the Faculty Senate at or before the next regular meeting. The Senate shall then review such action.
To serve as an advisory body of the chair of the Faculty Senate on any matter which the chair of the Faculty Senate brings before it.
To develop Faculty Senate agendas. Items may be added to the agenda at any meeting of the Senate under new business by majority vote.
To appoint from its membership liaisons to each of the Senate committees who shall serve as non-voting members of these committees.
To periodically review Senate operational, curricular, and joint committees and councils.
To act in executive session when the Faculty Senate is not in session. In this capacity, a majority of the committee shall constitute a quorum.
In addition to the above duties, Steering Committee members collaborate with the dean’s office to solicit Grand Marshals and Faculty Representatives as a member of the platform party at each commencement ceremony.

Meetings

Below are the official agendas, materials distributed, and approved minutes and materials for each meeting. Senate leaders also meet regularly with the provost and other administrators in a more informal setting to discuss issues and find solutions together. Meetings are scheduled by the chair of the committee. The Council meets monthly on the second Thursday of the month from 10:00-11:30 am. The committee submits a brief annual report of the committees’ activities by the end of the second week of August each year. as the standard meeting time. The standard meeting time does not prevent the curricular committees from scheduling a longer or additional meeting to address time-sensitive deadlines.

Representation

Examples of Faculty Senate representation from various colleges:

College of Business Administration- Kenneth G. Delia M.
College of Business Administration- Jeffrey L.

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