UB Faculty Senate

FACULTY SENATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Introduction

A tremendous amount of thought and effort has gone into the pages that follow. The great majority of resolutions published in this document emerged as a result of research carried out by standing committees of the Faculty Senate, and discussion within the Executive Committee and the Faculty Senate as a whole. Extensive consultation with members of the University at Buffalo administration took place at various stages.

The Faculty Senate is the formal legislative body of the Voting Faculty as a whole. As defined by the Policies of the Board of Trustees, faculty ``shall have the obligation to participate significantly in the initiation, development and implementation of the educational program.'' Formally, again according to these Policies, actions taken by the Voting Faculty are "advisory upon the Chancellor and the chief administrative officer...'' Nonetheless, the tradition of the University at Buffalo is one of major faculty involvement in governance, with a commitment to collegial resolution of issues. The Faculty Senate's debates have been and will continue to be taken as major expressions of faculty concerns.

According to the Charter of the Senate, which was revised in 1995-96, the Faculty Senate represents and acts for the faculty in three broad areas:

Faculty status and activity (including appointment, promotion and tenure; procedures and standards regarding conduct and evaluation of research and teaching; complaints or charges; articles of governance; and speech and assembly on campus);
Academic degree programs (admission, curriculum, evaluation and graduation requirements for undergraduates; periodic review of graduate and professional degree programs); and
University-wide matters (most notably, reviewing formal plans for the future of the University and articles of governance).

Senate resolutions are advisory to the President, as required by the Policies of the Board of Trustees; the University at Buffalo is fortunate in that almost all these resolutions are implemented as policy.

Although the document as a whole may seem lengthy, in fact it comprises only a fraction of the Faculty Senate's activities during the 1985-96 period. Through its committees (most notably, the Executive Committee), the Faculty Senate has continuously monitored policies in areas of general interest to faculty. It has worked with other campus groups, such as the Graduate School, the UUP, or the former Undergraduate College. However, one could argue that the Faculty Senate has its most effective impact not as a result of its formal resolutions, but of its regular interactions and expressions of concern. As the chief voice of the faculty on the heart of our concerns--the quality and direction of our academic programs--the Faculty Senate holds a place of honor. In carrying out faculty teaching, research and service expectations, the policies examined and approved by the Faculty Senate stand at the center. This compendium of resolutions should both help our institutional memory and facilitate implementation of the policy directions indicated herein.

Should you have any comments or questions about individual resolutions or this compendium as a whole, please call or write me at the Faculty Senate Office (543 Capen Hall, North Campus; 716-645-2003; E-mail zbfacsen@acsu.buffalo.edu or cwelch@acsu.buffalo.edu).

Claude E. Welch, Jr., Chair, Faculty Senate
July 1996

Tel: 716-645-2003
Fax: 716-645-2717
Email: faculty-senate@buffalo.edu
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