Faculty Senate Standing Committee and Subcommittee Information Guide
The following is information to help acquaint standing committee chairs with their responsibilities as chairs and Executive Committee members, as well as providing reference materials for any one seeking information regarding faculty governance. Please don’t hesitate to contact the Faculty Senate Office (nsimon@uwsp.edu or 715-346-2124) should you have any questions or need additional information.
Index of items:
(Click on the item listed below to be taken to that area of the document.)
 Constituting a standing committee and/or subcommittee
Please review the constitution, especially the section that outlines your specific standing committee responsibility. Any proposed amendments to the Constitution of the Faculty Senate should follow the below instructions. Please note, constitutional amendments (once approved by a standing committee of the Faculty Senate) require the proposed amendment be published, distributed, and have its first reading at least two weeks prior to the Faculty Senate meeting where action will be taken.
Constitution of the Faculty Senate amendment instructions
The Constitution of the Faculty Senate is available at:
All faculty governance committees and subcommittees have email address distribution lists in the Microsoft Outlook Global Address Book. All lists (with the exception of the University Personnel Development Committee) are maintained by the Faculty Senate Office. Please notify the Faculty Senate Office of any membership changes; it is important that the email address distribution lists are kept up-to-date not only for email purposes but also because myFacultySenate permissions are provided via the listings.
The Executive Committee is comprised of the Faculty Senate chair, vice chair, and chair-elect or previous chair, and standing committee chairs. The main functions of the Executive Committee are to discuss items coming before standing committees and to act as a liaison between the Faculty Senate and administration. Executive Committee meeting minutes are distributed to all faculty and staff via “Campus Announcements.” An up-to-date Executive Committee membership listing is located on the Faculty Senate website (http://www.uwsp.edu/facSen/Pages/default.aspx).
Chapter 36 of the Wisconsin State Statutes directs the faculty and academic staff to determine its own organization to participate in institutional governance. The Constitution of the Faculty Senate specifies the Faculty Senate as the primary governance representative body. Please note, for purposes of institutional governance, "faculty" is defined as a person holding at least 50% FTE faculty or academic staff appointment. A Faculty Senate membership listing is located in the "announcements" area of the Faculty Senate myFacultySenate site (https://committees.uwsp.edu/facsen/Site%20Pages/Home.aspx).
It is important that committees report all business, whether action or information items, to the Faculty Senate. Approved motions that are not official action items (e.g., committee decisions) should be reported to the Faculty Senate as information items. At the request of any member of the Faculty Senate, any information item before the Faculty Senate can be moved to an "action" for vote of the Faculty Senate. Committee minutes are distributed to senators with the Faculty Senate agenda prior to Faculty Senate meetings. The agenda provides notification of items to be acted on or reported as information; the committee minutes provide associated reference information. [Article V, Section 3 of the Constitution: “The chair of each committee shall promptly report to the Senate in writing the recommendations, proposals, and other actions of the committee.”]
Faculty Senate agenda items and accompanying minutes/materials are due in the Faculty Senate Office by noon Wednesday of the week prior to the Faculty Senate meeting. The Friday of the week prior to a Faculty Senate meeting, the complete Faculty Senate agenda is posted to the Faculty Senate myFacultySenate "next meeting" area (https://committees.uwsp.edu/facsen/Site%20Pages/Home.aspx) and hard copy agendas are forwarded via campus mail to those requesting a hard copy. Faculty Senate agendas and meeting minutes are distributed to all faculty and staff via the “Campus Announcements.”
Conveying committee business to the Faculty Senate
Sample Faculty Senate agenda
Faculty Senate Organizational Chart
Faculty Senate resolutions
Standing committee action and information items are reported in Faculty Senate meeting minutes. The action and information items reported are prepared as Faculty Senate resolutions and submitted to the chancellor for "approval" or to be "noted" if the item was for information. Items acted on or received as information by the Faculty Senate are not “official” until the Chancellor has signed the resolution. [Article VI, Section 1, of the Faculty Constitution: “…"no action of a committee responsible to the Senate shall become operative until it has been reported in writing to the Senate, recommended by the Senate at a regular or special meeting under the procedures outlined below, and approved by the Chancellor.]
Resolutions summaries from prior academic years are available in the Faculty Senate myFacultySenate "Archives" or in the Faculty Senate office.
Sample Faculty Senate resolution
Faculty Senate websites
The Faculty Senate website address is: http://www.uwsp.edu/facsen/Pages/default.aspx The Faculty Senate website contains general information for Faculty Senate, Executive Committee, and standing committees and associated subcommittees. This is a general website that is accessible to anyone with web access.
myFacultySenate (mFS) is a SharePoint based site with specific areas for each faculty governance committee and subcomittee. mFS is accessible only to persons with a UW-Stevens Point log-in. The site can be accessed directly: https://committees.uwsp.edu/facsen/Site%20Pages/Home.aspx or through the Faculty Senate website: http://www.uwsp.edu/facsen/Pages/default.aspx by clicking on “log-in to secure site”. mFS contains current and past academic years faculty governance meeting agendas, meeting materials, minutes and attachments.
Flow Chart of Governance Issues
Faculty governance issues are tracked by committee on a flow chart. The flow chart is presented to the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate and chancellor regularly for information. The flow chart should be reviewed at regular intervals by committee chairs for accuracy and any needed edits or revisions.
Sample Flow Chart of Governance Issues committee report
General Operating Procedures Information
General operating procedures should be distributed to committee members at the first meeting of the year. Committee operating procedures should contain at least the meeting time, dates, and location. Operating procedures may also address the process for proposing motions, what constitutes a quorum, the rotation for minute taking, and other pertinent committee information. Committee operating procedures should be accepted by the committee. (Please note, some committees (e.g., Academic Affairs Committee) have committee operating procedures specific for the committee. Operating procedures specific for a committee will be forwarded to the committee chair prior to the beginning of the first semester for inclusion in the first committee meeting materials.)
General Committee Operating Procedures
Meeting agendas and attachments
According to the Constitution of the Faculty Senate, the place, date, time and agenda of the meeting of each standing committee must be published at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting. To comply with Wisconsin Open Meetings Law, faculty governance meeting agendas are posted to myFacultySenate committee "Next Meeting" areas in the appropriate timeframe to provide access to all faculty governance agendas, minutes and related documents. Meeting information is also kept on file in the Faculty Senate Office. It is very important that committee and subcommittee chairs forward meeting agendas and other materials to the Faculty Senate Office for proper posting or post them directly to the myFacultySenate "Next Meeting" area specific to the committee in the appropriate time frame.
Information that should be included on a committee agenda/Sample committee agenda
Meeting Minutes
The committee chair is responsible for reviewing draft minutes for accuracy, and if necessary consulting with the author to suggest revisions, prior to the minutes being forwarded to committee members. Once minutes are distributed to committee members, the proper procedure to make corrections to minutes is to note the specific corrections in the next set of minutes. (e.g., “The minutes were approved with the following corrections…”) It is not appropriate to go back and revise the previous minutes. Please number the pages of minutes consecutively throughout the year.
Meeting minutes should be forwarded to the Faculty Senate Office or posted directly to the myFacultySenate "Next Meeting" area specific to the committee by the committee chair as soon as minutes are ready for release to committee members. Subcommittee minutes accepted at the committee meeting should also be included in committee minutes.
[Article V, section 6 of the Constitution: “Minutes of committee meetings and other important documents shall also be made available on the campus computing network."]
In the past some committees have held minutes until approved by the committee before forwarding to the Faculty Senate. Faculty Senate officers do not believe minutes need approval prior to being forwarded to Faculty Senate. If the Faculty Senate approves an action item before committee approval of the minutes, the Faculty Senate does so with the understanding that any action is contingent upon approval of the minutes by the committee. If a committee member disagrees with what has been written in the minutes, it would have to be brought up again for reconsideration by the committee, or the concern could be raised at the Faculty Senate meeting. Please consult with the Faculty Senate Chair if you have concerns regarding the release of your committee minutes before approval.
The following are suggestions regarding minutes that should be shared with those taking meeting minutes:
o Provide some context and list discussion points associated with motions.
o Indicate items/motions to be placed on the Faculty Senate agenda and specify whether “for information” or “for action.” If there is question of whether an item should be for action or information, please consult with the Faculty Senate Chair.
o When recording motions relating to changes to the University Handbook or Constitution of the Faculty Senate, original language should be provided with indication of revision by strikethroughs for deletions, and/or underlining for insertions.
Sample committee meeting minutes
Meeting Schedules
Meeting schedules for the Faculty Senate, Executive Committee, standing committees, and subcommittees are available on the Faculty Senate website (http://www.uwsp.edu/facsen/Pages/default.aspx) in a consolidated schedule of all faculty governance meetings. This consolidated schedule is posted on Campus Announcements at the beginning of each semester in compliance with Wisconsin Open Meeting Law. Committee and subcommittee individual meeting schedules and committee membership listings are available in the committee's specific myFacultySenate area (https://committees.uwsp.edu/facsen/Site%20Pages/Home.aspx) under "Announcements".
The University Personnel Development Committee and some subcommittees (e.g., Department Review, Teacher Education Subcommittees) establish their own meeting schedules; these meeting schedules should be forwarded to the Faculty Senate Office as soon as schedules are established.
The Faculty senate approved policy for memorial resolutions and UW-Stevens Point mourning flag protocol in 1996-1997 (Faculty Senate resolutions 1996-1997-015, 025, and 140). The policies are designed to serve as a form of tribute to colleagues who have died.
Wisconsin State Open Meetings Law requires that the place, date, time, and agenda of meetings be published at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting. To comply with Wisconsin Open Meetings Law, faculty governance meeting agendas are posted to myFacultySenate "Next Meeting" areas in the appropriate timeframe to provide access to all faculty governance agendas, minutes and related documents. Meeting information is also kept on file in the Faculty Senate Office.
Committee work cannot be conducted via email, myFacultySenate Private Working Documents area, D2L, or any other electronic means. Email and websites can be used to gather input to be shared and discussed at a future meeting. The important point is that items cannot be discussed or voted upon using technologies such as email, D2L, SharePoint, etc. because such discussion would not have taken place in a “public forum.”
Robert’s Rules of Order
The above document provides answers to frequently asked questions related to Robert's Rules of Order. Also available, upon request from the Faculty Senate Office: facsen@uwsp.edu, is a quick study outline of parliamentary procedures based on the principles of Robert’s Rules of Order.
Some committees have elected memberships:
- Academic Staff Council
- General Education Committee
- Graduate Council [both elected and appointed]
- University Personnel Development Committee
- Information Technology Council.
The Faculty Senate office compiles membership listings for committees with elected membership. It also maintains a summary of election results for filling elected position vacancies that might occur throughout the year. Appointments to fill vacancies elected by the faculty are made by the Executive Committee. [Article II, Section 7e of the Constitution states: “The Executive Committee shall fill all vacancies either by appointment of the person with the next highest vote total from among those running in the previous election in the unit where the vacancy occurs....”]. Please notify the Faculty Senate Office of vacancies as they occur.
Some committees have appointed memberships made largely by the chair of the standing committee:
- Academic Affairs Committee
- Curriculum Committee
- Faculty Affairs Committee
- Graduate Council [both elected and appointed]
- University Affairs Committee
For committees with appointed membership, please forward the Faculty Senate Office names of appointments as they are made so memberships and email distribution listings are promptly updated.
Unless otherwise specified, the term of office for the chair of a standing committee or permanent subcommittee is one year. The chair may serve no more than two consecutive years. The terms of service for members of faculty governance committees or permanent subcommittees are limited to six consecutive years. Exception to the six consecutive year term limit is members appointed by the chancellor or the vice chancellor/provost, or serving in an ex officio capacity; Faculty Senate and Graduate Council are also exempt from the six year term limitation.
- End of the academic year
Any additional standing committee information accumulated throughout the year should be forwarded to the Faculty Senate Office (Room 118 Main) at the end of the academic year. The Faculty Senate Office will either archive the information/files or forward the information to the next standing committee chair.
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