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Email: facultysenate@uwrf.edu

Faculty Senate

The Faculty Senate is the legislative arm of the faculty at UW-River Falls. As such, the faculty delegates to the senate its powers and responsibilities as affecting the academic policies and programs, faculty affairs and the general welfare of the university in accordance with the provisions of Article III.

Email facultysenate@uwrf.edu with questions or for agenda items or other business pertaining to the senate.

View Faculty Senate meeting materials and resources.

UWRF Section Separator

  
Senate Structure: Membership 2025-2026

Representation (Term expiration year in parentheses): 

Senators are elected to serve as representative voices for in the five organizational divisions of the university: the three academic colleges (CAFES, CAS and CEBAH); the graduate faculty;  "Fourth Division" staff. The number of senators is determined by a formula based, in part, on the total number of faculty in each division.

In addition, four senators-at-large are elected from the "senior ranks" of professors and associate professors and three senators-at-large are elected from the "junior ranks" of assistant professors, lecturers and academic staff personnel. [Constitution, Article VI B.].

The Faculty Senate Executive Committee acts as the Faculty Senate Committee on Committees to make recommendations for faculty membership on Faculty Senate standing committees and Faculty/Administrative Committees and to designate chairs of the Faculty Senate standing committees [Constitution, Article VI, Section D; Faculty By-laws Article II, Section E.].


Calendar

This list provides information on meeting dates, times and locations for 2024-2025 Faculty Senate meetings. View meeting materials for each meeting.

  • August 13, 2025, 3:30 p.m., UC 334 or MS Teams
  • September 10, 2025, 3:30 p.m., UC 334 or MS Teams
    • Group photo will be taken at beginning of meeting outside of the UC or by Fireside Lounge (if raining)
  • October 1, 2025, 3:30 p.m., UC 334 or MS Teams
  • October 15, 2025, 3:30 p.m., UC 334 or MS Teams
  • October 29, 2025, 3:30 p.m., UC 334 or MS Teams
  • November 12, 2025, 3:30 p.m., UC 334 or MS Teams
  • December 10, 2025, 3:30 p.m., UC 334 or MS Teams
  • February 4, 2026, 3:30 p.m., UC 334 or MS Teams
  • February 18, 2026, 3:30 p.m., UC 334 or MS Teams
  • March 4, 2026, 3:30 p.m., UC 334 or MS Teams
  • March 25, 2026, 3:30 p.m., UC 334 or MS Teams
  • April 8, 2026, 3:30 p.m., UC 334 or MS Teams
  • April 22, 2026, 3:30 p.m., UC 334 or MS Teams
  • May 6, 2026, 3:30 p.m., UC 334 or MS Teams
  • May 6, 2026, 5 p.m., UC 334 or MS Teams


Committees

The university faculty serve as members of Faculty Senate standing committees and Faculty/Administrative Committees to consider policies, problems and programs and to recommend action by the Faculty Senate, the university faculty or the Chancellor. The Faculty Senate shall be responsible for establishing Ad Hoc Committees.

  • Advisory Committee on Veteran Affairs
  • Audit and Review Committee
  • Chancellor's Award Committee for Academic Staff
  • Chancellor's Award Committee for Students
  • Chancellor's Award Committee for University Staff
  • Co-curricular Assessment Committee
  • Competition Review Committee
  • Distinguished Teaching Award Committee
  • Dykstra and Wurtz Awards Committee
  • Experience China Advisory Committee
  • Faculty Academic Staff Development Board
  • Honors Steering Committee
  • Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
  • Institutional Review Board Human Subjects Committee
  • Non-Academic Misconduct Hearing Committee
  • Strategic Enrollment Planning Steering Committee
  • Strategic Plan Progress Committee
  • Title IX Committee
  • University Safety Committee
  • URSCA Council
  • Wisconsin-in-Scotland/Experience Scotland Committee
  • Other University-Wide Committees


Powers, Duties and Responsibilities of the Faculty Senate

  • Receive and consider suggestions, proposals and recommendations brought before the senate by the faculty, student body and the administrative staff.
  • Prepare resolutions, proposals, recommendations and specific legislation for faculty action. 
  • Participate with the Chancellor in the establishment and termination of the functions and memberships of all standing committees. There shall be provision for the establishment of faculty committees within the bylaws of the constitution. Specific provisions governing the powers, responsibilities and procedures of faculty committees and the procedure of their appointment are to be found in the bylaws of the constitution. 
  • Serve as coordinating and expediting agency for the work of standing committees and assign responsibility along with the chancellor for the execution of studies and activities of these committees. All recommendations for policy changes in the orientation and direction of all committees must be submitted for approval to both the Faculty Senate and the Chancellor.
  • Study and recommend policies designed to improve faculty welfare. 
  • Establish general interpretations of academic policy and regulations.
  • Conduct nominations and elections of members of the senate, as defined in Article VI Section C.
  • Inform the general faculty, the administration and the student body of all senate actions affecting the areas of their respective concerns.
  • Recommend to the Chancellor the university calendar, subject to the regulations of the Board of Regents.
  • Provide for and regulate such funds as may be raised and expended by the general faculty.
  • Study and make recommendations concerning any other subjects relative to the general welfare of the university.


Elections

According to the Constitution, elections are held during spring semester for divisional slots first, and then for at-large seats. The University of Wisconsin-River Falls has five divisions: the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the College of Education and Professional Studies (the first three colleges), the Fourth Division, and the College of Business and Economics (the newest "division"). All tenure-track faculty and academic staff have "faculty status." Thus, the "faculty" of a college includes tenure-track faculty and academic staff within the college. The Fourth Division acquired its current name when there were only three colleges, and currently consists of academic staff outside the four colleges (i.e. student personnel, university services, and library academic staff), all of whom also have faculty status. 

The Elections Chair, as the agent of the Faculty Senate, shall conduct and validate elections. The procedure for electing senators shall be initiated by March 1 in the spring semester.  

Divisional Election – Senate Seats 

A) During spring semester, the Elections Chair shall inform the faculty members of the number of Senators to be elected from their respective divisions. A list of those eligible shall also be provided. Any faculty member may be placed on the ballot by written petition signed by no fewer than five eligible voters from within the division within seven business days of the announcement of the call for candidates. 

B) The Elections Chair shall see that all voters receive ballots in good time and shall do whatever else is necessary for an effective election process. Upon completion of the slate of candidates for the Faculty Senate seat(s) within each voting division, an election by secret ballot shall be conducted. Faculty may cast one vote per vacancy on the ballot. 

C) Candidates receiving the most votes will be elected. Ties in the division elections shall be broken by lot supervised by the Elections Chair. The names of the individuals elected to the Senate shall be reported in the Faculty Senate minutes. Upon request, the vote totals shall be available from the Elections Chair of the Senate. 

After divisional elections are completed, a similar process begins to select at-large faculty senators: junior (i.e. assistant professors, instructors, and academic staff) and senior (i.e. associate and full professors). The Constitution and additional details about the election processes are located in Chapter III of the Handbook.

At-Large Election

Following the completion of divisional elections, junior at-large senators (i.e. assistant professors, instructors, and academic staff) and senior at-large senators (i.e. associate and full professors) are elected.

  1. During spring semester and following the election of division senators, the Elections Chair shall furnish each faculty voter a list of those eligible for nomination and election to the Senate from the senior ranks (i.e., associate and full professors) and a similar list of those eligible from the junior ranks (i.e., assistant professors and academic staff). The Elections Chair shall identify the number of vacancies at the senior and junior levels.
  2. Any faculty member may be placed on the ballot by written petition signed by no fewer than 10 eligible voters of the same rank of the petitioner within seven (7) business days of the announcement of the call for candidates. Candidates must also have been employed at UW-River Falls for a minimum of one (1) semester to be eligible to run. The Elections Chair shall see that all voters receive ballots in good time and shall do whatever else is necessary for an effective election process.
  3. Upon completion of the slate of candidates, the Elections Chair shall conduct a University-wide election by secret ballot. The winners of the election shall be those receiving the most votes. Ties shall be broken by lot supervised by the Elections Chair.
  4. The names of the individuals elected to the Senate shall be reported in the Faculty Senate minutes. Upon request, the vote totals shall be available from the Elections Chair of the Senate.

Termination Committee Election

The Termination Committee is established by the faculty, in response to the requirements of UWS 4.03 and UWS 5.11 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code, as a standing committee of nine tenured, full-time faculty members, nominated and elected by the faculty. (Academic staff shall not participate in the election of this committee.) Members serve three-year terms, with one-third (three members) being elected each year. 

According to the Faculty Senate's By-Laws, all faculty members (but not Academic Staff) shall be eligible to nominate and vote for members of the Committee on Termination. Each faculty member may nominate one person for each vacancy that exists on the Committee (i.e. each person can nominate one tenured faculty member). Two people will be nominated for each vacancy, and those nominated will be faculty members receiving the largest number of votes. The Vice Chair for Elections of the Faculty Senate will contact the nominees and obtain their consent before placing their names on the election ballot. If any nominee declines, the person having the next largest number of votes shall have his or her name placed on the ballot once it is determined by the Vice Chair for Elections that he or she accepts the nomination. Election shall be by secret ballot. The persons receiving the largest number of votes shall be declared elected and the vote will be published. Ties will be broken by lot.


Faculty and Staff Handbook

  • The official faculty and staff handbook is maintained at T:\Collaboration\Faculty Senate\ and is accessible by those responsible for making approved changes.  
  • The online version is a pdf document generated from the official document.