What Is a Faculty Senate and Why Does It Matter to Students and Parents?

Resources

Issues

Why Should You Care About the Faculty Senate?

The faculty senate is one of the most powerful groups shaping your college experience. It decides which courses you must take, which professors get hired, and whether academic freedom is protected on campus.

At some universities, faculty senates have fought to remove required history or philosophy courses, pushed DEI-based hiring practices for professors, or blocked new programs that don’t align with faculty ideology. Understanding how faculty senates operate can help students and parents make informed college decisions.

What Is a Faculty Senate?

The faculty senate is a governing body within a university, composed of elected faculty members. It serves as a voice for faculty in academic and institutional decision-making, particularly in areas such as curriculum, tenure policies, and university governance.

How It Works

  • Faculty senates typically consist of elected professors and academic staff from various departments.
  • They act as an advisory body to the university administration and, in some cases, have statutory authority over specific academic matters.
  • The role of the faculty senate varies by institution, but it often influences curriculum development, faculty hiring policies, and shared governance.

What Are Their Statutory Powers?

  • Level of Authority: Faculty senates can have advisory or statutory powers, depending on the university. Some function as recommendation bodies where the administration can accept or reject proposals, while others have legal authority over academic policies that must be followed by the administration.
  • Curriculum and Academic Standards: Faculty senates often have direct authority over course requirements, degree programs, and grading policies.
  • Approval of New Courses: Faculty senates are typically involved in reviewing and approving new courses proposed by academic departments. This ensures that new course offerings align with the university’s academic standards and broader curriculum goals.
  • Faculty Tenure and Promotion: Many faculty senates help set guidelines for tenure review, hiring, and promotions, which can shape the political and ideological makeup of the faculty.
  • Shared Governance: Some universities grant faculty senates a statutory role in university governance, meaning their decisions on academic matters must be respected by the administration.
  • Policy and Institutional Review: Faculty senates may review policies related to academic freedom, faculty rights, and university finances.
  • Accreditation and Compliance: Faculty senates may be involved in ensuring that academic programs comply with accreditation standards set by regional or national bodies.

Who Oversees Faculty Senates?

  • Faculty senates operate under university bylaws and often work in collaboration with the Board of Trustees, university President, and Provost (Chief Academic Officer).
  • In public universities, state laws may grant faculty senates formal authority over academic decisions, giving them legal backing (statutory powers). In private universities, their power is often more limited, with greater control resting in the hands of the administration and trustees.

How Students and Parents Can Use This Information

Find out who’s on the faculty senate – Parents and students can find out more about their university’s faculty senate by doing a quick internet search, for example “Clemson University faculty senate.” You can review the senate roster, read the bios of the faculty, and see if there is anything great or alarming about the executive committee. 

Check if faculty senate meetings are public – Some universities publish meeting minutes online. Others post recordings of meetings. Reviewing these can reveal faculty priorities and recent curriculum changes.

Review curriculum decisions – Look at which courses are required and whether traditional subjects (history, economics, philosophy) are being replaced with ideological or activist-based courses.

Ask about faculty hiring and tenure – Faculty senates often influence hiring and tenure. If diversity quotas or ideological litmus tests are required for hiring, this could affect the balance of viewpoints on campus.

Look for transparency in university governance – Universities with strong faculty senates may have greater academic freedom, while others may be dominated by administrators or political interests.

Final Thought

Faculty senates play a critical role in shaping higher education policies. Understanding their authority helps students and parents choose the right university and advocate for academic transparency. If a university’s faculty senate has strong statutory powers, it may have more influence over academic policies than the administration itself. Paying attention to this can help you find a school that prioritizes rigorous academics and intellectual diversity over ideological conformity and groupthink.