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University Faculty Senate
University Faculty Senate

Senate Resources

Meeting Information

Plenary meetings are always held on a Tuesday. Elected faculty senators attend seven Senate meetings per year (three in the fall and four in the spring); meetings are held on Tuesdays and begin at 1:30 p.m. at University Park in 112 Kern Graduate building or via Zoom. Some meetings will be hybrid; some will be remote only. For hybrid dates, it is your choice if you would like to attend plenary in-person or remotely. Some committees may request that you attend in person; please contact your chair if you have any issues. Meeting dates and connection information for the current academic year can be found on the Important Dates page.

Being a Senator

Each new Senate year begins on July 1. Generally, senator terms are for four academic years, and you may run for re-election after those four years have been completed. However, special circumstances such as short-term senator positions and filling a senator’s term as an alternate may result in different term lengths.

Communications from the Senate Office be sent in the form of emails OR via your committee Teams group.

Senators serve on one of 15 Senate standing committees, which meet on the mornings of Senate meeting days. Committees meet in various locations across the University Park campus or via ZOOM; meetings typically start between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. and are held for approximately two hours. Senators are expected to participate and contribute to their assigned committees. The standing committee meeting times, locations, and Zoom links will be posted to your Standing Committee Teams Group.

Senators are expected to report Senate and committee information to their local faculty governance organizations (unit). You should coordinate this with your unit’s faculty governance leader.

Voting and Attendance

All senators, remote or in-person, should use the voting and attendance portals. Resource members do not need to log attendance or vote. Attendance must be taken via the portal for both committee and Plenary meetings—other methods will be counted as an absence unless corrected. Excessive absences may result in a removal from the senator position. Please reach out the Senate Office if you encounter any issues.

Detailed instructions on how to vote and log your attendance can be found here.

Additional Resources