Constitution & By-Laws

  1. Name

    2. The name of this body shall be the Faculty Senate of the University of Virginia (in Charlottesville).

  2. Purpose

    3. The Faculty Senate represents all faculties of the University with respect to all academic functions such as the establishment and termination of degree programs, major modifications of requirements for existing degrees, and action affecting all faculties, or more than one faculty, of the University. Additionally, the Senate shall advise the President and the Rector and Board of Visitors concerning educational policy and related matters affecting the welfare of the University.

  3. Eligibility

    4. Those persons shall be eligible for election to the Faculty Senate who have been elected by the Rector and Board of Visitors to a full-time position as either academic faculty or academic general faculty in the rank of Acting Assistant Professor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor, in any one of the constituent schools of the University of Virginia (in Charlottesville), except for those who are ex officio members of the Senate, as enumerated in paragraph 4 below.

  4. Membership

    5. Members of the Faculty who hold the following administrative positions shall be ex officio members with voice and without vote, except that in the case of a tie vote, the President shall cast the deciding vote:

    • The President
    • The University Vice-Presidents
    • The deans of the schools of the University
    • The University Librarian

    There shall be eighty (80) elected members of the Faculty Senate, allocated among the constituent Faculties of the University of Virginia (in Charlottesville) in accordance with the following formulas: the Faculty of each School (except the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences) shall elect the number which is closest to the percentage of eighty (80) which is derived by taking the average of (a) the percentage of the total full-time professorial faculty of the University of Virginia (in Charlottesville) who hold their primary appointment in that School, and (b) the percentage of the total number of full-time students at the University of Virginia (in Charlottesville) who are enrolled in that School. In computing the number of students, full-time House Staff of the University Hospital shall be included with the number of students in the School of Medicine, and post-doctoral fellows in all Schools of the University shall be counted as students in that School. The enrollment of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences shall be counted with that of the College of Arts and Sciences for purposes of this computation. In computing the number of faculty on which representation is to be based:

    1. Persons on leave of absence shall be counted, but persons on leave and persons serving solely as their replacements shall not both be counted.
    2. Persons holding professorial appointments in more than one faculty shall be counted only in the faculty of their primary affiliation.

    The first appointment of seats on the Faculty Senate shall be based on the figures for faculty and students compiled for the year in which this Constitution is adopted, and reapportionment shall be accomplished biennially thereafter.

  5. Elections and Terms

    6. Elected members of the Senate shall serve for a term of four years, commencing on 1 June of the calendar year. Election procedures shall be determined by each of the constituent Faculties, except that

    1. Such procedures are subject to the approval of the Senate itself. Approval may be assumed in the absence of contrary action.
    2. When a constituent Faculty is entitled to be represented by more than one elected member, terms shall be staggered to provide, insofar as practicable, for the election of the same number of senators each year (or upon the occasion of each election).
    3. The seat of an elected member shall be deemed vacant if the incumbent is absent from the University, for any cause, for more than one semester. In this event, a replacement shall be elected to fill out the whole of the unexpired portion of his/her term.
    4. Elections in each Faculty must be conducted so as to allow notification of results by March 31 of each year.

  6. Responsibilities of Senate Members

    7. The Senate is a deliberative body which relies upon the collective experience and wisdom of its members. Each Senate member has a responsibility to engage in the work of the Senate and its committees, to represent the interests and concerns of colleagues to the Senate, and to report regularly the proceedings of the Senate to his or her constituency.

  7. Organization of the Faculty Senate

    1. The officers of the Faculty Senate shall be
      1. President
        1. The President of the University, as provided in the By-Laws of the Board of Visitors, shall be the President of the Faculty Senate. The President shall address the Senate from time to time, making such reports and announcements as he or she deems appropriate.
        2. The President shall have the power to call meetings of the Faculty Senate.
      2. Chair of the Faculty Senate
        1. The Chair of the Faculty Senate shall be the presiding officer at meetings of the Faculty Senate and of the Executive Council.
        2. The Chair of the Faculty Senate shall have the power to call meetings of the Faculty Senate.
        3. The Chair of the Faculty Senate shall act as the liaison of the Senate with the President's Cabinet and shall attend its meetings.
      3. Chair-Elect of the Faculty Senate
        1. The Chair-Elect of the Faculty Senate shall be the presiding officer of the Faculty Senate and of the Executive Council in the absence of the Chair.
        2. The Chair-Elect shall become Chair of the Faculty Senate the year following his/her election as Chair-Elect.
      4. Secretary
        The Secretary shall be responsible for:
        1. Establishing the time and place for meetings of the Faculty Senate, and, in consultation with the President and the Chair of the Faculty Senate, the agenda for such meetings.
        2. Maintaining the roster of members of the Faculty Senate.
        3. Distributing notice of the call to a meeting of the Faculty Senate, and copies of the agenda and supporting papers for consideration at such meetings.
        4. Recording the minutes of the meetings of the Faculty Senate.
        5. Maintaining the files of the Faculty Senate.
        6. Serving as secretary to the Executive Council of the Faculty Senate and attending its meetings.
    2. There shall be an Executive Council of the Faculty Senate.
      1. The Executive Council shall consist of the President of the University, ex officio, the Chair of the Faculty Senate, ex officio, the Chair-Elect of the Senate, ex officio, the Secretary of the Senate, ex officio, the immediate past chair of the Senate, ex officio, the chair of the Committee on Academic Affairs, ex officio, the chair of the Committee on Research and Scholarship, ex officio, the chair of the Committee on Planning and Development, ex officio, and seven
      2. other elected members of the Faculty Senate, serving for staggered terms of four years.
        1. A nominating Committee to select candidates to run for election to the Executive Council will be appointed by the Chair of the Faculty Senate by March 1. The Committee will have five members:
          • the immediate past Chair of the Faculty Senate, who will be the Nominating Committee Chair
          • the Chair-Elect of the Faculty Senate, and
          • three members appointed by the Chair of the Faculty Senate from the Senate at large who are not members of the Executive Council

          The Charge of the Nominating Committee is to develop a slate of candidates to run for election to the Executive Council. The slate is to include nominees for Chair-Elect of the Faculty Senate, Secretary of the Senate, and a sufficient number of nominees for Executive Council such that there are at least twice as many nominees as there are positions to be filled. Members of the Nominating Committee are ineligible to serve in any of these positions.

        2. The Chair of the Nominating Committee shall present the candidate slate to the full Senate at the last regular meeting in the Spring. Additional nominees for each position may be made from the floor of the Senate.
        3. Any elected member of the Faculty Senate is eligible for election either to membership on the Executive Council for a term of three years or as Chair-Elect of the Faculty Senate except that the Faculty Senate may not be chaired by the representative of any one School for more than three consecutive years. If a member of the Executive Council is elected either as chair or as Secretary, the vacated Council position is to be filled by the Council nominee with the next highest vote total.
        4. If a Senator who becomes Chair-Elect has less than three years remaining in his/her term, then that term will be extended to allow service as Chair and Past Chair on the Council, without penalty to the school being represented. Membership on the Executive Council shall be automatically terminated for all other members if at any time the holder ceases to be an elected member of the Faculty Senate, and a replacement shall be elected by the Faculty Senate to fill the unexpired portion of his/her term.
        5. No more than three persons from any of the constituent Faculties of the University shall be eligible to serve at any one time as elected members of the Executive Council of the Faculty Senate.
        6. Those who serve ex officio are full members of the Council, with all voting privileges.
      3. The Executive Council shall compile the data with respect to the number of faculty and student enrollment in each of the Schools of the University on the basis of which the biennial reapportionment of seats in the Faculty Senate is to be made, and shall determine and publish the number of seats to which each School is entitled.
      4. The Executive Council shall have the power to place items of business on the agenda for any meeting of the Faculty Senate.
      5. Unless otherwise directed by the Senate, the Executive Council shall appoint all members and chairs of standing and Ad hoc committees of the Senate.
      6. Meetings of the Executive Council of the Faculty Senate may be called
        1. By the President of the University
        2. By the Chair of the Faculty Senate
        3. On request made to the Secretary in writing
          • by any three members of the Executive Council.
          • by any ten members, or more, of the Faculty Senate.
      7. The Executive Council may speak or act on behalf of the Faculty Senate when there is a need for prompt action. Any action taken by the Executive Council on behalf of the Senate shall be subject to ratification by the full Senate at its next meeting, which shall be called at the earliest opportunity.
    3. Standing Committees
      1. The Faculty Senate may establish or discontinue standing committees. The Senate may provide for membership on a standing committee by persons who are not members of the Senate, but the chairman of the committee and a majority of its members must in all cases be elected members of the Senate.
      2. Members of committees who are not members of the Senate may attend those meetings of the Senate at which a report of the committee to which they belong forms a part of the published agenda, with voice on this matter only, but without vote.
      3. Each standing committee shall report to the full Faculty Senate at least once each year.
    4. Ad Hoc Committees
      1. The Senate may establish and discharge such Ad hoc committees as from time to time it may deem desirable.
      2. The membership and manner of choosing the members of such committees shall be as the Senate itself may determine.
    5. Elections within the Faculty Senate
      1. Annually, the Secretary, the Chair-Elect of the Faculty Senate, and so many new members of the Executive Council as may be needed to maintain the membership of the Council at full strength shall be nominated at the last regular meeting of the Faculty Senate in the Spring and then elected by mail ballot.
      2. Election procedures shall be as the Senate itself may determine.

  8. Meetings of the Faculty Senate

    1. Notice of meetings of the Faculty Senate shall be given by the Secretary to all members at least one week in advance of the date of the meeting.
    2. The agenda for each meeting, and supporting papers, shall be distributed with the call for the meeting. Items not included among the agenda may be brought before the meeting for acting only by a vote of three-fourths of the members of the Senate present and voting.
    3. Resolutions presented to the Faculty Senate for action shall normally have received prior consideration by the appropriate standing or Ad hoc committee, and the Executive Council shall be responsible for insuring that this has been done.
    4. In the event of an emergency, rules governing the advance call for a meeting may be waived by the President or the Executive Council. A meeting so called shall not begin until a quorum is present. The first item of business must be to determine whether, in the judgment of those present, an emergency does in fact exist. Unless this is affirmed by a three-fourths vote of those present, the meeting shall automatically stand adjourned.
    5. A quorum shall consist of fifty per cent of the voting members of the Senate whose names appear currently on the Secretary's roster.
    6. Robert's Rules of Order, revised, shall govern in all cases in which they are applicable and not in conflict with this Constitution and By-Laws.

  9. Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws of the Faculty Senate

    10. Changes in the Constitution and By-Laws of the Faculty Senate may be proposed at a regular meeting by any member of the Senate. To be approved, such changes must be the subject of notice provided to all faculties of the University at least two weeks prior to the next meeting of the Senate. Senate members are responsible for ascertaining the wishes of their constituencies. Adoption will require the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of the Senate.

    • Approved by the Senate, November 2, 1971
    • Amended by the Senate, April 23, 1987
    • Amended by the Senate, April 21, 1989
    • Amended by the Senate, April 9, 1991
    • Amended by the Senate, May 10, 1993
    • Amended by the Senate, February 15, 1994
    • Amended by the Senate, September 27, 1995
    • Amended by the Senate, October 7, 2003
    • Amended by the Senate, April 28, 2008