Faculty Senate

2023-24 Senate Officers

The University of Hartford faculty senate is the primary faculty governing board and consists of faculty members from each college who serve as senators and represent their constituent faculty members. Among other responsibilities, the faculty senate oversees faculty input on faculty policies, academic procedures, and university curricula. The Senate convenes twice each month and subcommittees meet as required. Elections for Senators are held in April at the individual college’s faculty meeting.

The Faculty Senate is authorized in Part III, Article III Section 3 of the University's Charter and Bylaws as the only official faculty organization at the University. It actively engages 30 Faculty Senators representing all seven schools and colleges of the University. A faculty member who is full-time and has been in residence for a year or more is eligible to run for the Senate. Elections for three-year terms are held at each college's faculty meetings. There are 9 Standing Committees of the Faculty Senate, listed in the Senate Bylaws.

Committees

The Executive Committee of the Senate meets monthly, before the full Senate meeting, and sets the agenda. The Executive Committee is composed of the Senate Officers and Committee Chairs. The administration consults with Faculty Senate Executive members for advice and feedback on issues of concern.

In addition to its role in approving all curriculum changes, the Senate makes a major contribution to setting academic policies and procedures through its role in changing the Manual of Academic Policies and Procedures (MAPP) and the Faculty Policy Manual (FPM). Changes to MAPP are initially approved by the Student Affairs Committee of the Senate for issues related to students, and by the Curriculum Committee for issues related to the curriculum review process. Changes to the FPM are initially approved by the Senate's Faculty Affairs committee. Proposed changes may be initiated by faculty or the Council of Deans.

These committees then present the proposals to the full Senate for review and approval. Should there be a disagreement about a proposal between the Senate and the Council of Deans, the proposal is then sent to the Faculty Senate/Deans Joint Committee, which includes the three Senate officers plus representatives of the Council of Deans, as appointed by the Provost. Changes approved by both the Council of Deans and the Faculty Senate must be approved by the Provost, the President, and the Executive Committee of the Board of  Regents before being enacted.

(Revised 5-10-07; 1-4-08; 8-1-08; 9-23-13; 5-23-14; 12-11-15, 2-13-19)

Access to Senate Business Resources

We are committed to conducting all of our endeavors according to the utmost standards of integrity and ethics, and operating in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and University of Hartford policies. Compliance with University policies is a condition of employment at the University.

Individual departments may have distinct protocols, practices, standards or guidelines, all of which must be consistent with these University-wide policies. Employees engaged in developing University policies must follow the requirements outlined in the University’s Policy on Policies for drafting, approving, and amending University policies.