Have you been looking for a way to be more active in the governance of the University of Utah? Well, look no further. The Academic Senate is looking for faculty and staff to fill some vacancies on multiple committees.
The Academic Senate acts on behalf of the U’s faculty in everything from educational policy and admissions requirements to matters of curricula and faculty welfare. The monthly Academic Senate meetings are open to the public. The senate has 10 standing committees with various charges. One of those committees is the Senate Personnel & Elections Committee (P&E).
P&E is charged with nominating faculty members to serve on dozens of university and senate committees that address issues such as academic policy, diversity, academic freedom and more. The committee nominates two people for each senate committee vacancy and at least two people for each vacancy on a university committee. Membership on senate committees is decided by election of the Academic Senate. Appointment to university committees is made by President Ruth Watkins from a slate of candidates submitted by P&E.
This year, there are 89 faculty and two staff vacancies on 25 committees that need to be filled. Below are the committees with vacancies and the descriptions of each. If you are interested in sitting on a committee, please click here to take an interest survey. Survey closes on Feb. 25, 2020.
Academic Appeals & Misconduct Committee
Faculty members appointed to sit on college councils outside of their home college to determine, by a preponderance of the evidence, whether the student engaged in the alleged academic misconduct; recommends any academic sanction it deems appropriate under the entire circumstances, including but not limited to suspension or dismissal from the program or university or revocation of a student’s degree or certificate.
Athletics Advisory Council
Functions as a policy recommendation and review body for intercollegiate athletics; reviews the annual intercollegiate athletics budget; reviews requirements for intercollegiate athletics honors and awards; considers the demonstration of equality and diversity in the appropriate treatment of student-athletes as well as staff and coaches; reviews the report on the status of all compliance, eligibility, academic, and other appropriate matters related to the athletics program and as requested by the president, reviews the qualifications of applicants for major positions in the Intercollegiate Athletic Program; submits a written annual report to the president, the Academic Senate and the athletics director annually; reports to the vice president for University Relations and to the president.
Campus Health and Safety Committee
Formulates, reviews and/or recommends the adoption of environmental health and safety policies. Advises administration through the vice president for administration on the status of these university programs and achievement of goals established on an annual basis. Provides appropriate staff and faculty expertise for development of tools to assess safety performance and risk management.
Committee on Student Affairs
Develops and implements policies and procedures pertaining to student life in the University; serves as an appellate court to the ASUU Judiciary and the Greek Council Judiciary; recommends to the Board of Trustees proposed regulations relating to student government and student organizations, proposed amendments to the Student Code, and proposed amendments to the ASUU constitution; reports to the Vice President for Student Affairs and Services.
Conflict of Interest Committee
Serves as an advisory body to the university administration on conflict of interest issues; upon referral from the designated vice president, reviews and recommends approval, disapproval, or approval with conditions, potential conflicts of interest; distinguishes among unacceptable conflicts of interest, potential and actual conflicts that are acceptable without approval or oversight; reports to the vice president for Research.
Credits and Admissions Committee
Estimates the value of credit presented by entering students, whether for freshman or advanced standing, and acts except as otherwise provided, on all matters of admission or credit, including the granting of credit through special examinations; reports to the senior vice president for Academic Affairs.
Parking System and Public Transportation Advisory Committee
Serves as an advisory group to the administration on the university parking system and public transportation services available on campus; reviews concerns and interests from any person or group. Reports to the vice president for Administrative Services.
Parking Violation Appeals Committee
Hears and adjudicates appeals from students, faculty, staff members and university visitors and guests who are not satisfied with the rulings of the parking appeals officer concerning contested parking citations issued on the campus; reports to the vice president for Administrative Services.
Student Fee Study Abroad Scholarship Committee
The Student Fee Scholarship Committee is responsible for administering, monitoring, and implementing scholarships funded by the Learning Abroad Scholarship Student Fee. The Committee also encourages participation in approved international programs by promoting Student Fee funded scholarships across campus.
Student Behavior Committee
Serves as a campus-wide committee with jurisdiction to hear all charges of student misconduct against individual students, undergraduate or graduate, except for those offenses which are delegated from time to time to other committees by explicit action of the Board of Trustees; has authority to impose appropriate sanctions for established acts of student misconduct; reports to the Vice President for Student Affairs and Services.
University Interdisciplinary Teaching Program Committee
Approves the internal rules of each of the QIDT Programs for faculty appointments, evaluations and reappointments; makes recommendations to the senior vice president regarding individual appointments and reappointments of lecturer faculty within the QIDT Programs; and approves the rules of each QIDT Program for evaluation of non-faculty instructional personnel.
University Press Faculty Editorial Advisory Committee
Advises the director of the University of Utah Press on selection of manuscripts for publication.
University Research Committee
Seeks to foster research at the university (in the broad sense of creative scholarship) through Faculty Research Grants, Distinguished Research Awards and Faculty Fellow Awards; receives and evaluates applications and nominations for these grants, fellowships and awards; reports to the vice president for Academic Affairs.
University Studies Committee
Reviews for approval baccalaureate programs of study individually designed by students under the supervision of a faculty advisor, leading to the Bachelor of University Studies degree.
University Teaching Committee
Encourages the efforts of faculty members, departments and colleges to improve individual teaching skill, devise effective teaching techniques, recognize and reward superior achievements in teaching, suggests and encourages procedures through which students may improve the effectiveness of the teaching process; makes recommendations concerning University Teaching Grants, the Calvin S. & Jeneal N. Hatch Prize in Teaching, John R. Park Teachers’ Fellowships, Distinguished Teaching Awards; reports to the vice president for Academic Affairs.
Senate Advisory Committee on Diversity
The Senate Advisory Committee on Diversity shall provide leadership and expertise to the university community in promoting diversity in their various roles and activities and serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas within the university. The committee should respond to directions from the Academic Senate, while retaining the freedom to set its own agenda. The committee’s principal role is to identify issues, projects and proposals that would further a positive climate of diversity on the university campus, would enhance relations with diverse elements in the community and would promote appreciation of diversity in the wider community. The committee’s roles include forwarding information and recommendations to the Academic Senate. The committee will submit an annual report to the Academic Senate of its activities.
Senate Advisory Committee on IT
The Senate Advisory Committee on IT (SACIT) is charged with reviewing all requests proposed to the Strategic Information Technology Committee (SITC) in order to determine which have an impact on the academic mission of the university. When a proposal is judged to have no such impact, the SACIT will return it to SITC with a note stating that it has no academic impact. When a proposal is determined to have academic impact, the SACIT will engage in discussion with and make recommendations to the SITC on the proposal; in the course of such investigation, the SACIT has the right to consult with other units on campus, including SITC, to help it reach a conclusion. This conclusion will be reported to SITC.
Senate Faculty Review Standards Committee
The Senate Faculty Review Standards Committee generally advises the Senate and University administration regarding Regulations and practices for regular, periodic reviews of members of the University faculty (and also non-faculty instructional personnel teaching credit-bearing courses, see Policy 6-310). And, acting on behalf of the Senate with authority hereby delegated to it, the Committee has the following specific functions for review and approval of the Statements describing and governing the University’s systems for review of individual faculty.
Senate Consolidated Hearing Committee
The Senate Consolidated Hearing Committee for Faculty Disputes (SCHC) hears grievances and complaints brought against faculty members at the University of Utah or by faculty members asserting rights including appeals from retention, promotion and tenure decisions. It is the hearing body for matters initially considered but not resolved by other committees, offices or individuals.
Senate Advisory Committee on Student Course Feedback
The Senate Advisory Committee on Student Course Feedback should develop a standardized “Student Course Feedback Instrument” and a standardized “Course Feedback Report” suitable for use in all credit-bearing courses at undergraduate and graduate levels. The committee should also develop appropriate procedures and forms for use by all course-offering academic units.
Senate Advisory Committee on Academic Freedom and Faculty Rights
The Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Faculty Rights reports to the Academic Senate on issues related to academic freedom, faculty rights, and academic grievances. The committee keeps fully informed on the most important controversies on academic freedom and faculty rights in higher education, surveys problems of academic freedom and faculty rights at the University of Utah and informs the senate on these matters in its annual report.
Senate Advisory Committee on Academic Policy
The Senate Advisory Committee on Academic Policy (SACAP) considers any matter relating to academic policy broadly defined, including matters relating to academic activities to teaching and research, the University libraries (formerly a function of the Senate Advisory Committee on Libraries), and salaries and benefits of faculty and other academic personnel (formerly a function of the Senate Advisory Committee on Salaries and Benefits). It may consider any relevant matter which may be suggested by members of the Committee, members of the faculty, administrative officers, or students. The Senate Executive Committee, or the Senate, may refer to this committee any question or consideration of any proposal regarding academic policy which is not otherwise assigned to another committee of the Senate, or which may benefit from study by this committee as well as another committee. Upon its selection of a subject for study, the Committee shall notify all interested agencies within the University, including standing committees, and invite their cooperation. For matters related to the University Libraries, consultation shall include the Libraries administrators, and for matters related to academic personnel salaries and benefits consultation shall include human resources administrators. At least once each academic year, the Committee shall submit a written report of its studies and recommendations, if any, to the Senate.