COUNCILS and COMMITTEES of UNIVERSITY SENATE
Abbreviated description: the senate Charter contains the fuller descriptions. Some actions are delegated
to councils and committees. For others, the committees of councils make recommendations to the
councils which then can make recommendations in the form of Senate bills.
GOVERNANCE COUNCIL: seeks to improve governance and enhance consultation among administration,
governance bodies and their constituencies. Its functions include institutional support and education,
assessment of the effectiveness of consultation and governance, liaison and elections, and developing
handbooks on governance. It may initiate or review proposed amendments to the Bylaws. The Senate Vice-
Chair chairs this council.
COMMITTEE ON ASSESSMENT OF GOVERNANCE AND CONSULTATION:
Evaluates the effectiveness of governance, including its structure and functioning; responsiveness of
governance bodies to their constituencies; develops and administers assessment instruments related to
governance.
COMMITTEE ON LIAISON AND ELECTIONS: facilitates communication between Senate and its
constituencies and with the SUNY-wide senate, conducts Senate forums, solicits nominations and
conducts all Senate and University-wide faculty balloting including senators-at-large, UAS board
representatives, SUNY-wide senators, and Senate officers; annually apportion senators among the
schools and colleges and student groups; facilitates timely election of student senators and of faculty
senators representing schools and colleges; advises on Senate website and annual calendar; coordinates
Senate business with governance activities of schools and colleges; serves as a Committee on
Committees, designating or approving Faculty representatives on all committees and task forces of the
University outside of governance bodies where formal Faculty representation is requested. Chair is
Senate Secretary.
UNIVERSITY PLANNING AND POLICY COUNCIL (UPC): Responsible for oversight and development of
the educational, research, and service programs of the University; makes policy recommendations to the Senate;
shall be informed of and given opportunity to discuss, at the earliest possible stages prior to adoption, proposals
for new academic programs and actions affecting continuance of existing academic and research programs,
centers, and facilities; consults on the size and composition of the student body; makes recommendations for
changes in the academic calendar policy; seeks formal representation on budget advisory bodies. The Chair of
UPC is the Past Chair of the Senate.
RESOURCE ANALYSIS AND PLANNING COMMITTEE: reviews important recent trends and
developments in the University budget; reviews development and implementation of the University’s
Strategic Plan. Detailed annual reports of actual budget expenditures are made available to the faculty.
UNIVERSITY FACILITIES COMMITTEE: reviews master planning, including planning for new
buildings and facilities and renovation; reviews operation and management of facilities including traffic,
transportation, and parking and makes policy recommendations.
UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC COUNCIL (UAC): Responsible for implementing the conduct of the
University’s undergraduate academic program; reviews all new undergraduate academic program proposals;
reviews all assessments of undergraduate academic programs including those from the Council on Academic
Assessment; considers and recommends suspension or discontinuance of programs to the Provost and to the
President.
COMMITTEE ON ADMISSIONS AND ACADEMIC STANDING: establishes criteria for the
admission of undergraduate students; reviews and evaluates admissions policies; develops and reviews
academic standards and regulations; serves as appellate body for academic grievances at the University
level.
COMMITTEE ON CURRICULUM AND HONORS: reviews and evaluates majors, minors, honors
programs, certificate programs; avoids duplication and overlap of undergraduate courses by having the
authority to review and return for reconsideration such courses to the schools and colleges; develops and
reviews academic standards pertaining to Dean’s list and graduation with honors; adjudicates appeals
from students denied honors by their individual department or program honors committees.
COMMITTEE ON GENERAL EDUCATION: considers and approves new courses proposed for
inclusion in the General Education program as well as revisions to existing courses designed to qualify
them for the program; serves as an appellate body for students not granted waivers or substitutions by
the Dean of Undergraduate Studies; considers revisions of the nature, structure, criteria, regulations, and/
or administration of the General Education program; works with the General Education Assessment
Subcommittee; normally, this committee is chaired by the Associate Dean or Director for General
Education.
GENERAL EDUCATION ASSESSMENT SUBCOMMITTEE: establishes and oversees reviews of the
General Education program; conducts assessment for each General Education category on a regular
cycle.
COMMITTEE ON INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES: establishes and maintains liaisons with all
schools and colleges for the purposes of encouraging, promoting, and coordinating interdisciplinary
studies on a campus-wide basis; develops and recommends changes in practices and regulations for the
purpose of facilitating interdisciplinary studies; reviews proposed new faculty-initiated interdisciplinary
majors and minors; receives and approves or disapproves student-initiated interdisciplinary majors;
approves proposals for U UNI offerings.
GRADUATE ACADEMIC COUNCIL (GAC): Responsible for the conduct of the University’s graduate
educational program; reviews all proposals for new graduate programs; may recommend discontinuation or
suspension of graduate programs.
COMMITTEE ON CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION: has responsibility for the graduate academic
curriculum; considers all revisions in existing graduate degree programs; reviews proposals for new
graduate courses and changes to existing graduate courses.
COMMITTEE ON ADMISSIONS AND ACADEMIC STANDING: establishes criteria for determining
academic standing and admissions policy; reviews actions dealing with academic grievances.
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATIONAL POLICY AND PROCEDURE: recommends graduate academic
regulations; reviews procedures for individual student academic grievances at school and college levels.
COUNCIL ON RESEARCH (RES): Reviews research activities and the allocation of research funds within the
University; considers the relationship between teaching and research; considers proposals for new research
initiatives or actions affecting the continuance of existing programs, including the establishment and
continuance of Centers, Institutes or Laboratories; reviews procedures of research being conducted with regard
to the well-being of human subjects, safety standards; conducts or participates in the review of applications to
internal campus research support mechanisms; conducts or participates in the processes by which campus or
SUNY excellence in research nominations are made.
COMMITTEE ON CENTERS, INSTITUTES, AND SPECIALIZED RESEARCH LABORATORIES:
helps guide Council actions as charged by the University Policy on Organized Research Units.
RESEARCHERS’ LIAISON COMMITTEE: considers ways to improve the campus procedures relevant
for grants management; provides recommendations to the VP for Research on methods to improve
investigators’ capacity to apply for external funding and manage grants received.
COUNCIL ON ACADEMIC ASSESSMENT (CAA): develops campus policies relating to academic
assessment; schedules, coordinates, and supervises mandated and cyclical reviews of continuing academic
programs; reviews assessment reports of its committee(s).
ACADEMIC PROGRAM REVIEW COMMITTEE: ensures and oversees periodic reviews of academic
programs, with consideration for established external accreditation cycles; ensures compliance with
SUNY-mandated assessment of majors and programs.
COUNCIL ON PROMOTIONS AND CONTINUING APPOINTMENTS (CPCA): Recommends to the
President promotions in rank; recommends to the President individuals for continuing appointment; considers
and makes recommendations to the Senate concerning all matters of policy and procedure pertaining to
promotion and/or continuing appointment; deliberations normally closed to visitors.
COUNCIL ON LIBRARIES, INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND COMPUTING (LISC): Reviews plans and
recommends policies for the development and operation of library facilities and of information systems and
technology on campus.
LIBRARY COMMITTEE: develops and monitors policies concerning the allocation of the Libraries’
acquisition budget; examines current trends in publishing and copyright which may influence access to
scholarly information and changing University priorities and new information needs. Chaired by the
director of the libraries.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY USAGE POLICY COMMITTEE: develop and monitors policies
concerning computer, networking, and telecommunications use in order to provide guidance for faculty,
staff, and students as well as to protect the interests of the University; addresses access, copyright,
privacy, and security issues.
UNIVERSITY LIFE COUNCIL (ULC): Responsible for the quality of University life outside of the formal
instruction program; initiate and develop policies concerning the overall health, safety and well-being of
students, faculty, and staff, including counseling, medical clinical services, financial aid, international student
affairs, placement, residence living, student behavior and conduct, student government, athletics and recreation,
and services and programs for part-time and emeriti faculty; and policies on off-campus student life; appoints
representatives to the Committee on University Community Relations; makes recommendations concerning the
operations of University Auxiliary Services and other service providers.
COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELL-BEING: reviews information for improving
university community indicators of mental and physical health, safety and well-being of the University
community; shall convene special committees to deal with individual safety concerns as needed.
COMMITTEE ON ATHLETICS: reviews and makes policy recommendations on athletics programs,
including intercollegiate and intracollegiate sports; has oversight of policies governing the development
and maintenance of education, facilities and resources for recreational physical activity and health
maintenance programs for all students and other University members.
COMMITTEE ON RESIDENTIAL LIFE: reviews and makes policy recommendations on all matters
concerning the quality of student life in campus residences, including both academic and co-curricular
activities taking place in University residential areas.
COMMITTEE ON ETHICS IN RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP (CERS): Reviews policy and
implementation of policy for responses to allegations of misconduct in research and scholarship; receives and
reviews yearly reports from the Vice President for Research on the occurrence of cases pertaining to violations
of academic integrity principles in research and scholarship and their disposition; supplies at least one member
to serve on the Inquiry and Investigation Committees charged with evaluating allegations of violations of
academic integrity in research and scholarship; reports to the Senate via the Senate Executive Committee.
(Membership of CERS is limited to the full professor rank.)
COMMITTEE ON ACADEMIC FREEDOM, FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, AND COMMUNITY
RESPONSIBILITY (CAFFECoR): Establishes and interprets policies and procedures concerning academic
freedom and ethics which shall govern the conduct of the University community; serves as hearing body to
those members of the University community who feel that their freedom of expression has been unfairly
suppressed; establishes procedures for investigating charges brought against members of the Faculty except as
determined by CERS to be primarily matters of misconduct in scholarship and research; reports to the Senate
via the Executive Committee.
