About Us
According to Article IV of the Faculty Constitution (approved by Board of Regents February 20, 1986), "The faculty has the right to be adequately informed about and to participate jointly with the related components of the University in the determination of policy touching all the phases of the University's operations. The faculty may formulate and recommend policies to the President of the University on all subjects of University concern. The faculty shall play a central role in all decisions regarding educational policy and curriculum." The Faculty elect annually a Chair of the Faculty, who, among other responsibilities, represents the faculty before the public, the Board of Regents, and University administrators.
The current roster of the full faculty can be found here.
The University of Northern Iowa Faculty Senate is the principal representative agency of the university faculty and it functions within the broad grant of authority delegated to it by the Faculty Constitution. Within that grant of authority, Senate functions may take the following forms: policy formation, integration and coordination, consultation, and adjudication (Senate Bylaws section 5). The Senate is comprised of 21 voting members, elected by the faculty within each college, plus two non-voting members elected from among the non-voting faculty. The Chair of the Faculty is also a non-voting member of the Senate.
The Senate chooses annually from among its members a Vice-chair/Chair-Elect, who succeeds to become Chair of the Senate when his/her term as Vice-Chair is up. The duties of the Senate Chair include organizing all business of the Senate and representing the Senate before the public, the Board of Regents and University administrators.
The Senate typically meets from 3:30 to 5 PM on the second and fourth Mondays each month of the academic year. The location of these meetings can be found on the Senate agendas, which are published on this web page a week in advance of each meeting. Meetings are open to the public except in those relatively infrequent occasions when the Senate meets in executive session.
The links below will help faculty keep up with the business of faculty governance:
- University Faculty Senate current and pending business
- University Faculty Senate agendas
- University Faculty Senate minutes
- 2017-2018 list of committee memberships
What is the Faculty Senate?
The University of Northern Iowa Faculty Senate as it is currently configured was established in 1977. It is the principal representative agency of the university faculty and it functions within the broad grant of authority delegated to it by the Faculty Constitution.
UNI Governance History
View or download a pdf of a history of UNI Governance
UNI Faculty Handbook
View or download a copy of the 2024-2025 UNI Faculty Handbook
Faculty Senate Constitution
Read the Faculty Senate Constitution.
Faculty Senate Bylaws
Read the Faculty Senate Bylaws.
Faculty Senate Directory
View 2017-2018 Senator membership and contact information.
Membership of University Committees
View '17-18 University Committee Memberships
Contact the Faculty Senate
Use our contact form to send a message to the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Faculty Senate.