There are five University Councils that participate in the Senate: The Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty Senators Council, the Full-Time Continuing Contract Faculty Senators Council, the Deans Council, the Student Senators Council, and the Administrative Management Council.

The Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty Senators Council

Each of the faculties comprising the Tenured/Tenure Track faculty, generally according to its size, has one or more representatives on the Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty Senators Council, a University-wide body of elected professors. Section 65(a) of the University Bylaws provides: “The Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty Senators Council may consider any matters of educational and administrative policy and will function as the Faculty Personnel Committee of the Senate with respect to the Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty. It will designate representatives on the other standing committees, and in appropriate instances on the ad hoc committees, of the Senate. It may bring to the attention of the various committees of the Senate any matters that it believes should be presented to the entire Senate. It may bring to the attention of the President and Chancellor any matters that it wishes to discuss with him or her. It may perform such other functions as are requested of it by the President and Chancellor, by the Board, or by the Senate.”

The Full-Time Continuing Contract Faculty Senators Council

Each of the faculties comprising the Full-Time Continuing Contract Faculty, generally according to its size, has one or more representatives on the Full-Time Continuing Contract Faculty Senators Council, a University-wide body of elected faculty. University Section 66(a) of the University Bylaws provides: “The Full-Time Continuing Contract Faculty Senators Council may consider any matters of educational and administrative policy and will function as the Faculty Personnel Committee of the Senate with respect to the Full-Time Continuing Contract Faculty. It will designate representatives on the other standing committees, and in appropriate instances on the ad hoc committees, of the Senate. It may bring to the attention of the various committees of the Senate any matters that it believes should be presented to the entire Senate. It may bring to the attention of the President and Chancellor any matters that it wishes to discuss with him or her. It may perform such other functions as are requested of it by the President and Chancellor, by the Board, or by the Senate.”

Principles of Joint Shared Governance

The University Board of Trustees approved the following Principles set forth below with respect to the Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty Senators Council, formerly the Faculty Senators Council (December 12, 2012) and with respect to the Full-Time Continuing Contract Faculty Senators Council (February 19, 2015).

1. Representation

The Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty Senators Council (T-FSC) and the Full-Time Continuing Contract Faculty Senators Council (C-FSC) will each have a representative (from each FSC or its designee), on University committees, taskforces, or other University-wide bodies that are convened by the administration to advise on matters that affect faculty in educational and administrative policy.

2. Information

Transparency with respect to information regarding matters that affect faculty in educational and administrative policy is the norm. The use of “deliberative privilege” is the exception to this norm, requested only in circumstances wherein an individual(s) or the University’s interests would be harmed by public disclosure. In such instances, the University administration will provide appropriate reasons for invoking “deliberative privilege”.

3. Consultation

Except under rare, extraordinary circumstances, the University administration will provide a reasonable length of time for T-FSC and C-FSC consultation and input on all matters that affect faculty in educational and administrative policy. This means that the administration must plan in advance to allow enough time for at least one regularly-scheduled T-FSC and/or C-FSC meeting to occur before the consultation period comes to a close on any particular matter.

For urgent decisions, such as decisions that must be taken during the summer or winter holiday, when the T-FSC and C-FSC are not in session, each Council will establish a “provisional review committee” and a set of procedures for timely consultation and input regarding University administration decisions on matters that affect faculty in educational and administrative policy. All decisions reached by each Council’s provisional review committee are subject to full Council review and approval. Each Council will promptly convey its final decision on the matter to the administration, which in turn will reconsider the provisional policy, based on new or additional advice provided by the Council. The administration will then promptly convey its final decision to the each Council.

4. Reasoned Justification

When the T-FSC and/or the C-FSC submits advice in writing to the University administration and the administration does not agree with or accept the Council’s advice, the administration will provide its reasons for not accepting the Council’s advice to the Council(s) in writing and in a timely matter.

5. Communication

Predicated on the understanding the communications will pertain to Senate-related matters relevant to faculty colleagues within the Senators’ schools, and that the communication systems will be used in a reasonable and responsible manner consistent with the norms of civility, the Deans will enable Senators to send emails to faculty colleagues within their schools. Such communication will clearly convey whether its content is an official Council communication or if it reflects the personal view(s) of the author(s).

The Deans Council

Section 67(a) of the University Bylaws provides: “The Deans Council may consider any matters of educational and administrative policy, and will make appropriate recommendations to the President and Chancellor and other University officers. It may designate representatives on other standing committees, and in appropriate instances on the ad hoc committees, of the Senate. It may bring to the attention of the various committees of the Senate any matters that it believes should be represented to the entire Senate. It may bring to the attention of the President and Chancellor any matters that it wishes to discuss with him or her. It may perform such other functions as are requested of it by the President and Chancellor, by the Board, or by the Senate.”

The Student Senators Council

Section 68(a) of the University Bylaws provides: “The Student Senators Council is the representative body of the students on the Senate responsible for policymaking as a constituent council of the Student Government Assembly, which supports the student body through advocacy and programming. The Student Senators Council may consider any matters in which the interests, needs, rights, or responsibilities of students are involved, and will take special responsibility for bringing to the attention of the Senate all matters concerning students at the University. For this purpose, the Council will invite the presidents of student governments in the several colleges, schools, and portal campuses, faculty members and administrative officers, and student constituency leaders as necessary. The Council may work through such local units as may be appropriate at the various geographical centers of the University, and will report to the Senate, through the Student Senators Council, its policy recommendations concerning student life. The Student Senators Council will designate representatives on the standing committees and, in appropriate instances, on the ad hoc committees of the Senate. It may bring to the attention of the various committees of the Senate any matters that it believes should be presented to the entire Senate. It may bring to the attention of the President and Chancellor any matters that it wishes to discuss with him or her. It may perform such other functions as are requested of it by the President and Chancellor, by the Board, or by the Senate.”

The Administrative Management Council

Section 69(a) of the University Bylaws provides: “The Administrative Management Council is composed of elected representatives from the professional and administrative staffs of each school and division of the University. It functions as an initiative, deliberative, and responsive body concerning policy issues, serves as a vehicle for promoting the continued professional growth and development of its constituents, and has a commitment to community service. It will designate representatives on the standing committees of the Senate and, where appropriate, on any ad hoc committees of the Senate. It may bring to the attention of the various committees of the Senate any matters of concern to the University’s professional and administrative staffs that it believes should be presented to the entire Senate. It may bring to the attention of the President and Chancellor any matters that it wishes to discuss with him or her. It may perform such other functions as are requested of it by the President and Chancellor, by the Board, or by the Senate."

Graduate Program Committee [University Bylaws, Section 70]

Section 70(a) of the University Bylaws provides: “There will be a Graduate Program Committee having the power to review and recommend to the Provost the approval of proposals from colleges, schools, and portal campuses with respect to new graduate programs granting master's and doctoral degrees. The Committee will evaluate all master’s and doctoral program proposals to ensure that the University’s colleges, schools, and portal campuses with graduate components maintain comparable standards of work for the degrees; that there has been consultation with the relevant colleges, schools, and/or portal campuses; and that there is minimal curricular overlap between or among the units. The Committee also may formulate recommendations to the Provost on other matters that relate to graduate education in the University."

Section 70(b) of the University Bylaws provides: “The voting members of the Committee will include one elected faculty representative who is a full-time member of the Tenured/Tenure Track or Full-Time Continuing Contract Faculty, elected by the faculty from each college, school, and portal campus that delivers graduate education; four graduate deans, selected by the Deans Council; the dean of the NYU Libraries (or his/her designee); a member of the Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty Senators Council, selected by the Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty Senators Council; a member of the Full-Time Continuing Contract Faculty Senators Council, selected by the Full-Time Continuing Contract Faculty Senators Council; and three graduate student members of the Student Senators Council, selected by the Student Senators Council. The term of service for Committee members is three years, unless filling a vacancy; except that the term of service for representatives from the Student Senators Council is two years, unless filling a vacancy. Terms are staggered, such that approximately one-third of the membership changes every year. The following administrators (or their designees) serve Ex Officio as non-voting members: the dean of each college, school, and portal campus that delivers graduate education; the most senior representative of the Provost’s Office tasked with academic program review; and the most senior representative of the Provost’s Office tasked with graduate academic affairs. The co-chairs of the Committee will be the most senior representative of the Provost’s Office tasked with graduate academic affairs and the dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Science.”

Undergraduate Program Committee [University Bylaws, Section 71]

Section 71(a) of the University Bylaws provides: “There will be an Undergraduate Program Committee whose chief responsibility is to advise the Provost on proposals from colleges, schools, and portal campuses for new undergraduate majors and degree programs, as well as for cross-school minors. The Committee will review all such program proposals to ensure that the University’s colleges, schools, and portal campuses with undergraduate components maintain comparable standards of work for the degrees; that units proposing new programs have consulted appropriate colleges, schools, and/or portal campuses; and that there is minimal curricular overlap between or among the units. At the request of the President and Chancellor and/or the Provost, or at its own discretion, the Committee also may formulate recommendations on other matters that relate to undergraduate education in the University.”

Section 71(b) of the University Bylaws provides: “The voting members of the Committee will include at least: one elected faculty representative from each college, school, and portal campus involved in undergraduate education, elected by the applicable college, school, or portal campus; two undergraduate deans selected by the Deans Council; a faculty representative from the NYU Libraries, elected by the faculty from the NYU Libraries; a member of the Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty Senators Council, selected by the Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty Senators Council; a member of the Full-Time Continuing Contract Faculty Senators Council, selected by the Full-Time Continuing Contract Faculty Senators Council; and three members of the Student Senators Council, selected by the Student Senators Council. The term of service for Committee members is three years, unless filling a vacancy; except that the term of service for representatives from the Student Senators Council typically is one year. Terms are staggered, such that approximately one-third of the membership changes every year. The following administrators (or their designees) serve on the Committee Ex Officio as non-voting members: the senior representatives of the Provost’s Office tasked with each of global programs, academic program review, and undergraduate academic affairs. The chair of the Committee will be the most senior representative of the Provost’s Office tasked with undergraduate academic affairs.”

Other University and Interschool Committees and Commissions

Section 72 of the University Bylaws provides: “The Senate or the President and Chancellor may from time to time appoint other University and interschool committees and commissios, which will have such powers and duties as are delegated to them at the time of their organization until modified or annulled by action of the appointing authority.”

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