Since 1988, the Faculty Senate has been acting on behalf of the Iowa State faculty in various ways.

The Faculty Senate, which meets once a month in Room 260 of the Scheman Building, makes decisions in regard to academic curricula, advises general university operations that affect faculty and plays a conciliatory role between the faculty and administration.

“[Faculty Senate] is an important voice for faculty,” said Dean Ulrichson, president-elect of the Faculty Senate.

Current President Denise Vrchota said the senate is an “exercise in democracy.”

Each department on campus is represented by a faculty member. In addition to these senators, there is one at-large faculty senator designated for every 100 members of the faculty within a college. In total there are 80 Faculty Senate members.

The senate branches into four different councils: Faculty Development and Administrative Relations, Academic Affairs, Judiciary and Governance. These councils were created to deal with the daily actions brought before the senate.

Ulrichson said the senate also has approved a fifth council to deal with budget and planning matters.

Vrchota said the chair of the fifth council will be elected at the March meeting. The colleges also are in the process of choosing their representatives for the council.

“The objective would be to have a council whose primary duties is to be in charge of long financial planning for the university,” Ulrichson said. “The council would be an advisory council to [ISU] President [Martin] Jischke.”

The Faculty Senate has an executive board which meets every other week in Lab of Mechanics Room 107. It consists of the president, president-elect, secretary, the chairs of each of the councils and the chair from each of the college caucuses.

Vrchota said the purpose of the college caucuses is to get the senators from each college together in separate groups for discussion of issues currently being discussed in the senate and issues from their colleges they would like discussed.

Ulrichson said one big item approved by the senate last spring was a promotion and tenure document for faculty. This document deals with the procedures and standards for promotions and tenure of faculty.

“The document has been approved and will go into effect this fall, but lots of questions about who it applies to are still being asked,” Ulrichson said.

The senate will soon be voting on a post tenure review policy introduced at the last meeting. It will be discussed again at the March 9 meeting.

“It is important for the faculty to become familiar with the tenure plan so they will know how it will affect them,” Vrchota said.

A special meeting will be held Tuesday to get faculty input on what revisions need to be made to the university’s current strategic plan. The strategic plan outlines the school’s priorities and also is used as a tool when arguing for budgets.

Vrchota said all Faculty Senate and executive board meetings are open to the public.

“I would just love it if I looked out at a meeting and saw that there was standing room only,” she said.