麻豆天狼副利院

a. Establishment. In accordance with the Texas Education Code, which states that only the governing board of an institution of higher education may formally establish a representative faculty organization, this regulation serves as the 麻豆天狼副利院 Board of Regents formal establishmentⁱ  of faculty senates for its respective Universities(LIST), which may be referred to herein as a 鈥淪enate鈥� or collectively as the 鈥淪enates,鈥� effective no earlier than September 1, 2025, upon each Senate being in full compliance with this System Regulation and applicable law(s).

b. Other Entities. Any other representative faculty body not in compliance with this regulation by September 1, 2025, such entity shall be abolished by operation of law. For Senates commencing operations subsequent to September 1, 2025, in order to be deemed established under this regulation, such Senate must be fully compliant with Texas Education Code and this regulation.

a. In accordance with Texas Education Code 51.3522, the Senates must at all times comply with鈥攁nd such governing documents(e.g., constitution, bylaws, etc.) of a Senate must align with鈥攖he following expectations:

(1) The Senate must provide adequate representation in the Senate membership of each college and school at the University.

(2) Senate membership must be limited to current faculty members at University.

(3) The number of members in the Senate shall not exceed more than 75 (seventy-five)ⁱⁱ  total members, and each college/school shall have at least two representatives, with each college/school having only one member appointed by the University president and the remaining members having been elected by a vote of the faculty of the Senate member鈥檚 respective college/school.

(a) Appointed Members. A member of the Senate appointed by the University president may serve up to six (6) consecutive one-year terms and may only be reappointed after the second anniversary of the last day of the member's most recent term.

(b) Elected Members. A member of the Senate elected by vote of the faculty of the member's respective college/school may serve a single two-year term, with elections staggered in a manner that allows for one-half of the elected Senate members to be elected each year; an elected member of the Senate may only be re-elected after the second anniversary of the last day of the member's most recent term.

(4) The University president shall appoint a Presiding Officer, Associate Presiding Officer, and Secretary from the Senate membership. The Presiding Officer shall preside over Senate Meetings and represent the Senate in official communications with University administration and any System administration.

(5) A faculty member serving on the Senate may be immediately removed from Senate membership for failure to conduct the member's responsibilities within the Senate鈥檚 parameters or expectations, including but not limited to failure to attend Senate meetings or engaging in other similar misconduct. The criteria for such action(s) should be addressed in the Senate鈥檚 governing documents (e.g., bylaws, constitution, etc.). A member of the Senate may be removed by recommendation of University鈥檚 provost (or chief academic officer) and approval by the University's president.

a. Role. A Senate鈥檚 role in the University鈥檚 shared governance structure is advisory only, and a Senate may not be delegated final decision-making authority on any matter.ⁱⁱⁱ No principle of shared governance may be used by a Senate to obstruct, delay, or undermine necessary institutional reforms or serve as a mechanism for advancing political or economic purposes.

b. Meeting Requirements. In accordance with Texas Education Code 51.3522, the Senates must at all times comply with鈥攁nd such governing documents of a Senate must align with鈥攖he following requirements regarding Senate meetings (鈥淢eeting(s)鈥�):

(1) The Senate shall adopt rules for establishing a quorum for Meetings.

(2) The Senate shall conduct Meetings at which a quorum is present in a manner that is open to the public and in accordance with procedures prescribed by the respective University president.

(3) The Senate shall broadcast over the Internet live video and audio of each Meeting of the Senate if more than fifty percent (50%) of the Senate membership is in attendance at the Meeting.

(4) The Senate shall make available the following information to the public on the University鈥檚 website not later than the seventh (7th) day before a Senate Meeting:

(a) an agenda for the Meeting with sufficient detail to indicate the items that are to be discussed or which will be subject to a vote; and

(b) any curriculum proposals reviewed by the Senate that will be discussed or voted on at the Meeting.

(5) When a Senate Meeting conducts business related to a vote of no confidence regarding a University or System administrator or policies related to curriculum and academic standards, the names of the Senate members in attendance must be recorded.

c. Service on a Senate is an additional duty of a faculty member's employment with the University. Therefore, a Senate member shall not be entitled to compensation or reimbursement of expenses solely for their role as a member of the Senate unless such expense is on behalf of and approved by the University in accordance with its policies and procedures regarding reimbursement.

d. A Senate may not issue a statement or publish a report on behalf of the University using the University鈥檚 official seal, trademark, or resources funded by the University on any matter not directly related to the Senate鈥檚 duties to advise the University.

a. In order to ensure adequate representation in the Senate of each college and school at the University as required by Texas Education Code 51.3522, the Senate must take into consideration proportional representation of its colleges and schools into its membership structure. As such and provided the membership limit figure indicated in Section 3, above, each Senate鈥檚 bylaws (or other governing document(s)) should indicate how the number of elected faculty members of the Senate shall be distributed amongst its colleges and schools. For illustrative example only, the University may indicate that the number of elected faculty members for each college or school (or other relevant criteria demonstrating adequate representation) shall be proportional to the total student enrollment of the respective college or school relative to the total student enrollment of the other colleges or schools (or other relevant criteria demonstrating adequate representation) in the University.

a. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this System Regulation, in whole or in part, may be construed to limit or infringe a University faculty member鈥檚 exercise of their right to freedom of association as protected by the United States Constitution or the Texas Constitution.