The Academic Senate plays an integral part in the shared governance of the University of Utah. Strong working relations have developed between the Senate and the Administration in confronting the issues faced by the University. Both Senate and Administration take the initiative in formulating issues and in developing responses to them. The Senate is comprised of 100 faculty members elected by & representing their respective colleges, 2 Deans elected by the deans, & 18 students from ASUU. There are 12 standing committees, plus ad hoc committees as needed, that carry out the work. The Senate typically meets on the first Mondays during the school year at 3:00 pm and are open to the public. For more information, see the Academic Senate website.
This committee is comprised of faculty from all CSBS departments and programs, and reviews and approves proposals related to degree programs, including, but not limited to ,new courses, removing existing courses, changing major requirements, developing new emphases in existing programs, and developing new degree programs. The psychology department representative presents proposals from the psychology department to the committee; proposals should be approved within the department prior to being submitted to the college curriculum committee. Note that the committee meets only 2-3 times per year, and further approval processes are required after the college committee. This committee also reviews undergraduate research opportunity proposals within the college, and makes decisions about teaching awards.
The Executive Committee is made up of five faculty members, selected by departmental election. The Chair of the Executive Committee is determined by vote of the committee members. The Executive Committee serves to promote the vitality, well-being and morale of the Psychology Department as a whole. The specific role of the Committee at any given time depends upon the circumstances of the department and emerges in discussions with the department Chair. In general, however, with an eye to achieving the department's full potential and ensuring the department's future strength the Committee works in conjunction with the department Chair to develop policy and the long range planning, and to advise the Chair on issues of policy and procedure. For example, the Committee may be active in making recommendations to the department faculty and to the Chair in these areas: Long-range planning, particularly faculty hiring in terms of the nature and timing of the searches: budgetary issues such as graduate student support and faculty workload; personnel issues that fall outside the purview of faculty reviews and the usual tasks of Personnel Committee; policies and procedures concerning faculty leaves of absence and FTE reductions.
Faculty Up For Review
The committee serves as an educational resource for the department concerning professional issues and ethics with the aim of preventing serious ethical and boundary problems. The committee provides an entry point for questions and consultations concerning professional issues and will funnel queries to appropriate committees as needed. A key function of the committee is to provide consultation in the early stages in order to prevent escalation of problems. Professional issues that may be directed to this committee include (but are not limited to) issues concerning abuse of power, boundary issues (among faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students, and staff), authorship issues, conflict of interest, sexual harassment, career choice, career development and management, etc. The committee provides informal feedback to faculty, students, and staff concerning questions that may arise. In addition, the committee will make recommendations as to the most effective use of available resources and committees within the department and outside of the department in the university. While the PIE does not set policy, the PIE may recommend policy changes to the chair and appropriate committees in cases where departmental structure is causing concern. The ultimate goal of the PIE Committee is to raise awareness, facilitate discussion, reduce the frequency of professional and ethical problems, and promote a positive and collaborative working environment. For more information, visit the PIE website.