Faculty Senate Bylaws
I. PURPOSE AND SCOPE
This policy establishes procedures for creating and changing a faculty senate consistent with state law and Texas State University System (TSUS) Rules and Regulations.
II. ROLE AND AUTHORITY OF THE FACULTY SENATE
A. Exclusive power to establish the Faculty Senate. Only the TSUS Board of Regents may establish a faculty senate at Texas State University, consistent with this policy, the TSUS Rules and Regulations, and applicable state law.
B. Advisory role. The Faculty Senate represents the entire faculty of Texas State University and shall advise Texas State University and, where applicable, the TSUS Administration regarding matters related to the general welfare of Texas State University. The Faculty Senate is an advisory body only and may not be delegated the final decision-making authority on any matter.
Since 1959, Faculty Senates at Texas State University have played an important role in providing a platform for faculty to "initiate recommendations for the promotion of the interest of the university community.” This broad charge, combined with the specific constitutional obligation to consider any recommendation submitted in writing by a faculty member, has led the senate to take an interest in a very wide spectrum of academic and policy issues.
C. Committees. The Faculty Senate may establish such standing or ad hoc committees as it deems appropriate to advise the administration on particular matters relating to the general welfare of Texas State University. Such committees may include sitting faculty senators and are established subject to the authority of the Faculty Senate’s presiding officer. Such committees are advisory only, and no proposal or recommendation by a committee is binding on the administration. Additionally, the Faculty Senate may reconstitute an ad hoc committee as a standing committee.
The Committee on Committees shall nominate and the Faculty Senate shall appoint the members of each standing or ad hoc committee prior to adjournment of the first meeting of the full term and throughout the semester as the need arises.
D. Rules. The Faculty Senate shall adopt rules for establishing a quorum. The Faculty Senate may adopt other procedural rules, consistent with this policy, the TSUS Rules and Regulations, and state law, to govern the conduct of its meetings and other authorized activities of the Faculty Senate.
E. Limitations. The Faculty Senate may not issue any statement or publish a report using Texas State University or The TSUS official seal, trademark, or resources funded by the Component or System on any matter not directly related to the Faculty Senate’s duties to advise the administration.
F. Shared governance. The Faculty Senate operates within the framework of shared governance, as defined in Texas law. Shared governance structures may not be used to obstruct, delay, or undermine necessary institutional reforms or serve as a mechanism for advancing ideological or political agendas.
G. Exclusions. Under Texas law, the provisions of Chapter 2110 of the Texas Government Code regarding state agency advisory committees do not apply to a Faculty Senate established by the TSUS Board of Regents.
H. Freedom of Association. Nothing in this policy shall be construed to limit a faculty member from exercising his/her right to freedom of association protected by the United States Constitution or the Texas Constitution.
I. Amendment of Bylaws. Faculty senate bylaws can be amended/modified at any time by a majority vote of the Faculty Senate.
III. PROCEDURES FOR CREATING AND CHANGING THE FACULTY SENATE
A. Membership.
1. Eligibility. Full-time members of the Texas State University faculty are eligible to serve on the Faculty Senate as long as they have no administrative appointments.
2. Service. Service on the Faculty Senate is an additional duty of the faculty member’s employment. Members of the Faculty Senate are not entitled to compensation or reimbursement of expenses for their role as senators unless the expense is on behalf of and approved by the Faculty Senate.
3. Selection of Members.
a. The Faculty Senate will consist of not more than 60 members, representing proportionally each of the academic colleges across campus, with one member serving as chair, another as vice-chair, and a third as secretary. Each department/school not represented by a Senator is represented by a Faculty Senate Liaison who is charged with communicating individual faculty and departmental concerns to the Faculty Senate.
b. Each academic college shall be represented by a minimum of two members.
i. The President shall appoint one member from each academic college.
ii. The remaining members from each college shall be elected by a vote of that college.
c. Manner for determining the number of members from each college.
i. The Senate body comprises one presidential appointee for each college and proportional representation of members elected by the faculty voters.
ii. The faculty population of a College is the number of FTE faculty in the College and the fractional population of a College is the faculty population of the College divided by the number of FTE faculty at Texas State University as of the fall semester prior to elections.
iii. The number of elected Senators for a College will be determined as follows:
• The College with the lowest fractional population will have one elected Senator.
• Any College with a fractional population less than 1.5 times the lowest fractional population will also have one elected Senator.
• Any College whose fractional population is between 1.5 times and 2.5 times the lowest fractional population will have two elected Senators.
• Any College whose fractional population is between 2.5 times and 3.5 times the lowest fractional population will have three elected Senators.
• Any College whose fractional population is between 3.5 times and 4.5 times the lowest fractional population will have four elected Senators.
• The same algorithm can be used to determine higher numbers of elected Senators if needed.
d. Appointed members.
i. The Faculty Senate election results will be forwarded to the office of the Provost
indicating the elected Senators and the remaining candidates with percentage of votes received for consideration as a potential appointee.
Additional names for consideration will be solicited by the office of the Provost from College Deans, Chairs and Directors and others with final recommendations forwarded to the President’s office for approval.
ii. Term. A member appointed by the President may serve up to six one-year consecutive terms and then may only be reappointed after the second anniversary of the last day of the member’s most recent term.
e. Elected members.
i. Election process.
• No later than the first Friday of March of each year, the Senate shall offer faculty members eligible to serve on the Senate the opportunity to enter their names on the ballot. The Senate will consider that those who do not respond to the request have not consented to be listed on the ballot.
• The Senate will then prepare a ballot for each college to be distributed to faculty voters. These ballots shall list the names of the faculty members eligible to serve on the Senate who have consented to stand for election. A candidate receiving a majority of votes will be considered elected. If there is no majority, the Senate will distribute a second ballot listing those receiving the highest number of votes in the first round. The total number of nominees will be twice the number of vacancies. In the event of a tie for the last place, those in the tie shall be listed.
• The Faculty Senate is empowered to make the determination for a place on the Senate should a final vote result in a tie.
• If a person elected to the Senate is unable to serve, the candidate with the next highest number of votes shall be declared elected that has strong support.
• The Senate will then certify the results of the elections and provide the results to the office of the provost including the percentages of votes received subject to a reasonable minimum percentage of votes received.
ii. Term. A member elected by a vote of the faculty serves a two-year term and may only be reelected after the second anniversary of the last day of the member’s most recent term.
iii. Staggered Terms. Terms for elected members shall be staggered such that approximately half of the elected members from each college are elected each year.
4. Removal or Resignation of Members.
a. A member may be immediately removed from the senate for:
i. failing to conduct the member’s responsibilities within the senate’s parameters;
ii. failing to attend senate meetings; or
iii. engaging in other similar misconduct.
b. A member may be removed on recommendation of the provost and approval by the
president.
c. In the event a member appointed by the president is removed or resigns, the president
shall appoint a new member from that member’s College.
d. In the event an elected member is removed or resigns, a College may choose to have a special election to fill the vacant position for the remainder of the member’s original term.
B. Officers.
1. Not later than the last day of April each year the Faculty Senate shall identify candidates willing to serve as Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary from its membership to serve for a term of one year beginning on the first day following the end of the spring semester. These nominees shall be offered as recommendations to the President.
Nominees must have at least one full year remaining of their Senate terms at the time of their nomination.
2. President appoints officers. The president shall appoint a presiding officer (Chair), associate presiding officer (Vice Chair), and secretary from the members of the Faculty Senate.
3. Presiding officer. The presiding officer, referred to as the Faculty Senate Chair, shall preside over meetings of the Faculty Senate and represent the Faculty Senate in official communications with Texas State University and System administration.
The Chair shall serve as a representative of the Senate in University forums outside of Faculty Senate or voting faculty meetings. In this capacity, the Chair shall communicate the Faculty Senate’s advice and recommendations that have been formally adopted by the Faculty Senate as well as matters the Chair reasonably believes reflect the will of the Faculty Senate to appropriate University officers.
No later than March 1 of each year, the Chair will coordinate with the Vice-Chair and Secretary to facilitate presidential appointments to the Faculty Senate and to conduct an election of senators to succeed those whose terms are expiring. The Faculty Senate may also consider special elections to fill Faculty Senate elected positions.
4. Associate presiding officer. The associate presiding officer, referred to as the Faculty Senate Vice Chair, shall serve as Interim Chair in the event of resignation, removal from office or death. In case of such an event, nominations of Faculty Senators willing to be considered for appointment to this office shall be offered to the President in order to fill the unexpired term of office.
The Chair may delegate responsibilities to the Vice-Chair. Such responsibilities may include formalizing the Vice-Chair’s role as Senate representative to the Council of Academic Chairs and Deans and assigning other duties as the Chair may prescribe.
The Vice-Chair shall preside at the meetings of the Faculty Senate in the absence of the Chair and may serve as Chair of the Nontenure Line Faculty Committee.
5. Secretary. The Secretary shall keep minutes and record all the proceedings of the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Senate meeting minutes shall include a roster of those senators who were present and those who were absent along with the outcomes of all motions and the outcomes of the vote including those opposed and those abstaining. Once approved by the Faculty Senate, the minutes shall be posted and promptly distributed to the faculty and accessible to the public.
In the event of resignation, removal from office, or death, nominations of Faculty Senators willing to be considered for appointment to this office shall be offered to the President to fill the unexpired term of office.
C. Meetings.
1. Open meetings. The Faculty Senate shall conduct meetings in person with a synchronous virtual online option at which a quorum is present in a location and manner that is open to the public and in accordance with this policy.
a. Only the Senators and invited guests will be allowed to speak during all meetings of the Faculty Senate.
b. The Faculty Senate shall meet at least twice monthly during the long semesters of the academic year.
c. During the summer months, the Faculty Senate shall meet at least once a month.
d. The Faculty Senate will meet with the President’s Academic Advisory Group (PAAG) at least twice during each long semester during one of their regularly scheduled meetings.
e. The Chair of the Faculty Senate can call a special meeting of the Faculty Senate when this officer deems it necessary.
f. All Faculty Senate meetings will follow Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised.
g. No business shall be carried out unless a quorum is present. A quorum must continue to be present at the meeting to continue conducting business. A simple majority of the duly elected and appointed senators constitutes a quorum. In the absence of a quorum, the Chair may only make announcements of an informative nature, rule on the existence of a quorum, and recess once for a short period to attempt to secure a quorum.
h. Any faculty member may bring a matter of university concern to the attention of the Faculty Senate by communicating with the Chair of the Senate or a Faculty Senator.
Faculty members can suggest agenda items, however, only a Faculty Senator can introduce a proposition to be voted upon by the Faculty Senate.
i. All Faculty Senate meetings shall be open meetings unless otherwise required by law.
j. If a vote of the Faculty Senate is urgently required for an important matter which, in the opinion of the Faculty Senate Chair, cannot wait until the next scheduled meeting of the Faculty Senate, then the Faculty Senate Chair may poll the Faculty Senate and include any pertinent documentation relevant to the issue in question. Such a vote shall only be taken after the Faculty Senate Chair provides to all Faculty Senators (1) an explicit justification for the need for requesting an electronic vote, (2) pros and cons of the issue at stake, and (3) an opportunity for deliberations among Faculty Senators prior to the official vote.
k. A virtual quorum shall meet the quorum requirement if a simple majority of the Faculty Senate membership participates in the electronic vote by returning either a vote or an abstention when the vote is called. Minutes summarizing the main points of the online deliberations and the vote shall also be prepared and posted by the Secretary of the Faculty Senate.
2. Meeting notice and agenda. The Faculty Senate must post on the Texas State University Faculty Senate website not later than the seventh day before a Faculty Senate meeting:
a. the date, time, location, and link to the live URL video feed of the meeting;
b. an agenda for the meeting with sufficient detail to indicate the items that are to be discussed or that will be subject to a vote; and
c. any curriculum proposals reviewed by the Faculty Senate that will be discussed or voted on at the meeting.
3. Live broadcast. The Faculty Senate shall broadcast over the Internet at a URL designated by the Faculty Senate, live video and audio of each Faculty Senate meeting
4. Meeting archives. The Faculty Senate shall maintain an archive of its meeting agendas, recorded video, and minutes at the Faculty Senate website and in accordance with the University’s record retention policy.
5. Attendance recorded. The names of the members in attendance must be recorded at all meetings in which the Faculty Senate conducts business related to:
a. a vote of no confidence regarding a Component or System administrator; or
b. policies related to curriculum and academic standards.
REVIEW AND RESPONSIBILITY
Effective Date: 01/01/2026
Review Schedule: Every three years on or before the date the policy was last revised and/or approved or as needed.
Next Review Date: 01/01/2029
Responsible Party: Faculty Senate with approval by the President