In accordance with Texas Senate Bill 37, which takes effect on September 1, the UT System Board of Regents abolished faculty senates and councils at its universities on August 21. In compliance with the regulations, the University is now developing a new faculty advisory model.
Prior to SB 37, other faculty members elected 70 members to the University faculty council. According to the measure, only the governing body of a university can now form a faculty council, which will have a maximum of 60 members and two representatives from each college and school to guarantee proper representation.
In his initial author’s statement of intent, the bill’s author, Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, stated that the legislation would promote the openness of higher education institutions, give university governing boards greater authority, and address the unbridled power of faculty senates.
According to a UT System spokeswoman, the Board of Regents will review policy proposals that allow faculty senates to be reconstituted in compliance with the legislation throughout the course of the upcoming months. The board has given UT System presidents permission to form faculty advisory groups in the interim.
According to a UT System spokesman, advisory groups will enable faculty to continue advising the administration and doing any tasks assigned to them by Regents Rules and Regulations.
At a board meeting, Kevin Eltife, the chairman of the UT System Board of Regents, stated that the system has not yet determined whether faculty councils would be reinstated at each UT System institution. According to him, the Board of Regents will work with each institution to identify the most effective strategy.
In an email, university spokesperson Mike Rosen stated that UT is working with the Board of Regents to create a new procedure that will enable the university to follow SB 37 and make use of the academic experience of its professors.
