Faculty Senate

The primary purpose of the Faculty Senate is to encourage, promote, and channel faculty participation in the shaping of university policy. The objectives of the Faculty Senate are formulated with the clear understanding that the university president and/or boards of regents are charged with the final responsibility for the operation of the institution; therefore, the following objectives will be exercised in the context of recommendations:

1. to provide the faculty and administration with opportunities for identifying and considering problems related to academic excellence and personnel policies, and for recommending solutions to such problems,
2. to provide the faculty and administration a forum for communication,
3. to provide for greater utilization of creative and innovative faculty resources.

The Faculty Senate recommends membership of university committees, with the exception of the Graduate, Teacher Education, and Study Abroad committees, to the president for final approval. The Constitution of the Faculty Senate of Northwestern can be found in an Appendix of the Faculty Handbook PDF.