Faculty Governance
Faculty Assembly
If you hold a professorial (excluding adjunct, emeritus, or visiting), lecturer, or instructor rank with at least a half-time appointment and are appointed to a school, college, or designated academic unit, you are a member of the Faculty Assembly. The Faculty Assembly meets at least twice during the academic year.
The President of the University presides, with the agenda jointly negotiated by the Faculty Council and the President’s Office.
Every two years, in the fall semester, Faculty Assembly elects a five-member Nominating Committee from a list of candidates who have volunteered to serve. (A call for volunteers is sent to the current Assembly members.) In the spring semester, the Nominating Committee presents candidates for Committee Chairs to the Faculty Council. Every two years, the Nominating Committee presents candidates for Officers to the Faculty Assembly.
Faculty Council
The Faculty Council is the representative body of the Faculty Assembly at Boston University. The Faculty Council members are members of the Faculty Assembly who are elected to represent their individual school, college, or academic unit, either as a representative or as an alternate. Each school or college is responsible for holding its own election for representatives and alternates.
As a Member of the Faculty Council, you can participate in an open forum to learn about, question, and voice your colleagues’ opinions about the policies and activities of the University. Both representatives and alternates are expected to attend Faculty Council meetings. Moreover, it is the duty of the Council members to report back to their colleagues about the activities of the Faculty Council and to poll their colleagues and present their questions and concerns to the Faculty Council.
The Faculty Council fosters an open, continuous dialogue with the Administration by inviting senior members to attend Faculty Council meetings to present new policies or issues to the full Council for comment. The Faculty Council reviews new proposals for academic programs, evaluates and provides feedback to the Administration on new initiatives and policy changes, and forms its own initiatives or projects based on discussions among the full Council, the Executive Committee, or by the Faculty Council committees.
Representatives on the Faculty Council, also serve on member of the University Council, which is comprised of the President, the Provosts, the deans, and the academic associate provosts. Subsets of certain Faculty Council Committees also serve with administrators on University Council Committees, where the substantive topics of the University Council are formulated.
The Faculty Council meets once per month during the academic year, usually on the first Tuesday of the month from 3:30-5:00 p.m.
Faculty Council Committees
As an individual faculty member, you can volunteer to serve on one of the Standing Committees, or special task forces of the Faculty Council.
Election to the Faculty Council is not a prerequisite for committee service.
The Committees work by email, or meet in person at arranged times, as needed. Send your expression of interest to fafc@bu.edu.