The Boston University Faculty Council is the voice of faculty and colleagues across BU.<\/p>\n
We welcome and invite your input on a wide variety of academic issues that will shape the University today and into the future. As a key component of BU\u2019s governing structure, the Faculty Council is fully integrated with University leadership as it collectively makes decisions on policies and initiatives.<\/p>\n
Your participation is important to the success and effectiveness of the Faculty Council, and we encourage you to engage with your representatives to offer your insights, opinions, and ideas that will further the academic excellence of BU. Please refer to this site often for easy-to-access information regarding the Faculty Council and the current issues and topics it is addressing.<\/p>\n
Representing a majority of the BU faculty, this advisory body offers input and helps forward initiatives on a wide range of academic issues. Think of it as the \u201cHouse of Representatives\u201d for BU\u2019s 17 schools and colleges and the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences.<\/p>\n
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The Faculty Council is the focused governing body, and the Faculty Assembly is the large group of faculty it represents. So, by default, you are a member of the Faculty Assembly if you\u2019re a faculty member on the Charles River Campus, Medical Campus, or Wheelock Campus with .50 full-time equivalent or greater, and hold a professorial, lecturer, or instructor rank. However, faculty with adjunct, visiting, or emeritus titles are not members of the Faculty Assembly.<\/p>\n
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Responsibilities include:<\/p>\n
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All members of the Faculty Council come from the Faculty Assembly. They are elected and serve in three different roles:<\/p>\n
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School and college representatives and alternates<\/a>\u00a0are listed in the Our Members section of this website.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n The Faculty Council meets monthly September\u2013May, and as needed. Only elected members and its guests may attend. If you have business to bring up to the Council, please contact your representative<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n Yes, the minutes of the meetings are posted on the website, available to current Assembly members.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n If the issue affects more than one school or college, it is a matter that can be raised by the Council. Contact your Faculty Council representative to discuss the issue and the recommended path forward.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n Yes. New courses and academic programs are reviewed by the University Council Committees on Undergraduate Policies and Programs and Graduate Policies and Programs. These committees will communicate with the unit about the proposal and send it to the Faculty Council and other constituencies for comment. All academic degree programs are presented to the University Council for discussion and vote.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n In addition to committees in a school\/college, the Faculty Council consults with the President and University Provost on academic matters. The elected members of the Faculty Council serve on the University Council and its committees and are also invited to serve on University-wide committees such as the Antiracism Working Group and ongoing task forces and working groups.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n The University Council is the body that develops, reviews, and votes on academic policies, new degrees, and curricular issues. It is composed of the Faculty Council officers, committee, chairs, and school\/college representatives and the academic associate provosts, school\/college deans, MED Provost, University Provost, and University President.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n When it comes to the academic policy\u2013approval process, the Faculty Council works in conjunction with the Provost Cabinet, the Council of Deans, and other stakeholders to review and discuss academic policy proposals. These policies are then considered by the appropriate University Council committee, the University Council, and ultimately the President, who provides final approval. The University community is then notified.<\/p>\n More details on BU Governance and University-wide policies can be found in the Resources & Polices<\/a> section of this website.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/p>\nWhen are Faculty Council meetings held? Can I attend?<\/h3>
Can I view the Faculty Council meeting minutes?<\/h3>
I have an issue with my school\/college. Can the Faculty Council help?<\/h3>
Does the Faculty Council have input in new courses and academic programs?<\/h3>
How does the Faculty Council impact governance at BU?<\/h3>
What is the University Council? What does it have to do with the Faculty Council?<\/h3>
What is the overall structure of governance at BU? How does the Faculty Council fit in?<\/h3>