Senate Councils

Council Roster (2026-2027) approved on 9/8/2026

Standing Charges

Academic Programs Council

  1. Recommend procedures for inaugurating, changing, or terminating undergraduate and graduate courses and programs.
  2. Review and recommend new undergraduate and graduate programs, major changes in existing programs, and undergraduate and graduate courses.

Chairs: Karen Decker & Deborah Sheffield
Documents

Academic Success Council

  1. Review undergraduate and graduate advisement and registration procedures and recommend revisions and/or new policies as needed.
  2. Assess the functioning of the Success Team model in retaining students and make suggestions for improvement as needed.
  3. Work with administrators involved in areas of undergraduate Advisement and Registration to recommend ways to facilitate policy implementation and coordination with departments.

Chairs: John Bae & Cynthia Simon
Documents

Administrator Assessment Council

  1. Prepare and administer assessments of the following administrators: President, Provost and Vice president, all deans, all vice presidents.
  2. An administrator will be assessed once every two years, after they have completed one year of employment. The rotation of assessments will be established by the Senate.
  3. Prepare summary reports of the results of the assessments for acceptance and transmission by the Senate (according to a schedule to be determined by the Senate).
  4. The members of the Administrator Assessment Council must be either tenured or on multi-year contracts. There will be no administrative liaison or other non-voting member.
  5. The Administrator Assessment Council will have a membership as follows: 1 faculty member from each college; 1 librarian; 1 Professional Staff member; and 1 at-large member.

Chairs: Tim VanderGast
Documents

Admissions & Recruitment Council

  1. Review and recommend policy for recruitment, enrollment, and admission in undergraduate and graduate programs.
  2. Liaise with administrators responsible for recruitment and admissions to review the effectiveness of current policies and practices on an ongoing basis.
  3. Review and recommend policies for timely and accurate assessment of transfer credits for each transfer student.
Chairs: Julie Rosenthal
Documents

Assessment Council

  1. In collaboration with the Faculty Senate, work on specialized assessment projects as directed by campus needs, Senate initiatives, or other events (i.e., surveys, focus groups).
  2. Disseminate results of assessment related projects to the larger university community.
  3. Work with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and the University Assessment Committee (UAC) to determine how the Council can inform and support their assessment efforts.
Chairs: Heejung An & Cara Berg
Documents

Budget & Planning Council

  1. Recommend University budget policy and overall direction,
  2. Advise and prioritize in matters related to institutional planning and finance.
  3. Examine and review the institution’s proposed budget.
  4. Work with the administration in resolving fiscal concerns.
Chairs: Atola Gerri Budd
Documents

Diversity Council

  1. Evaluate the diversity of the Senate, including but not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability, socioeconomic status, and other intersections of identity, and make recommendations for increasing the inclusivity of underrepresented groups. 2.
  2. Work with the Senate Representative on the Council for Equity and Justice to recognize affinity-based caucuses on campus using standardized criteria.
  3. Serve as liaison between faculty on the recognized caucuses and the Faculty Senate ensuring that the voices of recognized caucuses are heard on matters of policy and practice considered by the Senate.
  4. The Council for Equity and Justice Liaison to the Faculty Senate shall be an ex-officio member of the council.
Chairs: Gina Guerrieri & Kathleen Clacke-Anderson
Documents

Governance/Elections Council

  1. Delineate the role of the Faculty Senate in University governance.
  2. Review the various governance statements.
  3. Recommend patterns of and responsibilities for self-governance by colleges, schools, institutes, divisions and faculties.
  4. Review the Policy Manual periodically and suggest policies that need to be reviewed, revised and/or updated.
  5. Review proposed amendments to the Faculty Senate By-Laws and Constitution. To provide guidance to the Faculty Senate in the interpretation of proposals and amendment procedures. To maintain accurate records of Faculty Senate Governing documents, including historical records outlining all amendments and alterations.
Chairs: Gary Marks & James Miles
Documents

Graduate Policies & Standards Council

  1. Review and recommend policy for the adoption, implementation, and enforcement of graduate educational and academic standards.
  2. Review and recommend policy for admission and retention in graduate programs, and for publicity and recruitment issues.
  3. Review graduate advisement and registration policies and procedures, and recommend revisions and/or new policies, as needed.
  4. Identify and recommend means for improvement in graduate advisement and registration policies and procedures.
  5. Liaise with university officials and bodies responsible for policy on the above matters to review the effectiveness of policies and facilitate their implementation.
Chairs:
Documents

Research, Scholarship & Creative Expression Council

  1. Promote Faculty, Librarian, Professional Staff, and Adjunct Faculty scholarship; identify, on an ongoing basis, current and anticipated faculty, librarian, professional staff and adjunct faculty needs with regard to scholarship and research and recommend strategies designed to meet those needs,
  2. Support the continued efforts to build academic research networks on and beyond the William Paterson
  3. Review, yearly and as needed, the policies, procedures, and guidelines for each of the following:
    1. Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects,
    2. Scientific and Academic Fraud and Misconduct,
    3. Assigned Research Time Application and Selection.
Chairs: Nick Hirshon
Document

Undergraduate Policies & Standards Council

  1. Review and recommend policy for the adoption, implementation and enforcement of undergraduate educational and academic standards.
  2. Review and recommend policy for the adoption, implementation and enforcement of undergraduate educational and academic standards in curricular issues.
  3. Liaise with university officials responsible for all undergraduate academic policy matters to conduct an ongoing review of their effectiveness.
Chairs: Tony Joachim & Thomas Nemeth
Documents

University Core Curriculum (UCC) Council

  1. Recommend policy on undergraduate course requirements for degrees and the procedures for inaugurating, changing, or terminating undergraduate courses and programs.
  2. Review and recommend new undergraduate programs, major changes in existing programs, and undergraduate courses.
Chairs: Ellen Frye, Paul von Dohlen, & Nancy Weiner
Documents