New Members Information
The Faculty of Lehman College shall be composed of all full-time members of the instructional staff, and all others who teach at least six semester hours per week. All such persons shall be entitled to full voting and floor rights at any meeting of the Faculty, and may participate and vote in any election or referendum in which the Faculty participates. Other members of the instructional staff shall have full floor rights in meetings of the Faculty.
Greetings!
Welcome to the University Faculty Senate, and congratulations on your election by your peers. What follows is a brief introduction to UFS protocol. By no means exhaustive, we encourage you after reading this introduction to consult our new website for further information.
How does the UFS operate?
The UFS is a deliberative body, and the participation and voice of all senators is vital to represent faculty in matters of university-wide scope. The senate body elects a Chair and Vice Chair biennially, and the Executive Committee annually, in the spring. The UFS Chair regularly conducts Plenary Sessions to discuss matters of import to the faculty. Plenaries are on Tuesday evenings at 6:00 p.m. at CUNY headquarters at 205 E 42 St., or at the Graduate Center. The UFS calendar is available on our website. Senators must have photo identification to enter both buildings. Light refreshments are available prior to the start of the meeting, (6:00 social, 6:30 meeting).
The Plenary agenda typically consists of reports from the Standing Committee Chairs (Status of the Faculty, Student Affairs, and Library and Information Technology) as well as from representatives from other CUNY committees populated by UFS members. Additional speakers may include members of the Central office, including the Chancellor, or our counterparts at SUNY. Committee chairs and other speakers typically welcome questions from the audience.
Questioners come to the microphone, and identify him/herself and their college, for the record. Please use this time thoughtfully, as Plenary is often the only public dialogue between CUNY faculty and senior administration. Faculty who are not UFS senators may attend plenaries and can request the body’s recognition and to ask questions. Following the committee reports the Chair provides a report, there may be a discussion of old business, and there is an opportunity for the introduction of new business.
A campus’ UFS delegation is proportional to its number of full time faculty. Each campus also has senate alternates. If you are unable to attend a Plenary, please contact your campus alternates and insure representation. This is especially important whenever a resolution is on the agenda. It is UFS practice to have resolutions work through committee before coming to the floor. According to Perez v. CUNY (2005), in order for a resolution to be binding, a Quorum is required. Hence your attendance and participation are invaluable for shared governance.
Alternates may only vote when they are replacing an absentee member.
Please also familiarize yourself with the UFS Charter – which is undergoing amendments -- UFS Charer and Robert’s Rules of Order Robert's Rules Online, for they serve as the procedural framework for all UFS activities.
Should you have an event apropos the mission and activities of the UFS, you may ask the Chair for permission to announce it. If you have a flyer or written materials to distribute, the established protocol is that they be on the handout table where the “members’ items” sign is displayed. In addition, please provide a copy to the UFS Executive Director and staff as early in advance as is possible.
How Do I Actively Contribute to the UFS?
Senators can actively contribute to UFS matters via Standing Committee membership. The UFS leadership welcomes newly-elected senators and alternates to join a standing committee.
Committee Chairs are appointed and charges developed annually; though members may add items under New Business at any committee meeting. A member slate is created in early fall with consideration for diversity of colleges, disciplines, etc. Most committees meet in the hours before the Plenary Sessions, so it is important that your schedule permit your attendance. To participate, please send your request to the Executive Director, Matthew Cotter. Include a second preference choice. To learn more about committee activities see the website.
Each standing committee has a liaison from the UFS Executive Committee. Committees should work with their liaison to bring items to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee in turn sets the agenda for the plenaries.
How does the UFS represent faculty in university-wide shared governance at CUNY?
The Senate provides faculty leadership and represents faculty voice by having appointed, ex- officio, representation on many policy making bodies of CUNY. For instance, the Standing Committees of the Board of Trustees each have a voting faculty member and alternate who is appointed from the UFS. Other examples are Search Committees, the Faculty Advisory Council to the Research Foundation, the IT Steering Committee, the Committee on Academic Technology, the Enrollment Management Council, etc. Please consult the above link for further information on these and every other UFS committee.
The UFS Executive Committee meets regularly – and often with the Chancellory and senior administrators. The Council of Faculty Governance Leaders is convened twice a semester, meeting with the Chancellor twice a year. The UFS Chair presides. Campus specific matters may be raised with your local faculty governance leader.
This is a basic framework for the character and content of your role as a UFS Senator. The core values of the UFS entail the faculty who bring their talents and time to the organization, and we look forward to both elaborating on the above and working with you.
If you have additional questions, we will be pleased to assist with them. Sincerely, Dr. Matthew J. Cotter, Executive Director, matthew.cotter@cuny.edu Stasia Pasela, Assistant to the Chair, stasia.pasela@cuny.edu
