NLU Shared Governance
Shared governance provides an avenue for faculty and administration to collaborate on decisions regarding the structures, policies, and processes at the University used to make decisions and set policy for faculty and academics. This includes a number of stakeholders: Students, Administration, Adjunct Council, Faculty Senate, and the Board of Trustees, for example.
To learn more about the history and mission of NLU, please read about NLU.
NLU Shared Governance is guided by the Faculty Association constitution and bylaws, which outlines the structure of the shared governance model for the university, among other guidelines. As stated in the constitution’s preamble:
“The Constitution and Bylaws of the Faculty Association of National Louis University (NLU) is established in order to promote the effectiveness of the University in the discharge of its institutional responsibilities; effect a closer coordination among the various faculties, campuses and centers; provide a forum for the fullest possible communication and discussion of problems and concerns pertinent to the welfare and adequate functioning of the faculty and the University; and offer opportunities for using the special and creative competencies of the faculty in the formation and implementation of the educational programs of the University.”
In short, the Shared Governance model exists as the mechanism to broker communication and deliberation to ensure the effective operation of academic programs and to address problems and concerns of the faculty.
Faculty Senate
The Senate is the board of the Faculty Association, the principal agent of faculty governance at National Louis University.
The Faculty Senate Handbook explains the function and duties of the various Senate roles.
The voting members of the Senate (i.e. the Senators) consists of 2 elected full-time faculty members from each college, 1 elected faculty from the University Library, and 1 elected member from the Adjunct Council (i.e. the Adjunct Council Chair).
From the voting members, there are three officers: Senate Chair, Chair Elect, and Secretary. The Senate Chair presides over the Senate and works closely with the University’s Provost and President to enact the annual charges determined collaboratively by the Senate and Administration.
The Faculty Senate consists of 6 standing Senate sub-committees. Each committee has a particular focus and have representation from each of the colleges and the University Library.
The Faculty Senate documents its business on the University’s SharePoint site.
Faculty Senate SharePoint Site: Click Here
Contained here you will find:
- Important documents related to shared governance at NLU
- Brief summaries of recent Senate meetings
- A roster of senators and Senate committees
- Minutes of Senate meetings and other documents related to the work of the Senate
Faculty Senate meetings are open meetings, and NLU encourages the full participation of faculty and other interested persons in the deliberations of the Faculty Senate and Faculty Association.
All Senate meetings are open and held on the third Friday of every month from 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Meet your Faculty Senate.
View the Senate and Sub-committee Roster
View the 2023-2024 Senate Committee Charges
Learning Quality Committee (LQC) - creates a vision for teaching and learning environments and set standards for excellence in the delivery of instruction in all modalities
Faculty Professional Standards and Compensation Committee (FPSCC) - ensures that the interests of all full-time and adjunct faculty are represented in regard to faculty salaries, fringe benefits, work environments, travel reimbursement, and other aspects of the quality of work life.
Faculty Development Committee (FDC) - ensures professional opportunities are available to support faculty excellence in teaching and in scholarly work and manage the sabbatical and faculty performance review processes.
Institutional Promotion, Tenure and Recognition Committee (IPTRC) - conducts reviews for promotion and tenure, faculty awards, and emeritus status in alignment with the Academic Promotion and Tenure Policy, Faculty Awards Policy, and Emeritus Policy.
Student Academic Standards Committee (SASC) - develops University-wide student policies related to academic standards, admission, retention, academic probation, dismissal, plagiarism, appeals, graduation of students, financial scholarships, and fellowships. SASC shall recommend these policies to the Senate.
University Curriculum Committee (UCC) - oversees the academic planning and curricular process to ensure that the institution demonstrates excellence across its curriculum portfolio. It shall recommend and monitor policies for review, assessment, and accreditation of programs at the university.
Adjunct Council
Adjunct Council is a part of NLU's shared governance structure, and is the representation mechanism for the University’s adjunct faculty stakeholders. The Council consists of 10 members, 2 representatives from each college. From those 10 members, there are three officers: Adjunct Council Chair, Adjunct Council Secretary, and Adjunct Council Chair Elect.
The Adjunct Council works with the Provost Office to address the concerns and needs of the adjunct faculty. Additionally, one Adjunct Council member serves on each Faculty Senate sub-committee to represent the adjunct faculty during the deliberation of the committee’s business.
The council meets, via Zoom Video Conference, the third Thursday of every month from 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm to discuss pertinent issues of the adjunct community. The Council is available to hear Adjunct’s thoughts and comments and to present them to the appropriate Faculty Senate committee and/or administration. Contact this year’s Chair or Secretary. You can find their contact information by following the link to meet your Adjunct Council, which is below.
To learn more about the charges and mission of the Adjunct Council, please download the Adjunct Council Charter
Meet your Adjunct Council.
