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UW Policy Directory

FCG Chapter 21 Organization of the University Faculty

Table of Contents

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Section 21-01   Statutory Provision Relating to Faculty

See RCW 28B.20.200.

Section 21-31   Membership in the Faculty

The University faculty consists of:

  • The President,
  • The Provost,
  • The professors,
  • The associate professors,
  • The assistant professors,
  • The senior artists in residence,
  • The professors of practice,
  • The lecturers and artists in residence,
  • The instructors,
  • The teaching associates,

whether serving under visiting, acting, research, teaching, clinical, or affiliate appointment, whether serving part-time or full-time, and whether serving in an active or emeritus capacity. The faculty, beginning with the professor, are listed in order for purposes of determining voting eligibility based on superior rank.

Section 13-31, April 16, 1956; S-A 29, June 8, 1964, S-A 32, May 8, 1967, S-A 78, December 14, 1988: all with Presidential approval; RC, February 1, 2008; S-A 124, July 5, 2011; S-A 133, June 11, 2014: both with Presidential approval; RC, September 30, 2014; S-A 147, September 16, 2020; S-A 150, April 22, 2021: with Presidential approval.

Section 21-32   Voting Membership in the Faculty

A. Except as provided in Subsection B of this section the voting members of the University faculty are those faculty members holding the rank and/or title of:

  • Professor, 50% appointment or greater,
  • Research professor, 50% appointment or greater
  • Teaching professor, 50% appointment or greater,
  • Professor of clinical practice, 50% appointment or greater,
  • Associate professor, 50% appointment or greater,
  • Research associate professor, 50% appointment or greater,
  • Associate teaching professor, 50% appointment or greater,
  • Associate professor of clinical practice, 50% appointment or greater,
  • Assistant professor, 50% appointment or greater,
  • Research assistant professor, 50% appointment or greater,
  • Assistant teaching professor, 50% appointment or greater,
  • Assistant professor of clinical practice, 50% appointment or greater,
  • Full-time senior artist in residence,
  • Full-time artist in residence, or
  • A retired assistant professor, associate professor, or professor (including those with research, teaching, or clinical practice titles), or a retired principal lecturer or senior lecturer, during the quarter(s) that person is serving on a part-time basis.

B. Notwithstanding the rank or title held, the following are not voting members of the faculty:

  • Persons serving under acting or visiting appointments,
  • Persons on leave of absence,
  • Persons serving under clinical or affiliate appointments,
  • Persons serving under professor of practice appointments,
  • Persons of emeritus status unless serving on a part-time basis,
  • Persons serving under adjunct appointments insofar as their adjunct appointments are concerned.

[For definitions of faculty titles, see Section 24-34.]

C. Research faculty may vote on all personnel matters as described in the Faculty Code except those relating to the promotion to and/or tenure of faculty to the following ranks and titles:

  • Senior artist in residence
  • Associate teaching professor,
  • Teaching professor,
  • Associate professor of clinical practice,
  • Professor of clinical practice,
  • Associate professor,
  • Professor,
  • Associate professor WOT,
  • Professor WOT.

D. Teaching faculty may vote on all personnel matters as described in the Faculty Code except those relating to the promotion to and/or tenure of faculty to the following ranks and titles:

  • Research associate professor,
  • Research professor,
  • Associate professor of clinical practice,
  • Associate professor,
  • Professor of clinical practice,
  • Professor,
  • Associate professor WOT,
  • Professor WOT.

E. Clinical practice faculty may vote on all personnel matters as described in the Faculty Code except those relating to the promotion to and/or tenure of faculty to the following ranks and titles:

  • Research associate professor,
  • Research professor,
  • Senior artist in residence
  • Associate teaching professor,
  • Teaching professor,
  • Associate professor,
  • Professor,
  • Associate professor WOT,
  • Professor WOT.

Section 13-31, April 16, 1956; S-A 32, May 8, 1967; S-A 37, February 8, 1971; S-A 45, January 17, 1975; S-A 78, December 14, 1988; S-A 98, May 12, 1998; S-A 103, March 6, 2001; S-A 108, June 21, 2002; S-A 124, July 5, 2011; S-A 133, June 11, 2014; S-A 141, May 24, 2018; S-A 147, September 16, 2020; S-A 150, September 16, 2021; S-A 165, July 17, 2023: all with Presidential approval.

Section 21-33   Officers of the Faculty

  1. The President of the University is the presiding officer of the University faculty.
  2. The Secretary of the Faculty shall be a member of the faculty who satisfies the qualifications in Chapter 22, Section 22-56, Subsection A.

Section 13-31, April 16, 1956; S-A 28, May 3, 1962; S-A 171, March 15, 2024: all with Presidential approval.

Section 21-41   Delegation of Faculty Legislative Powers to the Senate—Reservations

Except as specifically provided in Chapter 23, particularly in Sections 23-31, 23-43, and 23-44, all legislative powers of the University faculty are vested in the Faculty Senate as constituted under the provisions of Chapter 22. The faculty, however, reserve the power to approve or reject certain actions of the Faculty Senate in accord with the provisions of Chapter 22, Section 22-74 and Chapter 29, Section 29-36.

The University faculty, in addition, reserves the right and power by a majority vote of the voting members of the entire faculty to rescind the delegation of legislative powers to the Faculty Senate provided that such vote is taken at a meeting called specifically for the purpose of considering such action, that notice of such meeting is given to each voting member of the faculty at least two weeks before the date of the meeting and that the date of the meeting is set for a school day between October 15 and May 30.

Section 13-31, April 16, 1956; S-A 29, June 8, 1964; S-A 50, January 22, 1976: all with Presidential approval.

Section 21-42   Official Representation of the Faculty

No person except an official representative of the faculty, appointed by the Senate in accord with Chapter 22, Section 22-34, shall represent or speak for the University faculty, or purport to do so.

Section 13-31, April 16, 1956 with Presidential approval.

Section 21-51   Scope and Purpose of Faculty Meetings

  1. The University faculty shall hold meetings for the purpose of receiving information from the President, from other administrative officers, and from the Senate, and for the purpose of discussing any matter of general faculty interest.
  2. In accord with its delegation of legislative power to the Faculty Senate, the faculty shall take no action of a legislative nature at a faculty meeting, but by resolution, approved by a majority of the voting members present, it may recommend legislative action to the Senate.
  3. At any meeting of the faculty at which 50% or more of its voting members are present, the faculty, through a resolution approved by a majority of those present, may make recommendations to the Board of Regents or to the President upon any matter pertaining to the welfare of the University.
  4. If at any meeting the faculty passes a resolution directed to, or affecting persons outside the University, the resolution shall be transmitted to the Senate for consideration and shall not be effective unless approved by a majority vote of the Senate.

Section 13-31, April 16, 1956; S-A 50, January 22, 1976: both with Presidential approval.

Section 21-52   Calling of Faculty Meetings

  1. There shall be a meeting of the University faculty upon call of the President, or the Senate, or 10% of the voting members of the faculty.
  2. The Secretary of the Faculty shall fix the time and place of each faculty meeting and shall provide notice thereof, together with a statement of the business to be transacted, to each member of the faculty.

Section 13-31, April 16, 1956 with Presidential approval; RC, December 4, 2013; S-A 132, March 25, 2014 with Presidential approval.

Section 21-53   Agenda of Faculty Meetings

The President shall determine the order of business at each meeting of the faculty, and in so doing shall provide opportunity for introduction of new business from the floor.

Section 13-31, April 16, 1956 with Presidential approval.

Section 21-60   Faculty Councils and Faculty Committees Defined—Power to Appoint

  1. The standing committees of the University faculty, authorized by Chapter 13, Section 13-31, Subsection B, shall be designated faculty councils.
  2. The power to select and appoint the chair and members of each faculty council is delegated by the University faculty to the Senate.
  3. The term “faculty committee” or “committee of the faculty” as used in Chapters 21, 22, 25, 41, and 42 means a special or an ad hoc committee of the University faculty, of the Senate, or of a faculty council, appointed by the Senate, or by the Senate Executive Committee, or by a faculty council and responsible to the Senate, or to the Executive Committee, or to a faculty council.

S-A 29, June 8, 1964 with Presidential approval.

Section 21-61   Membership of Faculty Councils and Faculty Committees

  1. Except as specified under Subsection B below, only voting members of the faculty are eligible for appointment to, and continued service on, a faculty council or a faculty committee as defined in Section 21-60, Subsection A.
  2. Retired members of the faculty, nonacademic officers of the University (ex officio), and members of the Associated Students of the University of Washington, the Associated Students of the University of Washington Bothell, the Associated Students of the University of Washington Tacoma, the Graduate and Professional Student Senate, the Professional Staff Organization, the Association of Librarians of the University of Washington, and the University of Washington Retirement Association are eligible for one-year appointments to faculty councils or faculty committees with or without vote as determined by the Senate Executive Committee (see Chapter 41, Section 41-34, Subsection B.)*

    *At its meeting of 29 April 1996, the Senate Executive Committee interpreted the word “eligible” to be permissive rather than mandatory; it allows, but does not require, appointments in each of the categories named in this subsection.
  3. The President of the University is a member ex officio of each faculty council or faculty committee. At the President’s discretion an alternate delegate may serve on a faculty council or faculty committee.

Section 13-31, April 16, 1956; S-A 29, June 8, 1964; S-A 40, January 6, 1972; S-A 51, June 15, 1976; S-A 67, December 5, 1983; S-A 92, April 10, 1995; S-A 97, January 10, 1997; S-A 103, March 6, 2001; S-A 159, April 15, 2022; S-A 163, March 3, 2023; S-A 164, May 9, 2023: all with Presidential approval.

Section 21-62   Terms of Service Upon Faculty Councils and Faculty Committees

  1. The term of service upon a faculty council is three years, beginning on the sixteenth day of September following appointment.
  2. A person appointed to fill a vacancy on a faculty council shall be appointed as specified in Chapter 41, Section 41-33.
  3. Members of faculty committees as defined in Section 21-60 shall serve until discharged by whosoever appointed the committee.

Section 13-31, April 16, 1956; S-A 29, June 8, 1964; S-A 35, June 17, 1970: all with Presidential approval.

Section 21-63   Meetings and Reports of Faculty Councils

  1. Each faculty council shall meet at the call of its chair.
  2. Each faculty council shall make reports of its activities to the Senate and to the President in accordance with Chapter 22, Section 22-60, Subsection B and Chapter 42, Section 42-33.

Section 13-31, April 16, 1956; S-A 29, June 8, 1964: both with Presidential approval.

Section 21-71   The Faculty Code and Governance

  1. The Secretary of the Faculty shall make the current edition of the Faculty Code and Governance available to the University of Washington community.
  2. Each new member of the faculty at the time duties are assumed shall be advised about the Faculty Code and Governance.
  3. The Secretary of the Faculty shall advise the faculty when revisions are made to the Faculty Code and Governance.

Section 13-31, April 16, 1956 with Presidential approval; BR, June 1972; S-A 110, July 9, 2003 with Presidential approval; RC, November 17, 2011.