About
In 1995, through the adoption of the Charter of Academic Governance, the Academic Senate replaced its predecessor organization, the Faculty Council. In 2021, the Academic Senate reorganized itself into a Faculty Senate.
Senate seats are apportioned to Colleges and degree granting academic units based on the number of the faculty in each unit. Senators are elected for three-year terms.
The officers of the Senate, who act as the Executive Committee, consist of the Chair, Vice-Chair, Operations Officer, Treasurer, and Communications Officer. There are also 10 standing committees (with three sub-committees under the ICC), with most of the membership being elected by the various colleges, and some being appointed by the Senate as at-large members. The Senate is one of the three governance groups whose representatives constitute the voting members of RIT's University Council.
The Senate meets on Thursdays from 12:15 p.m. until 1:50 p.m. The meetings are open to the public.
Senate ensures faculty participation in shared governance at RIT. That commitment necessitates timely communications on issues, concerns, and pending changes to the rules and regulations by which RIT will transition from “Very Good to Great”. Faculty may access information and/or make their concerns known to Senate through their Senators, by reading the minutes and documents stored in the RIT Faculty Senate Digital Media Library, or by contacting the Chair of Senate directly.