[VPAAEtal] A New Chapter in Shared Governance: Faculty Advisory Council

[Academic Affairs]

The following message is sent on behalf of Dr. Tammi Vacha-Haase, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Dear Colleagues in the Division of Academic Affairs,

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to share updates and important next steps regarding the transition to our new Faculty Advisory Council, in light of state legislation and system-policy changes.

As many of you will recall, in the spring the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 37 ("SB 37"), which-among other things-addresses the governance structure for faculty bodies at public institutions of higher education.

Key elements of SB 37 relevant to our work:

  *   Establishes that any faculty council or senate at an institution may be "advisory only" and may not exercise final decision-making authority.
  *   Requires that the governing board of the institution adopt a policy for selection of the faculty council's members that ensures adequate representation of each college or school and limits the number of members.
  *   Sets an effective date for the changes of September 1, 2025.


In response to SB 37, the A&M System has been both supportive and proactive. Last July, Dr. Yasemin Atinc, then Faculty Senate President, and I began developing ETAMU's new Faculty Advisory Council policy. We built upon the SB 37 framework, our university's strategic plan and core values, and the recommendations from the System Office. After several rounds of thoughtful revision-and valuable feedback from former Faculty Senators-we finalized a policy that reflects who we are and what we aspire to be.

This week, we received the final approvals from the System for the Faculty Advisory Council (12.04.99.R1<https://inside.tamuc.edu/aboutus/policiesproceduresstandardsstatements/rulesProcedures/12faculty/12.04.99.R1.pdf>); below are a few key features of the new structure:

  *   The Faculty Advisory Council will consist of 25 members.
  *   Officers of the Council will be the Presiding Officer, the Associate Presiding Officer, and the Secretary, all appointed by the University President.
  *   The President will appoint a total of seven members, one representing each college.
  *   The remaining 18 members will be elected by faculty at the college level.
  *   The college dean's office is responsible for annually facilitating faculty nomination and conducting the voting process.

Deans will begin coordinating college-level elections in the coming weeks. I hope those of you invited to serve will say yes-we have important work ahead. Your participation will ensure that ETAMU continues on its upward trajectory-one that honors our past while boldly advancing into the future. It is an exciting time to be at our institution, and this Faculty Advisory Council will play a key role in continuing our upward trajectory.

I want to express my sincere gratitude to all who have served on the Faculty Senate over the past many years. Your dedication and service have been instrumental in advancing our university's mission and strengthening our shared governance culture. Our success reflects our belief that faculty voices are valuable and important in helping to continue to shape the future of our institution.
This will continue with this new Advisory Council. Our commitment to shared discussion remains strong: we are better together and, now more than ever, we will rely on your expertise and partnership. Together, we will continue to foster an environment where collaboration, respect, and innovation thrive.

I fully believe our strength lies in working together. Thank you for all you do to make this university an extraordinary place to learn, teach, and serve.

With appreciation and commitment,

tvh
_____________________________________
Tammi Vacha-Haase, PhD
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

East Texas A&M University
Administration Building
Commerce, TX  75428



[TAMUC logo]<https://www.tamuc.edu/>



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.tamuc.edu/pipermail/vpaaetal/attachments/20251030/320a3374/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 4281 bytes
Desc: image001.gif
URL: <http://mailman.tamuc.edu/pipermail/vpaaetal/attachments/20251030/320a3374/attachment-0001.gif>