Faculty Council

ABOUT FACULTY COUNCIL

Lincoln University participates in shared governance among its stakeholders through its Faculty Council. Established in 2017, the Faculty Council is an eleven (11) member representative body, nine (9) of whom are elected by the faculty from each academic college of the university. The Faculty Council supports faculty governance and believes that shared governance is essential to creating a productive academic environment for both faculty and students as well as protecting faculty members’ academic freedom in their independent scholarly pursuits. 

The Faculty Council is the facilitating agency for addressing matters that span multiple colleges and acts as one of the official voices of the faculty. The Faculty Council also advises and consults with student, staff, and administrative groups on matters of general concern which include, but are not limited to, the budget, institutional planning, and student academic progress, conduct in the classroom and retention. Per Article IV of the Faculty By-laws, the Faculty Council serves the needs of the faculty: 

1. by receiving all proposals pertaining to Article 2.01 (“The Faculty shall prescribe, subject to the University Charter and approval of the Board of Trustees, requirements for graduate and undergraduate admissions, graduate and undergraduate courses of instruction, graduate and undergraduate conditions of graduation, the degrees conferred, and rules and methods of conducting the educational work of the University”), vote on said proposals, and prepare them in the form of brief legislative summaries for ratification by the Faculty.
2. by receiving all action items from standing committees and other faculty groups, and bring them to the Faculty for ratification. The Faculty may ratify, rescind, or send back items brought forward by the Faculty Council.  Appeals may be made directly to the Faculty.
3. with the assistance of the Executive Committee of the Faculty Council, preparing the agenda and schedule for action items brought before the Faculty. The Faculty Council may call additional Faculty Meetings as needed.
4. by ensuring that minutes, agendas, and supporting documents are posted in a timely manner on the Faculty Portal or other approved web location. This includes both the proceedings of the Faculty Council and the proceedings of the Faculty.
5. by delegating tasks to Faculty Standing committees, and call for and review reports of faculty committees, chairs of academic departments, and academic deans.
6. by informing, advising, and consulting with the President, or other designated officers of the administration as specified in 2.02 (The Faculty shall be informed by the President, or other designated officers of the administration, of important developments affecting the University, including proposed capital expenditures and annual budgets).
7. by reporting to the Faculty all action and discussion items in minutes of Council’s meetings.