The University of Nebraska-Lincoln participates in shared goverance between the faculty and administration through the Faculty Senate. Established in 1974 the Faculty Senate is a representative body of 87 members elected by the faculty of the various departments and units of UNL. The Faculty Senate supports faculty governance and believes that shared governance is essential to creating a productive and rewarding academic environment for faculty and students as well as protecting faculty to pursue independent, scholoraly research.
As per the University of Nebraska, Board of Regents' Bylaws the Faculty Senate is the governing agency for dealing with matters of interest to more than one college and acts as the official voice of the faculty of UNL. The Faculty Senate also advises and consults with student, staff, and administrative groups on matters of general concern which inlcude, but are not necessarily limited to, the budget, institutional planning, libary and computer operations, student academic conduct in the classroom, and the selection of academic-administsrative personnel.
The Faculty Senate provides protection of academic freedom through the Academic Rights and Responsibilities Committee. The Faculty Senate has also established committees to deal with academic standards, curriculum, computing services on campus, commencement and honors convocations, employee benefits, honorary degrees and intercollegiate athletics.
