Committees

All Senators are required to serve on one University committee and submit a report on their activities.

To the greatest extent possible, Senators must submit reports pertaining to pending votes on University committees for the General Body to weigh in on their voting decisions prior to casting their vote at the next meeting of said University committees. 

  • Board of Governors Committees 

    Board of Governors Academic Affairs Committee
    The Academic Affairs Committee shall be responsible for reviewing and making recommendations to the Board regarding academic and educational policies and goals.

    Board of Governors - Budget and Finance Committee
    The Budget and Finance Committee shall have the responsibility for reviewing the operating and capital budgets of the University, and shall submit them, with recommendations, to the Board for consideration and adoption prior to their submittal to State officials. It shall determine adjustments to the Contingency Reserve, the Reserve for NonRecurring Projects and other fund reserves based on recommendations from the Treasurer and the President. Such adjustments are to be reported to the Board. This Committee shall also have the responsibility for reviewing and recommending to the Board for action appropriate policies to govern the award of any contracts, agreements, leases, or other financial obligations contemplated by the University. 

    Board of Governors Personnel Committee
    The Personnel Committee shall have the responsibility for reviewing general policies which affect University employees and shall make recommendations to the Board in regard thereto. It will hear appeals only where provided by Board statutes.

    Board of Governors Student Affairs Committee
    The Student Affairs Committee shall be responsible for reviewing and making recommendations to the Board regarding student affairs.

  • Academic Senate Committees

    Academic Senate - Budget Committee 
    The Budget Committee monitors the process by which allocations are made to budgetary units and reports to the Academic Senate periodically on any significant changes in such allocations and on the criteria for such changes. It keeps itself informed as to the financial operations of the university. The Budget Committee provides advice to the university administration on budgetary matters on request or at its own initiative and it maintains primary liaison with the senior executive officer for budgetary matters.

    Academic Senate - Curriculum and Instruction Committee 
    This committee concerns itself with academic policies, programs,and practices which affect the University as a whole. These concerns may extend to the internal affairs of colleges, schools, divisions, and other units of the University if they significantly affect the interests of other units or of the University as a whole. In particular, it is concerned with new instructional programs, curtailment of instructional programs, admissions policy, registration policy, calendar policy, and all other questions concerning curriculum and instruction, including budgetary requirements and budgetary effects of policy changes. It presents a responsible cost-analysis for any policy changes which it recommends to the Senate.

    Academic Senate - Facilities, Support Services, and Technology Committee
    This committee shall concern itself with the physical facilities, support services and technology essential to the maintenance of quality academic programs. It shall include policies and budgetary consideration in its domain. It shall, in so much as possible, participate in the development of the Capital Outlay Budget Request which the University submits to the state government each year. In any case, it shall report to the Senate its opinion concerning the priority listing of new capital projects and major renovation projects contained in the Capital Outlay Budget Request. It shall maintain liaison with directors of appropriate divisions and with the faculty advising committees of these divisions where they exist. It shall report to the Academic Senate on the state of physical facilities, support services and technology in the University and maintain primary liaison with the appropriate executive officer(s) designated by the President. 

    Academic Senate - Faculty Affairs Committee 
    This committee deals with matters affecting the welfare of the faculty, principles governing relationships between administration and faculty, faculty rights, and faculty participation in governance. This committee deals with, except in those matters subject to collective bargaining, policies affecting faculty rights and responsibilities, faculty welfare, and generally accepted principles of academic freedom and tenure.

    Academic Senate - Research Committee
    The Research Committee is concerned with the character of research operations at the University. The committee serves as the major committee responsible for the review of center/institute proposals. The committee is also concerned with a variety of issues and problems that affect the faculty's ability to support and carry out their research programs. This committee concerns itself with new research programs, curtailment of research programs, encouragement of research, the relation between the research function of the University and its other functions, and all other questions concerning research that involves the University at large. This includes budgetary requirements and budgetary effects of policy changes.

    Academic Senate - Student Affairs Committee  
    This committee deals with all matters concerning the relationship of students to the University except those which, because of their strictly academic nature, are within the province of the Curriculum and Instruction Committee. It serves as a liaison body between the Academic Senate and the Student Senate. It deals with policies concerning student activities, policies affecting student organizations, student-faculty relations, student responsibilities, support services for students, and all other matters concerning student welfare. 

  • Additional Standing Committees

    Budget Planning Council
    This committee works in tandem with administrative leadership to review unit budgetary requests and provide input in the planning of the annual University budget

    Campus Accessibility Working Group
    This committee works to uphold the University's commitment to provide equitable educational and employment opportunities for all members of the university community, and to make all programs and activities accessible according to binding university policy and applicable law.

    Campus Safety Advisory Council
    The Campus Safety Advisory Council acts as the oversight committee of the Wayne State University Police Department. The Council receives and addresses citizens' complaints filed by individuals against the University's public safety officers and the Department of Public Safety. The Council may recommend to the University that disciplinary measures be taken by the institution against a public safety officer who is found responsible for misconduct in office. In addition, the Council reviews campus safety initiatives and may make recommendations to the University President on campus safety issues.

    Faculty Promotion and Tenure Committee
    This committee reviews applications for promotion and tenure of faculty members and votes to decide the outcome of each application.

    General Education Oversight Committee
    The committee is charged with making recommendations to the President or her/his designee for the implementation and review of the General Education curriculum. Some responsibilities of this committee include reviewing and evaluating all courses proposed for satisfying the various General Education requirements and assessing current courses included in the General Education Program.  

    President's Standing Committee on Environmental Initiatives
    Central objectives of this committee are to: (1) integrate green practices into campus operations; (2) increase knowledge and awareness of environmental stewardship within the University community, and (3) immerse sustainability concepts, values and innovations into academic courses offered and research conducted by the university. The committee is also charged with oversight, tracking, and reporting of the 2017 - 2022 Sustainability Strategic Plan.

    Registrar's Task Force on Class Registration
    This group will discuss how the system has worked, talk about the new functions they're looking to roll out, what students would like changed, and prioritize how they roll things out.

    Student Activity Funding Board
    The Student Activities Funding Board is a seven-student board (comprised of three Student Senate representatives and four at-large members) that allocates funds to student organizations for events and programs to enhance student activities and campus life. Any recognized student group or organization can apply for funds. However, the Board will only provide funding for events that are free, open to all students and the public, and take place on campus.

    Tuition and Fee Appeals Board
    The Tuition and Fee Appeals Board adjudicates written appeals from students to decide whether or not to cancel tuition and/or related fees based on University guidelines. The Board is the final arbiter of appeals for tuition and/or related fees. It is authorized to cancel tuition and/or fees for individual students on a case-by-case basis when circumstances warrant.

    University Assessment Council
    The University Assessment Council's mission is to promote and support continuous improvement in student learning and student success through evidence-based decision making. Program assessment is a process by which academic, student services, and co-curricular programs gather such evidence: They state their goals for student learning, identify methods for systematically measuring achievement of those goals, and set concrete steps to take in response to their results for improving progress toward those goals. Council members support this process by serving as resources for best practices in program assessment, providing feedback to programs about their assessment practices, identifying individuals and programs to recognize for doing assessment well, and carrying out an assessment of university-wide practices to guide our own activities in support of assessment.