Faculty Senate Meeting Summary, 4/30/26
Dear Colleagues,
Please see below for a report on the Senate meeting held on April 30, 2026. As always, full text of remarks and reports can be found in the agenda.
New Business
Class A Legislation – Aligning the Faculty Code with Executive Orders, Faculty Governance, and Appointment Procedures at UW Bothell and UW Tacoma: Senators passed this legislation on second consideration. This legislation aligns the Faculty Code with Executive Orders 71 and 72. It is currently out for faculty vote until May 15, 2026.
Class A Legislation – Elected Faculty Council Bylaws: Senators passed this legislation on first consideration, and it will now go back to the Senate Executive Committee on May 18, 2026, for further review. The legislation would update the process for revising EFC bylaws, specify rights in operations and communications between the EFC and faculty, and add removal procedures.
Class B Legislation – Undergraduate Learning Outcomes: Senators passed this Class B legislation and it was sent to faculty for objections with a deadline of May 15, 2026. The legislation establishes that UW has learning outcomes that all undergraduate students are intended to meet by completion of their bachelor’s degree. A faculty led Undergraduate Learning Outcomes Committee will provide the governance structure to oversee this work and partner with institutional work to support university accreditation.
Class C Resolution – Academic Freedom for Faculty in Administrative Leadership Roles: This resolution calls on the administration to provide clarification on policies related to academic freedom, communication with mailing lists, procedures to remove faculty from leadership roles, and whether academic freedom protections extend to faculty serving in administrative leadership roles. It also reaffirms the Faculty Senate’s commitment to academic freedom.
The Faculty Senate will meet again on May 18. The meeting schedule can be found on our website.
Legislation passed and under consideration can also be found on our website.