Contact Senate Leadership
email: Faculty.Senate@nau.edu
Policy, Resolutions & Endorsements
The NAU Faculty Senate considers and crafts a variety of motions, including approving academic policy, endorsements of statements or policy, and resolutions. The following is a chronological account of important senate motions since 2017. For information on motions passes prior to 2017, please consult the Faculty Senate Minutes.
An endorsement indicates Senate support of a document or policy. Resolutions are statements authored by the Faculty Senate itself, and are expressions of values and intentions to promote the integrity and well-being of our campus community. Although endorsements and resolutions are not university policy statements, they do communicate senate aspirations to the university administration and to the larger community.
Student Evaluation Survey task force memoranda
The Faculty Senate endorsed a suite of memoranda drafted by a joint Academic Affairs / Faculty Senate task force to be distributed to students, faculty, and administrators. These messages highlight the problems inherent to using Student Survey results to assess faculty, suggests strategies for faculty to encourage students to provide more constructive feedback free of personal bias, and encourages administrators to de-weight student opinion surveys during the comprehensive review and P&T review processes.
ASNAU resolution endorsements
By majority vote, the Faculty Senate endorsed two ASNAU resolutions: To request adoption of a hybrid day for the day before Thanksgiving: ASNAU-SR-03 2. To endorse the outfitting of the University Field House with the accoutrements necessary for ice sports: ASNAU-SR-38-02
Resolution on Compacts EO
On 10/20/2025, the Faculty Senate discussed and approved a Senate Resolution addressing the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.
Approved CoFS Changes 4/28/25
On April 28th, 2025, the Faculty Senate voted on and approved new changes to CoFS. The changes are as follows: • Formalized a series of career tracks within the faculty ranks. • Rearrange our schedule of faculty review so that faculty are not required to be reviewed annually. • The proposed changes to CoFS would allow the document to reflect these previously approved policies. • Clarification surrounding the timeline in which faculty members receive and respond to a letter from the…
Endorsed Teaching Portfolio Guide
On April 21, 2025, the Faculty Senate voted on the endorsement of the Teaching Portfolio Guide. This endorsement was approved with 25 yays, 4 nays, and 2 abstentions. The Teaching Portfolio Guide is a document that guides units in the development of department specific criteria that can be used to document effective teaching in the comprehensive review process. This document was developed by the Council on Learning and the Teaching Academy, and was presented to the Senate by chair of…
Revised Faculty Ethics and Conduct Document
The faculty senate voted to adopt a revised Faculty Ethics and Conduct document. This document was originally part of the now defunct Faculty Handbook, and has been modernized and streamlined by the Faculty Rights and Responsibilities Council working collaboratively with University Academic Affairs.
Faculty Handbook retired
In light of the significant number of defunct links and outdated and incorrect policy statements, the Faculty Senate voted to decommission the Faculty Handbook. The Senate furthermore directed the Faculty Rights and Responsibility Council to work collaboratively with stakeholders to revise the Faculty Ethics and Conduct document that existed within the Handbook.
Resolution Supporting Inclusive Education
A Resolution that was created and approved on 2/20/2023 by the Faculty Senate, that demonstrates a commitment to educate, support and empower all students.
Freedom of Expression Statement
On Monday, May 2, 2022, Faculty Senate President, Kate Ellis, presented a Freedom of Expression for the Senate's continued review. During the discussion there was a question and answer session with NAU Legal Counsel, Michelle Parker. Following this discussion, a motion was made, and seconded, and the Senate approved this Freedom of Expression Statement, adopting the core principles of the Report of the Committee on the Freedom of Expression from the University of Chicago, otherwise known as the Chicago Principles.…
Council on Learning Update
On April 18, 2022, the Council on Learning Chair, Rebecca Rinsema, presented the following best practices documents at the FS meeting. These were created in consultation with the Teaching Academy and Vice Provost Astrid Klocke. Best Practices for Administration and Use of Student Opinion Surveys The first document, Best Practices for Administration and Use of Student Opinion Surveys, addresses when student surveys are available, how faculty can encourage students to fill them out, and how they should be used to promote…
Revision Approved to Constitution of the Faculty
On April 11, 2022, Faculty Senate hosted the general faculty meeting for Spring 2022. At this meeting, FS President, Kate Ellis, presented the revised Constitution of the Faculty. A motion was made and seconded to approve the revised Constitution of the Faculty through an online vote, which was approved View 2002 Constitution View revised Constitution
Faculty Senate Resolutions passed at February Meeting
Diversity Curriculum Committee On February 24, 2022 the Chairs, Chris Paige and Gretchen McAllister, of the Diversity Curriculum Committee (DCC) presented the Diversity Initiatives proposal. The initiatives are required to transition to and support General Studies. DCC aspires to make NAU a leader in this area for other institutions and students. DCC created an FAQ document to address Initiative #1, which proposes creating a position for a Director of Diversity Curriculum; the FAQ is available on the Faculty Matters Forum…
Teaching and Learning Center Proposal
On January 24, 2022, the Faculty Senate endorsed Vice Provost Astrid Klocke and Director Amy Rushall’s proposal on a Teaching and Learning Center with a vote of 36-1-3. The proposal presents a re-organization to convert the Faculty Professional Development Program into a “Center” that provides integrated support services and resources to faculty. View Proposal
ASNAU’s resolutions endorsed by Faculty Senate in Fall 2021
On October 25, 2021, Faculty Senate endorsed ASNAU’s Resolution for the Suspension of Attendance on General Federal Election Days with a vote of 34-2-1. A senate resolution is an expression of our values and not meant to be a binding policy. We welcome ASNAU’s attention on student voting rights. The bill asks faculty not to take attendance for these federal election days and not penalize students for absences. At our senate meeting, we discussed the importance of this bill. View Resolution On November 22, 2021, Faculty…
ASNAU's Mental Health Days Resolution
On February 22 the Faculty Senate voted to support ASNAU's Mental Health Days Resolution with a vote of 32-3-3. A senate resolution is an expression of our values and not meant to be a binding policy. We welcome ASNAU's attention to community mental health. At our senate meeting, we discussed how some faculty may be unable to implement excused absences. Senators asked for language to be added to the resolution that would include "other adjustments" to our course schedule. By…
Overview of Food Insecurity
Food Insecurity on College Campuses and Recommendations View Paper
Climate Neutrality Metric
Resolution in support of carbon neutrality metric in the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) critical goals. WHEREAS climate change is a crisis demanding emergency actions to avoid exacerbating political, economic, environmental and social problems, and WHEREAS our institutions of higher education are uniquely poised to innovate and demonstrate climate solutions facing Arizona and the world, and WHEREAS we believe universities achieving carbon neutrality goals will see significant benefits, increased innovation and competitiveness, risk management, and growth in student enrollment, recruitment,…
Letter of resolve in support of sustainability efforts
November 13th, 2018 Dear President Cheng, One month ago the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report indicating that societies worldwide need to make unprecedented changes to their energy usage by 2030 in order to avert the worst—meaning irreversible, and likely catastrophic—impacts of global climate change. In light of this report, and of the clear way in which climate change will shape the lives of those young people who are currently our students (and their progeny for generations to…
Resolution on NRA fundraising on campus
Whereas (Conditions)... University values of free speech and academic freedom accomplished through a rigorous exchange and challenge of ideas that leads to excellence in education, student success, educational access, diversity, integrity, and civility are incompatible with the NRA mission to protect the right to “to acquire, possess, collect, exhibit, transport, [and] carry firearms.”[1] The National Rifle Association (NRA) has, since 2008, called for the allowance of guns on university campuses,[2] and published a 2013 report “calling for armed officers or…
Resolution on NTT to TT conversions
February 19, 2018 Whereas (Conditions)... The Provost has announced that as many as 50 NTT to TT conversions will occur in the next several years. The administration has acknowledged that the proportion of NTT faculty members at NAU is too high and has been increasing. As a result, they have called to convert these positions to TT positions. (More than 50% of full-time NAU faculty members are NTT and Part Time.) NAU departments and programs have been consistently asking for more…
Resolution in support of Inclusion
Senate Resolution on Inclusion, December, 2017 WHEREAS the recent national political campaign has exacerbated social tensions and created an atmosphere in which hate speech and other types of aggression have started to escalate, the NAU community wishes to reaffirm our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and freedom from discrimination and harassment. According to NAU’s Safe Working and Learning Environment Policy (Personnel Policy Manual, Policy No. 5.16), revised February 2016, NAU protects “the safety of all individuals at university sites and activities. This…
Resolution for continuing support of DACA students
Faculty Senate: Northern Arizona University Approved by the NAU Faculty Senate September 11, 2017 The Faculty Senate supports an environment conducive to teaching and learning that fully incorporates opportunities for all students to study and learn free from discrimination, harassment, and fear of deportation. Therefore, we strongly object to the recent move to rescind DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) which threatens the ability of nearly 38,000 Arizonans to live, work, learn, and contribute to the economy of our state.…