Undergraduate Council

Overview

Auspices

The Undergraduate Council is a standing council of the USF Faculty Senate and receives authority for its actions through that body.

Charge

The Undergraduate Council (UC) advises the Provost and Executive Vice President or their designees, and the Executive Vice President for USF Health or their designees on matters pertaining to undergraduate courses, curricula, institutional programs, and degrees of the University. Responsibilities include periodic evaluation of academic policy and existing or proposed programs. In addition, UC addresses the development of future undergraduate programs and the development, review, and updating of USF’s statement of academic goals and objectives.

Operating Procedures

The council shall develop its own operating procedures, subject to approval by the Provost which shall include:

  1. Provision of appropriate liaison with various levels of university administration and other appropriate university councils and standing committees.
  2. Provision for review of proposals for adoption and deletion of curricula, degrees, programs, divisions and undergraduate departments.
  3. Provision for a continuing evaluation of the total university's undergraduate academic program.

Membership

  1.  Undergraduate Council should have (1) one member from each college offering undergraduate majors, (2) additional member(s) for each college with more than 5 majors calculated as such: 5-10 majors (1 additional seat), 11-15 majors (2 additional seats), and so on, (3) one seat shall be held by USF libraries, (4) four at-large members to include at least one representative from the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus and one from the USF St. Petersburg campus.
    Faculty members of the council will be appointed for staggered three-year terms, with one third retiring each year. Members may serve two consecutive terms, after which they must retire from the council for one full year before seeking re-appointment.

  2. Three undergraduate students to be appointed for one-year terms; may be reappointed.
  3. Registrar (ex-officio and nonvoting) or designee.
  4. Chair of the Undergraduate Council from the preceding year (ex-officio and nonvoting).
  5. Dean of Undergraduate Studies (ex-officio and nonvoting).
  6. Chair of the General Education Council (ex officio and nonvoting).
  7. Representative from Innovative Education (ex officio and nonvoting).
  8. Representative from Office of Decision Support (ex officio and nonvoting).

Appointment

Nominees will submit nomination forms to the Committee on Committees of the Faculty Senate which will review each nominee. The members of this council will be appointed by the Faculty Senate President upon recommendation from the Faculty Senate.

Chair

Chair shall be elected from the three faculty members in their final year of term of service. In the event no final year person is willing to accept the chair, it may be offered to a second-year faculty member.

Date of adoption: 09/29/93

Date of last revision: 01/20/99; 01/22/03; 02/20/08; 08/11 (new appointment process); 11/11 membership section revised); 05/12 (responsibilities revised); 10/15 (removed USFSP representative); 05/2020 revised membership, 07/2023 charge update

Update:  LHJ, 11/27/2023