Faculty Senate year-end review

Faculty Senate Bulletin

Dear Colleagues,

Since dissolution of the University Senate, your college Senators have labored over the past year to build a new Faculty Senate and navigate effective representation of our constituents as an advisory body. With your help, we have articulated faculty concerns and their impact on the University, for example, as administrative regulations (AR) are released for public review (our latest AR review summary is located on page 6 here). We are building relationships of trust with administration, staff, and students, and have begun reporting to the Provost on charges related to faculty affairs, such as UK-FRAME (our report on page 5 here) and UK CORE (our report on page 21 here).  Through this newsletter we hope to strengthen two-way communication with each of you and hope you will connect with your college Senators and that we can help with any questions you have.

I am excited that Dr. Johanna Hoch has been elected as the new chair and look forward to her new initiatives and developments during the 2026-27 academic year.

Sincerely,
Christopher Crawford

2025-2026 Year-End Review

Fall 2025

• Discussed updates from the TCE and Academic Integrity work groups. 
• Created a process for reviewing and soliciting feedback on Administrative Regulations.
• Discussed academic freedom and freedom of speech as it relates to the University Web Policy and listserv communication.
• Responded to a request for advisement on faculty performance and productivity evaluation process through UK FRAME.
• Discussed the University's Institutional Neutrality Statement. 
• Established a communication strategy for the Faculty Senate to ensure timely and meaningful communication with faculty.
• Discussed and collected data to respond to a request for advisement on UK Core and the recertification process of UK Core courses. 

Spring 2026

• Provided updates on the Faculty Senate communication strategy and the creation of a Faculty Senate Bulletin. 
• Held elections for the 2026-2027 Faculty Senate chair. 
• Received updates on the implementation of UK FRAME.
• Provided feedback on Administrative Regulations. 
• Discussed HB 490 and drafted a statement from the Faculty Senate in response to that discussion.
• Discussed research updates with the Vice President for Research.
• Discussed and collected data to respond to a request for advisement on faculty title series. 
• Responded to a request for advisement on UK Core and the recertification process of UK Core courses.

Upcoming Business

• The implementation of UK FRAME. 
•  University compliance with HB 490.