Faculty Senate 2025-26

Some quick facts about Faculty Senate 

  • The University Faculty Senate is the representative and deliberative body for the faculty of the University of Iowa. Membership is about 80 faculty members—from ten colleges and across all faculty tracks. A term is three years.
  • Faculty Council is the executive body of the Faculty Senate and is comprised of approximately 20 Senators.
  • There are 4 Faculty Senate officers: President Craig Just, Vice President Roxanna Curto, Secretary Naomi Greyser, and Past President Caroline Sheerin.
  • Faculty Senate is an advisory body that influences University decisions that affect faculty.

Faculty Senate Nominations 

  • The 2026 Faculty Senate election cycle will begin with nominations on Wednesday, January 21. On that date, eligible faculty voters will receive an email message with an individual Qualtrics election link and will have until Friday, January 30 to cast their votes.
  • Senate elections this year will take place in the Colleges of Education, Engineering, Liberal Arts & Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. All of the Colleges except for Liberal Arts & Sciences and Medicine will also participate in the election for at-large representatives who are either untenured tenure-track faculty or faculty in the first six years of a clinical-track appointment. Elections will be held for Faculty Council vacancies in the Colleges of Education, Engineering, Liberal Arts & Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health.
  • Active involvement in Faculty Senate elections helps ensure the vitality of faculty shared governance.
  • Additional information about the 2026 Faculty Senate election cycle can be found here. 

Committee Membership Recruitment Drive

  • Recruitment of faculty members to serve on charter, university, and Faculty Senate committees will begin on Monday, February 2.
  • Eligible faculty members will receive an email message with an individual Qualtrics link to the application form. Faculty members will have until Friday, March 6 to submit their applications.
  • Additional information about the committee recruitment process can be found here.
  • Additional information about the charter, university, and Faculty Senate committees can be found here. 

Recent Highlights 

  • Faculty Senate approved major changes to the Faculty Policy in the Policy Manual.
  • The Faculty Senate President co-signed a letter with the University President and Provost, affirming a shared commitment to academic freedom and its accompanying responsibilities.
  • This summer, the Faculty Senate officers were in regular conversation with the Iowa Board of Regents and others across the university and state regarding proposed revisions to the academic freedom and course content notification policy.
  • A Vice President was elected.
  • On August 20, 2025, Faculty Council and university administrators held a retreat focused on strategic revenue and efficiency initiatives, academic freedom in the classroom, and the use of artificial intelligence. A recurring theme was the need for stronger internal communication.

Goals for the 2025-26 academic year

January 2026