The University Faculty Council Co-Chairs has published a statement on current changes to Faculty Governance and the procedures for policies now at Indiana University and asked the faculty governance organizations at each campus to share it with their faculty.
That statement covers much of the same ground at as the presentation made by UFC Representative Bill Feighery, though it does present some of the information in a different way. Below is that statemen, thought the graphics came through quite fuzzy–so here also is a link to original.
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October 30, 2025
Dear Colleagues,
We want to bring you up to date on several matters that will affect the work of the University Faculty Council this year.
First, you might recall that in late April the state legislature declared that “faculty governance organization actions are advisory only.” IU General Counsel determined that this required that policies for which the UFC had been the responsible office must be moved to either the Academic Leadership Council Executive Committee or the Board of Trustees as the responsible offices.
Naturally, this makes one question what the UFC is now, what it does. What does “advisory only” mean for the 55-year-old body that has overseen academic policies for Indiana University? We have spent the last several months working with administrators to figure this out, and we are pleased to inform you that the UFC will continue to play a vital and robust role in academic policies going forward.
In July, while moving the former-UFC policies to the ALC Executive Committee, the Policy Executive Committee voted to include this language in all of those policies:
“A foundational principle of Indiana University is its enduring partnership across its units, including faculty, to collectively advance the university’s mission. The establishment, revision, and retirement of academic policies will occur with consultation and input from the University Faculty Council.”
This ensures that the UFC will remain involved and active in academic policies for which the ALC Executive Committee is the responsible office.
The Academic Leadership Council Executive Committee consists of:
- IUB Chancellor
- IUB Provost
- IUI Chancellor
- IUI Provost
- IU Regionals/Online VP
- IU Regionals/Online Academic Officer
- IUSM Dean
- IUSM Executive Academic Dean
These academic offices of the ALC Executive Committee do not have the structure (or the time) to think through all the matters that the UFC had for years. Going forward, while the ALC-EC will be the responsible office for academic policies, it will utilize the structure of the UFC and its committees to continue formulating policies in a collaborative effort with the ALC-EC. At times, this will entail the ALC-EC bringing us a request to work on a policy. At other times, the UFC will identify policies that need attention. In both cases—no matter where the impetus originates—the UFC’s committees will do the work, and our long-time practices will be followed. Collaborating with the ALC-EC, the UFC will still vote on these academic policies, which will then be taken to the IU Policy Executive Committee for passage according to BOT-02, the “policy on policies.”
We are putting this new arrangement to the test right away. As part of the much-needed “Policy Alignment Initiative,” all policies will undergo scrutiny and assessment to see if they need revision, merger, or retirement. These reviews will be done by the responsible office for each policy. There are many academic policies that fall under this massive review. Working with the ALC-EC, the UFC has begun looking at them. Sixteen are especially pressing, so special task forces are working on those right now. The task forces include people from our UFC committees who will then carry the discussions back to the committees for conversation. We want those committee members, which come from each IU campus, to carry the discussions back to their respective campuses, creating a loop from the task force all the way down to the local campuses and eventually back to the task force.
The task force working on BOT-24, “Post-Tenure Productivity and Annual Review,” will continue its comprehensive review in the coming months, but has revised it in several places that clarify key parts. This is important because the first cohort to be reviewed will be submitting materials this winter. In its current form the policy is unclear about the scope of the post-tenure review. This could put faculty at risk if various administrators read the policy differently. The revision clarifies that the focus of the post-tenure review is the previous five years, which the faculty member may discuss within the context of their academic career. The revisions are now up for public comment, after which it will be presented to the PEC, and finally to the Board of Trustees for the December meeting. Additionally, the revision includes a longer period for response by a faculty member to a review.
After we get through these most pressing policy issues, things should fall into a more normal cadence that utilizes the UFC committee structure without the need for the task forces.
Faculty can stay apprised of policy changes by talking to their representatives on the UFC and members of its committees, by offering their input and feedback to those representatives, and by giving feedback to the policies under review during the 10-day public comment period at this link: Under Review: University Policies: Indiana University. Additionally, all campuses are charged with creating or using existing committees on their own campuses to review, align, or create locally necessary policies. Faculty may be asked to serve on these committees as well, making yet another avenue by which faculty voices may give continue to give advice on these matters.
As you can see, this is an important year for the UFC and its committees. Perhaps the most consequential year in decades. Faculty participation in this process is crucial to our ability to provide wise guidance in academic matters, a collaboration between the UFC and ALC-EC that will set the foundation for years to come.
We will keep you updated as things develop. Again, thank you for your service in this important year for the University Faculty Council and faculty governance.
UFC Co-Chairs,
Philip Goff, IFC President
Susan Popham, Regionals President
Bill Ramos, BFC President
