The Faculty Senate shall consist of both elected and ex officio members. Elected members shall be voting members and ex officio members shall be non-voting members.

All persons holding a faculty appointment in an educational unit, excluding visiting and adjunct faculty, are eligible to vote in faculty elections. All faculty members who are eligible to vote in faculty elections are eligible to serve in an elected faculty position, excluding academic administrators. Chairs and Deans may be granted eligibility to serve on specific elected committees by other eligibility policies, such as Section 2.7.7.4.

For the purpose of election to, and service on, the Faculty Senate “faculty” is defined as full-time teaching, library, and research members of the general faculty except those who are listed as ex officio or those who have held a faculty appointment for less than one academic year. Persons in their first year may be elected at the end of that year for service beginning in the second year.

The ex officio members shall be the President, Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs, Academic Affairs Officials above the level of chairperson, the Deans of Colleges, the Registrar, the Faculty Regent, the Director of the Library, Chairpersons, and the Student Regent.

If an elected member of the Senate should at any time become ineligible to serve (e.g. by reason of assuming an administrative position, resigning, taking official leave which precludes attendance, or being purged from membership for non-attendance), the administrative head of the educational unit represented shall declare a vacancy and designate that member from those eligible who in the last election received the next highest vote to serve for the duration of the elected faculty member's term or period of eligibility. If there is no one eligible to assume the vacant seat, the Faculty Senate President shall request the Registrar to initiate, in conjunction with the administrative head of the unit, a special election to select a representative for that unit until the next regular election. If one of the five (5) at large Senators vacates a seat, the eligible individual who received the next highest vote shall serve for the duration of the academic year until the next election. If there is no eligible individual to assume the vacant seat; a special University faculty meeting shall be called to nominate candidates.

If necessary, during the Summer Session, when the full faculty is not available for an election, the members of the Executive Committee who are available shall appoint temporary Senators to work with Senators who are available to conduct Senate business.