Service of Lecturer Faculty on Campus Academic Senates

AS-2674-04/FA - November 11-12, 2004

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of the California State University (CSU) commend the more than 75% of campus senates (at least 18) that consider lecturer faculty eligible for Academic Senate membership; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate CSU commend especially those campuses that have established policies ensuring representation of lecturers; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate CSU encourage campus senate chairs, through discussions among themselves and with their local constituencies, to develop a common understanding of the current state of and best practices for enabling all CSU faculty to participate in campus shared governance process.

RATIONALE: In the past decade, CSU faculties have included among their numbers a significant percent (currently approximately 54%) of individuals identified technically as "temporary," more accurately as non-tenure-track, and colloquially as lecturer faculty; over time, a majority of the campuses has chosen to recognize them as eligible for positions on the campus senates. It is to the clear advantage of any campus representative body to ensure that it formally acknowledge and provide designated positions for this cadre of faculty, who provide substantial amounts of teaching, research, and campus or statewide service-in some instances, having served as officers of their campus senates and in at least three having served on the Academic Senate CSU. It would be similarly advantageous if the campuses were to develop a shared understanding about practices throughout CSU for lecturer representation and rights on the campus senates, consistent with the needs and wishes of each of the individual campuses, and to identify those that most closely resemble "best" practice for ensuring appropriate representation of this subset of faculty.