What is Faculty Governance?

Organizational chart showing faculty governance at the University of Washington, including UW Tri-Campus Governance, UW Bothell Campus Governance, the Faculty Senate, General Faculty Organization, and various councils such as EC, CCPT, CCAL, CCPB, and CCASC. Also includes school-level elected faculty councils for STEM, SNHS, Education, Business, and IAS.

Faculty governance is an organizational method for managing the UW that establishes that we, as faculty, share responsibility with UW administration in the governance and stewardship of UW resources. Our input into administrative decisions occurs in four ways:

  • Faculty senate representatives gather input from UW Bothell faculty and make recommendations to the President.
  • Faculty senate council representatives gather input from UW Bothell faculty and make recommendations to the Provost.
  • Faculty representatives on General Faculty Organization (GFO) councils gather input from UW Bothell faculty and make recommendations to school Deans, Vice Chancellors and Chancellors.
  • Elected Faculty Councils are school-level faculty governance bodies where school faculty make recommendations to the Deans.
Explore the General Faculty Organization's video series on faculty governance structures at UW tri-campus.

Our governance responsibilities as faculty are contractually valid and protected by the state legislature (RCW 28B.20.200) and the UW Faculty Code. Learn more in the video below:

Videographer: Michael B. Maine