The first Faculty Council meetings were held in 1923, and the Council remained in place as an ad hoc advisory board to the College President. At one point in time this faculty group may have also been called the Advisory Committee of the General Faculty. In 1954, the Faculty Senate was organized to replace the old Faculty Council.

The Faculty Senate provides advice to the Chancellor and, through the Chancellor, to the Board of Trustees. In this role, the Faculty Senate discusses with or provides information to any administrator with authority and responsibility for a decision, recommends policies to any administrator who is authorized to make a decision, and makes policy recommendations to the Chancellor, Provost and Vice Chancellors. In addition, the Chancellor or an authorized designee may delegate authority to the Faculty Senate on specified matters.

The Faculty Senate is a body of representatives from each college, school and other constituency of the University. Each faculty senator serves as a liaison between the governing body of the faculty and the faculty of the constituency that the senator represents. Senators report regularly to their constituencies on the deliberations of the Senate, meet as a delegation with the dean or other appropriate administrator of their constituency, bring issues of concern from their constituencies to the Senate for consideration, and act as facilitators of faculty participation in the governance of the University. (Administrative information taken from the Faculty Senate website.)