WHEREAS Texas A&M University is presently engaged in a massive organizational transformation that involves, without limitation, the merger and creation of new colleges and schools, the movement of academic departments, and status changes for professional librarians; and

WHEREAS numerous current constitutional and bylaw provisions organizing the Faculty Senate are explicitly and implicitly premised on structures in existence as of the April 2022 regular and duly authorized elections for the 40th session of the Faculty Senate; and

WHEREAS the Faculty Senate plays an indispensable role in the shared governance of Texas A&M University, including the approval of curriculum and degree programs in accord with Texas law implemented by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and by broadly-accepted governance principles articulated by the American Association of Universities (AAU) and the American Association of University Professors (AAUP); and

WHEREAS the duly-elected 40th session Faculty Senate should take steps (1) to ensure the uninterrupted conduct of shared governance and (2) to thoughtfully and appropriately organize itself in light of the transformation of Texas A&M University; and WHEREAS the Faculty Senate has, in previous years, met the challenge of reorganization and added academic units by a limited suspension of its organizational rules pending necessary revisions;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Faculty Senate of Texas A&M University

1. Professional librarians will continue to be represented in the 40th session of the Faculty Senate based on the apportionment in effect in April 2022, regardless of the university status of these colleagues.

2. Senators serving on the basis of regular election or appointment occurring prior to September 1, 2022, will continue serving their respective terms in the 40th session of the Faculty Senate notwithstanding their assignment to different colleges, schools, or departments.

3. Members of the Executive Committee serving on the basis of regular election or appointment occurring prior to September 1, 2022, will continue serving their respective terms in the 40th session of the Faculty Senate notwithstanding their assignment to different colleges, schools, or departments.

4. Vacancies in Faculty Senate positions during the 40th session of the Faculty Senate will be filled by existing processes and based on the apportionment in effect in April 2022.

5. To the extent any provision of the Constitution and Bylaws of the Faculty Senate are inconsistent with the preceding paragraphs 1 through 4, such provisions are suspended for the duration of the 40th session of the Faculty Senate. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Faculty Senate of Texas A&M University: REVISION PROCESSES

6. The Bylaws Committee, along with any such other special-purpose committees as the Speaker may appoint, are hereby charged to review the Constitution and Bylaws of the Faculty Senate for the purpose of drafting proposed amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Faculty Senate to account for the administrative reorganization of Texas A&M University.

7. The foregoing proposed amendments must, without limitation of the broader charge, be drafted in consideration of the following matters: (a) Representation of professional librarians in the Faculty Senate, in light of their history and constitutional recognition as valued colleagues who have had and should continue to have a voice in shared governance;
(b) Total number of members of the Faculty Senate;
(c) Apportionment of Faculty Senate positions among academic units, including the threshold and size of minimum representation for smaller units; and
(d) Representation limits among academic units for any unit of the Faculty Senate, including the Executive Committee.

8. The proposed amendments will be submitted to the Faculty Senate for its advice, consent, and approval. In the case of proposed amendments to the Faculty Senate Constitution, such amendments will be submitted to the full university voting faculty for approval. APPROVED BY THE FACULTY SENATE OF TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY on the day of September, 2022.