Faculty have traditionally played a key role in shared governance and academic collegiality of institutions of higher education. Faculty participate in the shared governance of UAF and ensure the quality of degree programs by participating in the Faculty Senate and Faculty Alliance. These legislative bodies conduct the business of joint management by formation of institutional academic policy and other tasks to ensure institutional integrity and academic freedom. UAF is a community that is devoted to teaching, research and workforce development. As a land grant and state university, UAF faculty also have a high service commitment. Faculty, as the practicing academic members, are in the best position to evaluate academic merit and can best judge the consequences of UAF and UA’s management decisions.

The Faculty Senate addresses course and program development and change; policies related to academic procedures; academic freedom and faculty rights and responsibilities; and, quality of teaching, research and service. The Faculty Senate serves as a major part of UAF’s institutional memory, archiving policy decisions over the years. Other faculty responsibilities include:

• Granting of degrees
• Establishment of degree and course requirements
• Deciding the mode and manner of teaching
• Hiring and promotion of faculty
• Tenure policy
• Judging professional misconduct
• Policies for the conduct of research
• Social and academic conduct of students
• Policies for libraries and academic computing
• Athletic policy
• Strategic planning