University of Central Florida
PA-3: Inclusive and Participatory Governance

Board of Trustees
Under the Florida Constitution, each state university is administered by a board of trustees consisting of thirteen members dedicated to the purposes of the State University System of Florida (SUS). The Board of Governors of the SUS establishes the powers and duties of the university boards of trustees.

Six board of trustees members are citizens appointed by the Governor and five members are citizens appointed by the Board of Governors. The appointed members are confirmed by the Florida Senate and serve staggered terms of five years.

The chair of the university’s Faculty Senate and the president of the university’s Student Government Association are also members. These members serve for the duration of the term of their respective elected offices.

The UCF Board of Trustees is responsible for the administration of UCF in a manner that is dedicated to and consistent with the university’s mission and with the mission and purposes of the State University System. This responsibility includes cost-effective policy decisions, the implementation and maintenance of high-quality education programs, and oversight of university performance, financial management and accountability, personnel, the reporting of information and compliance with laws, rules, regulations and requirements.

Student Government
Student Government represents, advocates for, and serves, the Student Body. The three branches of Student Government serve students in different ways. The Judicial Branch is here to make sure that students’ rights are being protected, and to support students who are working through the conduct process. The Legislative Branch advocates for students’ needs by meeting with administrators, writing resolutions to express the concerns of the Student Body, as well as allocating a million dollars to students and student organizations that are working to improve the campus and community. The Executive Branch serves the students in several different ways: by hosting programs to educate and support students, representing the Student Body on University Committees, and implementing change to create a better student experience.
Student Government also allocates the Activity and Service Fee that students pay. This fee helps to pay for the Student Union, the Office of Student Involvement, the Recreation and Wellness Center, as well as other student services.
The Election Commission helps to run and administer the elections cycle for both Senate and Student Body President and Vice President.

Faculty Senate
The UCF Faculty Senate is the basic legislative body of the University. It is the primary voice of the faculty and serves as the main channel of communication between faculty members and administration. It is an advisory body to the president and provost and, as such, participates in shared governance. Its committees provide academic oversight by reviewing and approving policies, new courses, course changes, new programs and program revisions. Senate leaders meet informally on a regular basis with the provost and other members of the administration, to discuss issues and find informal solutions when appropriate. The UCF Faculty Senate may also pass formal resolutions to express a stand on issues or call for action. Examples of recent resolutions which have contributed toward improvements in faculty life at UCF include the implementation of a faculty workplace satisfaction survey and a promotion ladder for instructors and lecturers.

Staff Council
The Staff Council promotes a regular, open forum to facilitate communication among University Support Personnel System (USPS) employees and university administration. The primary focus of the Staff Council is to identify, discuss, and make recommendations regarding the interests that affect USPS employees. The university Vice President and Chief Financial Officer or designee, is the council sponsor. The Associate Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer is the council advisor. A. Membership will be determined by application of the formula: One elected member for each fifty USPS employees. The number of eligible members will be determined by an official count to be provided by Human Resources to the council president periodically throughout the council year.
B. Staff Council will make every effort to have representation from each division of the university including all UCF campuses. Staff Council will maintain a tracking mechanism to ensure that all divisions are assigned a representative. If a division does not have a representative, the election committee will seek to recruit one.