Faculty Senate

The Athletics Council advises the Chancellor and the Athletics Director regarding policies governing Appalachian's program of intercollegiate athletics. It monitors the academic progress of student athletes, assists in long-range planning, provides advice concerning financial matters, promotes a proper balance between men's and women's sports, and gives advice on other relevant matters.

The Business Advisory Council is composed of businessmen and women who meet twice a year to advise Walker College administrators on matters relating to the needs of the business community. Opportunities are provided for students to interact with council members when they are on campus. 

Conflicts of Interest/Commitment Appeals Council

The chancellor will appoint a standing Conflicts of Interest/Commitment Appeals Council. The council shall consist of: three members appointed by the chancellor, at least one of whom shall be chosen from EPA administrative personnel; three faculty members appointed by the chair of the Faculty Senate, at least one of whom shall be chosen from EPA administrative personnel who are members of the general faculty or who hold any faculty rank; and one member appointed jointly by the chancellor and the chair of the Faculty Senate. The chancellor shall appoint the chair of the council. The council will be responsible for reviewing cases brought to its attention by any dean or vice chancellor or by the chancellor. It will conduct a thorough review of each case and will make recommendations for conflict resolution to the official who referred the matter to it. (Chancellor)

The Council consists of all academic department chairpersons, the Dean or Associate Dean of Libraries, the Assistant or Associate Dean of Music, the Director of Appalachian Studies, and, on an ex-officio and non-voting basis, the Chair of the Faculty Senate.

The Council of the College of Fine and Applied Arts serves as an advisory board, helping to establish policies on all matters that concern the various departments, which comprise the college. (Dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts)

The Professional Education Council has as its main function the role of analyzing and evaluating professional education curricula and recommending policies and procedures for strengthening the professional education program.  All recommendations are made to the Dean of the Reich College of Education. Ex officio non-voting members may be designated by the Dean of the Reich College of Education.

Financial Aid Advisory Council

The Financial Aid Advisory Council serves in an advisory capacity and offers input and guidance to the director of Financial Aid on matters relative to University-wide practices and policies for the distribution of federal and state financial aid. (Director of Financial Aid)

Office of Student Financial Aid Mission Statement

The primary purpose of the Office of Student Financial Aid is to support the mission of Appalachian State University. It accomplishes this by seeking to remove financial barriers to education for those who are unable to meet college costs and to assist students and families in securing the financial resources necessary to attend college. The outreach of the department is available to all students, prospective students and families, the community and alumni.

All funds are administered in accordance with myriad federal, state and University rules and regulations.

Intellectual Property Development Advisory Council

(a) Members on Council: 11-13 – Seven faculty will be recommended by the appropriate deans and will be appointed by the provost and executive vice chancellor as follows: one (1) faculty representative from each of the following University entities: College of Arts and Sciences, Walker College of Business, Reich College of Education, College of Fine and Applied Arts, Hayes School of Music, College of Health Sciences, and Belk Library and Informa-tion Commons. The Faculty Senate will appoint one additional voting member. All faculty will be voting members and will serve 3-year terms. One (1) representative each from Research and Graduate Studies and the Small Business and Technology Development Center will be voting members. A representative from the Office of General Counsel will advise the council upon request. The provost and executive vice chancellor may at her/his discretion appoint up to three (3) additional non-voting members, which may include non-ASU affiliated individuals. All members should be appointed based on her/his area of expertise and commitment to furthering the intellectual property development efforts of both the faculty and University;

(b) report to: chief research officer;

(c) areas of responsibility:
(1) receive and review all intellectual property disclosures made by the faculty and staff to Appalachian State University;
(2) recommend such measures as are necessary to assure prompt and expeditious handling, evaluation, and prosecution of intellectual property opportunities in accordance with approved University procedures;
(3) other duties consistent with the Appalachian State University Intellectual Property Transfer Policy; and
(4) direct questions of intellectual property ownership to the committee charged with hearing faculty grievances.

International Education Council

The International Education Council is responsible for fostering the internationalization of Appalachian State University. The council promotes and enhances the University’s international mission by initiating and developing policy recommendations concerning international issues; helping to develop curricula and programs with international emphases; supporting international students, educators, visiting scholars, alumni, guests and friends; and engaging in other activities pertinent to the international character of Appalachian State University. The council consists of faculty members, staff, and students recommended by the associate vice chancellor for International Education and Development and appointed by the provost and executive vice chancellor. (Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor)

Scholarship Advisory Council

The Scholarship Advisory Council determines policies and procedures for scholarship administration and evaluative structures to ensure scholarships are being utilized to meet strategic initiatives as outlined in Appalachian's Strategic Plan.

The council’s members will be appointed by the provost, except for the three faculty members serving on the committee, who will consist of: the chair of the Admissions Committee; a member of the Faculty Senate’s Academic Policy Committee; one faculty member appointed by the Faculty Senate for a three-year term.

The charge to the Scholarship Advisory Council includes the following:

• Meet at least once per semester to review and evaluate recommendations and progress towards meeting enrollment goals as outlined in the Strategic Plan. 
• Research and identify the appropriate funding level for merit scholarships compared to cost of attendance for students to better attract targeted students to Appalachian. 
• Make budget allocations for New River Light and Power and Bookstore funded merit scholarships based upon strategic initiatives. Distributions should be made by percentage for varying populations (e.g., transfer, international, diverse, academic profile, etc.). 
• Review annual report of yield rates for scholarships offered. 
• Monitor yield rates over time and make adjustments in scholarship allocations after three years based upon evaluation results of effectiveness of scholarships in yielding targeted students. 
• Recommend innovative scholarships programming (e.g., "Leadership in Community Service", "Leadership in Environmental Sustainability") and targeted recruitment of students who demonstrate this affinity. 
• Advise the Sr. Director of Student Financial Aid and University Scholarships in identifying processes and procedures for more effectively administering the continuing student scholarships that are awarded by academic departments. 
• Identify processes and procedures for more effectively administering study abroad scholarships to achieve goals outlined in the Quality Enhancement Plan.

Title IX and Sex-Based Misconduct Hearing Committee

The Title IX and Sex-Based Misconduct Hearing Committee fulfills both the federal Title IX requirement and the Appalachian State Policy 112 requirement that faculty complainants and respondents in allegations of sex-based misconduct under Policy 112 receive a live hearing before an impartial person or panel of three (3) persons.

The committee shall be composed of faculty, staff, and student representatives. The faculty members shall consist of at least seven (7) full-time faculty members who serve on multi-year contracts, at least three (3) of whom shall be tenured faculty. Members of this committee serve staggered 3-year terms and must commit to 20-30 hours of annual training to participate on the committee. Nominees for this committee shall be screened by the vice provost for faculty policies and development in consultation with the Title IX coordinator or designee for any disqualifying records consistent with Policy 112 Sex-Based Misconduct Grievance Procedures. For this reason, and to preserve confidentiality, nominations shall not follow procedures for other at-large university and faculty committees; rather, nominations shall be routed directly to the vice provost for faculty policies and development, who will then send the names of eligible nominees to the Committee on Committees to put on the ballot for the annual faculty-wide election.

In compliance with Policy 112 section C, faculty members of the Title IX and Sex-Based Misconduct Hearing Committee who have no conflict of interest or bias for or against complainants or respondents generally, or with respect to an individual complainant or respondent, as determined by the Title IX coordinator and vice provost for faculty policies and development, may serve on a hearing panel when a faculty member is either a complainant or respondent, or in other cases involving Appalachian personnel, if needed, at the discretion of the Title IX coordinator or designee. These hearing panels adjudicate the allegations of sex-based discrimination under Title IX and under Appalachian Policy 112. The chair of the hearing panel shall be selected by the Title IX coordinator or designee, and shall ideally be a faculty member from the Title IX and Sex-Based Misconduct Hearing Committee for all cases involving a faculty respondent, absent extenuating circumstances such as the unavailability of any trained, impartial committee members as determined by the Title IX coordinator or designee.

University Council on the Safety of the Campus Community

The University Council on the Safety of the Campus Community manages the University safety plan. The members of this council have direct input into policy changes and implementations that are needed for existing policies and procedures, educational programs, and resources to meet any identi-fied threats to safety. Representation on this council includes faculty, staff, and undergraduate and graduate students. (Dean of Students and Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Development)

The mission of the University Research Council is to stimulate, encourage, and support research across all segments of the University community. The URC is committed to a broad and inclusive definition of research, including both pure and applied research as well as scholarly creative endeavors. The URC has responsibility for reviewing all proposals submitted to the University Research Council Grants Program. 

The University Research Council shall consist of both appointed and elected members. The Chairperson of the University Research Council shall be responsible for choosing the appointed members. The Faculty Senate Elections officer will conduct an annual election for the elected members of the University Research Council at the same time as other University elections, such as the election of members to the Faculty Senate, to the Faculty Grievance Committee, etc. All members of the URC must understand external funding and research compliance.

(c) The nomination process is open to faculty who are eligible to vote.

(d) The elected members of the University Research Council shall be composed of twelve (12) faculty members: 

College of Arts and Sciences: one Arts and Humanities member, one Social Sciences member, and one STEM member; 

College of Business: one member; 

College of Education: two members representing different departments; 

College of Fine and Applied Arts: two members representing different departments; 

College of Health Sciences: two members representing different departments; 

School of Music: one member; 

University Library: one member.