The IUP University Senate welcomes students to become University Senators. IUP prides itself on shared governance, and only with the student's voice can this truly be achieved.
Any interested graduate student and undergraduate student for the 2022–23 academic year should check back here for any updates regarding participation. Information on procedures will be updated in summer 2022.
Student Senator's responsibilities include:
- Attending the scheduled University Senate meetings (four each semester).
- Voting during the meetings.
- Adding to discussions/voicing concerns.
- Sharing the outcomes of Senate meetings with other students.
- Working on Senate subcommittees, if desired (this is not required, but it would assist us in our committee work).
Why Join the Senate?
Let your student voice be heard on all university shared governance matters. It’s a great way to learn about the workings of the university while making a difference for you and your colleagues. Adding this to your résumé is a great reflection of your leadership, service, and skills to make you more marketable—in whatever field you go into. You’ll work alongside professors, administrators, and university leadership as we write the next chapter at IUP. The Senate meets approximately once a month for about 90 minutes.
Students in the Senate
- Student senators are voting members of the University Senate.
- Undergraduate students are selected by IUP's Student Government Association. Graduate students are chosen by the Graduate Student Assembly.
- Student senators have held a variety of majors.
- The number of student senators is half the number of faculty senators.
- The ratio of undergraduate students to graduate students at IUP determines the ratio for the student senators.
- The number of students on each committee varies and is set by the Senate bylaws. Additional graduate students have served on the Senate and its committees as nonvoting members to cover all of the committee seats open to students.
Vice-Chair
- This position is always held by a student. Nominations and voting will take place at the first University Senate meeting of the fall semester.
- The vice-chair makes a report at the start of each Senate meeting, along with IUP's president, provost, and the chair of the Senate.
- In the absence of the chair, the vice-chair presides over the Senate meeting.
- The vice-chair is a nonvoting member of all Senate committees.