Common Council​

The Common Council is the representative body of academic staff, faculty, and university staff in UWSP shared governance. The Common Council consists of 41 voting members, called councilors, 39 of whom are elected. Standing committee chairs are also members of Common Council, so some seats are filled by them after those are determined. Those elected directly to Common Council have two-year terms.

• 10 academic staff
• 10 faculty members
• 10 university staff
•   9 open to academic staff, faculty, or university staff
•   1 academic dean
•   1 chancellor’s representative

Meetings are planned for 3-5 p.m. on the first Wednesdays of the month during the academic year for 2026-2027. Common Council may meet the 3rd Wednesday, if necessary.

Standing Committees

Academic Affairs Committee (AAC)

The Academic Affairs Committee recommends to Common Council policies pertaining to academic affairs (e.g., the mission of the university, outreach programs, learning resources, academic standards, interorganizational collaborations)

Meetings are 4-5 pm, 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month (usually only once a month), during the academic year. The chair is elected; members are appointed by the chair.

Subcommittees: Chairs are elected; members are appointed by the chair (or deans, in some cases)​

•     Assessment Subcommittee 
•     Associate Degree Subcommittee 
•     Program Review Subcommittee 
•     (A grade review committee can be formed by AAC, if needed.)

Academic Staff Council (ASC)

The Academic Staff Council recommends to the Common Council and the chancellor policies/proposals pertaining to members of the academic staff. The Academic Staff Council has authority to work with and make recommendations to any academic staff, faculty, university staff, or administrative committee or agency that is concerned with academic staff welfare.

Meetings are 3-4 pm, 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month (usually only once a month), during the academic year. The chair is elected; members are appointed by the chair.

Subcommittees: Chairs are elected; members are appointed by the chair

•     Academic Staff Awards Subcommittee
•     Academic Staff Mediation Subcommittee – a chair is elected; a subcommittee will be formed per the Handbook, if needed
•     (An academic staff salary subcommittee may be called, if needed)

Curriculum Committee (CuC)

The Curriculum Committee ​recommends policies and proposals to Common Council pertaining to the undergraduate curriculum.

Meetings are 3-4 pm, 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month (often only once a month), during the academic year. The chair is elected; members are appointed by the chair.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity Policy Committee (EDIPC) 

The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity Policy Committee has the authority to make recommendations on every new institution-level policy or policy revision put forth to the Common Council originating from a shared governance body.

Meetings are 11-noon, 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month (usually only once a month), during the academic year. The chair is elected; members are appointed by the chair or others, depending on the seat.

Executive Committee (EC)

The Executive Committee regularly meets to coordinate the activities of the Common Council and to ensure that matters which ought to be considered and acted upon by the Common Council receive appropriate consideration. It serves as an advisory council to the chancellor at their request. It determines and fills vacancies, according to 3.6. Vacancies. The EC can create an ad hoc committee to perform special functions that are beyond the authority or capacity of standing committees and standing subcommittees. 

Meetings are 3-5 pm, 2nd Wednesdays of the month, and 4th Wednesdays, if needed, during the academic year. The Executive Committee is composed of the Common Council Chair and Vice Chair and chairs of standing committees.

Subcommittee: Chair is elected; members are appointed by the chair

•   Constitution and Handbook Revision Subcommittee

Faculty Council (FC)

The Faculty Council recommends to Common Council policies/proposals pertaining to personnel with a faculty appointment (e.g., recruitment, appointment, retention, promotion, tenure, salary).

Meetings are 3-4 pm, 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month, during the academic year. The chair is elected; members are appointed by the chair.

Subcommittees: Chairs are elected; members are appointed by the chair

•     Faculty Mediation Subcommittee
•     Sabbatical Review Subcommittee
•     University Awards Subcommittee
•     (A faculty salary subcommittee may be appointed, as needed.)

General Education Committee (GEC)

The General Education Committee recommends to the Common Council policies/proposals pertaining to the General Education Program (GEP) and the Core General Education Requirements (CGER). The GEC is responsible for designating courses as meeting general education learning outcomes, establishing procedures for assessing learning outcomes, and evaluating assessment data.

Meetings are 3-4 pm, 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month, during the academic year. The chair is elected; members are elected to two-year terms.

Graduate Council (GC)

The Graduate Council is the representative body of the graduate faculty. It has responsibility for graduate program policies, admission, retention and matriculation criteria of graduate programs, and approval of candidates for graduate degrees. Members are appointed by deans.

Meetings are 3-4 pm, 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month, during the academic year. The chair is elected and members are appointed by their deans.

Marshfield Steering Committee (MSC)

The Marshfield Steering Committee is a standing committee of the Common Council. The MSC recommends to Common Council policies/proposals pertaining to the Marshfield branch campus.

The meeting schedule for the steering committee will be determined in the fall. The chair is elected; members are appointed by the chair.

​University Personnel Development Committee (UPDC)

The University Personnel Development Committee mainly reviews and approves applications for UWSP-funded grants for professional development, research and creative activities, and course innovation. It also selects participants for the Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars program.

Meetings are 3-5 pm Mondays, as needed, during the academic year. The chair is elected; members are appointed by the chair.

University Staff Council (USC)

The University Staff Council recommends to the Common Council policies/proposals pertaining to the members of the university staff. The University Staff Council has the authority to work with and make recommendations to any university staff, academic staff, faculty, or administrative committee or agency that is concerned with university s​taff welfare.

Meetings are 9-10 am, 3rd Thursdays of the month, during the academic year. The chair is elected; members are appointed by the chair.

Subcommittees: Chairs are elected; members are appointed by the chair

•     University Staff Awards Subcommittee
•     (A university staff grievance subcommitee or a salary study subcommittee may be called, when needed)

Wausau Steering Committee (WSC)

The Wausau Steering Committee is a standing committee of the Common Council. The WSC recommends to Common Council policies/proposals pertaining to the Wausau branch campus.

The meeting schedule for the steering committee will be determined in the fall. The chair is elected; members are appointed by the chair.

Committees are open to all personnel categories unless otherwise noted

​Common Council

Councilors are elected to two-year terms. The number of open seats will be determined by January. Elected standing committee chairs will take some of these seats. ​

• 10 Academic Staff members
• 10 Faculty members
• 10 University Staff members
• 9 open seats

General Education Committee

​There are 13 representatives on the General Education Committee elected to represent a specific GEP or CGER category. All members representing a curricular category in the General Education Program must have taught at least one General Education course at UWSP in that category. If you are unsure if you are qualified, please check with the Associate Dean for General Education. You may not be seated if you do not qualify.

The members are elected to two-year terms.

• Arts
• Civics & Perspectives
• Critical Thinking
• Environmental Responsibility
• Global Awareness
• Historical Perspectives
• Humanities
• Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning
• Natural Science
• Social Sciences
• U.S. Diversity
• Wellness
• Written Communication

Standing Committee Chairs

Standing Committee chairs serve one-year terms; terms are limited to four consecutive years. 

Please note: standing committee chairs are also members of the Common Council and Executive Committee of the Common Council. (Common Council is scheduled to meet the first Wednesday of the month, 3-5 p.m., and the Executive Committee meets the second Wednesday of the month, 3-5 p.m., during the academic year). Common Council and Executive Committee may schedule additional meetings, if necessary, on other Wednesdays.​ New: Committees may now assign a member to participate on Common Council and/or Excutive Committee in place of the chair.

All meeting times should be considered when contemplating nomination.

Chair, Academic Affairs Committee

Open to faculty and academic staff with at least a .5 teaching appointment, the AAC chair is elected by the faculty and academic staff and appoints the Academic Affairs Committee members.

Chair, Academic Staff Council

Open to Academic Staff, the ASC chair is elected by the academic staff and appoints the Academic Staff Council members

Chair, Curriculum Committee

Open to faculty and academic staff with at least a .5 teaching appointment, the CuC chair is elected by the faculty and academic staff and appoints the Curriculum Committee members.

Chair, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity Policy Committee

Open to all university personnel, the EDIPC chair is elected by university personnel and appoints Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity Policy Committee members.

Chair, Faculty Council

open to faculty with at least a .5 teaching appointment, the FC chair is elected by the faculty and appoints the Faculty Council members.

Chair, General Education Committee

Open to faculty and instructional academic staff, the General Education Committee chair must have taught at least one General Education course at UWSP.

Chair, Graduate Council 

Open to graduate faculty members only, the Graduate Council chair must hold graduate faculty status and is elected by the graduate faculty. Graduate Council members are appointed by deans.

Chair, Marshfield Steering Committee

Open to Marshfield campus faculty and staff, the MSC chair is elected by the Marshfield campus faculty and staff and appoints the Marshfield Steering Committee members.

Chair, University Personnel Development Committee

Open to all university personnel, t​he UPDC chair is elected by university personnel and appoints the UPDC members. The UPDC chair also serves as a liaison to the Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects.​

Chair, University Staff Council

Open to university staff, the USC chair is elected by university staff and appoints the University Staff Council members.​

Chair, Wausau Steering Committee

Open to Wausau campus faculty and staff, the WSC chair is elected by the Wausau campus faculty and staff and appoints the Wausau Steering Committee members.

Subcommittee Chairs

Subcommittee chairs serve one-year terms; terms are limited to four consecutive years. Subcommittee chairs will appoint their committee members in most cases.

Please note: subcommittee chairs do not also need to serve on the standing committee or on Common Council or Executive Committee.

Chair, Academic Staff Awards Subcommittee

The ASAS chair is elected by the academic staff and appoints the Academic Staff Awards Subcommittee members.

Chair, Academic Staff Mediation Subcommittee​

The ASMS chair is elected by the academic staff. The subcommittee will only be filled if needed.

Chair, Assessment Subcommittee

The AS chair should be a faculty member or an academic staff member with a role in programmatic assessment. The members of the Assessment Subcommittee are appointed by deans.

Chair, Associate Degree Subcommittee

The ADS chair is elected by faculty and academic staff and appoints the Associate Degree Subcommittee members.

Chair, Constitution and Handbook Revision Subcommittee

The CHRS chair is elected by the university personnel and appoints the Constitution and Handbook Revision Subcommittee members.

Chair, Faculty Mediation Subcommittee

Open to faculty below the department chair level, the FMS chair is elected by the faculty and appoints the Faculty Mediation Subcommittee members.

Chair, Program Review Subcommittee

Open to instructional faculty and instructional academic staff, the PRS chair is elected by the faculty and academic staff. The members of the Program Review Subcommittee are appointed by deans.

Chair, Sabbatical Review Subcommittee

Open to tenured faculty, the SRS chair is elected by the faculty and appoints the Sabbatical Review Subcommittee members.

Chair, University Awards Subcommittee

Open to instructional faculty and instructional academic staff, t​he UAS chair is elected by the faculty and academic staff and appoints the University Awards Subcommittee members.

Chair, University Staff Awards Subcommittee

Open to university staff, the USAS chair is ele​​cted by the university staff and appoints the University Staff Awards Subcommittee members.

Constitution and Handbook Revision Subcommittee

There are at least five members on the CHRS:

• the chair, a voting member
• at least 3 additional members
• 1 student appointed by SGA

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity Policy Committee

There are up to 18 appointed members on the EDIPC:

• 4 members appointed at large from across the campuses
• 5 members from the colleges (1 each)
• 4 members appointed by the Vice Chancellors (1 each)
• 1 member appointed by the senior diversity officer
• 1 members appoined by the chancellor
• 1 member appointed by Human Resources
• up to 2 students appointed by SGA

University Personnel Development Committee

There are 14 appointed members on the UPDC:.

• 6 academic staff or faculty members with at least 1 from each college
• 2 university staff members
• 2 seats open to any personnel member
• 1 member appointed by the provost
• 1 non-voting member representing OIRE
• 1 non-voting member representing the Controller’s Office
• 1 non-voting member from CITL

Academic Affairs Committee

There are up to 13 members of the AAC:

• 6 academic staff or faculty members representing the colleges
• 1 member appointed by the provost
• the registrar, or 1 member appointed by the registrar
• the chair of the ADS
• the director of the international unit
• the director of Academic Success in University College, or a member appointed by the director
• up to 2 students appointed by SGA

Associate Degree Subcommittee

Associate Degree Subcommittee members must teach in one of the following associate degree categories: Creative and Critical Thinking, Diversity in the U.S., Effective Communication, Human Cultures, Individual, Social, and Environmental Responsibility, Intercultural Knowledge, Laboratory Science, Natural World, and Quantitative Literacy. At least two members must hold a minimum of a .50 FTE branch campus appointment.

There are up to 7 members of the ADS:

• the chair, a voting member, who may also fill a seat specified below
• 3 members from the faculty and academic staff (see above for criteria)
• 1 academic advisor, appointed by the Office of Academic Affairs
• 1 student appointed by SGA
• the Associate Degree Coordinator

Curriculum Committee

There are up to 10 members of the CuC:

• the teacher licensure officer, who may also co-serve in a seat below
• 6 academic staff or faculty members representing the colleges
• the registrar, or 1 member appointed by the registrar
• up to 2 students appointed by SGA

General Education Committee

There are 18​ members of the GEC: 

• 13 elected members representing the general education program categories
• 1 student appointed by SGA
• the Assessment Coordinator, non-voting
• 1 non-voting member appointed by the VC for Student Affairs
• the Associate Dean, General Education and Honors, non-voting
• 1 non-voting representative of the Academic and Career Advising Center

Program Review Subcommittee

There are up to 9 appointed instructional academic staff or instructional faculty members of the PRS, appointed by deans:

• the elected chair, a voting member, who may fill a seat below
• 6 faculty members representing the colleges
• the provost or a member appointed by the provost
• 1 student appointed by SGA

University Awards Subcommittee

There are up to 9 members of the UAS:

• the chair, a voting member
• 5 instructional faculty or instructional academic staff representing the colleges
• 1 academic staff member
• up to 2 students appointed by SGA

Academic Staff Council

There are 7 appointed members of the ASC: 

• 5 academic staff members (minimum) including instructional and non-instructional academic staff
• 1 non-voting member appointed by Human Resources
• 1 student appointed by SGA

Academic Staff Awards Subcommittee

There are 6 members of the ASAS:

• the chair, a voting member, who may fill a seat below
• 4 academic staff members
• 1 student appointed by SGA

Academic Staff Mediation Subcommittee

There is only an elected chair of ASMS. A committee will be formed, if needed, per the Handbook.

Assessment Subcommittee

There are up to 13 members of the AS, appointed by deans:

• the elected chair, a voting member, who may fill a seat below
• 8 faculty members representing COLS, COFAC, CPS, and CNR
• 2 members from UCOL, 1 faculty member and 1 academic staff member with a role in programmatic assessment
• the university assessment coordinator
• 1 student appointed by SGA

Faculty Council

There are 10 appointed members of FC:

• 6 faculty members representing the colleges 
• 1 instructional academic staff member
• 1 non-voting member appointed by the provost
• 1 non-voting member appointed by Human Resources
• 1 student appointed by SGA

Faculty Mediation Subcommittee

There are 15-16 faculty members (below department chair level) on FMS:

• the elected chair, a voting member, who may fill a seat below
• 6 faculty members from COLS
• 3 faculty members from CPS
• 2 faculty members from COFAC
• 2 faculty members from CNR
• 1 faculty member from UC
• the immediate past chair

Graduate Council

There are at least 10 appointed (by the deans) graduate faculty members of GC:

• at least 2 graduate faculty members from each college, appointed by the dean. The dean may appoint up to 1 member from each graduate program.
• 1 non-voting academic dean
• 1 graduate student appointed by SGA

Sabbatical Review Subcommittee

There are 10 appointed tenured faculty members on SRS. SRS is separate from the college-level sabbatical review committees:

• the chair, a voting member, who may fill a seat below
• 8 tenured faculty members representing the colleges
• 1 non-voting member representing ORSP

University Staff Council

There are 11 members on the University Staff Council:

• 10 university staff members
• 1 student appointed by SGA

University Staff Awards Subcommittee 

There are up to 6 members on the USAS:

• the chair, a voting member
• up 5 five additional university staff members

Marshfield Steering Committee

There are up to 6 members on the MSC (the elected chair can fill a seat below):

• 6 voting members of the Marshfield campus faculty and staff
• 1 Marshfield campus student appointed by the Marshfield campus SGA
• the campus administrator is a non-voting member

Wausau Steering Committee

There are 9-10 members on the WSC (the elected chair can fill a seat below):

• 4 faculty members
• 1 non-instructional academic staff member​
• 1 instructional academic staff member
• 1 university staff member
• 1 Wausau campus student appointed by the Wausau campus SGA
• the campus administrator is a non-voting member