At the monthly Academic Senate meeting Monday, a task force presented an initial plan outlining a university-wide Senate to better improve the current system of governance.

Kristy Nielson, the chair for Provost Madeline Wake's task force on shared governance and an associate professor of psychology, presented to the Senate a plan for academic governance between the Academic Senate and the Committee on Faculty.

The proposed plan includes Wake, serving as co-chair, alongside a presiding chair, which will be an elected faculty, according to the draft presented at the meeting. There will also be a presiding vice-chair, who is also an elected faculty member.

Committees under the three chairs would include executive, welfare and benefits, faculty council and academic policies and issues, according to the proposal.

The proposal suggested there be 50 voting members under the presiding chair and co-chair.

The current timeline for the project is to continue discussion at the May Senate meeting and present a full proposal to the Senate in August or September, which could then be implemented in January, Nielson said.

"It depends on how receptive everyone is to it," she said.

Based on the discussions at Monday's meeting, Nielson said the implementation of the project for January is "feasible."

Nielson became involved with the task force — a combined or joint-committee of both the Academic Senate and Committee on Faculty — because she was the committee's chair last semester, she said.

Concerns brought up during the presentation included the large size of the governing body and the minor details yet to be specified.

"I think when people all see it scripted out, they'll realize that you need a certain number of bodies to really accomplish what this change will require," Nielson said.

There is also improvement of faculty role in the proposed Senate under a faculty council.

The combined effort's plan is a reflection of other governing bodies from other universities, according to Nielson.

As far as a university Senate, she said the task force surveyed fellow Jesuit and public universities around the country.

The plan would improve communication and efficiency through better connectedness and more transparency, Nielson said.

Last week the Committee on Faculty was shown the plan for the first time and Monday's meeting marked the first public unveiling of the "working plan," said Nielson, who noted that nothing has been set in stone.

The biggest missing element of the plan is the list of committees, which is cited as "other boards, committees" in the draft.

The presentation on academic governance was by the second of two task forces, which have been in operation for two years, according to Wake.

"I think this is real progress in terms of taking a look at how Academic Senate and Committee on Faculty can merge and be a stronger, tiered governance organization," Wake said.

Wake said, regarding the timeline, that she is more interested in "the quality of the outcome than the timetable."

Student representation on the Senate will not change with the proposed plan, Wake said.,”James A. Molnar “

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