About the Faculty Advisory Council
A university's foundation is its faculty. Therein lies the knowledge, the commitment to learning, and the source of constructive progress upon which universities rest. The interests of students, scholarship and society are best served when the faculty brings its special talents to bear through cooperative participation in the shared governance of the university.
The Texas A&M University Faculty Advisory Council represents the entire faculty of the university and advises the administration regarding matters directly related to the academic programs of the university. The Faculty Advisory Council serves several important roles in the university. These include:
- a formal role in recommending changes to curricula through the university’s curricular approval process,
- an advisory role in which it garners faculty opinions and transmits them through appropriate channels either formally or informally to university leadership, and
- a rhetorical role in which the Council serves as a forum for discussion and debate of issues vital to the academic programs of Texas A&M University.
The Faculty Advisory Council is the faculty's only representative body for university-wide participation in the shared governance of Texas A&M University.
Texas Education Code §51.3523 defines shared governance as referring “to a structured decision-making process in which the governing board of the institution exercises ultimate authority and responsibility for institutional oversight, financial stewardship, and policy implementation, while allowing for appropriate consultation with faculty, administrators, and other stakeholders on matters related to academic policy and institutional operations. The principle of shared governance may not be construed to diminish the authority of the governing board to make final decisions in the best interest of the institution, students, and taxpayers.”
Governing Documents
A Brief History
Texas A&M University recognizes the importance of faculty engagement and the significant role that a faculty-only representative body for university-wide participation in shared governance has in the success of the institution and the fulfillment of its mission. This Faculty Advisory Council gives a collective voice to the faculty, a tradition that began with the formation of a Faculty Senate in 1983, and the Council is intended to provide direct input to leadership in a manner that is transparent, forward-looking and aligned with the priorities and mission of Texas A&M University.
On Aug. 29, 2025, The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents authorized the creation of a new Faculty Advisory Council (FAC) under System Policy 12.04. The FAC serves in an advisory capacity to the president on matters directly related to the academic programs of the institution.
University Rule 12.04.99.M1, which outlines the composition and operations of the Texas A&M University Faculty Advisory Council, was approved in November 2025.