Resolutions 2025-2026

Resolution 2025-2026-1
Call for Withdrawal from UCF’s 287(g) Agreement

The UCF Faculty Senate endorses the Florida Advisory Council of Faculty Senates Resolution on 287(g) Memoranda of Agreements between State University System Institution Campus Police Departments and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement by also urging the University of Central Florida and the University of Central Florida Campus Police to withdraw from this 287(g) agreement.

Addendum 2025-2026-1

Florida Advisory Council of Faculty Senates Resolution on 287(g) Memoranda of Agreement
between State University System Institution Campus Police Departments and United States
Immigration and Customs Enforcement

The Advisory Council of Faculty Senates calls on State University System institutions to withdraw from the Memoranda of Agreement (MOA) signed by Florida’s public universities with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the 287(g) program. These partnerships are unnecessary and harmful to student, faculty, staff, and the broader communities our universities serve. To effectively protect our universities, campus police cultivate a unique relationship with campus communities. They come to know our students, our educational spaces, and our communities. They are present at peaceful protests, in classrooms, and at student events. Repurposing this unique trust for federal immigration enforcement makes our campuses less safe, puts our officers in an untenable position, and chills students’ access to the support services they critically need to succeed. The 287(g) agreements create an array of challenges, including the following.

• These agreements unnecessarily sacrifice campus safety. Engaging in immigration enforcement will require campus police to divide resources that need to be fully focused on the core issue of campus safety. Moreover, it will undermine the hard-earned trust they need to work effectively with our communities in ensuring campus safety. Recent events in Florida highlight, more than ever, the need to maintain Campus Police focus on critical safety activities and on ensuring that campus populations trust them enough to share safety and security concerns.
• With these agreements in place, every individual on campus – even citizens – will need to carry papers documenting their legal status at all times to avoid the possibility of immigration detention. These MOAs empower a campus police officer to detain any individual based solely on the officer’s belief regarding their immigration status and without a warrant [287 (g) Task Force Model MOA, Section V]. The recent detention of a Hispanic United States citizen by Florida law enforcement at ICE’s request illustrates the reality that even U.S. citizen students, faculty, and staff will face the possibility of detention by campus police acting at ICE’s direction.
• These agreements risk chilling students’ willingness to seek medical, mental health, and educational support services at our institutions out of fear of ICE-affiliated police presence. In a post-COVID era in which students have become increasingly isolated, engagement with these services and with the university community is more critical than ever in enabling student success – the core mission of our institutions.
• The fear of ICE-aligned immigration actions by campus police that is created by these MOAs erodes the environment of trust and safety needed for effective student learning and free expression. Students and scholars living in continual fear that campus police may engage in arbitrary immigration-oriented actions cannot effectively learn, create new ideas, speak freely, and innovate – the very activities at the heart of our Universities’ missions.
• These agreements are not necessary for the federal government to enforce immigration law. ICE and other federal and state agencies already possess broad authority to operate independently.

For all of these reasons, we call on the Board of Governors of the State University System to urge
Florida Universities to withdraw from these agreements.

• Approved by the Faculty Senate Steering Committee on April 23, 2025
• Approved by the Faculty Senate on September 4, 2025
• Submitted to Provost Michael D. Johnson for action on April 25, 2025
• Denied by Provost Michael D. Johnson on May 8, 2025 with the following comments:

“When any law enforcement agency operates within our jurisdiction, the UCF police department liaises with them. The 287 (g) MOU only engages the UCF police when ICE comes to campus.”

Resolution 2025-2026-2
Constitution and Bylaw Amendments: Faculty Senate Membership Expansion from 75 to 100 Senators

Whereas, Article II.A of the Constitution of the Faculty of the University of Central Florida establishes the membership of the Faculty Senate as seventy-five (75) elected members; and

Whereas, increasing the size of the Faculty Senate from seventy-five (75) to one hundred (100) would improve representation and shared governance by more accurately reflecting the growth and breadth of the university’s faculty; and

Whereas, implementing a 25-seat expansion in a single year would result in an imbalance in the Senate’s staggered election cycle, causing 35 senators to be elected in one year and 65 in the next, placing uneven burdens on academic units and creating volatility in Senate membership and year to year overlap; and

Whereas, phasing in additional seats over two years (10 seats in 2026 and 15 seats in 2027) will establish a long-term, balanced system in which approximately 50 senators are elected each year, preserving balance and stability across academic units; therefore

Be It Resolved, that Article II.A of the Constitution and Section II.B of the Bylaws shall be amended to state that the Faculty Senate shall be composed of one hundred (100) elected members; and

Be It Further Resolved, that all formulas and language in the Bylaws that currently use seventy-five (75) as the total number of senators shall be updated to use one hundred (100); and

Be It Further Resolved, that the Faculty Senate shall implement a phased expansion as outlined in the Proviso below, and this Proviso, in its entirety, shall be added below the list of Constitution and Bylaw amendments until such time as the Proviso conditions are completed after spring 2027 senate elections. 

Proviso on Phased Senate Membership Expansion:

Even though the apportionment provisions stated in Article II.B of the Constitution and Section II.B of the Bylaws describe how Senate seats should be divided and calculated, the total number of elected Faculty Senate members shall be increased in two phases:

Phase 1: In spring 2026, the number of elected senators shall be increased from 75 to 85. The 10 additional seats shall be apportioned among academic units using the existing formula and constraints in the Constitution and Bylaws.

Phase 2: In spring 2027, the number of elected senators shall be increased from 85 to 100. The 15 additional seats shall likewise be apportioned using the existing formula and constraints in the Constitution and Bylaws.

The full apportionment system using a base of 100 senators shall take effect with the spring 2027 elections. All elected senators shall be subject to the regular eligibility, election, and term procedures as outlined in the Constitution and Bylaws.

• Approved by the Faculty Senate Steering Committee on September 18, 2025.
• Approved by the Faculty Senate on October 2, 2025.
• Submitted to Provost on January 16, 2026

Resolution 2025-2026-3
Bylaws Amendment: Faculty Senate Student Success Council

Whereas, student success encompasses a broad array of departments, programs, initiatives, and policies that require administration and faculty working together to help our students complete their studies and prepare for the future; and

Whereas, the faculty at UCF have a critical role in guiding and enhancing the success of our students as they take classes and progress through degree programs; and

Whereas, the Faculty Senate Student Success Council that was created in Spring of 2023 had a large membership, with 36 council members, of which only 12 were faculty; and

Whereas, the original Duties and Responsibilities of the Faculty Senate Student Success Council included areas that were already the focus of other Faculty Senate committees; and

Whereas, the voting members of the Faculty Senate Student Success Council have considered and debated how changes to the Council Bylaws couldenhance the consideration and open discussion of issues and ideas between faculty and the Vice President for Student Success and Well-Being; therefore

Be It Resolved, that the Bylaws of the Faculty Senate Student Success Council be amended as detailed below:

1. Duties and Responsibilities

a. To promote the development and implementation of programs, policies, including admission policies, and practices that help students succeed in their academic pursuits and personal wellbeing.

b. To advise and assist the Division of Student Success and Well-Being (SSWB), and other relevant councils/committees/units/ departments/ individuals in developing student success and well-being focused initiatives and recommending actions to meet student success goals.

c. To review and monitor the performance and progress of state performance- based funding, preeminence, and other strategic student success metrics that are important for UCF and its students.

d. To serve as an advisory and recommending body for the Faculty Senate on strategies and procedures that relate to student success and well-being.

e. To support and collaborate with programs, units, initiatives and offices across UCF to help facilitate student success and well-being efforts.

2. Membership

The voting members of the Faculty Senate Student Success Council shall consist of at least one faculty member from each academic unit (selected by the Committee on Committees), at least two of whom are current members of the Faculty Senate, and two students (nominated by the president of the Student Government Association). 

The regularly invited ex officio (non-voting) members of the committee will include the vice president for Student Success and Well-Being, the Vice President for Access & Community Engagement or designee, one representative of the Student Success and Well-Being Executive Team (selected by the vice president for Student Success and Well-Being), one representative from the College of Graduate Studies (appointed by the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies), and one representative from the Office of Undergraduate Studies (selected by the senior vice provost of academic affairs or designee).

The vice president for Student Success and Well-Being (or designee) shall invite others from SSWB or other entities to participate in meetings when their presence is germane to the topics of discussion for a particular gathering. The chair and vice chair shall be elected annually from the council’s faculty membership. Terms of service shall be two years, staggered

• Approved by the Faculty Senate Steering Committee on September 18, 2025.
• Approved by the Faculty Senate on November 6, 2025.
• Submitted to Provost on January 16, 2026

Resolution 2025-2026-4
Prioritization of Campus Safety

Whereas, the University of Central Florida lacks a recurring central funding source for campus safety and security enhancements and maintenance; and
Whereas, the responsibility and source of funding to address and resolve ongoing campus safety concerns such as lighting, pedestrian safety, cameras, and access controls are presently passed on to individual campus units and divisions, such as the Student Government Association-funded initiative to increase visibility in low-traffic areas with lighting improvements; and
Whereas, this decentralization of responsibility to individual campus units and divisions without recurring funding results in campus safety and security enhancements and maintenance being deferred or not addressed; and
Whereas, a safe campus environment is an important factor in student recruitment and satisfaction; employee satisfaction and morale; general well-being of all UCF stakeholders; and
Whereas, studies by the National Institute of Building Sciences (FEMA, 2018) show for every dollar spent on mitigation, there is an average return of approximately $6 in prevented losses; and
Whereas, the campus security improvements needed will prevent and mitigate crime, while aiding and assisting the University of Central Florida Police Department when responding to emergency situations, such as card readers for electronic access and automatic door locks for all exterior doors allowing buildings to be locked-down during emergency situations; therefore
Be It Resolved, that the Faculty Senate recommends to the University of Central Florida central administration, including UCF Facilities and Business Operations and UCF Public Safety, they provide additional support to campus safety with a recurring funding source for campus safety and security enhancements and maintenance, and
Be It Further Resolved, that the Faculty Senate recommends to the University of Central Florida central administration, including UCF Facilities and Business Operations and UCF Public Safety, develop a yearly plan and appropriately budget to address and resolve ongoing campus safety concerns related to lighting, pedestrian safety, cameras, and access control.

• Approved by the Faculty Senate Steering Committee on November 20, 2025.
• Approved by the Faculty Senate on December 4, 2025.
• Submitted to Provost on January 9, 2026
• Approved by Provost John Buckwalter on March 6, 2026 with the following comments:

In response to Faculty Senate Resolution 2025-2026-4 Prioritization of Campus Safety, I want to thank the faculty for their thoughtful attention to an important topic.
To succinctly summarize the resolution: the faculty senate states that there is a lack of recurring central funding to address campus safety and security issues and it is requested that 1) additional financial support be provided to address campus wide safety issues and that 2) a yearly plan be developed to address ongoing safety concerns.
Campus safety and security at the University of Central Florida receives continual attention, evaluation and improvements through units identified by the faculty senate such as UCF Facilities and Business Operations and UCF Public Safety. However, it should be noted that many other units across campus such as Research and Innovation, Academic Affairs, Student Success and Wellbeing, Athletics, General Counsel etc. also have important roles and allocate recurring resources to this area.
While not an all-inclusive list, some examples of annual expenditures on campus safety and security include-
UCF Public Safety- $18.4 million
UCF Facilities- $2.7 million
UCF Research- $2.4 million
UCF SSWB- $5.3 million
UCF IT- $6.2 million
As part of the budgeting process for the upcoming year, a recurring budget request will be submitted to augment UCF’s attention to campus safety and security. Furthermore, a yearly plan will be developed to address enhancements to campus safety and security. I also suggest that the faculty senate consider issuing an invitation for an annual update on UCF’s activity around campus safety and security.

Resolution 2025-2026-5
Bylaw Amendment Allocation of Senators

TBD

Resolution 2025-2026-6
Strategic Utilization of Auxiliary Funds to Support UCF’s Research Mission

Whereas, the University of Central Florida’s 2022–2027 Unleashing Potential strategic plan identifies a near-term goal of achieving preeminence within the Florida State University System and a longer-term goal of attaining research and academic outcomes comparable to institutions in the Association of American Universities (AAU); and
Whereas, UCF has now exceeded the performance metrics for preeminence, positioning the institution to intensify its progress toward AAU-level research productivity, competitiveness, and impact; and
Whereas, sustaining and expanding the academic goals of UCF’s strategic plan depends on continued investment in its faculty, including retaining highly productive researchers, recognizing exceptional scholarly achievement, and fostering future research productivity; and
Whereas, further progress toward AAU-level research outcomes requires parallel investment in research capacity, including the recruitment and support of additional research-focused faculty, modern laboratory space, advanced instrumentation, and strategically prioritized research areas; and
Whereas, a recent analysis of university auxiliary units, each providing essential campus services without reliance on state funds, identified the potential for substantial, flexible resources that could be directed toward UCF’s most mission-critical priorities; and
Whereas, Board of Governors Regulation 9.013 authorizes, for a three-year period, the transfer of auxiliary funds to university athletics programs. However, these nonrecurring auxiliary funds could also be spent in impactful ways in support of the academic goals of the strategic plan; therefore
Be It Resolved, that the Faculty Senate strongly urges the provost, president, and Board of Trustees to prioritize the use of auxiliary funds to support the academic goals of the strategic plan. This should include compensating faculty and staff with one-time payments to recognize the efforts they have made to help UCF achieve preeminence, to help defray recent cost-of-living increases, and to help improve faculty and staff morale, and it should also include strategic research and academic investments that directly accelerate UCF’s trajectory toward AAU eligibility and national research prominence, recognizing that early, targeted investment in the research mission compounds in impact over time; and
Be It Further Resolved, that should any portion of auxiliary cash balances be allocated to non-academic purposes, the university ensure at least a dollar-for-dollar matching investment from auxiliary funds in the long-term attainment of UCF’s academic goals.

• Approved by the Faculty Senate Steering Committee on January 8, 2026.
• Approved by the Faculty Senate on January 22, 2026.
• Submitted to Provost on TBD

Resolution 2025-2026-7: Bylaws Amendment:
Steering Committee Composition, Steering Committee Duties and Responsibilities, and Related Areas of the Bylaws

Whereas, The Faculty Senate Steering Committee is the executive committee of the Faculty Senate and as such plays critical roles in setting the agenda for Faculty Senate meetings, overseeing Senate elections, approving resolutions, steering topics to particular Faculty Senate Committees, and acting for the Senate during emergencies; and

Whereas, because the number of senators in the Faculty Senate is expanding from 75 to 100 over a two-year period, there will be a change in the composition of the Steering Committee; and

Whereas, the current Bylaws state that the total membership of the Steering Committee is 20% of the Faculty Senate membership and is allocated according to the formula shown in Section VI.A.1.b; and

Whereas, in light of an expanding Faculty Senate and concomitant expanding Steering Committee membership, the Steering Committee evaluated the Bylaws regarding its composition and duties and responsibilities to identify where updates to the Bylaws would better reflect current practice and provide the representation needed for the Steering Committee’s duties and responsibilities; and

Whereas, the analysis of the Steering Committee Bylaws identified other areas of the Bylaws that fail to clearly delineate duties or responsibilities of the Steering Committee from those of the entire Faculty Senate; therefore

Be it resolved, that the Steering Committee Bylaws in Sections VI.A.1-4 be replaced with the text below:

1. Steering Committee
   1. Composition.

The Steering Committee is composed of the chair of the Faculty Senate, the vice chair, the secretary of the Faculty Senate, and the immediate past chair of the Senate.  In addition to the current officers and the immediate past chair of the Faculty Senate, the total number of senators on the Steering Committee shall be no greater than one-fifth (20) of the total number of senators (100) and apportioned as provided below.  Steering Committee members shall be elected by a majority vote of senators present and voting within each of the academic units.  There shall be no voting by proxy.

1. Each academic unit will have one representative on the Steering Committee.
   1.  Additional seats shall be allocated in descending order of academic unit size until all seats are filled.
   1. In the event of a vacancy on the Steering Committee, the senators of that academic unit shall elect a replacement from amongst its membership.
   1. Duties and Responsibilities of the Steering Committee.
      1. To serve as the “executive committee” of the Faculty Senate.
      1. To act on behalf of the Senate on matters declared by the chair of the Faculty Senate to be of an emergency nature.  Any action taken in this respect by the Steering Committee shall be reported by the chair of the Faculty Senate to the members of the Faculty Senate at or before the next regular meeting.  The Senate shall then review such action.  The chair of the Faculty Senate will give the members of the Senate advance notice of the emergency meeting of the Steering Committee, if feasible.
      1. To serve as an advisory body of the chair of the Faculty Senate on any matter which the chair of the Faculty Senate brings before the Steering Committee.  Meetings of an advisory nature need not be announced or reported to the Faculty Senate either before or after they occur.
      1. To monitor Senate elections, Senate Officer elections, and academic unit allocation votes, and ensure that the Office of the Faculty Senate maintains all election and vote records.
      1. To develop Faculty Senate agendas.  Additional items may be added to the agenda at any meeting of the Senate under new business by majority vote.  Final action on any resolutions added to the agenda during a meeting cannot be taken prior to the next Senate meeting.
      1. To consider resolutions forwarded by Senate committees and to forward them to the full Senate or refer them back to the Senate committee.
      1. To appoint from its membership liaisons to each of the Senate operational committees and curricular councils. Liaisons shall report on committee or council activities at Steering Committee meetings.
      1. To periodically review Senate operational, curricular, and joint committees and councils.  Creation of new committees and changes in any committee’s charter, membership, or duties and responsibilities shall be conveyed to the Faculty Senate for consideration as amendments to the Bylaws.
      1. To serve as a faculty advisory body to the president of the university and to the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs when requested.
      1. To act in executive session when the Faculty Senate is not in session.  All recommendations made as the Senate’s “executive committee” shall be reported to the Senate and be subject to review and approval by the Faculty Senate.
      1. To request information from any member of the faculty or administration and invite any such person to meet with the Steering Committee and/or the full Senate for consultation or advice on matters within its jurisdiction.
      1. To establish ad hoc committees to facilitate its work.

3. Meetings

The Steering Committee will normally meet two weeks prior to the regular Faculty Senate meeting, at the discretion of the chair of the Faculty Senate, who will chair this committee.

4. Quorum

A quorum for meetings of the Steering Committee shall consist of a majority of the voting members. and;

Be It Further Resolved, thatBylaws Section II.C add the following sentence after the last line of the current text:

The Office of the Faculty Senate shall maintain all election records. and;

Be It Further Resolved, that Bylaws Section IV Meetings of the Senate .I Resolution be amended to state:

I Resolutions

As the elected body of the general faculty, the Faculty Senate may formulate its opinion upon any subject of interest to the university and adopt appropriate resolutions. Resolutions addressing those areas of authority legally reserved to the president and Board of Trustees are advisory. A Resolution must be on the agenda of a Senate meeting and provided in the meeting materials at least one week before a Senate meeting for final action on the Resolution. Final action on any resolutions added to the agenda during a meeting cannot be taken prior to the next Senate meeting.  Each resolution adopted by the Faculty Senate is forwarded to the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs who shall act upon the recommendation within 60 days. The provost and vice president for Academic Affairs shall have veto power over any resolution by the Senate. The veto or denial with rationale shall be communicated in writing to the Faculty Senate and the chair of the Faculty Senate. The Senate, by a two-thirds majority vote, may appeal to the president any resolution vetoed. A subsequent veto or denial by the president shall be communicated in writing to the Faculty Senate and to the chair of the Faculty Senate within 60 days. The Senate, by a two-thirds majority vote, may appeal to the Board of Trustees any action so vetoed. A decision by the Board of Trustees is final.

• Approved by the Faculty Senate Steering Committee on February 5, 2026.
• Approved by the Faculty Senate on March 26, 2026.
• Submitted to Provost on TBD