Proposals

Proposals are the starting point for the policy review process of the University Senate. Proposals focus specifically on matters of University-wide policy and outlines the creation of policy or specific revisions or modifications to an existing piece of University policy. Please note that the University Senate’s purview only extends to University-wide policy and does not extend to operational matters or policies at the Unit or Departmental levels.

Any member of the University of Maryland campus can submit a proposal for policy review.

If a proposal is within the purview of the University Senate, it is first sent to be discussed in the Senate Executive Committee (SEC) for initial review and then is typically sent to a standing committee as a charge. After a full review of the proposal and charge, the standing committee typically submits its report and recommendations to the SEC for placement on the agenda of the full Senate for debate, amendment, and approval. From there, the proposals and any recommended changes will be sent to the University President for final review. In some cases, proposals may be required to be sent to the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) and the University System Chancellor.  See the figure below for how a proposal moves through the University Senate.