Committees & Councils

Arts & Sciences Committees and Councils

Learn more below about the various committees and councils that help inform and govern Arts & Sciences administration, faculty, curriculum, and academic integrity.

Committees on Personnel and Academic Administration

Academic Integrity Committee

The College of Arts & Sciences is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity. This committee calls to the attention of undergraduate students and faculty the importance of high standards of academic integrity and the methods of achieving those standards. The Committee regularly reviews and may recommend changes in the College’s official statements of Student Academic Integrity and of Faculty Responsibilities.  Members of the committee also adjudicate all allegations of student academic integrity brought by faculty or students in the College.  Members of the Committee are drawn from Arts & Sciences leadership, students, and faculty.  All Committee proceedings are confidential. For more information please see the Academic Integrity webpage.

Committee Guidelines

Current members: 

Ana Babus, Economics
Housni Bennis, Jewish, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
Yehuda Ben-Shahar, Biology
Erika Conti, Romance Languages
Francesc Ferrer, Physics
Kasey Grady, College Writing Program
Julie Hamdi, Chemistry
Josh Jackson, Psychological & Brain Sciences
Suzanne Loui, Enviornmental Studies
Ke Nie, East Asian Language and Cultures
Kun Wang, Earth and Planetary Sciences
Aileen Waters, College Writing Program
Emily Wroblewski, Anthropology

Advisory Committee on Tenure, Promotion and Personnel

The Committee shall advise the Dean of Arts & Sciences on all recommendations from Departments for the award of tenure, and for promotion to the ranks of associate professor and full professor, for promotion to the ranks of research associate professor and research professor, and for new appointments that carry tenure. The supplemental subcommittee of three teaching professors will join the Committee to advise on promotions to the rank of teaching professor.

Committee Guidelines

2023-2024 members: 

Willem Dickhoff, Physics
Matt Erlin, Germanic Languages and Literatures
George-Levi Gayle, Economics 
Erik Herzog, Biology
Stephanie Kirk, Romance Languages and Literatures
Rebecca Lester, Anthropology
Matthew McGrath, Philosophy
Diana O'Brien, Political Science
Douglas Wiens, Earth and Planetary Sciences

2023-2024 expanded committee members: 

Jami Ake, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Sudeshna Bandyopadhyay, Economics 
Wilhelm Cruz, Biology 

A&S Faculty Council

This Council is the representative body of the Faculty to the Administration, acting as a steering committee for the Faculty and as an advisory committee to the Dean of Arts & Sciences.

Email: ArtSci-fcc@email.wustl.edu

Council Guidelines

2023-2024 members: 

Brian Carpenter, Psychological & Brain Sciences
Douglas Chalker, Biology
T.R. Kidder, Anthropology
Beth Martin, Environmental Studies
Shanti Parikh, African and African American Studies
Trevor Sangrey, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Affirmative Action Monitoring Committee

The purpose of the Monitoring Committees is to ensure that the process for each search for new full-time academic, tenured and tenure-track appointments is conducted in accordance with these guidelines and that each search committee seeks as diverse a pool of applicants as possible. The Committee does not approve who the department hires, but rather oversees how the process is conducted and whether the efforts to expand the candidate pool diversity were satisfactory.

Committee Guidelines

2023-2024 members: 

Humanities
Anne Margaret Baxley, Philosophy, Convener
Letty Chen, East Asian Languages and Cultures
Jonathan Fenderson, African and African-American Studies

Social Science
George-Levi Gayle, Economics
Clarissa R. Hayward, Political Science
Crickette Sanz, Anthropology, Convener

Natural Science
Michael Ogilvie, Physics
Himadri Pakrasi, Biology, Convener
Rachel Roberts, Mathematics

Curriculum Committee

This Committee is responsible for reviewing the entire undergraduate curriculum of the College and may recommend to any unit of the College the addition, deletion, or modification of courses and academic programs. The committee consists of six elected faculty, two from each of the three divisions. Members are elected for three-year terms through the annual ballot process. For questions, please contact Isaac Bondurant, assistant registrar for The College of Arts & Sciences, at 314-935-7669.

Committee Guidelines
Curriculum Implementation Update
Resolution to Reinstate Credit for ROTC Courses

2023-2024 members: 

Stan Braude, Biology
Panill Camp, Performing Arts
Kasey Grady, College Writing Program
Anna Jacobsen, Anthropology
Jia Luo, Chemistry
Renee Thompson, Psychological & Brain Sciences

Review Committee on Faculty Personnel Procedures

This Committee carries out the functions required under VI, B, 1, e of the Washington University Policy on Academic Freedom, Responsibility and Tenure.

Committee Guidelines

2023-2024 members: 

Mark G. Alford, Physics
Nancy Berg, Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies
Len Green, Psychological & Brain Sciences
Clarissa Hayward, Political Science
Robert Hemke, Performing Arts 
Joe Jez, Biology
TR Kidder, Anthropology
Rachel Roberts, Mathematics and Statistics
Lynne Tatlock, Germanic Languages and Literatures

Ad-hoc Review Committee on Faculty Hiring

Nine members will be drawn annually from associate and full professors from elected committees and councils in Arts & Sciences, three from each divisions. The priority order of elected committees from which members willing to serve are drawn are A&S Faculty Council, Review Committee on Faculty Personnel Procedures and then all other elected committees as needed. The selection process will avoid duplication of department affiliation. Member selection will be overseen by the members drawn from the Faculty Council.

 

Eligibility: 

  • Requires tenure.

Term:

  • Annual

Appointment process:

  • Member selection will be overseen by the members drawn from the Faculty Council.

Advisory Committees

A&S Capital Planning Committee

This committee advise the Dean on space priorities for Arts & Sciences departments, programs and centers, makes recommendations on long term capital planning that best supports the academic mission of Arts & Sciences, and helps the Dean provide input to university-level capital planning.

Current members:

Ian Bogost, Film and Media Studies
Denise Head, Psychological & Brain Sciences
Joe Jez, Biology
TR Kidder, Anthropology
James Kolker, (co-chair) Associate Vice Chancellor and University Architect
Paige McGinley, Performing Arts and American Culture Studies
Erin McGlothlin, the College and Germanic Languages and Literatures
Dzenana Mruckovski, (co-chair) Director of Facilities in Arts & Sciences
Ignacio Sanchez Prado, Romance Languages and Literatures
Adia Harvey Wingfield, Sociology

A&S Graduate Advisory Council

The Advisory Council advises the Vice Dean and the OGS team on policies, planning and programming, implementation of strategic initiatives, curricular proposals, and emerging issues and opportunities related to graduate education in Arts & Sciences. The Advisory Council consists of the Vice Dean, OGS leadership, and graduate faculty members from each of the following areas: natural sciences & math; social sciences; humanities; and DBBS. The Vice Dean of Graduate Education shall appoint Advisory Council members following a nomination process each year. Student liaisons from natural sciences & math, social sciences, and humanities form part of the Council as well.

 

Advisory Council members serve a two-year term focused on advancing excellence in graduate education across Arts & Sciences. The OGS Advisory Council holds approximately four regular Council meetings per semester and asks members to review policy, course, and programmatic proposals as well as other graduate-education-related documents.

2023-2024 members:

Sophia Hayes, Vice Dean of Graduate Education
William Acree, Associate Vice Dean of Graduate Education
Julie Bugg, Psychological & Brain Sciences 
Rowhea Elmesky, Education
Michael Krawcyznski, Earth and Planetary Sciences
Rebecca Lester, Anthropology
Petra Levin, Biology
Jamie Newhard, East Asian Languages and Cultures 
Nancy Reynolds, History

Dean's Advisory Committee

The Dean’s Advisory Committee is appointed annually by the dean to advise the dean on any matter related to academic planning.

The charge of the Dean’s Advisory Committee (DAC) is to provide counsel that focuses on the long-range development, growth, and excellence of Arts & Sciences. The DAC advises the Dean on significant academic matters including faculty searches, changes pertaining to an academic unit, and departmental external reviews. The DAC will provide regular reports from committee meetings to the Faculty Council and/or present on their activities at faculty meetings. The DAC was formerly known as the Academic Planning Committee. At the Arts & Sciences Faculty meeting of September 28, 1984, the following resolution was passed: A committee on academic planning shall be added to the list of standing committees of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences. The members of this committee shall be appointed annually by the Dean of Arts & Sciences in consultation with the Faculty Council.

Member selection process:
The Dean of Arts & Sciences will solicit nominations and applications from the chairs and directors each spring and will choose from nominees. The DAC will have nine members, three from each division. Members should be full professors and will be appointed for a three-year term. Repeat terms will be allowed but cannot be consecutive. Chairs and directors should use the following webform to submit their nominations.

2023-2024 members: 
Marlon Bailey, African and African American Studies and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Limor Golan, Economics
Clarissa Hayward, Political Science
Lori Markson, Psychological and Brain Sciences
Kater Murch, Physics
Gary Patti, Chemistry
Corinna Treitel, History
Abram Van Engen, English
Brett Wick, Mathematics and Statistics

Faculty Board of Research

This committee advises A&S leadership and helps strategize, generate ideas, and provide critical input on programs and initiatives focused on pushing forward the research goals of Arts & Sciences. In addition, this board evaluates proposals to the Seeding Projects for Enabling Excellence & Distinction (SPEED) program, which funds innovative work led by tenure-track and research faculty through semiannual seed grant competitions.

2023-2024 members:

Ryan Bogdan, Psychological & Brain Sciences
Daniel Butler, Political Science
Tili Boon Cuillé, Comparative Literature and French
Jonathan Myers, Biology
Timothy Parsons, History and African and African-American Studies
Anca Parvulescu, English
Jake Rosenfeld, Sociology
Crickette Sanz, Anthropology
Li Yang, Physics
Deanna Barch, Psychological & Brain Sciences, ex officio

Undergraduate Education Advisory Committee

This Committee advises the Vice Dean of Undergraduate Affairs on academic matters pertaining to undergraduate education.  Its charge is to consider priorities for teaching and learning in Arts & Sciences and to make recommendations regarding pedagogical practice and policies.

The Vice Dean of Undergraduate Affairs solicits nominations and self-nominations from the faculty on an annual basis. The Committee has ten members, three from each division and one representative from the College Writing Program. Members are drawn from full-time faculty on the tenure track, teaching track, and professor of the practice track. Term limits are three years and with staggered membership.

2023-2024 members:

Jennifer Arch, English
Cassie Adcock, History
Kate Bloomquist, College Writing Program 
Andrew Butler, Education and Psychological & Brain Sciences
Maria Canon, Economics
Frank Lovett, Political Science and Legal Studies 
Karl Schaefer, Mathematics 
Phil Skemer, Earth Environmental, and Planetary Sciences
Elise Walck-Shannon, Biology
Kathryn Wilson, Classics

Study Abroad Advisory Board

Each department or program within Arts & Sciences has been asked to appoint a Departmental Study Abroad Advisor. In consultation with other faculty, the advisor will develop policies and guidelines for study abroad relevant to their department.

Study Abroad Advisory Board Website

 

Current members:

Erin McGlothlin, Vice Dean of Undergraduate Affairs

Zhao Ma, ​East Asian Languages and Cultures

Julie Singer, Romance Languages and Literatures

Hayrettin Yucesoy, Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies

Alexander S. Bradley, Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences

Leonard Green, Psychological & Brain Sciences and Economics

Sunita Parikh, Political Science and Asian American Studies

Andrew Sobel, Global Studies

Undergraduate Research Advisory Committee

The Undergraduate Research Advisory Committee (URAC) provides guidance and support to the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR). Its charge is to work collaboratively with the OUR to shape initiatives, policies, and programming that foster and grow a culture of undergraduate research across Arts & Sciences and the university at large. The Committee has nine members, three from each division, drawn from tenure stream and TRaP faculty. The OUR Faculty Director will renew appointments annually beginning in Fall 2025 following a nomination process.

 

2024-2025 members:

Lori Markson, Psychological & Brain Sciences; Faculty Director of the OUR

Jami Ake, Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies; Interdisciplinary Project in the Humanities

Zoe Ang, Political Science

Arpita Bose, Biology

Tili Boon Cuillé, Romance Languages & Literatures (French); Comparative Literature

Ryan Ogliore, Physics

David Schuman, English; Director of Creative Writing

Geoff Ward, African and African-American Studies

 

Stephanie Kirk, Director of the Center for the Humanities (ex officio)

University Committees & Councils

Washington University Faculty Senate

The Faculty Senate consists of all voting members of the Faculty of all the constituent schools. It expresses itself on matters of major University policy. 

Washington University Senate Council

The Senate Council is often viewed as the governing body for the Faculty Senate. It consists of 15 elected faculty members, who assess present University policies relating to matters of University-wide concern and to academic personnel.

University Council

The University Council (UC), comprised of senior university leaders responsible for key academic and administrative units, provides strategic and operational guidance to the chancellor and UC colleagues on challenges and opportunities related to the mission of the university. UC members are charged with carrying out this responsibility through discussion that places emphasis on inclusion of broad perspectives, collaboration, transparency, and thoughtful engagement of expertise from across the leadership team with the goal of advancing and building consensus around strategic priorities. 

Washington University Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees consists of members from the corporate, professional, educational, governmental, and volunteer sectors. It is legally responsible for the institution whose assets it holds in trust, and for which it exercises a policy-making and oversight role.