Skip to content

Shared Governance

UC merced buildings

Shared Governance

Shared governance with the Academic Senate is one of the distinctive features of the University of California. The system of shared governance gives university faculty, operating through the Academic Senate, a voice in the operation of the university. In addition, it imposes on faculty a measure of responsibility for the manner in which the university operates. Faculty participation in governance of the university through the agency of the Academic Senate is a guiding force that unifies the ten campuses of the University of California into a single system under a uniform standard of excellence.

For more information about University of California's shared governance please visit the Academic Senate website.

Departments

The School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts (SSHA) formed departments to oversee academic personnel actions such as faculty recruitment, appointments and advancements; to coordinate faculty members' input for strategic planning and resources; to facilitate the dean's prioritization for the annual campus budget call; and to foster excellent research, support graduate education and deliver undergraduate education in the following disciplines:

  • Anthropology and Heritage Studies (AHS)
  • Cognitive and Information Sciences (CIS)
  • Economics and Business Management (EBM)
  • Global Arts, Media & Writing Studies (GAMWS)
  • History and Critical Race & Ethnic Studies (HCRES)
  • Literatures, Languages & Cultures (LLC)
  • Philosophy (PHIL)
  • Political Science (POLI)
  • Psychological Sciences (PSY)
  • Public Health (PH)
  • Sociology (SOC)

School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Bylaws

UC Academic Senate Manual

Standing Orders of the Regents

Graduate Groups

Each graduate group has a chairperson who is responsible for:

  • Supervising graduate study in his or her graduate group;
  • Ensuring that each graduate student is assigned a faculty adviser and mentor;
  • Serving as the chair of the graduate group's executive committee; and 
  • Serving as the official graduate group liaison to the dean of Graduate Studies and the Graduate and Research Council of the UC Merced Academic Senate.

Executive Committee

The SSHA Executive Committee is the elected body of SSHA faculty members that represents SSHA at the Merced Division of the Academic Senate.

SSHA Curriculum Committee (SSHA CC)

The SSHA CC is responsible for:

  • Monitoring student success;
  • Coordinating new and revised courses;
  • Planning new majors and emphasis tracks;
  • Estimating future enrollment and instructor needs for strategic planning;
  • Assisting in planning and information gathering for accreditation; and
  • Presenting reports and recommendations to the faculty and the dean.

The Code of the Academic Senate

The membership and authority of the Academic Senate is established by The Standing Orders of the Regents, which defines a system of shared governance between the Academic Senate and the administration in the management and operation of the University of California.

Last Updated: July 2024

Questions: Please contact Christine Howe.