Faculty Assembly

The UNC Faculty Assembly

Established in 1972 by UNC System President William Friday, the UNC Faculty Assembly is an advisory body on Systemwide issues, serving the president, the UNC System Office, the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, the NC General Assembly, and campus faculty and administrative bodies.

In addition to formulating advice and counsel on issues impacting the UNC System, Faculty Assembly members frequently serve on working groups, policy committees, and personnel committees of the UNC System Office. The Faculty Assembly also nominates members of the general faculty to support System initiatives.

The chair of the Faculty Assembly and, when in place, the chair-elect, attend all UNC Board of Governors public meetings and serve ex officio on the UNC Board of Governors Committee on University Personnel, Committee on Educational Planning, Policies, and Programs, and the UNC System Office’s Chief Academic Officers (Provosts) Council.

Vision

The faculty voice in shared governance across the UNC System by way of advocacy, communication, and collaborative effort.

Mission

The mission of the UNC Faculty Assembly is to advise the UNC System president, UNC System Office, and UNC Board of Governors by advocating for the faculty across all campuses in the development of sound policies and practices for world class university education.

In fulfilling this role, the UNC Faculty Assembly engages in the following practices:

• Partner and collaborate with administrators, staff, and governing boards to serve the students and faculty of the UNC System;
• Provide advice and counsel to the UNC System president, System Office, and Board of Governors on proposed changes to Systemwide policy or the UNC Policy Manual;
• Work with the UNC System president and System Office in support of Systemwide projects and initiatives that advance the mission of the UNC System;
• Serve as a conduit for communicating faculty perspectives and concerns to the UNC System president and System Office;
• Disseminate UNC System Office information to the faculty at each of the constituent institutions, both directly and through the Faculty Senates;
• Identify and share ideas and best practices to support the Systemwide shared governance and productive collaboration between faculty and administration;
• Promote greater understanding of the role and contributions of faculty to the UNC System and state of North Carolina within the UNC Board of Governors, General Assembly, and the broader public;
• Serve as an active representative of the faculty voice at the UNC System Office, Board of Governors, and individual campus committees; and
• Ensure equitable representation and opportunity for all faculty and equal representation for every institution in the UNC System.

View the UNC Faculty Assembly bylaws.

Faculty Assembly Work & Updates

The Faculty Assembly brings faculty perspectives to issues affecting teaching, scholarship, shared governance, and academic life across the UNC System. Explore recent reports, recommendations, task force work, and other resources developed through the Assembly and its committees.

Civil Discourse in the UNC System

The Faculty Assembly’s Task Force on Civil Discourse examined how faculty and institutions across the UNC System support civil discourse in academic and co-curricular settings. In June 2026, the task force published Civil Discourse and the University of North Carolina.