State University of New York (SUNY) Governance All 64 campuses of SUNY function under the overall authority and responsibility of the University Board of Trustees, subject to the general guidelines of the Board of Regents of the State of New York. The Board of Trustees delegates administration of the University to Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher and her staff, known as the System Administration, which implements University-wide academic, fiscal, personnel, and facilities policies. The System Administration serves as liaison between the campuses and such State offices as the Division of the Budget, the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations, the Department of Civil Service, and the Office of the State Comptroller.

Campus Presidents and College Councils
Each campus president serves as the chief administrative officer with overall responsibility, authority, and accountability for the campus. Each campus devises its own structures, programs, and procedures within the general goals and policies of the University and within its specific mission.

Each State-operated campus in the SUNY system has its own College Council, which consists of 10 members, nine appointed by the governor and one elected by and from the students on the campus. The governor designates one member as chair. Council members appointed by the governor serve for a term of seven years. Councils also shall invite a representative of the faculty and a representative of the alumni to attend regular meetings of the Council. The statutory powers and duties of College Councils are described in Article 8, Section 356 of the New York State Education Law.

The duties and powers of the Purchase College Senate shall be:
a. To legislate on all matters pertaining to Purchase College, except: matters pertaining to policies and procedures for faculty and staff personnel actions; matters specifically assigned by law or policy of the SUNY Board of Trustees to another body; and matters that are the traditional purview of the faculty, including but not limited to, curriculum.
b. To charge and to receive reports from standing committees of the Senate.
c. To deliberate and act on the committee recommendations and to establish appropriate procedures for their implementation.
d. To advise on the composition of task forces established by the Administration.
f. To establish its own ad hoc committees and recommend issues to be taken up by the standing committees.
g. The faculty may veto, by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, any decision of the Senate within three working months of the Senate’s decision (not to include intersession or summer breaks).
h. Recognizing its primary responsibility for campus governance, the Purchase College Faculty may establish a College Senate (or other body) to implement a system of campus-wide representation. The Faculty shall have the responsibility to establish or amend the bylaws governing that body, or to approve amendments coming from that body. This Senate was established in this way by the Faculty in 2002. Establishment or revision of the Purchase Senate Bylaws by the Faculty shall require a two-thirds majority of the votes cast to take effect. Amendments to these Purchase Senate Bylaws may be initiated by a two-thirds majority of the Senate.
i. The Senate shall report regularly to all the constituencies that it represents. The Secretary, with the assistance of the co-chairs, shall prepare Minutes of all Senate meetings and publish those Minutes on the Senate intranet site, along with written reports received from the chairs of Senate standing committees for distribution by electronic means to all constituencies. The Minutes shall contain a list of senators attending and summaries of actions taken at the meeting, recommendations received from campus committees, and actions taken on those recommendations. Elected senators are charged to report to and communicate with their respective constituencies regularly.
j. Decisions shall be reached by a majority vote of voting senators present.

The voting faculty of the College consists of all of those members of the faculty and administration holding academic appointment who are defined as voting faculty by the Policies of the Board of Trustees of State University of New York (Policies), and in addition includes all faculty in qualified academic rank who have taught at least two courses per semester for more than one year.
Within the limits set by the Policies, the voting faculty have a primary responsibility for developing and implementing educational, curricular, and personnel policies, and for defining and participating in the administration of academic and professional standards, including teaching, research, and creative activity, for the College.

Standing Committees:
A. Educational Policies: Considers all matters involving educational policy issues which have College-wide implications, such as requirements, format of grades, addition or modification of programs, etc.; conducts periodic curricular reviews; and deliberates on all other matters involving the educational program of the college. Proposals for new programs (including new majors, minors, and concentrations within majors) must be submitted to and approved by the Educational Policies Committee before being sent on to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the President.
B. Personnel Policies: Considers all matters involving faculty appointments, reappointments, promotions, and tenure.
C. Professional Standards and Awards: Considers any and all grants and other honors requiring peer review and shall solicit no fewer than three faculty, with at least one from the Arts and one from Liberal Arts and Sciences. (Faculty who have an interest in the matters covered by this committee are encouraged to become involved.) In addition, there shall be two student members, one from the Arts and one from Liberal Arts and Sciences.
D. Academic Standards and Awards: Oversees recommendations for student grants, awards, scholarships, and other college-wide academic honors; considers standards for admission; determines appropriate procedures concerning probation and dismissal from the College and any appeals of these; and determines the constitution of the Academic Review Committees.

Academic Councils: There shall be two Academic Councils, one in the Liberal Arts and Sciences and one in the Arts, with the broad charge to consider matters of import to their faculties and programs, including (but not limited to) matters of curriculum.

College Senate: Recognizing its primary responsibility for campus governance, the Faculty may establish a College Senate (or other body) to implement a system of campus-wide representation. The Faculty shall have the responsibility to establish or amend the bylaws governing that body. Establishment or revision of the College Senate Bylaws by the Faculty shall require a two-thirds majority of the votes cast to take effect.

The Purchase College Professional Staff Council brings Professional Employees into meaningful association in order to participate in the governance of the College, actively influence the decision-making process of the College for both immediate and long-range issues, provide a forum for discussion of common areas of concern among Professional Employees, provide opportunities for personal and professional growth and development, and collaborate with the professionals unions, human resources and faculty senate on common interests.

The Purposes of the Professional Staff shall be to bring Professional Employees into meaningful association in order to:

1. Participate in the governance of the College.

2. Actively influence the decision-making process of the College, both for immediate and long-range issues.

3. Provide a forum for discussion of common areas of concern among Professional Employees.

4. Provide opportunities for personal and professional growth and development.

5. Collaborate with the professionals unions, human resources, and faculty senate on common interests.

Represent, advocate and further the interests and welfare of the students of Purchase College.

a. Ensure that all students have equal access, are served fairly and treated appropriately as regards to the Non-Discrimination Policy (Article IV).

b. Promote the active involvement of students in the governance of the college.

c. Secure and protect the greatest possible freedom of action for all PSGA recognized groups.

d. Secure and protect the greatest possible freedom of action for all members of the PSGA, regardless of GPA, major, year, and disciplinary status.

e. Provide a central clearing-house of information for all students.

f. To manage funds brought in by the Mandatory Student Activity Fee, and any additional sources, in the interest of the student body.