Faculty Senate

The Tennessee State University Faculty Senate is a representative governing body elected by the Faculty. The Senate enables effective participation of the Faculty in the governance and development of the University, and it serves as a path of communication between the University's various constituencies. The Senate initiates, formulates, discusses and recommends academic and other related policies that affect more than one unit of the University. The Senate also issues reports to the President of the University, and, through him or her, to the Board of Trustees.

The Faculty Senate meets on a monthly basis during the academic year. Details below.

Greetings from the Chair of Faculty Senate

Dr. Venkataswarup Tiriveedhi

Greetings TSU family,

I am honored to welcome you on behalf of the Faculty Senate to our webpage.

It is an honor and a privilege to serve as the Faculty Senate Chair for the 2024-2026.  As your senate chair, I affirm my strongest commitment to represent and advocate for the faculty body.

The Faculty Senate represents the united voice of all faculty in contributing to:  policy development and implementation, initiatives that build the institution’s infrastructure, programs that promote student engagement and scholarship, other University building projects, and fiscal responsibility.  This body, the Faculty Senate, is committed to working with each division and unit of the University to foster an atmosphere of shared governance as we jointly accomplish established missions and goals. The senate embraces the Shared Governance Protocol as defined in our constitution which states that “governance is the shared responsibility of the Faculty and the Administration and incorporates the processes and policies that result in decisions that create, implement, evaluate, or change the University’s academic and research mission or programs.” 

The Faculty Senate oversees 14 standing committees and three ad hoc committees. Along with the elected senators and members serving on various senate-initiated committees, the senate body will be the foremost unit to identify, receive and advocate for all faculty issues at TSU. Recently we have navigated through the challenges of COVID-19. Given the current financial stress that TSU is going through, now more than ever, it has become important for the senate body to advocate and boost faculty morale.  Tennessee State University was established on a foundation of enormous fortitude and has proven over and over again its ability to weather any storm presented externally or internally.   As the saying goes – when ‘I’ is replaced by ‘we’, even ‘illness’ becomes ‘wellness’.

In conclusion, the Faculty Senate exists to serve you as we produce the next generation of scholars and leaders. Do not hesitate to contact me or any of the Faculty Senators.   

Thank you and have another outstanding academic year!

Sincerely,

Venkataswarup Tiriveedhi, MD, PhD, MBA

Associate Professor

2024-2026 Faculty Senate Chair

College of Life and Physical Sciences

Department of Biological Sciences

(615)963-5779

vtirivee@tnstate.edu