The University of Arizona Faculty Senate came into being in the fall of 1947 when a group of interested faculty members drafted a faculty constitution that provided the framework for a greater faculty voice in the governance of the University.
On June 24, 1992, the Arizona State Legislature passed a faculty governance law for all three state universities, ARS 15-1601B which reads:
The Universities shall have colleges, schools and departments and give courses of study and academic degrees as the Board (of Regents) approves. Subject to the responsibilities and powers of the Board and the University Presidents, the faculty members of the Universities, through their elected faculty representatives, shall share responsibility for academic and education activities and matters related to faculty personnel. The faculty members of each University, through their elected faculty representatives, shall participate in the governance of their respective Universities and shall actively participate in the development of University policy.
"In an era of significant education change, the success of the University and the positive morale of the faculty and administration are dependent upon continued use of the collective intelligence of the University community in planning and decision-making."
......From UA Guidelines for Shared Governance, April 4, 2005