The Senate is the senior academic decision-making body of the university. The purposes of the Senate are defined by the Thompson Rivers University Act. These include setting: criteria for awarding credentials, curriculum content, admissions standards, examinations and student evaluation policies, student withdrawal policies, criteria for academic standing and standards, the grading system, criteria for academic excellence awards, and student academic appeals policies and procedures. The Senate is further required by the Act to advise the Board of Governors on matters including: the mission statement, goals, objectives, strategies, and priorities of the university; the establishment, revision, or discontinuance of courses, programs, or faculties; the priorities for new programs and courses; the evaluation of programs and educational services; the library and resource centres; the setting of the academic schedule; the qualifications of faculty members; the adjudication procedures for appeal-able matters of student discipline; the terms of affiliation with other post-secondary bodies; and the consultation with community and program advisory groups concerning the university’s educational programs.
Note that student representatives on the Senate are elected through a TRU process and not selected through the Student Caucus.
