- Senate Executive Committee (SEC)
- Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility (SCAFR)
- Senate Committee on the Economic Status of the Faculty (SCESF)
- Senate Committee on Faculty Development, Diversity, and Equity (SCFDDE)
- Senate Committee on Faculty and the Administration (SCOA)
- Senate Committee on Faculty and the Academic Mission (SCOF)
- Senate Committee on Students and Educational Policy (SCSEP)
- CIRCE
- CIRCE: Medicine
- Senate Nominating Committee
- Senate Committee on Publication Policy for Almanac
- Senate Select Committee on Scholarly Communication
- Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Planning for Post-Pandemic Penn (P4)
The University recognizes the importance of a system of tenure for faculty members as the preeminent means of fostering and protecting academic freedom in teaching and in scholarly inquiry.
The Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility (“SCAFR”) consists of nine Standing Faculty members who each serve three-year terms, plus the Faculty Senate Chair-Elect. SCAFR advises and consults with each school faculty’s Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility (“CAFR”) and with administrative officers on the establishment of appropriate procedures to be followed in the event of a claim of violation of academic freedom or responsibility. At the beginning of each year, SCAFR distributes the “Procedural Principles for Handling Complaints Concerning Academic Freedom and Responsibility” to the members of each faculty’s CAFR. SCAFR has the power to make investigations, reports, and recommendations on any matter relating to academic freedom and responsibility within the University.
More information about faculty CAFRs can be found in the University Faculty Handbook.
SCAFR 2024-2025 Membership
- Alison Buttenheim (Nursing) term ends 2027
- Frederick Dickinson (SAS/History) term ends 2026
- André Dombrowski (SAS/History of Art) term ends 2027
- Sebastián Gil-Riaño (SAS/History and Sociology of Science) term ends 2027
- Abby Reisman (Education) term expires 2026
- Jennifer Rothman (Law) term expires 2027
- Frank Setzer (Dental Medicine) term expires 2027
- Amanda Shanor (Wharton), term expires 2027
- Karen Tani (Law and SAS/History) term expires 2026, CHAIR
- Ex officio:
- Kathleen Brown (SAS/History), Senate Chair-Elect
SCAFR members serve three-year terms, per the Faculty Senate Rules. Terms begin each year on July 1 and conclude on June 30 of the following year.