The Academic Senate shares with the president "the immediate responsibility for academic governing of the University by establishing, maintaining, supervising, and in general being responsible for the academic policies of the University" (Bylaws II, 6). The Academic Senate is composed of the president, the provost, the deans of the various schools, various administrative officials of the University, representatives of graduate and undergraduate students, and delegates elected by the faculties of the various schools of the University. The Constitution of the Academic Senate is the basic governing document of the senate, and detailed provisions reflecting the composition, the election, the authority, and the procedures of the Academic Senate appear in the Faculty Handbook.

These Academic Senate webpages show the current membership of the senate and its various components including major committees elected by the senate (Executive Committee, Committee on Committees and Rules, and Committee on Appointments and Promotions), standing and adjudicatory committees appointed by the Senate's Committee on Committees and Rules, and the Undergraduate and Graduate Boards. A brief description of the areas of responsibility of each group and its membership for the academic year is also given.