Faculty Handbook

Article IV. – GOVERNANCE

Article IV. – GOVERNANCE

Section 1. THE FACULTY ASSEMBLY

  1. The ultimate governing body of the faculty shall be designated the Faculty Assembly and shall consist of all members of the faculty. Part-time contingent faculty, emeriti faculty, and emeriti presidents shall have the privilege of voice, but not the right to vote.
  2. The Faculty Assembly shall be scheduled to meet at least once a semester during fall and spring semesters. The Faculty Assembly shall meet at the call of the chair of the faculty. Scheduled Faculty Assembly meetings may be canceled by the chair of faculty with majority approval from Faculty Senate. A notice of such cancellation must be communicated to faculty via email no later than 48 hours before the scheduled meeting. In the event that a Faculty Assembly is canceled, it should be rescheduled as soon as possible, and meeting minutes from a previous meeting will be presented for approval at the next scheduled Faculty Assembly.
  3. A special meeting of the Faculty Assembly shall be held at the request of the president of the university or of the chair of the faculty or upon the written request of any ten members of the faculty.
  4. Members of the administrative staff or others who are not members of the faculty may be invited to attend Faculty Assembly meetings. These individuals may be given the right to speak but they shall have no vote.
  5. Members of the Board of Regents have the right to attend meetings of the Faculty Assembly, except when the assembly elects to meet in executive session. [See Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, Sec. 9] Board members may be given the right to speak but they shall not have the right to vote.
  6. Part-time contingent faculty, emeriti faculty, and emeriti presidents shall have the privilege of attending Faculty Assembly meetings except when the assembly elects to meet in executive session, and may be given the right to speak though not the right to vote. Full-time contingent faculty and administrative faculty shall enjoy all the rights of regular faculty within the Faculty Assembly, including both voice and vote.
  7. The Faculty Assembly may delegate authority for any matter of governance to the Faculty Senate, but retains the right and power to overrule any decision of the senate by an assembly motion approved by at least two-thirds of those voting.
  8. The parliamentary authority governing meetings of the Faculty Assembly shall be Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, subject to amendment by the assembly.

Section 2. THE FACULTY SENATE

  1. The Faculty Senate shall consist of the chair, vice chair, and members elected by various recognized academic units and groups as determined by faculty legislation.
  2. Advisory members shall consist of the president, the provost, and the chairs of faculty standing committees.  These advisory members shall have the same rights and privileges as any other member of the senate except the right to make motion and to vote.
  3. The Faculty Senate shall be scheduled to meet once a month during fall and spring semesters.
  4. A special meeting of the Faculty Senate shall be held at the request of the president of the university or of the chair of the faculty, or upon written request of any 4 members of the Senate.
  5. The parliamentary authority governing meetings of the Faculty Senate shall be Robert’s rules of order, Newly Revised, subject to amendment by the senate.

Section 3. FACULTY OFFICERS

  1. Faculty officers shall consist of the chair of the faculty, the vice chair of the faculty, and the faculty secretary.
  2. The chair of the faculty shall preside at the meetings of the Faculty Assembly and the Faculty Senate. In the absence of the chair of the faculty, the vice chair shall preside. In the absence of both the chair and the vice chair, the chair’s designated representative shall preside.
  3. The chair, vice chair, and secretary shall perform such duties as designated in the Faculty Constitution, Faculty Bylaws, faculty legislation, and directives of the Faculty Assembly.

Section 4. THE FACULTY COMMITTEE SYSTEM

  1. The faculty shall have the power to create and dissolve committees. All such committees shall remain responsible to the faculty.
  2. The faculty shall have the power to determine the composition, method of selection, purposes, and duties of its committees subject to the terms of this Constitution and Bylaws.
  3. The general purpose of the Governance Committee shall be to facilitate the successful operation of the Faculty Senate and the entire committee system.

Section 5. ACADEMIC STRUCTURE AND OFFICERS OF THE UNIVERSITY

  1. The university academic structure shall consist of such entities as may, from time to time, be established by the Board of Regents upon recommendation of the faculty in consultation with the president.
  2. The president of the university shall nominate to the Board of Regents for their approval all officers of instruction and academic administration, such as the provost, associate provosts, vice presidents, deans, associate deans, department chairs, program directors, as well as members of the teaching faculty.

Section 6. BYLAWS TO THE CONSTITUTION AND RULES

  1. Such Bylaws and Rules of Order as are deemed necessary to the interpretation and implementation of this Constitution shall be drafted for adoption together with the Constitution.
  2. Amendment to the Bylaws or Rules of Order
    1. Amendments to the Bylaws or Rules of Order originate within the faculty.
    2. The Faculty Assembly shall determine its own rules governing the introduction and consideration of proposed amendments.
    3. An amendment shall not be deemed approved unless it receives endorsement by at least two-thirds of those voting, a quorum being present, except as noted in paragraph 4, below.
    4. If a particular provision of the Bylaws or Rules of Order establishes a validating vote in excess of two-thirds, then the amendment shall not be deemed approved unless it receives endorsement by at least that fraction of the vote specified in the provision, a quorum being present.
    5. The faculty secretary through the agency of the president of the university shall inform the Board of Regents of any amendment to the Bylaws or Rules of Order which has been approved by the Faculty Assembly.
    6. Upon approval of the faculty, the amendment shall become operative following the completion of the subsequent meeting of the Board of Regents unless disapproved and provided that the Board of Regents has received notification at least one month prior to its meeting.
    7. In the event of disapproval, the Board of Regents through the agency of the president of the university shall so inform the Faculty Assembly.

Section 7. FACULTY LEGISLATION

  1. Faculty policy in the sundry substantive areas of faculty concern shall wherever possible be set forth in written statements called faculty legislation.
  2. All existing faculty legislation not in conflict with this Constitution and its Bylaws shall remain in full force pending future codification.
  3. New faculty legislation and amendments to existing faculty legislation shall be effective upon adoption by the Faculty Assembly or by the Faculty Senate operating within the authority granted to it by the assembly.
  4. Any proposal for faculty legislation shall be in proper written form before consideration.