Part VIII. – FACULTY STANDING COMMITTEES | Faculty Handbook

Faculty Standing Committees (defined in Bylaws, Article IV, Section 4, subsection A, 1) are as follows: Core Curriculum; Educational Policies; Governance; Rank and Tenure. The membership, advisory membership, general purpose, and specific duties of each committee are described below.

Section 1. CORE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE

Membership:
Three faculty members elected from the faculty for three-year overlapping terms with the provision that the committee be comprised of one member chosen from the College of Liberal Studies; one member chosen from the College of Natural Sciences; and one member chosen from either the College of Health Professions or the College of Professional Studies.
Advisory Membership:
Director of first year experience program; director of international honors program; director of core curriculum; dean of inclusive excellence; registrar; a representative from the Center for Student Success; a representative for academic assessment; a student selected by the Associated Students of PLU. Consistent with the Bylaws, Article IV, Section 4.B.7-8, advisory members shall have the same rights and privileges as any other member of the committee except the right to make motions and to vote.
General Purpose:
To support, develop, and oversee the Core Curriculum (which includes FYEP and IHON), with significant administrative oversight by the director of core curriculum, including communication with the faculty regarding programmatic matters.
Structure:
The chair of the Core Curriculum Committee works closely with the director of core curriculum and others who directly interact with curricular and assessment decision.
Specific Duties:
1. To work in collaboration with the director of core curriculum for the purpose of ensuring programmatic quality and consistency. This occurs through:
  1. Initial approval of Core Curriculum designation(s) for courses.
  2. Consistent review cycle of approved courses.
  3. Development and implementation of assessment standards and protocols.
2. To develop and oversee appropriate policies and protocols that facilitate the creation of specific learning outcomes, the development of courses, the assessment of student learning in these courses, and quality assurance for the Core Curriculum.
3. To work in collaboration with appropriate administrators to enact these approved policies and procedures.
4. To develop and oversee policies for regular programmatic curriculum review, revision, and oversight of the Core Curriculum.
5. To work in collaboration with appropriate administrators to conduct the review for and report the results of this review and recommendations to appropriate bodies (e.g., the faculty, the Educational Policies Committee, the provost, etc.)
6. To facilitate general program management and delivery including:
  1. Review and approve new course proposals subject to the regular policies and procedures established by the university faculty.
  2. Review existing courses as part of on-going program review and recommend removal of designations as necessary.
  3. Develop policies for waivers and exceptions to program requirements.
7. To advocate, promote, and represent the Core Curriculum.
8. To coordinate the Core Curriculum with other academic units subject to the regular policies and procedures established by the university faculty.
9. The chair of the Core Curriculum Committee shall serve on the Conciliation Committee in accordance with the Bylaws, Article VI, Section 1.B.
10. To make a written report to the faculty at least once a year. The chair of the committee shall file a record of the committee’s activities in duplicate reports—one with the faculty secretary and one with the president of the university at the close of the school year.

Section 2. EDUCATIONAL POLICIES COMMITTEE

Membership:
Four members elected from the faculty for three-year overlapping terms with the provision that the committee be composed of one member from each of the four colleges.
Advisory Membership:
Provost; registrar; associate provost for undergraduate programs; one student selected by the Associated Students of PLU. Consistent with the Bylaws, Article IV, Section 4.B.7-8, advisory members shall have the same rights and privileges as any other member of the committee except the right to make motions and to vote.
General Purpose:
To study problems and to make recommendations relative to all areas of academic policy, including the regular semester, January term, summer school, graduate division, and continuing education programs.
Specific Duties:
1. To consider policies of academic and instructional nature:
  1. Requirements for all undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates.
  2. Course additions and deletions proposed by departments and schools, according to procedures established by the Educational Policies Committee and the faculty.
  3. Credit value of courses, seminars, workshops, and so forth.
2. To study and make recommendations to the faculty and the departments concerned regarding new areas in instruction to be entered, old areas to be abandoned, and new trends in higher education.
3. To consider and recommend to the faculty candidates for honorary degrees.
4. To review and recommend to the faculty all proposals for courses intended to satisfy core curriculum elements, after initial approval by the Core Curriculum Committee.
5. To serve in an advisory capacity to the administration of the university in order to express faculty concerns and interests regarding academic effects of the budget.
6. To inform the faculty of EPC policy determinations through the “For Information Only” section of the 30-Day Clock memo disseminated to the faculty via email throughout the academic year.
7. The chair of the Educational Policies Committee shall serve on the Conciliation Committee in accordance with the Bylaws, Article VI, Section 1.B.
8. The chair of the Educational Policies Committee shall receive a teaching load reduction of one (1) course or the equivalent per academic year.
9. To make a written report to the faculty at least once a year. The chair of the committee shall file a record of the committee’s activities in duplicate reports—one with the faculty secretary and one with the president of the university at the close of the school year.

Section 3. GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE

Membership:
Three members elected from the faculty at large for three-year overlapping terms.
General Purpose:
To interpret the Faculty Constitution and Bylaws and faculty legislation as the occasion arises. To facilitate the successful operation of the entire committee system, and to study matters pertaining to the system of faculty governance.
Specific Duties:
1. To study problems and recommend policy regarding faculty governance and changes in the Faculty Constitution and Bylaws.
2. To oversee revisions to the Faculty Handbook.
3. To monitor membership, organization, and functions of the Faculty Senate and faculty standing committees.
4. To prepare a slate for senate positions based on nominations from the units and groups they represent. If no nominations from any eligible faculty member to fill the position.
5. To prepare a slate of candidates for all committee positions and other positions filled by election at large from the faculty.
6. To present these candidates to the faculty and accept faculty nominations.
7. To present nominees when called upon to do so during the school year by act of the faculty.
8. To present nominees when vacancies occur in any elected office.
9. To nominate two candidates for each committee position to be filled by election. The list of nominees will be presented to faculty, who may nominate additional candidates before an election will be conducted. Nominations should attempt to preserve an equitable distribution of service among eligible faculty consistent with committee membership criteria.
10. To conduct all faculty elections by secret ballot. The chair of the Governance Committee serves jointly with the faculty secretary to certify the faculty elections.
11. Annual elections for senate positions should normally be held in March. Elections for vice chair and standing committees should normally be held in April.
12. To report as elected anyone receiving a majority of votes cast for that position. A majority vote is required for election; a run-off secret ballot shall be provided containing the names of the two candidates receiving the largest number of votes for each of the positions to be filled.
13. To review all cases brought before it when a constitutional interpretation is necessary to resolve a bona fide dispute.
14. To hold and exercise full power to decide what cases it will hear and make judgments on.
15. To provide injunctive relief, if deemed necessary by the committee, to litigants pending decision of a case.
16. To resolve by interpretation of the Faculty Constitution all issues approved for hearing by the committee.
17. To communicate each decision in writing to the president of the university, the faculty secretary, and the party or parties responsible for referral of the case.
18. The chair of the Governance Committee shall serve on the Conciliation Committee in accordance with the Bylaws, Article VI, Section 1.B.
19. To make a written report to the faculty at least once a year. The chair of the committee shall file a record of the committee’s activities in duplicate reports—one with the faculty secretary and one with the president of the university at the close of the school year.
Procedures:
1. 1. To bring a case before the committee the disputants must submit a written statement. It must include the names of the parties involved in the dispute, the issue in dispute, the reasons for the dispute and the relief sought, and why the relief should be granted. Citation of documents relevant to the dispute (for example, the Faculty Constitution and Bylaws and faculty legislation) must be provided by each of the parties.
  2. If the Governance Committee determines by vote that a member or members have a conflict of interest, then the Governance Committee will select a temporary member or members to replace the member(s) with a conflict for that particular case. The Governance Committee shall select the member(s) from former Governance Committee members who are qualified members of the faculty who do not have a conflict. This appointment shall be for the specific case for which the regular member has a conflict.

Section 4. RANK AND TENURE COMMITTEE

Membership:
Five tenured members, consisting of one member from each of the four Colleges and one member from the Library or faculty at large, elected for three-year overlapping terms.
Advisory Membership:
Provost; one student selected by the Associated Students of PLU. Consistent with the Bylaws, Article IV, Section 4.B.7-8, advisory members shall have the same rights and privileges as any other member of the committee except the right to make motions and to vote.
General Purpose:
To consider and recommend policies relative to recruitment, rank, promotion, and tenure of the faculty and to act in an advisory capacity to the administration relative to application of these policies to individual members of the faculty.
Specific Duties:
1. 1. To review all cases for non-retention, promotion, and tenure of individual members of the faculty, and to make specific recommendations to the president.
  2. To review all recommendations for sabbatical leaves and to make specific recommendations to the president prior to approval by the Board of Regents.
  3. To recommend to the faculty ideas or techniques that make it possible to obtain objective information or data whereby the effectiveness of teaching may more adequately be determined, thereby enabling the committee to fulfill its advisory function as fully as possible.
  4. To recommend to the faculty matters related to tenure or promotion that the faculty may decide to recommend to the president for presentation to the Board of Regents.
  5. To conduct inquiries into misconduct in science at the request of the provost.
  6. To make recommendations to the faculty regarding the designation of professor emeritus status for retiring non-tenured faculty.
  7. The chair of the Rank and Tenure Committee shall serve on and convene the initial meeting of the Conciliation Committee in accordance with the Bylaws, Article VI, Section 1.B.
  8. The chair of the Rank and Tenure Committee shall receive a teaching load reduction of one (1) course or the equivalent per academic year.
  9. To make a written report to faculty at least once a year. The chair of the committee shall file a record of the committee’s activities in duplicate reports—one with the faculty secretary and one with the president of the university at the close of the school year.