SIS Bylaws Draft

SIS Bylaws
Faculty Bylaws
School of International Service
American University

 

I. Principles and Purpose

The principles set forth in these bylaws preserve and nurture the traditions of cooperation, mutual respect, and faculty governance in the School of International Service.  To that end, the governance process must be fully transparent, to the extent consonant with the provisions contained in these bylaws.  The primary concerns of those who govern SIS are to achieve the highest standards of excellence, to respect diversity of opinions, to promote diversity and inclusion, and to maintain clarity and integrity in decision-making.

 

II. Membership

All full-time SIS faculty members, full-time faculty members holding joint appointments with SIS, SIS full-time faculty who are on leave, and SIS professors emeriti are members of the SIS faculty for the purposes of faculty governance.  The SIS Dean’s Office shall maintain and make available upon request a roster of voting members of the SIS faculty.  The Dean and Associate Deans are faculty and are encouraged to attend faculty meetings, unless otherwise specified.  The Dean may not vote at faculty meetings because of the executive functions of the office.  An Associate Dean may vote at faculty meetings, unless her/his administrative post requires her/him to act subsequently on the item under consideration at a faculty meeting.  If there is a dispute as to whether an Associate Dean is eligible to vote on an item at a faculty meeting, the SIS Parliamentarian shall decide the matter.

 

 

III.  Officers and Elections

The officers of the SIS faculty shall be a President, a Vice President, and a Parliamentarian.  These three officers shall serve for one year.  Their terms start on August 15.  To run for Vice President or Parliamentarian, a candidate must have been a full-time member of the faculty for at least five years.  The faculty Vice President automatically becomes the President for the following academic year.  If the Vice President is unable to serve as President, the SIS faculty elects a new President as soon as possible.  Candidates for a presidential election must have been a full-time member of the faculty for at least five years.  SIS faculty officers cannot simultaneously serve as Assistant Dean, Associate Dean, Dean, Associate Vice Provost, Vice Provost, or Provost.

 

The faculty Vice President alternates between being a tenure-line and a term faculty member.  As a result, the President and Vice President must always be one tenure-line and one term faculty member.

 

An election takes place in the spring semester to choose the faculty Vice President, Parliamentarian, and faculty members for vacant positions on SIS committees, Faculty Senate committees and other elected posts for the subsequent academic year.  The SIS President is responsible for running all elections.  The other faculty officers and the Dean’s Office are to assist the President with this task.  The SIS faculty use a secret and secure ballot for these elections.

 

 

IV. Meetings

For all bodies in these bylaws, an “open meeting” is a meeting that anyone in the SIS community may attend; a “closed meeting” is restricted to the members of a body (e.g., committee members, full-time faculty as defined in article II, etc.); an executive meeting is a closed faculty meeting that does not include the Dean.  Unless specified otherwise, a meeting is considered to be open.

 

V. Committees

Committees are the primary agencies of faculty governance at the School of International Service, and are designed to provide efficient, but accountable, decision-making in managing the affairs of the School.  Committees are created and modified as needed in order to adapt to governing needs of the School, with an eye toward maintaining representative membership and accountability, while recognizing the need to delegate decisions to a subset of the faculty for efficient and informed governance.  To ensure that committees remain accountable to the faculty as a whole, all committee decisions are subject to review by the SIS faculty, unless otherwise specified in these bylaws.  Decisions may be revised or subject to ratification by a faculty meeting as defined in article VI of these bylaws, if an appeal to do so is made as specified in article VII of these bylaws.

 

Committee member terms are three years and committee members may serve for a maximum of two consecutive terms, contingent on re-election, for all committees with the exception of the Coordinating Committee, Faculty Actions Committee, and the Term Faculty Affairs Committee.   Unless otherwise specified, faculty members who have reached the term limit on a committee may serve on that committee again once three years have passed.  Each committee elects its Chair.

 

Unless otherwise specified, committee membership is chosen through the following procedure: 1. Individuals self-nominate.  2. In the event that an insufficient number of candidates is achieved through self-nomination, the Coordinating Committee selects additional nominees at random from the pool of faculty who have not exceeded their service requirements according to the service matrix, such that the total number of nominees exceeds the available seats by one (to ensure a meaningful election).  3. At a faculty meeting prior to the final day of classes in the spring semester, faculty vote on the candidates for all committees using a secret and secure ballot.  In the event that a committee seat becomes vacant during the academic year, there is a secret and secure vote at the next faculty meeting to fill the vacancy.  The elected faculty member serves out the remainder of the term.  This service does not count toward the term limit.

 

With the exception of the Faculty Actions Committee and the Term Faculty Affairs Committee, all other committees should be representative and reflect as much as possible a proportional balance of tenured, tenure track and term faculty members.

 

Unless otherwise specified, all committees’ written actions are public documents.  Committees cannot implement actionable items unilaterally.  They must report all actionable items to the SIS faculty coordinating committee for determination of further action.

 

Creating a new committee or dissolving an existing committee requires a majority vote of eligible faculty as defined in article II.  Such a vote entails an automatic revision of the bylaws to reflect the change.   To ensure continuity and promote even turnover of committee members, new committees start with staggered terms, with some terms shorter than the standard length.  The committee Chair works in conjunction with the Faculty President to accomplish this objective and to preserve even turnover in subsequent years.

 

A. Regular Committees

 

1. Diversity and Inclusion Committee

The Diversity and Inclusion Committee has eight members, including five full-time faculty, an undergraduate student representative and a graduate student representative.  The SIS Director of Diversity is an ex officio non-voting member.   The task of the committee is to ensure that diversity and inclusion are fully realized in all areas at SIS.  The committee shall collect and analyze data, produce reports, make recommendations, and propose action items for faculty meetings.

 

2. Educational Policy Committee

The Educational Policy Committee (EPC) has eleven members, including five full-time faculty members, an undergraduate student representative, and a graduate student representative.  The Associate Dean for Curriculum and Learning, the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education, the Assistant Dean for Masters Education, and the Director of Academic Affairs are ex officio non-voting members. The Educational Policy Committee is the principal body through which the SIS faculty organizes, controls, oversees, and improves the school’s curriculum.  Its chief responsibility is to evaluate proposals for additions to, or alterations of, the overall curricular offerings of the school.

 

The addition of any new course to the curriculum, or a significant change in any already existing course or program, requires the approval of the Education Policy Committee.  The EPC is responsible for developing clear written guidelines for the approval of courses and the process for submitting proposals.  It is also responsible for revising those criteria as needed in order to maintain and improve the quality of the education provided at SIS, and to maintain the purpose and integrity of its concentrations and programs.

 

As the committee responsible for organizing both graduate and undergraduate education at the school, the EPC may also be tasked with the following:

  • Approval or revision of (new) degree programs and concentrations.
  • Establishing and revising standards and evaluation (e.g. addressing concerns with grade inflation).
  • Approval of joint courses with the university’s other academic and teaching units.
  • Terminating courses, concentrations, and degree programs.

 

The EPC must obtain a majority vote at a faculty meeting in support of creating or terminating a degree program before it makes a recommendation to do so to the university level. Per university regulations, the EPC shall advance action items regarding course approvals and registration directly to the university-wide offices (e.g., the registrar).

 

 

3. Faculty Actions Committee

The Faculty Actions Committee (FAC) has seven elected members; five are tenured faculty members and two are tenure-track faculty members.  Tenured faculty members serve for a single two-year term.  Tenure-track faculty members serve for a single one-year term.  At least two of the tenured FAC members must be full professors.  The remainder of the tenured FAC members may be either full or associate professors.

 

Elections take place prior to the end of the spring semester to fill vacancies on the FAC for the subsequent academic year.  All tenure-line faculty members are eligible to vote.  Voting occurs by secret and secure ballot and only the names of those elected are reported.  There are separate contests to fill the open tenure-track and tenured seats.  If there are fewer than two full professors returning to the FAC, the full professor(s) with the highest vote totals serve on the FAC until there is a minimum of two full professors on the committee. Thereafter the remaining seats go to the full and associate professors with the highest number of votes regardless of rank.  In case there is a tie for the final seat, the tied faculty members are candidates in a runoff election.

 

If a FAC member is unable to complete her/his term (for example, due to a medical problem or an unexpected public-service leave), the faculty elects an additional faculty member as a replacement for a one‐year term using a secret and secure ballot.  Unanticipated vacancies that occur in the middle of the academic year are not filled in the academic year in which they occur.

 

Only those tenure‐track junior faculty members willing to serve stand for election to tenure-track seats.  Tenure-track faculty should not be scheduled for a junior faculty teaching release during their period of service on the FAC.  A tenure-track faculty member who has completed a term on the FAC is not eligible to serve again for two years.

 

All tenured faculty members are automatically placed on the ballot for any vacant tenured faculty seats unless they are going on leave, serving as the SIS representative on the AU Faculty Senate’s Committee on Faculty Actions, retiring within the next two years, or served on the FAC in the past five years.  A tenured faculty member may use an “opt out” one time every five years to avoid standing for a FAC election during a period in which he or she is otherwise eligible to serve.

 

The FAC elects its own Chair and Vice Chair.  It is preferable if full professors fill these positions.  To ensure continuity, it is preferable that the Vice Chair be in the first year of a two-year term and be able and willing to serve as Chair in the second year.  The Chair receives one course release per year and assistance from staff in the Dean’s Office to carry out the work of the FAC.

 

The FAC Chair’s responsibilities include communicating with three‐person review committees (see below), faculty search committees, and the Dean.  The FAC Chair also calls meetings, drafts the agenda and minutes, and forwards letters to the Dean communicating the results of tenured faculty deliberations and votes on tenure-line faculty actions.  The FAC works in coordination with the Term Faculty Affairs Committee to maintain the SIS service matrix and to produce draft proposals for changes.  A faculty meeting and the SIS Dean must approve any changes to the service matrix before they go into effect.

 

All FAC members (including tenure-track faculty) are responsible for achieving the following tasks:

  • Recommendations to the Dean regarding the composition of search committees for new faculty positions.
  • Votes on search committee recommendations for new tenure‐track assistant professor searches and forwarding both the search-committee recommendations and the FAC recommendations to the Dean.
  • Recommendations to the Dean on joint, affiliated and transfer faculty appointments from other units on campus.
  • Recommendations to the Dean regarding areas for new and vacant tenure‐line faculty positions based on a broad faculty discussion.
  • Recommendations of faculty for emeritus status to the Dean.
  • Advise the Dean on other personnel matters as appropriate (with junior faculty involvement as appropriate).

 

Only tenured members of FAC are responsible for the following tasks:

  • Recommendations to the Dean for tenure‐line faculty merit.
  • In consultation with the candidate, recommendations to the Dean regarding the membership of three‐person review committees for pre‐tenure reappointment, tenure and promotion reviews.

 

Operation of the FAC

  • The FAC consults with faculty members who are not on the FAC, the Dean, and Associate Deans when appropriate.
  • The FAC meets with search committees for tenure‐track assistant professor positions prior to making a recommendation on hires. Agendas and documents prepared for meetings are shared in advance with the faculty and faculty input is encouraged.
  • The FAC ensures strict confidentiality when making merit and personnel recommendations.
  • All FAC meetings to discuss faculty actions or merit are closed.
  • The FAC holds one open meeting per year to discuss recommendations for new faculty hires. The FAC may decide to hold additional open meetings as appropriate.

 

FAC Processes for Review of Tenure‐line Faculty

  • Pre‐tenure reappointment reviews

The candidate provides the FAC a list of four names of tenured members of the SIS faculty deemed highly qualified as potential members of a three-person review committee to evaluate his or her scholarship, teaching, and service.  Per the Faculty Manual, all three committee members must hold a rank at least one level above the current rank of the candidate.  The candidate may nominate any eligible member of the SIS faculty, including members of the FAC.  The FAC recommends to the Dean two of those faculty members to serve on a three‐person review committee.  The FAC recommends to the Dean an additional tenured faculty member to serve on each three‐person review committee, drawn from the total pool of SIS tenured faculty members.  It also recommends a Chair for each three-person review committee.  The composition of the three‐person review committee must be two tenured SIS faculty members who are highly qualified to evaluate the candidate’s scholarship, teaching and service, and one tenured SIS faculty member whose own research interests lie outside the scope of the candidate’s work.  The FAC establishes three-person review committees no later than one month prior to the deadline for the candidate to turn in her or his file.

 

The three‐person review committee writes a review memorandum addressed to the SIS Faculty President or Vice President (depending on which is tenured), evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate’s scholarship, teaching and service.  If committee members are divided on any matters presented in the report, individual committee-member names are redacted in the version of the letter the candidate receives.  Per the Faculty Manual, the candidate has the opportunity to respond to the three-person review committee’s letter for up to one week (i.e., seven calendar days) after receiving it.  The candidate may make a request in writing to the SIS Faculty President or Vice President (depending on which is tenured) for additional time to respond.  The three‐person review committee presents its review memorandum to the tenured faculty at a meeting chaired by the SIS Faculty President or Vice President (depending on which is tenured).  The Dean may not attend.  The Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs may not attend if he or she is writing the candidate review letter for the Dean’s Office.  SIS tenured faculty present at the faculty meeting, including the members of the FAC , discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each section (scholarship, teaching and service) as presented in the file, including the three-person review committee’s report.  The tenured faculty present at the meeting vote on reappointment by secret and secure ballot.  There is no proxy voting.  Per the Faculty Manual, the ballot includes a separate vote on each of the criteria of teaching, scholarship, and service, as well as an overall recommendation on the faculty action.  Faculty members may vote positive, negative, or abstain on each.

 

The FAC Chair, drawing on the letter from the three‐person review committee and the comments of the tenured faculty at the meeting, reports the tenured faculty’s recommendations and the vote counts for each of the criteria (teaching, scholarship, service, and overall recommendation) to the Dean.  The FAC Chair’s letter reflects the discussion and vote of the tenured faculty and does not represent a personal evaluation of the candidate.  The FAC Chair consults with other tenured FAC members to ensure that the letter is an accurate reflection of the discussion and vote of the tenured faculty.  Whenever a vote is not unanimous, the letter must summarize the views of both the majority and minority.  Those voting against the recommendation are permitted as a group to write a minority report that is attached to the FAC Chair’s letter.

 

The candidate and the Chair of the three-person review committee receive a copy of the FAC letter to the Dean with the vote count redacted.  The candidate has the opportunity to respond to the FAC Chair’s letter for up to one week (i.e., seven calendar days) after receiving it.  The candidate may make a request in writing to the FAC Chair for additional time to respond.  The FAC Chair forwards to the Dean the vote of the tenured faculty, the report of the three‐person review committee and the letter from the FAC Chair as well as any responses from the candidate to the three-person review committee’s report or the FAC Chair’s letter.  The Dean makes a recommendation and sends it to the Faculty Senate’s Committee on Faculty Actions.  The Dean sends a copy of this letter to the candidate, the Chair of the three-person review committee, and the FAC Chair.  The candidate has the opportunity to respond to the Dean’s letter to the CFA for up to one week (i.e., seven calendar days) after receiving it.  The candidate may make a request in writing to the Dean for additional time to respond.

 

  • Tenure reviews

The FAC establishes three‐person review committees by May of the calendar year that the candidate’s file is being put forward in order to provide sufficient time to generate a list of external reviewers, which are produced in accordance with the Faculty Manual and the annual CFA-Dean of Academic Affairs instructions memorandum.  The Dean begins sending requests for letters to external reviewers preferably before the end of the spring semester of the academic year preceding the review.  The external reviewers send their letters to the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, who places them in the candidate’s file.  Per vote of the SIS faculty, the identity of external letter writers remains confidential before, during, and after the review process to all but the tenured faculty members voting.

 

The three‐person review committee writes a review memorandum evaluating the candidate’s scholarship, teaching and service, and presents its report to the tenured faculty at a meeting chaired by the SIS Faculty President or Vice President (depending on which is tenured), and not attended by the Dean or the Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs if he or she is write the review letter for the Dean’s Office.  Procedures outlined as above for pre‐tenure reappointment is then be followed.

 

  • Promotion-to-full reviews

The FAC uses the same procedure as above, but only full professors are eligible to serve on a three‐person review committee and to vote on the candidate’s promotion to full professor.  Review committees are established by May of the academic year preceding the review.

 

  • Hiring externally at the senior level

All tenure‐track and tenured faculty members are eligible to vote on hiring appointments coming through an SIS search process; only tenured members of the faculty are eligible to vote on tenure.  Only full professors vote on tenure at the rank of full professor.  The faculty search committee performs the work of the three‐person review committee at the time of the hire.  If the candidate is currently an Assistant Professor without tenure, the Dean’s Office must solicit a minimum of five external letters and include them in the file.  Per the Faculty Manual, the school presents its recommendation to appoint a faculty member with tenure simultaneously to the Committee on Faculty Actions and the Office of the Provost.  The CFA Chair writes a review letter addressed to the Dean of Academic Affairs.  All previous levels of review receive a copy.  The Provost and the Dean of Academic Affairs review the documentation and interview the candidate.  If an offer is to be made, it includes determination of tenure status and rank.  Per the Faculty Manual, should circumstances require unusual action outside normal procedures, the Provost should, to the extent possible, consult with the faculty of the school, appropriate administrators, and the CFA.  Under such circumstances, the Provost provides a written explanation to all parties involved.

 

 

4. Hearing, Grievance, and Academic Integrity Committee

The Hearing, Grievance and Academic Integrity Committee has eight members, including five full-time faculty, an undergraduate student representative, and a graduate student representative.  The Associate Dean for Curriculum and Learning (or designee) is an ex officio non-voting member.

 

In the course of academic life, a student may come into disagreement with a faculty member or with the policies and actions of an academic unit as they affect the student’s progress toward completion of a course or degree.  In cases of complaint or disagreement over academic matters not resolved by consultation among the parties, the university provides the student the right to initiate a grievance procedure, as described by university regulations.  Similarly, a faculty member may wish to raise a grievance regarding policies or actions within SIS.  Faculty hearings and grievances within SIS must conform to the definitions and procedures for hearings and grievances specified in the Faculty Manual.

 

Allegations of violations of academic integrity may also arise.  The Hearing, Grievance, and Academic Integrity Committee must follow university regulations regarding academic integrity cases, including the inclusion of an undergraduate student in cases involving potential undergraduate violations of academic integrity and a graduate student in cases involving potential graduate violations of academic integrity.

 

 

5. Learning Assessment and Pedagogy Committee

The Learning Assessment and Pedagogy Committee has six members, including three full-time faculty, an alumna/alumnus representative and the Associate Dean for Curriculum and Learning (or designee).  The Dean’s Office designates a staff person as an ex officio non-voting member.  The Faculty Coordinator for Teaching and Student Learning is automatically one of the three full-time faculty members of this committee.

 

The mission of this committee is as follows:

  • Works with all programs within SIS to assist them in developing best practices for assessing learning outcomes within their programs.
  • Assists all programs within SIS to help them implement the findings from learning assessments.
  • Liaises with the SIS representative to the Committee on Learning Assessment.
  • Under the guidance of the Faculty Coordinator for Teaching and Student Learning, develops workshops and other events to assist the sharing of best teaching practices among all faculty in SIS.
  • Liaises with the university’s Center for Teaching Research and Learning to offer professional support and development opportunities for SIS faculty to improve their teaching.

 

 

6. PhD Committee

The PhD committee is holding a retreat on May 1 to determine the size of the committee, procedure for becoming a member, and the mission of the committee.  The final version of this document will contain language reflecting the results of the PhD retreat.                

 

 

7. Research and Faculty Awards Committee

The Research and Faculty Awards Committee has six members, including five full-time faculty.  The Senior Director of Research is an ex officio non-voting member.  The committee’s tasks are to make recommendations to enhance the quality and quantity of research at the school and to make recommendations to the Dean regarding faculty awards.

 

 

8. Term Faculty Affairs Committee

The Term Faculty Affairs Committee (TFAC) is a representative body, with seven elected term-faculty members, who each serve for a single two-year term.  The members’ terms are staggered to ensure continuity (three members step down one year, and then four the following).

 

Elections to replace those who have completed their terms take place prior to the end of the spring semester.  All term faculty members are eligible to vote.  Voting occurs by secret and secure ballot.

 

Having completed a term on the TFAC, a term faculty member is not eligible to serve again for two years. If a TFAC member is unable to complete a term (for example, due to a medical problem, or an unexpected public-service leave), an additional faculty member is elected as soon as possible as a replacement to complete the term.  The member elected as a replacement is not subject to the above rule and can then stand for a full term on the TFAC at the next election.

 

The Chair serves for one year and can only hold that position in the second year of the Chair’s term as a committee member. The TFAC also has a Vice Chair who is elected through a secret ballot.  The committee elects the Vice Chair no later than the start of the spring semester.  On August 15 of the subsequent academic year, the Vice Chair automatically becomes the new Chair, ensuring an orderly transition.  Candidates for Vice Chair must be serving their first year on the committee and be able and willing to serve as Chair in the subsequent academic year.  The Vice Chair automatically becomes Chair if the Chair cannot serve.  If the Vice Chair cannot serve as Chair, the TFAC votes for a replacement as soon as possible.

 

The TFAC Chair’s responsibilities include liaising with the Dean and being a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council.  The TFAC Chair also calls meetings and organizes regular townhalls to engage with term faculty colleagues.  The Vice Chair is in charge of drafting the agenda and minutes, as well as standing in for the Chair when needed.  The Chair receives assistance from staff in the Dean’s Office.

 

The mandate of the TFAC covers the following responsibilities:

  • Represent term faculty and advocate on their behalf in SIS.
  • Per the Faculty Manual, develop draft guidelines by which the Standing Committee on Term Faculty Actions (SCT) reviews the term faculty files for action for promotion/reappointment. The Dean must subsequently approve these guidelines.
  • Produce an annual report, in consultation with other stakeholders, including the Dean’s Office, assessing the process of reappointment and promotion of SIS term faculty, as well as suggesting revisions if necessary.
  • Suggest an appropriate level of service requirements for all term faculty consistent with the SIS service matrix, work in collaboration with FAC to maintain the SIS service matrix, and produce draft proposals for changes. A faculty meeting and the SIS Dean must approve any changes to the service matrix before they go into effect.
  • Provide, on a yearly basis, merit recommendations to the Dean for all term faculty.
  • Organize regular events centered on mentorship.

 

Operation of the committee:

The TFAC consults with non‐TFAC term faculty members, the Dean, and Associate Deans when appropriate.   TFAC meetings are open, unless otherwise specified.  TFAC meetings to determine merit recommendations are closed to ensure strict confidentiality.

 

 

9. Standing Committee on Term Faculty Actions

The Standing Committee on Term Faculty Actions includes six elected members, with three tenured faculty and three term faculty, who serve on a staggered basis to ensure continuity.  The committee selects its Chair through a secret and secure ballot; the Chair alternates each year between a tenured and term faculty.

 

The SCT reviews the bi-annual cycle of files for action for reappointment and promotion submitted by term faculty.  It evaluates these files according to the parameters established in the Faculty Manual and term faculty guidelines before sending its recommendations on reappointment/promotion to the Dean’s Office.  At the end of each academic year, the SCT produces a report on the committee’s work and provides it to the TFAC and the Dean.  The report should highlight any issues of concern or issues requiring revisions that arose during the academic year in order to maintain a fair, uniform, and transparent process of reappointment/promotion for term faculty.

 

 

B. Other Committees

 

Ad hoc committees

Faculty members can create an ad hoc committee with a majority vote at a faculty meeting.  A resolution to create an ad hoc committee must include the committee charge and details regarding the membership structure (e.g., the numbers of tenured, tenure-track and term faculty, etc).  Students and staff may serve on ad hoc committees when appropriate.  An election determines who serves on the committee.

 

 

VI. Faculty Meeting

  • Faculty meetings take place monthly during the academic year.
  • The President of the faculty, or a faculty member whom the President designates, chairs the faculty meeting.
  • Faculty meetings are open unless a majority of the coordinating committee votes that a meeting is closed or an executive session.
  • The coordinating committee drafts the agenda for faculty meetings as described in article VII.
  • A quorum for a faculty meeting is fifty percent plus one of the faculty members, as defined in Article II. The Chair assumes that a faculty meeting has a quorum unless a faculty member calls for a count of those attending. If such a call is made, the SIS faculty officers count the faculty members in attendance to determine whether there is a quorum.
  • There is no proxy voting in faculty meetings.
  • The Dean’s Office supplies personnel to take minutes at faculty meetings, except for meetings on faculty actions. The SIS faculty officers are responsible for editing the minutes that they present at the next meeting of the faculty for approval.
  • At least once each academic year, the dean presents at a closed faculty meeting a detailed report for discussion on the SIS budget and future budgetary priorities.

 

VII.  Coordinating Committee

The coordinating committee shall have seven voting members:  the SIS President, who also chairs the committee, the SIS faculty Vice President, an at-large tenure-track faculty member, an at-large tenured faculty member, an at-large term faculty member, the Chair of the Educational Policy Committee or a designee from that committee, and the Chair of the Term Faculty Affairs Committee or a designee from that committee.  An Associate Dean also serves on this committee as an ex officio non-voting member.

 

At-large coordinating committee members serve for a single three-year term.  The constituency for each at-large seat is the voting population (e.g., only term faculty members vote in the election of the at-large term faculty member).  A faculty member who has served as an at-large member must wait three years to be eligible to run again for the at-large seat.  The terms of at-large members are staggered, so that only one expires in any given year.  If an at-large committee member leaves the coordinating committee before the expiration of a term, the faculty of the constituency that elected the at-large member elects a replacement, who serves the remainder of the term.  The replacement may be a candidate in the subsequent election for a full term as an at-large coordinating committee.

 

The coordinating committee is not an executive body and should therefore limit itself, as much as possible, to procedural and agenda-setting decisions.  It serves as a “junction box”, ensuring steady two-way communication between committees and faculty meetings, as well as helping the SIS President to advance the work of SIS faculty committees.

 

The coordinating committee meets two weeks prior to each faculty meeting to set the agenda for the faculty meeting.  The coordinating committee must circulate the agenda and any attachments for each faculty meeting at least one week before the meeting.

 

Any faculty member may ask the coordinating committee to add an item to the agenda for the next faculty meeting, but must do so before the meeting of the coordinating committee, which is typically two weeks before the next faculty meeting.  The coordinating committee must report any agenda requests that it has declined at the subsequent faculty meeting.

 

In instances when a pressing matter for which time is of the essence arises fewer than two weeks before a faculty meeting, a faculty member may ask for a suspension of the rules at a faculty meeting in order to place the matter on the agenda.  If a majority vote in favor of the request, the Faculty President adds the item to the agenda.

 

SIS faculty committees must provide completed action items and reports to the coordinating committee, unless otherwise specified in the committee descriptions above.  If  four or more coordinating committee members support bypassing a faculty meeting to move a committee action item forward directly to the Dean, the coordinating committee does so and reports this at the next faculty meeting.   At that faculty meeting, a faculty member can ask for a reconsideration of any coordinating committee decision to bypass.  If a majority of the faculty present at the meeting vote in favor of the faculty taking up the action item in question, the coordinating committee places the action item on the agenda for the next faculty meeting.

 

VIII.  Amendments

To be considered, a proposed amendment to these bylaws must be circulated to all faculty at least one week in advance of a faculty meeting.  Amendments to these bylaws require a majority vote of eligible faculty as defined in article II.

 

The coordinating committee may make technical changes to these bylaws (e.g., changes in the names of positions, committees, etc.) in order to keep the bylaws current and accurate.  Such changes must have unanimous support of coordinating committee members.  Before implementation, the coordinating committee must report all proposed technical changes to the bylaws verbally and in writing at a faculty meeting.  A faculty member may ask for a discussion of a technical change to the bylaws in the faculty meeting where it is reported.  The discussion take place if a majority present support holding it.  A majority vote at a faculty meeting is sufficient to stop a technical change.  If this occurs, the amendment process described in the preceding paragraph must be used to make the change.

 

 

IX. Rules of order

The faculty shall conduct its business according to Robert’s Rule of Order, unless specifically modified by the Faculty By-Laws.

 

 

Approved by the faculty on

 

Adopted on

 

Amended on