7.1 Standing Committees and Standing Subcommittees.
7.1.1 Purpose. Standing committees and subcommittees are established to focus on the major continuing areas of faculty concern, including education, faculty welfare, student affairs, scholarly activity and research, finances, and physical facilities. A standing committee may divide its duties among subcommittees that are directly responsible to the parent standing committee. Standing committees and subcommittees are authorized to act for and in the name of the Senate as specified in these Bylaws. Such actions shall be reported promptly to the Executive Council and to the Senate and will stand unless the Senate, upon receiving such a report, takes jurisdiction of the matter for further consideration.
7.1.2 Composition.
7.1.2.1 Elected Members.
a. Number. Except as described below, standing committees and standing subcommittees shall be composed of at least one member from the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Education and Social Services, the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, the Larner College of Medicine, the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, the Grossman School of Business, the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, and the University Libraries. A unit with more than 200 full-time eligible faculty members may elect one additional member to each standing committee and standing subcommittee.
b. Eligibility. Any eligible faculty member (as defined in Section 2.1) may stand for election by their college or school to serve on a standing committee except as otherwise stated in these Bylaws.
c. Term. Members of the standing committees shall be elected for three years or as otherwise stated in these Bylaws, starting on July 1. Terms shall be staggered so that approximately one-third of the standing committee members shall be elected each year.
d. Election. The election of standing committee members shall be the responsibility of the individual college and school faculties. Elections shall be held no later than March of each year and shall be conducted by secret ballot distributed to all eligible faculty members of the college/school. An opportunity must be provided for all eligible faculty members to volunteer to run for election to Senate standing committees. The Faculty Senate shall supervise the elections of Senate standing committees; concerns regarding election irregularities must be communicated to the Senate President by May 1.
e. Vacancies. If a standing committee member vacates their seat the vacancy shall be filled by a special election within the unit from which the member was elected. The term of a member under these circumstances shall commence immediately and shall normally be for the unexpired term of the regularly elected member. If a standing committee member is granted leave for one year or less a replacement shall be elected by a special election within the unit to take the absent standing committee member’s seat for the period of the leave.
f. Attendance. A standing committee member absent from three committee meetings in a calendar year in the absence of mitigating circumstances will be considered to have vacated the seat.
g. Members of the Senate. A standing committee member may also serve as an elected senator. Standing committee members are members of the Senate without vote if not also an elected senator.
7.1.2.2 Ex Officio Members. The Senate President is a voting ex officio member of every Faculty Senate committee and subcommittee, with the exception of the Nominating Committee in section 3.5, and may designate a member of the Executive Council to act on their behalf. The Faculty Senate Vice-President is a non-voting ex officio member of every Faculty Senate committee and subcommittee except when serving as the Senate President’s designee.
7.1.2.3 Student Members.
- The Student Affairs Committee and the Educational and Research Technologies Committee shall include one graduate and one undergraduate student member designated by student governing bodies for a one-year term.
- The Professional Standards Committee shall not include student members.
- Standingcommittees may invite one graduate and one undergraduate student designated by student governing bodies to serve on the committee for a one-year term.
Student members serving on committees are voting members of that committee but may not serve as chair.
7.1.2.4. Resource Personnel. Standing committees may add nonvoting resource personnel on the basis of their position, interest, or expertise.
7.1.3 General Duties of Standing Committees.
a. They shall recommend policy and changes in policy in their areas of responsibility to the Faculty Senate. They may initiate action on matters clearly within their province and request that they be placed on the agenda of the Senate meeting by the Executive Council.
b. They shall receive and consider policy proposals in their areas of responsibility from the Faculty Senate, the administration, student bodies, etc., and present their recommendations to the Faculty Senate for action.
c. They shall consider budgetary implications for policies in their areas of responsibility and make appropriate recommendations to the Faculty Senate and the administration regarding University priorities.
d. They shall annually review sections of University governance documents, such as the University Manual, pertaining to their areas of concern and make recommendations for revision.
e. They shall consult with and provide advice to the administration, student groups, etc., in their areas of responsibility when requested to do so. Policy proposals generated as a result of these consultations shall be presented to the Faculty Senate for consideration and action.
f. They shall keep records of their activities and present reports at least once a year to the Faculty Senate.
g. They shall maintain close liaison with appropriate committees and groups established by the individual academic units, the student governing bodies, the Staff Council, and other University constituencies.
h. They shall meet frequently in order to promptly and responsively discharge their duties to the Senate, the faculty, and the University as a whole.
7.1.4 Committee Officers. The chair of each standing committee shall be elected by each committee from its elected membership for a one-year term. Faculty Senate office staff will keep minutes. Standing committee chairs or their designees shall serve as faculty representatives to the appropriate Board of Trustees committees (9.1). The duties of the chair shall be to report to the Senate at least once a year, schedule and conduct meetings, follow up on actions of the committee, serve as committee spokesperson with respect to the duties in 7.13(e), serve as voting members of the Faculty Senate, and serve on the Executive Council.
7.1.5 Specific Standing Committees. The standing committee charges detailed below shall not be construed to limit their activities and deliberations.
7.1.5.1 Curricular Affairs Committee. This committee shall have responsibility for matters related to undergraduate and graduate educational policy and long-range academic planning, including items referred to in Sections 1.1b, 1.1e, 1.1f, 1.1g, 1.2a, and 1.2k. It shall review proposals to initiate, alter, or terminate programs from the Schools and Colleges. Actions taken by this committee and approved by the Faculty Senate will be sent to the Provost for action. The Curricular Affairs Committee shall have double the numbers of members stipulated in 7.121a.
7.1.5.2 Professional Standards Committee. This committee shall have responsibility for matters related to faculty professional standards and welfare, including items referred to in Sections 1.1a, 1.1h, 1.1i, 1.2b, and 1.2d. The Professional Standards Committee is advisory to the Provost on confidential personnel matters related to faculty reappointment, promotion, and tenure, as well as on the awarding of sabbatical leaves. Any eligible faculty member with no conflicting administrative responsibilities who holds the rank of Professor or Associate Professor, including Clinical, Extension, Library, or Research Professors or Associate Professors, may stand for election by their college or school to serve as its representative to the Professional Standards Committee. No member of the Professional Standards Committee shall be serving concurrently on the standards committee of their college or other unit specified in Section 7.121a.
7.1.5.3 Student Affairs Committee. This committee shall have responsibility for matters relating to student affairs, their effect on the educational process, and the academic climate of the University, including items referred to in Sections 1.1d, 1.2e, 1.2f, 1.4, and 1.5. It shall recommend policy with respect to honors programs, remedial programs, athletics, discipline, health service, placement, housing, student activities, etc. It shall include among its duties in-depth and ongoing review of University admissions and financial aid policies, including their relation to projected enrollments. This committee shall establish policy in matters related to general admissions standards and prerequisites, as referred to in Section 1.1d, and shall review, recommend and participate in formulation of admissions procedures. The committee shall establish a continuing liaison with student government groups and with all appropriate administrative and academic offices.
7.1.5.4 Research, Scholarship, and The Creative Arts Committee. This committee shall have responsibility for matters relating to research activities, scholarly work, and creative and performing arts carried out at the University, including graduate education and items referred to in Sections 1.1c, 1.2b, 1.2g, and 1.2k. It shall review, recommend, and participate in the formulation of policy with respect to resources related to these activities, including physical facilities and allocation of appurtenant space, library resources and resources for graduate programs, and make recommendations to assure effective use of these resources. It shall serve as liaison between the Senate and the administration on such matters as, but not limited to: the broad role of the University in advancing knowledge through research, scholarship, and the performing arts; external and internal support for encouraging these activities, including graduate and undergraduate research; intellectual property, and technology transfer; ethical issues and issues affecting the academic environment as these arise in research or scholarly work. It shall consult frequently with other University and collegiate committees that are charged to initiate, maintain, and monitor institutional support programs for research, scholarship, the creative arts, and graduate education, as well as maintain close liaison with appropriate administrative offices in its areas of responsibility.
In addition to the membership described in 7.121a above, this committee shall include an additional member from the College of Arts and Sciences representing the creative and performing arts.
7.1.5.5 Financial and Physical Planning Committee. This committee shall have responsibility for matters relating to planning and use of the institution’s physical resources and for matters related to the formulation of the University budget with the exception of items subject to collective bargaining, including items referred to in Sections 1.2a, 1.2b, 1.2g, 1.2h, and 1.2i. It shall assist in the formulation of the University budget so that this document reflects the instructional, intellectual, and service priorities of the institution. The committee shall assume responsibility for informing the administration of educational priorities and needs and see that these are considered in all planning. It shall seek advice from the various academic units relative to planning for physical facilities, environmental resources, and the allocation of space, and make recommendations to assure effective and responsible use of resources. It shall maintain close liaison with all appropriate subcommittees of the Board of Trustees as well as all appropriate administrative offices and committees in its areas of responsibility.
7.1.5.6 Educational and Research Technologies Committee. This committee shall have the responsibility of matters related to the development and implementation of educational and research technologies at the University that guide acquisition of information literacy by students and faculty. It shall review and recommend policies and procedures relating to the planning, introduction, and use of campus-wide technologies, including computers, communications, electronic data handling, and instructional media. The committee shall assume responsibility for informing the administration of educational and research priorities and needs related to information literacy and see that these are considered in all planning. It shall maintain close liaison with the Curricular Affairs Committee, the Financial and Physical Planning Committee, the Student Affairs Committee, and the Research, Scholarship, and the Creative Arts Committee. The committee shall maintain close liaison with appropriate administrative offices in its areas of responsibility and with the Educational Policy and Institutional Resources Committee of the Board of Trustees.
7.2 Subcommittees. Any standing committee may establish subcommittees to perform specialized functions within the overall responsibilities of the committee. A subcommittee is directly responsible to the standing committee that created it, to which it shall report. The formation, abolition, and membership of such subcommittees shall be determined by the entire standing committee. The chair of each standing committee shall assign, with the approval of the full committee, members of the committee to the various subcommittees. The chair may appoint other eligible faculty members to serve on subcommittees. The chair of each subcommittee must be a member of the standing committee. However, at the request of the standing committee chair, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee may waive this requirement and approve a chair for a subcommittee who is not a member oftheparent committee. In this case the subcommittee chair shall serve as a non-voting ex officio member of the parent committee. The chair of the parent standing committee shall be a voting ex officio member of all subcommittees. The standing committee chair shall have primary responsibility for coordinating the work of all subcommittees. Subcommittees may, with the approval of the standing committee chair, add non-voting resource personnel on the basis of their position, interest, orexpertise. The chair shall appoint a secretary to keep minutes.
7.3 Ad Hoc Committees. Select committees may be created by the Senate, the Executive Council, or the Senate President for the purpose of studying specific problems and preparing proposals relating thereto. These committees will ordinarily be appointed by the Senate President, after consultation with the Executive Council, but may also be appointed by a majority vote of the Executive Council or of the Faculty Senate. They will terminate when their assignment is complete or within one year of the date of appointment, whichever is shortest. They may be reappointed. An ad hoc committee is directly responsible to the entity appointing it, to which it shall report. The chair shall appoint a secretary to keep minutes.
7.3.1 Ad Hoc Grievance Committee for non-represented faculty. The Grievance Committee shall consist of seven persons, all of whom shall be voting members. The Faculty Ombudsperson shall not be a member of the Committee, but may attend all meetings and hearings of the Committee unless excluded by Committee majority vote. Five members of the Committee shall be members of the faculty, appointed by the Faculty Senate Executive Council (“Executive Council”). Two Committee members shall be administrators with academic experience, appointed by the Provost. The Grievance Committee shall elect a chair from among members appointed by the Executive Council.
7.4 Joint Committees. The administration and the Faculty Senate may create committees for which joint responsibility is appropriate. The faculty members of a joint committee will be appointed both by the appropriate administrative officer and by the Senate President. The appointing administrative officer and the Senate President will share joint responsibility for the committee, to whom the committee shall report. Reports from joint committees shall be promptly communicated to the Executive Council and to the Senate.