FACULTY GOVERNANCE SUBCOMMITTEE 2009-10

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NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY SHARED GOVERNANCE

Proposed: October 28, 2008
Reviewed: January 26-27, 2009
First Reading: February 23, 2009
Second Reading: May 5, 2009
Revised:  October 18, 2009
Adopted:

THE NORTHWESTERN FACULTYASSEMBLY

The Faculty Assembly is established by and operates under the Statutes of Northwestern University.

Article I:  Authorization
Section 1: Functions
The Faculty Assembly shall regularly meet, discuss, and deliberate upon matters of general University interest, including all teaching and research activities, and campus life.  It may also make recommendations and pass resolutions on particular issues referred to it by the President or Provost of the University, the Board of Trustees, or the Faculty Senate.  On its own initiative it may submit recommendations and resolutions to the Board of Trustees, transmitted through the President or Provost, on any matter affecting the interests of the University.

Section 2:  Membership
The membership of the Faculty Assembly consists of all full-time faculty members in both tenure track and non-tenure track positions.  This includes administrators with a faculty appointment within the University.

Section 3:  Officers
The University President will preside over meetings of the Faculty Assembly. If the President cannot attend, then the role of presiding over the meeting would follow the order set out in Article I, section 2 the University Statutes for management of the University in the absence of the President. The Faculty Senate Chair, in consultation with the University President or his designate, will establish its agenda.  The University President will represent the Faculty Assembly to the Board of Trustees or its Executive Committee. The Assembly will meet at least twice a year.

Section 4:  Bylaws
The Faculty Assembly shall have the power to adopt and amend bylaws governing its composition, organization, and procedures.

BYLAWS OF THE FACULTY ASSEMBLY

Article I:  Functions
The Faculty Assembly shall:

Section 1: Discuss and deliberate upon matters of general University interest, including all teaching and research activities, and campus life.

Section 2: It shall consider, make recommendations, and pass resolutions on any matters referred to it by the President of the University, the Board of Trustees, or the Faculty Senate. 

Section 3: On its own initiative it may submit recommendations and resolutions to the Board of Trustees on any matter affecting the general interests of the University.  

Article II:  Membership
Section 1: The membership of the Faculty Assembly consists of all full-time regular faculty members in both tenure track and non-tenure track positions. 

Section 2: Membership also includes administrators with a faculty appointment within the University. 

Section 3: While the Faculty Senate is the elected, representative body of the faculty, when the Faculty Assembly is convened with a quorum (10% of membership), it becomes the ultimate legislative body of the faculty at Northwestern University.

Article III:  Officers
Section 1: The University President serves as the Chair of the Faculty Assembly.  The Chair of the Faculty Senate serves as the Vice Chair. 

Section 2: The University President will represent the Faculty Assembly to the Board of Trustees or its Executive Committee.

Article IV:  Executive Committee
Section 1: The Executive Committee of the Faculty Assembly consists of the President of the University, the Provost, the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, the Chair of the Faculty Senate, the immediate past chair of the Faculty Senate, and the chair-elect of the Faculty Senate. 

Section 2: The Executive Committee will publish an agenda one month prior to the meeting of the Faculty Assembly.

Section 3: The Executive Committee will be available to convene on an emergency basis in addition to regularly scheduled, quarterly meetings.

Article V:  Meetings
Section 1: The University President will preside over meetings of the Faculty Assembly. The Faculty Senate Chair, in consultation with the Executive Committee, will establish its agenda and convene meetings at fixed dates at least twice a year.

Section 2:  Additional meetings can be called by petition of at least 100 members of the Faculty Assembly.  The faculty must be given a minimum of two weeks notice for all such special meetings with agendas made available at least one week in advance.

Section 3: There is no required quorum for the Faculty Assembly to meet.  However a quorum consisting of 10% of the membership is necessary to pass resolutions.

Section 4: The Faculty Senate Chair in consultation with the Executive Committee shall determine the order of business in any meeting of the University Assembly.  Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of the meetings except as the Faculty Assembly may prescribe.

Section 5:  All recommendations and resolutions made by the Faculty Assembly will be reported to the full faculty within a week following a meeting. 

Section 6:  Additions to the agenda may be submitted not later than one week prior to the Faculty Assembly meeting with a petition of 75 signatures.

Article VI:  Amendments
These bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the Faculty Assembly by two-thirds vote providing that at least 10% of the faculty is present and that notice of any proposed amendment has been sent to the membership at least one week in advance of the meeting.  If 10% of the faculty is not present, the proposed amendment is sent to the Faculty Senate which is the elected representative body of the faculty as a whole.  The bylaws will be considered amended if two thirds of the full membership of the Faculty Senate votes its approval.

THE FACULTY SENATE

The Faculty Senate is established by and operates under the Statutes of Northwestern University

Article I:  Authorization
Section 1:  Functions
The Faculty Senate shall consider, make recommendations, and pass resolutions concerning matters of general university interest, including all educational and research endeavors, hiring policy, the tenure and promotion system, and campus life.  It is the elected and representative body of the faculty.  The Faculty Senate will strive to protect academic freedom, promote excellence, equity, and diversity within the faculty and student body, and advance the general welfare of the university as a whole.  On its own initiative it may submit recommendations and resolutions to the Board of Trustees, transmitted through the Provost and President, on any matter affecting the interests of the University.

Section 2:  Membership
Tenured and tenure track faculty are eligible for election to the Senate immediately upon their University appointment.  Non-tenure track faculty are eligible for election after one year.

Section 3:  Presiding Officer
An elected Chair will preside over regular and special meetings of the Faculty Senate.  In addition the Chair will convene the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate (see Article III), which may meet with the President, the Provost, the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, and the Board of Trustees or its Executive Committee.

Section 4:  Bylaws
The Faculty Senate shall have the power to adopt and amend bylaws governing its organization and procedures.  The bylaws may provide for such standing and special committees as may be needed. 

THE BYLAWS OF THE FACULTY SENATE

Article I:  Functions
Section 1: The Faculty Senate shall consider, make recommendations, and pass resolutions concerning matters of general university interest including all educational and research endeavors, hiring policy, the tenure and promotion system, and campus life.  It is the representative and elected body of the faculty.

Section 2:  The Faculty Senate will strive to protect academic freedom, the faculty appointment and promotion processes, the tenure system, and encourage excellence, equity, and diversity within the faculty, student body and university as a whole. 

Section 3: The Faculty Senate will consider and make recommendations concerning retired faculty, faculty salary and benefits policies, and improvement of the intellectual and social environment for faculty and students.

Section 4:  The Faculty Senate will consider and make recommendations concerning student life, including athletics, and co-curricular activities.

Section 5: The Faculty Senate will represent the faculty in any revisions to the Faculty Handbook, and have a consultative role in developing criteria for reviewing senior university administrators, and in supervising the evaluations of their performances.

Section 6:  The Faculty Senate shall be responsible for selecting a slate of faculty candidates to serve on Presidential and Provost Search Committees. The Search Committees will include faculty members from this slate.

Section 7:  When appropriate, the Faculty Senate will constitute a Committee on Cause for individual faculty members.

Section 8:  The Faculty Senate will recommend candidates for honorary Degrees to be transmitted through the President to the Board of Trustees.

Section 9: On its own initiative the Faculty Senate may submit recommendations and resolutions to the Board of Trustees, transmitted through the provost and President, on any matter affecting the interests of the University.

Article II:  Membership

Section 1: Each department in the College and in the several Schools of the University shall elect one of its members to the Faculty Senate. In addition, the non-tenure track faculty of each school shall elect one non-tenure track faculty member as its representative. Tenured and tenure track faculty are eligible for election immediately upon their University appointment.  Non-tenure track faculty are eligible for election after one year.

Section 2:  Faculty Senate members will serve for three years, with the exception of the immediate past chair who may at his or her discretion serve as ex officio member for a fourth year.

Section 3:  Each year one third of the members will be chosen in elections supervised by the Faculty Senate in conjunction with the appropriate academic departments.  Elections for the following academic year must be completed before the end of the spring quarter.

Section 4:  If an elected member misses three consecutive meetings without notice the Executive Committee may request that the member’s department replace that member with a temporary appointment to serve out the remainder of the academic year while organizing an election for the member’s replacement.

Section 5:  If an elected member must miss up to a year of service due to professional or personal reasons, the Executive Committee has the discretion to request that the member’s department appoint a one-year replacement.

Section 6:  Except under pressing personal and professional circumstances, all members of the Faculty Senate are expected to serve on one of the Faculty Senate’s Standing Committees.

Section 7:  Faculty Senate members may be elected for two consecutive terms.  After a two year absence they may be re-elected to serve again.
 
Article III: The Executive Committee
Section 1: The Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate shall be composed of the Chair, Immediate Past Chair, the Chair Elect (who also serves as Vice-Chair), and the Chairs of the Standing Committees.

Section 2: The Chair Elect must be selected from Faculty Senate members who are serving in the first year of their elected term. 

Section 3: The Chair Elect and the Chairs of the Standing Committees must be selected at the last regular Faculty Senate Meeting in the spring quarter. 

Section 4: The Executive Committee will serve as a Committee on Committees to take chair nominations from the Standing Committees and present them to the Faculty Senate for confirmation. 

Section 5: When directed by the Faculty Senate, the Executive Committee may propose meeting with the Broad of Trustees or its Executive Committee to discuss matters relevant to the well being of the University.

Article IV:  Meetings
Section 1: The Faculty Senate shall hold meetings on a fixed schedule from October through June.  Special meetings of the Faculty Senate can be called for by the Executive Committee or by petition of one third of the Faculty Senate.  The schedule for the regular meetings must be communicated to the Faculty Senate by September first.

Section 2: The agenda for the meetings must be conveyed to the Faculty Senate five business days before the regularly scheduled meetings.  The agenda for special meetings must be sent to the Faculty Senate at least one day in advance of the meetings.

Section 3: The order of business in any meeting of the Faculty Senate shall be determined by the Chair in consultation with the Executive Committee.  Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of the meetings except as the Faculty Senate may prescribe.

Section 4:  Fifty one percent of the voting members of the Faculty Senate constitute a quorum.  Only members present at the time of the vote are eligible to vote on any question or motion.  In the absence of a quorum, discussion may occur at the discretion of the chair, but no action may be taken except adjournment to a specified future time.  Faculty Senate Members may attend via teleconference or video conference if pressing circumstances prohibit attendance. Such attendance may be used to help constitute a quorum.

Section 6: All resolutions  of the Faculty Senate must be promptly communicated to the membership of the University Assembly.

Article V: Committees
Besides the Executive Committee, there are three categories of faculty committees that are essential for the Faculty Senate to fulfill its functions in Article I.  They are Faculty Senate Standing Committees, University Standing Committees, and Special Faculty Committees.   

Section 1: Faculty Senate Standing Committees

1. The primary objectives of each standing committee for the year must be identified by the committee and approved by the Faculty Senate.  Other issues may be referred to the committees by the Faculty Senate as the need arises.  The committees can decline to address these issues.
2. Committee chairs are elected by the Faculty Senate on nomination from the Executive Committee.  Before the last regularly scheduled Faculty Senate meeting of the year, current chairs should recommend chairs for the next academic year.  Chairs must be members of the Faculty Senate when nominated.   
3. Committee chairs will serve a one-year term that is renewable.
4. Committee chairs are to:
1. help recruit committee membership for Faculty Senate confirmation
2. establish committee agendas and procedures, and lead meetings
3. report committee recommendations to the Faculty Senate
4. file an annual written report with the Faculty Senate
5. Committees may establish attendance policies that authorize the chair to terminate committee membership.
6. Standing committees may have appropriate university administrators serve as ex-officio members of committees.  

 Section 2:  University Standing Committees

1. The faculty chairs of University Standing Committees that share the same functions as the Faculty Senate shall meet or otherwise confer at least once a year with either the Faculty Senate, its Executive Committee, or an appropriate Faculty Senate Standing Committee.
2. The Faculty Senate, through its Executive Committee, shall have a consultative role in the recruitment of faculty members for the key University Standing Committees identified in the Standing Rules of the Faculty Senate.
3. These key University Standing Committees shall send copies of their annual reports, excluding confidential information to the Faculty Senate.

 Section 3:  Special Faculty Committees

1. The Executive Committee can recommend the establishment of special faculty committees to investigate and make recommendations concerning specific issues.
2. The Faculty Senate must approve the formation and duration of all special committees recommended by the Executive Committee.

Article VI:  Bylaws
Section 1:  The Faculty Senate shall adopt bylaws that it deems necessary to conduct its business, including rules regarding the conduct of elections.
Section 2:  The bylaws may be adopted or amended by a two thirds vote of the full membership of the Faculty Senate provided that the proposed bylaws or amendments were submitted in writing to the Faculty Senate at a prior meeting.

Article VII:  Standing Rules
Section 1: Standing Rules can be adopted by majority vote of the Faculty Senate to establish governance procedures and content areas with respect to matters that are too specific to be described in the Bylaws. 

Section 2: The Standing Rules may be suspended or changed by a majority vote of the Faculty Senate.

Section 3: The Standing Rules must be consistent with the University’s Statutes and the Faculty Senate’s Bylaws. 

Article VIII:  Transition
The General Faculty Committee shall have the authority to provide for all procedures needed to implement the transition from the previous governance structure to the new governance structure described in these new Statutes and Bylaws.