II. CAMPUS GOVERNANCE
The
Education Law* established the Board of Trustees and charged it with the
responsibility for and the conduct of the University. The Trustees, in turn, have promulgated
Policies that represent a constitution providing basic principles of policy and
organization. These Policies vest
authority in the Chancellor of the University and in campus presidents. The Policies delineate the responsibilities
of the President, in general to "administer the college for which he or
she serves" and to "promote its development and effectiveness."
Article X of
the Policies, among its other provisions, empowers and directs the faculty to
develop by- laws for the conduct of its affairs. Substantive actions taken in the course of
that conduct are advisory upon the President and are a recognition of the
President's legal authority. Furthermore,
the provisions in those by- laws concerning consultation--how, when, where, and
in what form the President consults with the faculty--are subject to the President's
approval. It is understood, of course,
that by- laws often contain procedures for consultation among faculty in
addition to provisions for presidential consultation with faculty. The latter alone is addressed in Article X.
When the
President accepts provisions of local by- laws concerning consultation, the
Trustees, through Article X, as well as the Chancellor, respect this
endorsement. These provisions become
thereby part of local policy, and provide a framework for campus governance.
--------------------
*Education
Law 354 and 355
FACULTY BYLAWS
(Current as of October 2009)
PREAMBLE
These Bylaws
are enacted by the voting faculty of the State University of New York at
DEFINITIONS
Terms. As
used in these Bylaws, unless otherwise specified, the following terms shall
mean:
a. SUNY.
b. The President. The President of the
c. The Provost. The Provost and Vice President for Academic
Affairs at the State
d. Faculty.
1. The Chancellor, the President, and all members of the academic
staff of the State University of New York at
2. Members emeriti.
e. Voting Faculty.
The Chancellor, the President, the Provost, and all faculty members
having academic rank (Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor,
Instructor, Librarian, Associate Librarian, Senior Assistant Librarian, and
Assistant Librarian) and term or continuing appointment; the foregoing includes
administrative appointees with concurrent academic rank and Bartle
Professors. There shall be a five-year
limit to the voting status of Bartle Professors from the time of their initial
appointment as Bartle Professor. (Approved by faculty in
mail ballot in April 1997) Persons having temporary academic
appointments or qualified academic rank may be included in the Voting Faculty
upon the recommendation of the appropriate academic units and with the approval
of the Provost.
f. Faculty in Residence.
Those members of the faculty whose duty assignments require their
presence on campus and those faculty who will be on campus without duty
assignments but declare their wish at the beginning of the semester to be
listed in residence.
g. Academic Year.
For the purposes of these Bylaws, the academic year shall be designated
as beginning on September 1 and ending on August 31 of the following calendar
year.
h. Academic Subdivisions.
Organizational entities below the level of the State University of New
York at
1. Academic Units.
The constituent schools of the State University of New York at
2. Academic Sub-units. Departments
in departmentalized schools; any program with its own personnel berth that is
temporarily housed in the
i.
* As of the fall semester of 2006, the
constituent schools of the State University of New York at
POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Title A.
Legislative Powers
The voting
faculty shall have the power to legislate as necessary for performance of its
responsibilities as determined by the Board of Trustees.
The voting
faculty is responsible, individually and collectively, for the maintenance of
academic standards, including requirements for admission subject to the State
University of New York at
The faculty
shall participate in the process of appointment of senior-level academic
administrators, such participation normally to be in the form of membership on
search committees.
In general
the Bylaws, policies, and procedures established by the Faculty Senate shall be
binding on the legislative bodies of academic subdivisions. Similarly, the Bylaws, policies and
procedures of the legislative bodies of schools and colleges shall be binding
on any academic subdivision within them.
ORGANIZATION AND PROCEDURES
Title A.
Faculty Meetings
1. Regular and Special Meetings. The President shall call and preside over a
meeting of the faculty once a semester and, at his/her discretion, may call
other meetings. He/she shall call
special meetings if petitioned to do so in writing by at least 15 percent of
the faculty in residence.
2. Agenda. Agenda
for each regular or special faculty meeting must be announced and proposals for
action must be distributed to the faculty at least 72 hours before the meeting.
3. Quorum. A quorum
for regular or special meetings shall consist of two-fifths of the voting
faculty in residence.
4. Secretary of the Faculty. The Secretary of the Senate shall serve as
Secretary of the Faculty.
5. Procedures Committee.
The Procedures Committee of the Faculty Senate shall also serve as the
Procedures Committee of the Faculty and shall assist the President in
developing the agenda for meetings of the Faculty. In general its responsibilities shall be the
same as outlined in Article III, Title B. 9. a. of these Bylaws.
6. Faculty Minutes.
Under the direction of the Secretary of the Faculty, minutes of each
faculty meeting shall be prepared and distributed to the faculty. In addition, permanent files will be kept by
the President, the Director of Libraries (file housed in the University
Archives), and the Secretary of the Senate.
7. Procedures.
Procedures of the faculty meetings shall conform to the most recent
edition of
Title B. Faculty Senate
1. Powers and Functions.
There shall be a Faculty Senate empowered to act for and to represent
the voting faculty of the State University of New York at
2. Qualifications of Elected Members. All voting faculty having at least one year
of full-time faculty experience at this institution at any time they take
office shall be eligible for election to the Faculty Senate.
3. Representation. Representation shall be by academic unit and
by academic sub-unit.
a. The President and the Provost shall be members of the Senate ex
officio and shall not be counted as representing an academic unit or sub-unit.
b. Election
of senators shall be by academic unit in non-departmentalized units, and by
academic sub-unit in departmentalized units.
Administrative officers with concurrent academic rank shall be counted
as members of the respective academic units or sub-units to which they have
been assigned, and are eligible for election as senators. Units
or sub-units having at least 5 and fewer than 11 members shall elect one
senator. Units or sub-units having at
least 11 (Approved
by faculty in mail ballot in October 2008) but no more than 19 members shall elect
2 senators. Units or sub-units having
more than 19 but no more than 27 members shall elect 3 senators. Units or sub-units having more than 27 but no
more than 35 members shall elect 4 senators.
Units or sub-units having more than 35 members shall elect 5 senators. (Approved by faculty in
mail ballot in November 2007) Units or sub-units having fewer
than 5 members may elect one senator or may, by mutual agreement, combine with
another sub-unit for the purpose of representation on the Faculty Senate. If either option is chosen, the sub-unit must
notify the Secretary of the Faculty Senate, in writing, of its decision to
exercise this option; this notification must be given prior to the next
scheduled election. (See Article
III.B.6.b. below.) Such sub-units that
do not choose one of these options will not be represented on the Faculty
Senate. (See Article I.h. above.) (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in December 2004)
c. The Professional Employees Council may designate a professional
employee to serve as non-voting liaison with the Faculty Senate with the right
of full participation in debates.
d. The Graduate Student Organization may designate a graduate
student to serve as non-voting liaison with the Faculty Senate with the right
of full participation in debates. (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in
March 2001)
e. The Student Association may designate an undergraduate student
to serve as non-voting liaison with the Faculty Senate with the right of full
participation in debates. (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in
March 2001)
f. The Faculty Senate shall include the faculty member who is the
elected representative to the SUNY-wide Faculty Senate, and this representative
shall not be counted against the number of representatives allotted to his/her
academic unit or sub-unit.
4. Presiding Officer.
The presiding officer shall be the Chairperson of the Senate (also
serves as Chairperson of the Procedures Committee, see Section 9) or in his/her
absence the Vice Chairperson of the Senate.
In the event of the absence of both of the above, the presiding officer
pro tem shall be the Chairperson of the Executive Committee or his/her
designee.
5. Executive Committee. There shall be an Executive Committee of the
Faculty Senate.
a. Duties.
i. To report to the Faculty Senate on matters of concern to the
faculty that have come to its attention.
The Executive Committee shall have the discretion to:
(a) Refer questions or requests it may receive for consideration
to the appropriate faculty committee.
(b) Make
recommendations to the Faculty Senate on pending legislation.
(c) Consider matters in confidence when appropriate.
(d) Establish and maintain communication with appropriate policy
making individuals and groups.
ii. To present faculty interests and views, and strengthen the
role of the faculty in university policy making.
b. Composition. The Executive Committee shall consist of seventeen (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in March 2006, May 2007) members of the State University of New
York at
i. Nine from Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, distributed as
equally as possible among the divisions of the School; such distribution to be
determined by the Committee on Committees.
Each division shall be considered a separate constituency for the purpose
of this Article.
ii. Two from the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and
Applied Science. (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in March 2006)
iii. Six (Approved by faculty in
May 2007), distributed one each from the Library; Health, Physical Education
and Athletics; Decker School of Nursing; School of Education; College of Community and Public
Affairs; and School of Management.
iv. The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Senate and the
Faculty Senator representing the faculty to the SUNY Faculty Senate shall be ex
officio voting members of the Executive Committee and, if not already a member
of the Executive Committee, the size of the Executive Committee shall be
(temporarily) increased. (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in March 2006)
v. If one of the academic units listed in parts B.5.b.i. or
B.5.b.ii or B.5.b.iii (Approved by faculty in
mail ballot in March 2006) has fewer than 8 voting faculty, that unit will not have a member
on the Executive Committee and the size of the Executive Committee will be
reduced accordingly. Such a unit may
send a non-voting observer from among its voting faculty to Executive Committee
meetings. (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in
December 2004)
c. Officers. The
Executive Committee shall elect its own chairperson, who shall serve for a
two-year term. (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in May
2000)
d. Faculty Senate Membership. Faculty elected to the Executive Committee
need not have been elected to the Faculty Senate prior to their election to the
Executive Committee. Once elected to the
Executive Committee one automatically becomes a member of the Faculty
Senate. (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in
December 2004)
6. Election.
a. Executive Committee.
The annual election for members of the Executive Committee shall be in
March.
i. Nominations for election shall be by petition within each of
the constituencies defined in 5. b. above.
(a) Each constituency shall nominate candidates from the
constituency to a number at least twice as many as the constituency's
membership on the Executive Committee. Nominating
petitions must be signed by 10 percent of the constituency, or 15 constituents,
whichever number is smaller.
(b) Should the number of candidates nominated by any constituency
be insufficient, the Executive Committee shall nominate from among the entire
constituency additional candidates in order to reach the minimum required
number.
ii. Elections shall be by constituencies. A written ballot shall be submitted to each faculty
member listing all the nominees from the constituency. The faculty member may vote for no more than
the number to which the constituency is entitled. When more than one nominee is to be elected
from the constituency, voters are to rank order their preferences. In such cases each nominee will receive a
total vote based upon rank orders, as follows:
Rank 1 is accorded the weight of 3 votes; Rank 2 is accorded 2 votes;
Rank 3 or less is accorded 1 vote.
Within each constituency those nominees receiving the highest number of
votes will be elected.
b. The annual election for the remaining members of the Faculty
Senate shall be in
i. From a list of those eligible to serve, each department in a
school that is organized by departments; Health, Physical Education and Athletics; schools
that are not organized by departments, and the Library shall elect the
appropriate number of representatives.
(a) The appropriate number of representatives shall be obtained by
subtracting the number of representatives elected from a department or school
to the Executive Committee from the total number of representatives allocated
to the department or school.
(b) If a department in Harpur College of Arts and Sciences should
have a greater number of members elected to the Executive Committee than is
apportioned to the department from 3. g. of this Article, all members elected
to the Executive Committee will be permitted to serve and the maximum number of
Faculty Senators shall be increased accordingly.
ii. The method for all regular and special elections shall be
determined by the Committee on Committees and approved by the Faculty Senate.
iii. If a representative is unable or unwilling to meet regularly
with the Senate, the delegation of which he/she is a member may declare the
seat vacant. Three unexcused absences
during one year shall be considered an unwillingness to meet regularly with the
Senate. (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in May
2000)
iv. If a seat becomes vacant for any reason, the constituency
represented shall hold a special election to fill the vacancy. If a seat is vacant because a representative
is not in residence, the representative shall, upon returning, reclaim his/her
seat for the unexpired portion of his/her term.
An interim replacement will, in this case, be elected by the
constituency represented.
c. Term of Office.
The term of office of each member of the Faculty Senate (including the
Executive Committee) is two years beginning the September l after
election. The terms of the Chairperson
of the Faculty Senate and the Chairperson of the Executive Committee shall be
automatically extended for a third year upon election to the chairperson
position. Furthermore, a member of the
Faculty Senate (including the Executive Committee) may be re-elected to the
Senate (including the Executive Committee) for one additional term. (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in December 2004) If a faculty member has served for two
consecutive terms, (Approved
by faculty in mail ballot in December 2004) he/she may not be re-elected until one
year after the expiration of the previous term of office. (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in May 2000)
7. Quorum. A quorum shall consist of one-half of the
voting members.
8. Power of the Faculty to Rescind, Repeal, or Amend an Action
of the Faculty Senate. Any action of
the Faculty Senate may be rescinded, repealed, or amended by the voting faculty
provided:
a. A motion to consider an action of the Senate carried by a
majority vote of the voting faculty present at any faculty meeting.
b. Thereafter, a substantive proposal concerning the action being
considered is discussed and approved, after which mail ballots and copies of
the proposal are distributed to the entire voting faculty.
c. A majority of those voting support the proposal, provided that
at least two-thirds of the voting faculty vote.
d. Nothing in this section abrogates the power of the Faculty
Senate to rescind, repeal, or amend its own actions.
9. Procedures and Elected
Officers.
a. Procedures. There
shall be a Committee on Procedures, consisting of the Chairperson of the Senate
as Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson of the Senate, and the Secretary of the
Senate.
i. This committee shall receive items for the agenda, and shall
organize and present the agenda for each Senate meeting. Copies of the agenda and proposal for action
shall be distributed to members of Faculty Senate constituencies in residence
at least 72 hours before regular Senate meetings.
ii. The Committee shall appoint a Parliamentarian who normally
will not be a member of the Senate. It
shall be the duty of the Parliamentarian to meet with the Senate and the
faculty and to advise on matters of parliamentary procedure.
iii. Procedures shall conform to
iv. Unless otherwise specified in these bylaws, ex officio members
of committees and subcommittees are voting members. Committee and sub-committee chairs have the
right to vote or to break tie votes (their choice) but not both. (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in December 2004)
b.
Elected
Officers. The Senate shall elect during the May meeting
of the Senate the Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson, and the Secretary of the
Senate.
i. Chairperson. The
Chairperson shall be elected for a two-year term from among the returning
Voting Faculty members of the Senate.
The election shall be held during the second year of the term of the
chairperson of the Executive Committee. (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in
March 2001) The duties of the Chairperson shall be:
(a)
To preside over meetings of the Senate.
(b) To serve as an ex officio voting (Approved by
faculty in mail ballot in March 2006) member of the Executive Committee.
(c) To assume such other duties as may be delegated to him/her by
the Senate Bylaws.
ii. Vice Chairperson of the Senate. The Vice Chairperson shall be elected from
among the returning Voting Faculty members of the Senate. The Vice Chairperson shall perform the duties
of the Chairperson during his/her absence and shall be an ex officio voting
member of the Executive Committee. (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in March 2006)
iii. Secretary of the Senate. The Secretary of the Senate shall be elected
from among the returning members of the Senate.
The duties of the Secretary of the Senate shall be:
(a) To be responsible for the minutes and the records of the
Senate.
(b)
To send out notices of meetings and agenda.
(c)
To perform such duties as the Senate may prescribe.
10. Nominating Committee.
a. The members of the Executive Committee whose terms are expiring
will serve as the Nominating Committee of the Senate.
b. The Nominating Committee shall prepare, for the succeeding
academic year, a slate of nominees for Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and
Secretary of the Senate.
c. The Committee shall submit its slate of nominees in writing to
all Senators at least 10 days before the May meeting of the Senate. Additional nominations may be made by a
petition of five members of the Senate and shall be submitted to the
Chairperson of the Nominating Committee at least five days before the May
meeting. The complete slate shall be
circulated with the agenda for the May meeting.
If there is more than one nominee for an office, voting for that office
shall be by secret ballot.
11. Meetings.
a. The Senate shall hold regular meetings in September, December,
February, and May of each academic year.
Additional meetings shall be called by the Procedures Committee as agenda
items warrant. Special meetings may be
called by the Chairperson of the Senate or Vice Chairperson, or by petition of
at least 15 percent of the Senate. Written
notice of all Senate meetings shall be given to all members of Faculty Senate
constituencies at least 72 hours in advance.
If 72-hour notice has not been given, a waiver of this requirement may
be moved and passed by a two-thirds vote at the meeting.
b. Members of Faculty Senate constituencies have the right to
attend all meetings of the Faculty Senate as observers. Upon recognition by the Chair, any faculty
member may address the Senate.
c. No provision here
abrogates the right of the faculty to meet as a full faculty.
12. Minutes. Under
the direction of the Secretary, minutes of each Senate meeting shall be
prepared and distributed to members of Faculty Senate constituencies. In addition, permanent files shall be kept by
the President, the Director of Libraries (file housed in the University
Archives), and the Secretary of the Senate.
FACULTY COMMITTEES
Title A.
Scope
Nothing in
this Article IV shall apply to any of the committees established pursuant to
Article VII of these Faculty Bylaws.
Title B.
Types of Committees
1. Committees of the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Senate determines the charges and
compositions of these committees, which may be either standing or ad hoc and
which may be designated as task forces, commissions, or the like. These committees report to the Senate to
provide information or to propose action as appropriate. Changes in the appendix which lists
committees and charges are not changes in the Faculty Bylaws and require
approval only of the Executive Committee and of the Faculty Senate, subject to
normal prerogatives of rescission by the voting faculty (Article III. Title B.
8.).
2. Joint Committees.
These committees are formed through cooperation between or among the
President, the Provost, other officials or appropriate bodies, and the Faculty
Senate. Any of the foregoing may initiate
the establishment of such a committee.
These committees may be either standing or ad hoc, and may be designated
as task forces, commissions, or the like.
The charge and composition of each joint committee are determined
cooperatively by the Faculty Senate and the other officials or bodies
involved. Joint committees report to the
Faculty Senate and to the other officials or bodies to provide information or
to propose action as appropriate. These
committees shall carry out the responsibility of the faculty as stated in The
Policies of the Board of Trustees: to participate significantly in the
initiation, development and implementation of the educational program.
3. University-Wide Committees with Faculty as Members. The President, the Provost, or other
University officials may bring together groups from various University
constituencies for special purposes. The
committees may be designated as task forces, committees, commissions, or the
like, and may include faculty among their members. Administrators who convene such University
committees shall consult with the Faculty Senate concerning their charge and
composition. Faculty members on such
committees who formally represent faculty governance will be chosen from lists
provided by the Faculty Senate. Other
faculty members may also be chosen by the committee’s convener to serve on
these groups. The chair of each group
will be appointed by its convener. These
committees are responsible to their conveners.
The work of each group should be shared with the Faculty Senate and the
University community.
Title C. General Provisions
1. Committee Membership.
The Faculty Senate Executive Committee shall select the faculty
membership of the committees of the Faculty Senate and of joint
committees. The membership of committees
shall be reported to the Faculty Senate in a timely manner, and shall be
included in the Minutes of the Senate.
2. Ex Officio Members.
The President and the Provost, or their designees, shall be non-voting
members of all standing committees of the Faculty Senate, except the
Professional Standards Committee. With
the agreement of the President, the Faculty Senate may exempt any committee
from this provision.
3. Term of Office.
The term of office of members of standing committees shall be two years,
unless otherwise specified, and shall begin on the first day of the academic
year following the election. Terms of
office may be successive. Approximately
one-half of the membership of each committee shall be elected each year. If a committee member cannot serve or fails
to serve for any reason, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee may designate a
replacement.
4. Date of Election.
Standing committees are to assume their charges on the first day of the
academic year for which they are elected.
The Executive Committee shall elect standing committees by the May 1
prior to the academic year in which such committees are to assume their
charges.
5. Committee Chairs.
The Faculty Senate Executive Committee shall designate the chairs of the
committees of the Faculty Senate. Chairs
of joint committees shall be determined cooperatively by the Faculty Senate and
the other officials or bodies involved.
The committee chair of each standing committee shall call a meeting
within the first month of the new academic year.
6. Reports. Each
committee of the Faculty Senate and each joint committee shall submit an annual
report, with a summary of its activities for the academic year, by June
15. All such reports shall be received
by the Faculty Senate and placed on the agenda of the first meeting of the
following academic year for purposes of information or proposed action.
7. Listing. The list
of standing committees, both of the Faculty Senate and joint, together with
their respective charges and compositions, shall be published as an Appendix to
the Faculty Bylaws.
Title D. Committee on Committees
There shall be a Committee on
Committees that shall assist the Executive Committee in the election of
standing committees of the faculty and that shall provide advice as appropriate
on nominations for ad hoc, joint, and University-wide committees with faculty
as members. The Committee on Committees
is not a standing committee of the Faculty Senate, but shall instead report to
the Executive Committee. The Executive
Committee shall elect the membership of the Committee on Committees.
EXTRAMURAL REPRESENTATION
OF THE VOTING FACULTY
Title A. Faculty Senate of SUNY
1. Election. The
voting faculty, in conjunction with the professional employees, shall, by
secret ballot, elect its representatives to the Faculty Senate for a three-year
term. The faculty representative shall
be elected from a slate of two or more candidates nominated by the Committee on
Committees. In like manner, one alternate
shall be elected.
2. Duties. The
Senator or his/her alternate shall represent the voting faculty of the State
University of New York at
Title B. Special Representation
The Chairperson of the State
University of New York at Binghamton Faculty Senate shall be the official
representative of the voting faculty, and in his/her absence, the Vice
Chairperson of the Senate. In the event
of the absence of both of the above, the official representative shall be the
Chairperson of the Executive Committee or his/her designee.
FACULTY ORGANIZATION FOR
INSTRUCTIONAL PURPOSES
Title A. General Organization
1. Academic Units and Sub-units. In order to fulfill its educational and
instructional responsibilities as defined in Article II. Title B of these
Bylaws, the academic staff shall be organized by academic units and sub-units
based on academic function. All academic
staff shall be assigned to an academic unit or sub-unit by the President after
consultation with the appropriate faculty of that academic unit or sub-unit.
2.
a. A search committee, consisting of members elected by the unit
faculty and such other members whom the President may appoint, shall examine
the credentials of prospective candidates and submit recommendations to the
President.
b. Should the Office of Dean or Director become vacant, or in the
3. Sub-unit Chairpersons or
Director of Sub-units.
a. Department Chairpersons and Program Directors. Department Chairpersons and Program Directors
shall be appointed by the President in accordance with the Policies of the
Board of Trustees. To assist the
President in selecting such officers, the department or program shall institute
appropriate consultative procedures. The
term of office shall be three years and renewable. Whenever such an officer is not in residence
or cannot serve for any other reason, an acting Chairperson or Director shall
be appointed in accordance with the above procedures.
4. Governance.
a. The faculty of each academic unit shall, by a majority vote,
establish Bylaws for discharging those functions within its jurisdiction. The Bylaws and any amendments thereto shall
be submitted to the Faculty Senate for review and appropriate action.
b. The faculty of each sub-unit may collectively decide upon
procedures for discharging its functions and responsibilities. These procedures, if approved by a majority of
the voting members of the sub-unit, shall be adopted as sub-unit Bylaws. The Bylaws of the sub-unit are subject to
review and approval by the academic unit to which the sub-unit belongs. If the procedures for the sub-unit are not
codified, the sub-unit must operate within the policies and procedures
established by the academic unit.
5. Order of Faculty Business. Normally faculty business shall proceed from
lower to higher levels of faculty organization, but nothing in this Article
shall contravene the right of any individual or academic unit or sub-unit to
bring business to any level of faculty organization or to any administrative
officer.
Title B. Establishment and
Elimination of Academic Units and Sub-units
Except as mandated by the SUNY Board
of Trustees, the establishment of a new academic unit or sub-unit at the State
University of New York at Binghamton or the elimination of an academic unit or
sub-unit shall require review by the Faculty Senate. Upon completion of its review, the Faculty
Senate shall transmit its recommendation to the President.
A proposal for the establishment of
a new academic unit shall be considered by the Educational Policies and
Priorities Committee of the Faculty Senate for its review.
A proposal for the establishment of
a new academic sub-unit shall be considered by the academic unit to which the
sub-unit belongs, and, if recommended, the proposal shall be submitted to the
Faculty Senate for its review.
Title C.
Establishment and Elimination of Degree Programs
Proposals for new degree programs
shall be the responsibility of academic units.
The Faculty Senate shall review such proposals and make appropriate
recommendations to the President.
Modifications of existing degree programs shall be the responsibility of
the academic units having jurisdiction over them. The elimination of any program leading to a
degree at the State University of New York at
Title D.
Organization of the
There shall be a
Title E.
Conflict Resolution
1. When jurisdictional conflicts over the matter discussed in
Article II cannot be resolved, the matter shall be decided:
a. By a vote of the full faculty if it involves a conflict between
the legislative body of the academic unit and the Faculty Senate.
b. By a vote of the faculty of an academic unit if it involves a
conflict between the legislative body of the academic unit and that of an
academic sub-unit within it.
2. No provision of this title shall
preclude other efforts to resolve such a conflict.
FACULTY PERSONNEL POLICIES
Title A.
Faculty Status Decisions
The faculty
is responsible individually and collectively, through departmental, school, and
other committees, for advising the President concerning appointments to the
academic staff, promotions to higher rank, actions involving tenure, renewal of
contracts, and non-renewal of contracts.
These responsibilities shall be fulfilled in the manner described in
Titles B through F below and shall in most cases include the transmittal to the
President of the following material:
a. The report and recommendations of the appropriate Initiating
Personnel Committee (IPC). (Not required
in cases of initial term appointments below the rank of associate professor or
associate librarian.)
b. The report and recommendations of the head(s) of the
appropriate academic subdivision(s).
c. The report and recommendations of the appropriate University
Personnel Committee (UPC).
d. Additional optional reports as
defined in this Article.
Nothing in
this Article, however, shall limit the methods by which the President may
consult on personnel matters.
Title B.
Initiating Personnel Committees
1. Definition. The
term--Initiating Personnel Committee (IPC)--refers to those personnel
committees that take the initial action on an individual faculty case as
further defined under Title E. This
generic term refers to Junior and Senior Personnel Committees of all academic
subdivisions, and Special Personnel Committees as defined in Section 3. e. of
this Title.
2. Responsibilities.
IPCs shall be responsible for considering personnel cases according to
the timetable established by the Provost with the advice of the UPC and in
accordance with the Policies of the Board of Trustees (Article XI, Title D,
Section 5, 1994). They will prepare a
dossier for each individual under consideration, and make a recommendation in
each case to the appropriate UPC through the
3. Types and Composition of
Initiating Personnel Committees.
a. Personnel Committees of Academic Subdivisions. All departments, non- departmentalized
Schools, Health, Physical Education and Athletics, and the Library shall have a
Junior and Senior Personnel Committee.
b. Minimum Size. The
minimum size of an IPC shall be five voting members.
c. Membership of Senior Personnel Committees. All full professors on continuing appointment
shall serve on the Senior Personnel Committee to consider cases of professors
and associate professors, except when their own case is being considered. Bartle Professors holding the title of full
professor who agree to serve on this committee during a given academic year,
and within a five-year limit from the date of appointment as Bartle Professor,
shall do so. (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in
April 1997) In instances where five (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in October
2008) members of
the Senior Personnel Committee cannot be drawn from within the academic
subdivision, the committee shall be constituted to provide a majority of (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in October
2008) a
combination of full and associate professors from within that academic
subdivision who are on continuing appointment with at least two semesters of
academic service at this University; the associate professors to be elected by
the faculty of the academic subdivision; the remaining seats to be filled by
full professors from other academic subdivisions at this University appointed
by the Provost after consultation with the faculty of the academic subdivision
in which the case is being heard and the appropriate UPC (see Title D). The Committee shall be formed by the Provost
after consultation with the faculty of the academic subdivision in which the
case is being heard when the inclusion of the sum of full and associate
professors eligible to serve is fewer (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in October 2008) than three.
d. Membership of Junior Personnel Committees. All full professors and associate professors
on continuing appointment shall serve on the Junior Personnel Committee to
consider cases of those below the rank of associate professor. Bartle Professors holding the title of full
professor or associate professor who agree to serve on the Committee during a
given academic year, and within a 5-year limit from the date of appointment as
Bartle Professor, shall do so. (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in
April 1997) An academic subdivision which has fewer
than five qualified members available shall notify the Provost, who shall then
appoint, after consultation with the faculty of the academic subdivision in
which the case is being heard and the appropriate UPC (see Title D), the number
necessary to make up the minimum complement of five voting members. In cases where no member of an academic
subdivision is eligible for service on a Junior Personnel Committee, the members
of that subdivision shall elect from among themselves a person who shall serve
as the chairperson-without-vote of the Junior Personnel Committee in
question. Appointment of voting members
of a Junior Personnel Committee from outside the University may be made only if
such a procedure is approved by the academic subdivision in question.
e. Special Personnel Committees. A Special Personnel Committee shall be formed
to act as the IPC in those cases of faculty members not assigned to academic
subdivisions having Personnel Committees.
Special Personnel Committees shall be appointed by the Provost upon
approval of the appropriate UPC. Each
Special Personnel Committee shall elect a chairperson-with-vote and secretary
from among its members and shall serve only for the duration of the individual
case under consideration.
4. Officers.
a. The Secretary.
Each IPC shall elect a secretary to keep such records as the Committee
shall designate.
b. The Chairperson.
The chairperson shall be elected by secret ballot from the committee's
membership and shall preside, with vote, at committee meetings. The chairperson of a departmentalized
academic subdivision may be elected to chair an IPC, but shall serve without
vote. The chairperson of an IPC shall
not be present when his or her own case is being considered.
5. Joint Appointments.
Faculty members assigned to more than one academic subdivision shall, at
the time of appointment, be assigned to one academic subdivision for purposes
of this Article. IPCs considering such
persons for personnel recommendations shall consult with and receive a report
and recommendation from the IPC of the other academic subdivision(s) of the
assignment. This report must be attached
to the final report of the IPC.
Title C.
Student Advisory Committees
1. Functions and Responsibilities.
a. In an academic subdivision with declared majors and/or graduate
students, those students shall be encouraged to elect a Student Advisory
Committee.
b. In conjunction with personnel proceedings, such committees,
when extant, shall be asked by the chairperson of the IPC to report on the
teaching effectiveness and student-teacher relations of the individuals under
consideration.
2. Composition. The
committee shall consist of no more than eight students from among the declared
majors and/or graduate students of the academic subdivision. The appropriate proportion of graduate and
undergraduate members and the method of election will be determined by the
student governments.
3. Responsibilities of Department Chairpersons,
Title D.
The All-University Personnel Committee
1. Functions.
a. To discuss and recommend to the faculty appropriate procedures,
changes of procedure, and criteria for personnel decisions.
b. To review recommendations on faculty appointment, promotion,
tenure, and renewal received from IPCs and make appropriate recommendations as
provided for in Title E.
c. To evaluate the credentials and to advise the President in the
appointment of academic staff not assigned to existing academic subdivisions.
d. To interpret the
provisions of this Article.
e. To fulfill other
functions assigned to it in this Article.
2. Conditions of Service.
Only voting faculty on continuing appointment and holding the rank of
associate or full professor, including Bartle Professors in those titles who
agree to serve within the five-year limit stipulated in Article I.e. above
(Voting Faculty), (Approved
by faculty in mail ballot in April 1997) shall be eligible to serve on the AUPC. No
On the principle that one does not sit on the AUPC when it is
considering ones own case: If the personnel case of an AUPC member is forwarded
to the AUPC, that person immediately becomes ineligible for membership on the
AUPC and is deemed to have resigned.
This includes cases of promotion to the distinguished ranks. A faculty member who notifies the AUPC of
his/her upcoming case and resigns at the time of election to the AUPC is deemed
not to have served on the AUPC, and is then eligible for election the following
year. (Approved by
faculty in mail ballot in April 1997)
3. Composition.
a. All-University Personnel Committee (AUPC). Twenty-four (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in May
2007, September 2009) faculty
members consisting of twelve members elected from Harpur College of Arts and
Sciences apportioned equally among the Divisions of Arts and Sciences; two
members each from the Library; Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering
and Applied Science; School of Education; College of
Community and Public Affairs;
Decker School of Nursing; and the School of Management. (Approved by faculty in September 2009)
b. University Personnel Committee: Arts and Sciences. Eleven (Approved by faculty in May 2007) faculty members, appointed by the Provost
in consultation with outgoing members of the AUPC from the membership of the
newly formed AUPC, consisting of: seven faculty members from the faculty of
Arts and Sciences including at least one member from each of its divisions; four faculty
members from among the Professional Schools, Health, Physical Education and
Athletics, and the Library. No more than
one member of this UPC shall come from any one department of Harpur College of
Arts and Sciences, school other than Arts and Sciences, Health, Physical
Education and Athletics, or the Library.
When any member of the Arts and Sciences UPC resigns or can no longer
serve, a new member shall be appointed from the AUPC for the remainder of the
appointee's elected term of service on the latter committee. The chairperson and secretary shall be
elected annually by the Committee from its own members.
c. University Personnel Committee:
d. In instances where a School does not have a sufficient number
of faculty members meeting the stipulated criteria to provide representation,
the AUPC shall elect members, as necessary, from a slate offered from that
School's existing faculty.
4. Method of Election.
a. Schedule of Elections.
The schedule for elections of the AUPC shall be established by the
Interpretations and Procedures Subcommittee of the AUPC in consultation with
the Provost.
b. Harpur College of
Arts and Sciences.
i. Each department having no incumbent member on the AUPC shall
nominate two qualified persons from among its own members. Nominations shall be by preferential vote of
all members of the department through secret ballot listing all eligible
members. In the event that a department
has two or fewer members eligible to serve, those eligible shall be considered
nominated.
ii. Departmental nominees within each division shall be voted upon
by voting faculty members of that division.
Additional nominees shall be placed on any ballot by petition containing
the signatures of ten voting faculty members of the division.
iii. Each division shall elect, from among those nominated, the
designated number of faculty members to serve on the AUPC. Election shall be by a weighted ranking of
candidates (Approved by
faculty in May 2007) vote
of those voting. The ballots shall be
retained in the event a resignation occurs.
c. eligible to serve, that member shall be
considered elected. The ballots shall be
retained in the event a resignation occurs.
Title E.
Personnel Procedures
1. Procedures for Initial Appointments. Faculty shall serve in advisory and
consultative roles in recruitment and appointment of new faculty.
a. The manner in which each academic subdivision handles
appointments below the rank of associate professor, all visiting appointments,
and changes from a qualified to an unqualified title (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in May
2005), shall be
specified in its Bylaws. Recommendations
from academic subdivisions shall be submitted to the President through the
b. In cases of initial appointments to the rank of associate
professor or full professor, or any changes from a qualified to an unqualified
title at these ranks (Approved
by faculty in mail ballot in May 2005), and any appointments with tenure, recommendations will be
submitted to the President by the IPC, the Chairperson, and the Dean or
Director. In cases of non-concurrence
between any of these parties, or requests for consultation by any of these
parties, the appropriate UPC shall review the case and submit a formal report
and recommendation to the President.
2. Procedures for Cases Other
Than Initial Appointments.
a. Each IPC shall, in cooperation with the Chairperson of the
academic subdivision, provide a mechanism for an annual review of the records
of faculty members in their purview of responsibility to determine whether
there are any individuals whose cases (e.g., for promotion) shall be
considered. At the same time, an
individual who believes his/her own or any other case merits consideration,
though it is not required to be considered according to any timetable, may
petition in writing the appropriate IPC at a time consistent with the timetable
for a given year. The IPC shall receive
all such requests and take appropriate action.
b. The chairperson of the IPC, in consultation with the
c. This initial action shall consist of the following: First, notifying the faculty member whose
status is under consideration of the necessary performance information to be
provided, and of the status of the information in the individual's file. Second, presenting each faculty member of
that academic subdivision with a list of all faculty members who are to be
considered or are being considered by the IPC for promotion, tenure, renewal, and
non-renewal (excluding resignations).
The Chairperson shall provide for the faculty of his/her academic
subdivision a summary of appropriate information including but not limited to
educational background, professional experience, community service, and
honors. Any faculty member has the right
to file a written opinion, which must be appended to the report of the IPC. Third, notifying the appropriate Student
Advisory Committee, if extant, of all faculty members under consideration, and
requesting a report as defined in Title C.
Such reports, if received from the Student Advisory Committee, must be
included in the report of the IPC.
This report must be shared with the faculty member in question, who
shall be given time to file a written comment with the IPC. This comment, when extant, must also be
included in its report. If a report from
a Student Advisory Committee is not included in the report of an IPC, the
reasons shall be stated in the latter report.
Further, individual faculty members whose status is under consideration
may request that a caucus of the faculty members within the academic
subdivision not sitting on the IPC in question meet and discuss the case,
excluding the individual under consideration.
The IPC, on a majority vote, has the authority to call a meeting of the
appropriate faculty as described in the preceding sentence. A summary report of this meeting must be
submitted to the IPC and appended to its report.
d. At the conclusion of its deliberations, the IPC shall conduct a
secret ballot on the case under consideration.
Although the chair of a departmentalized academic subdivision is a full
participant in discussions, that individual shall not vote. (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in September
2009)
i. Reasonable efforts shall be made to secure the views of
Committee members not in residence, and such members shall be entitled to
attend Committee meetings and to participate fully in all deliberations when in
attendance, and to vote when in attendance or when their vote to be obtained by
mail would not unduly interfere with scheduling and successive steps of
Personnel Committee procedures.
Decisions shall require a majority of the total of Committee members in
residence plus those members not in residence but voting. The results of this vote shall become a part
of the Committee's report and recommendation.
ii. The Secretary shall prepare a written report including the
report and recommendation of the Committee, the record of the final vote taken,
and all supporting documentation. Upon
approval by the majority of the Committee members in residence plus those not
in residence but in attendance, the report shall be submitted to the
appropriate University Personnel Committee through the appropriate
administrative officer.
iii. Individual faculty members or groups of faculty members may
also submit separate reports to the UPC.
iv. The chairperson shall notify in writing each candidate whose
case the IPC has considered of its report and recommendation before (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in
February 1989) said
report is forwarded. The chairperson
shall at the same time inform the candidate in writing that he/she has five
working days to review the report and recommendation and to respond in writing
to the IPC report. This response, if
any, shall be included in the evaluation file.
(Approved by
faculty in mail ballot in February 1989) In non-mandated cases,
however, the candidate shall be allowed at least one academic day after receipt
of the written recommendation and consultation with the chairperson to
terminate the personnel proceedings before the case is forwarded to the
appropriate
v. The department Chairperson shall submit a written report to the
UPC through the
vi. The
e. In personnel cases involving faculty status, the final campus review
by faculty is conducted by the University Personnel Committee (UPC).
This review is subsequent to reviews by the Initiating Personnel
Committee (IPC) and by appropriate administrators through the level
of
i. The appropriate UPC shall examine the official personnel file with
the ultimate goal of achieving a decision that is reflected in the Final
UPC Report. As an intermediate goal, the UPC will typically prepare
a Preliminary UPC Report.
(a) Prior to completion of its Preliminary Report the UPC may, at
its discretion, seek additional information, as well as clarification
of information already in the file.
(b) Any additional documents received by the UPC in this process
must be placed in the official personnel file. The UPC may also add
written comments to the file. As with all information in the official
personnel file, the added information is subject to all relevant rules
and regulations.
(c) In cases where there is not concurrence by all parties,
including the UPC, who have acted on the case, the UPC must include in the Preliminary UPC Report, and add to the personnel file, a summary (however brief) of the discussion that led to the UPC decision. Any minority report from the UPC membership must also be included.
(d) At any point in this process the UPC may decide to move
directly to a Formal Review of the case. When this is done,
the Preliminary Report will simply state the UPC's decision to
move directly to a Formal Review and its rationale for doing so.
ii. Notification of its action, in the form of the Preliminary UPC Report,
shall be sent to the faculty member under review, IPC, appropriate
administrators
through the level of
(a) Unless prohibited by rules and regulations, including those
concerning confidentiality, any information added by the UPC
to the personnel file will accompany the Preliminary UPC Report.
(b) Except when there is a request for a formal review, the
Preliminary UPC Report will automatically become the
Final UPC Report one week subsequent to this
notification - - at which time it will be forwarded to the
President through the Provost.
(c) Any request for a formal review must be given within one
week of this notification.
iii. The UPC shall hold a formal review of a pending personnel
action upon the request of any one of the following:
(a)
The faculty member involved.
(b)
The appropriate
(c)
The Provost
(d) 1/3 of the voting members of an IPC. (Approved by faculty in May 2007)
iv. Notification of the formal review shall be made to the faculty
member involved, to the IPC, to the appropriate Chairperson,
v. The recommendation of the UPC shall be voted by secret ballot,
and a majority of all Committee members eligible to vote shall be required for
the establishment of the recommendation.
A written recommendation and report of the Committee and a tally of the
vote shall be submitted to the President through the Provost (Approved by faculty in May 2007) and a copy shall be placed in the official
personnel file of the faculty member whose case is being considered. At least five days before the file is to be
reviewed by the President of the University, the candidate must be informed in
writing of the decision of the UPC and that he/she may review the file and
respond. (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in
February 1989) If the President is not inclined to
implement the recommendations of the UPC, the President or the President's
designee shall meet with the UPC to review the case. This must be done within three weeks of the
receipt of the report from the UPC. If
the President then decides against implementing the UPC’s recommendation,
he/she shall indicate the reasons for his/her decision.
f. Nothing in these procedures shall be construed to limit in any
way informal consultation among appropriate administrative officers, the heads
of the academic subdivisions, the IPC, and the UPC.
g. All parties involved in personnel actions shall protect the
confidentiality of all personnel proceedings and documents.
h. In any case that is not mandated, the individual shall have the
option of terminating the personnel proceedings at any point in the process
prior to the President’s decision.
i. Nothing in this Article shall restrict the right of an
individual to have his/her case reviewed by all of the committees and
administrative officers identified in this Article. However, in any mandated case when any
personnel committee, Chairperson, Dean, or Director has made a negative
recommendation, and the individual resigns prior to completion of the case, the
recommendations along with all documentation acquired in the personnel action
to this point shall be sent to the UPC through the channels defined in this
Article but shall not be subject to further review. Moreover, such documents and recommendations
shall not be placed in any of his/her personnel files, unless the individual
requests otherwise.
j. When an IPC fails to carry out its mandated functions, the AUPC
shall insure the proper processing of personnel cases. This may include the augmentation of the
regular IPC. To effect this augmentation,
the AUPC shall appoint additional members to the IPC in question in
consultation with the President or his/her designee. No special augmentation or other variance
from normal procedure shall occur unless (a) two-thirds of the AUPC approve, and
(b) two-thirds of the department or school voting faculty involved approve.
ARTICLE VIII
AMENDMENTS
Proposals to
amend the Bylaws must be presented to the faculty at least two weeks before
discussion at a faculty meeting. These
Bylaws may be amended only by a majority of the total voting faculty who vote
in a (Approved by
faculty in May 2007) ballot
distributed to the entire voting faculty.
The final tally shall not be made until at least two (Approved by faculty in May 2007) weeks have elapsed from the date of
mailing.
Exception: By a two-thirds majority vote of the Faculty
Senate, and after presentation at two consecutive meetings of the Senate, the
composition of standing committees may be revised to allow for participation of
new units or departments of the State University of New York at
Title A. Faculty Senate Committees
In
accordance with Article IV. Title B. of the Faculty Bylaws, following are the
charges of all currently authorized Faculty Senate committees:
BUDGET
REVIEW COMMITTEE
Charge:
1. to review on a regular basis all institutional budgets prior
to the presentation of such budgets to SUNY Central, and prior to
implementing campus budgetary policies; to report its findings to the Executive
Committee of the Faculty Senate. The
explicit intention of this charge is to have faculty involvement in budgetary
planning prior to policy or budgetary implementation, including
midstream budget changes;
2. to reflect, in their recommendations on the budget, the
academic priorities and policies established by the Faculty Senate;
3. to seek advice as necessary from
other faculty with expertise in the budgetary process;
4. to report periodically on the
budget process to the Faculty Senate.
Composition:
Membership shall be representative of all schools, the Library,
and Health, Physical Education and Athletics.
There shall be ten (Approved by faculty in May 2007) faculty (three from Harpur College
of Arts and Sciences and one each from Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science; School
of Education; College of Community and Public Affairs; School of Management;
Decker School of Nursing; the Library; and Health, Physical Education and
Athletics) and two students (one undergraduate and one graduate). Additional non-voting members whose expertise
would contribute to the committee's function may be added at the discretion of
the committee chair, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee. The term of office of such appointees shall
be the same as that of the committee's elected members.
BYLAWS
REVIEW COMMITTEE
Charge:
to recommend to the Senate and the faculty additions to and
modifications of the Faculty Bylaws.
Composition:
Five
faculty: three to be elected and two ex
officio (the two immediate past Vice Chairpersons of the Faculty Senate.) Of the five members, three shall be from
Harpur College of Arts and Sciences and two shall be from the professional
schools, Library and/or Health, Physical Education and Athletics. Additional non-voting members whose expertise
would contribute to the committee's function may be added at the discretion of
the committee chair, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee. The term of office of such appointees shall
be the same as that of the committee's elected members.
CONVOCATIONS
COMMITTEE
Charge:
1. to receive and discuss recommendations for programs that
enhance and support the intellectual, cultural and artistic aspects of the
academic curriculum.
2. to bring such programs to the
campus.
3. to allocate to these programs, as required, funds contributed
by the Student Association, the University and others.
4. to establish admission fees for
these programs as necessary and desirable.
Composition:
Three
faculty members, three administrative appointees, three undergraduate students,
and one graduate student. One of the
administrative appointees shall be designated as executive secretary to the
committee. Additional non-voting members
whose expertise would contribute to the committee's function may be added at
the discretion of the committee chair, subject to the approval of the Executive
Committee. The term of office of such
appointees shall be the same as that of the committee's elected members.
Duties of
Executive Secretary: The executive secretary shall be responsible
for keeping minutes and records of the committee, executing contracts on behalf
of the committee, and arranging for disbursement of funds allocated by the
committee.
EDUCATIONAL
OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Charge:
1. to advise and assist the Director of the Educational
Opportunity Program:
a. in establishing policies, procedures and academic guidelines
for selection of students for the program;
b. in developing educational programs for its students;
c. in fostering developmental course work and tutorial services;
d. in fostering liaison between the Educational Opportunity
Program and the State University of New York at Binghamton faculty, students,
administration, schools and departments;
2. to advise the State University of New York at
3. to make recommendations to the Faculty
Senate and other appropriate legislative
bodies on matters related to the
Educational Opportunity Program;
4. to prepare an annual report on the
status of the Educational
the President and Vice President, and
others as deemed appropriate.
Composition:
Five faculty
members representing schools and departments teaching large numbers of students
in the EOP Program, one graduate student, one undergraduate student, three
undergraduates in the Educational Opportunity Program, the Director of
Admissions--ex officio, the Associate Dean of Harpur College--ex officio, the
Director of the EOP Program--ex officio.
Additional non-voting members whose expertise would contribute to the
committee's function may be added at the discretion of the committee chair,
subject to the approval of the Executive Committee. The term of office of such appointees shall
be the same as that of the committee's elected members.
EDUCATIONAL
POLICY AND PRIORITIES COMMITTEE
Charge:
1. to review existing educational objectives and recommend to the
Faculty Senate such modifications as will assure a rational and coherent body
of policy and educational objectives for the programs, schools, colleges, or
departments;
2. to recommend new programs compatible with the educational
objectives of the State University of New York at
3. when questions are raised concerning the relation of an
existing or proposed program to the State University of New York at
Binghamton's objectives, to consider such questions and recommend appropriate
action to the Faculty Senate, including where necessary a recommendation that
priority of support be granted to a program, school, or college, to meet the
University's objectives;
4. along with the Executive Committee (and when appropriate, the
Budget Review Committee) review administrative proposals requiring expeditious
action. Such review shall include but
not be limited to the creation or elimination of, or significant increases or
decreases, in the funding and/or personnel of programs, schools, colleges, or
departments.
5. New Degree Programs (Approved by Faculty Senate on April 15, 2003)
Degree proposals submitted to SUNY System Administration and the State Education Department must follow specific guidelines and provide specific kinds of information. In addition, a local template in current use, called “The Academic Business Plan,” guides proposals through a series of topics designed to make comprehensive sense of the feasibility, benefit, cost, and ongoing viability of each new degree proposal. Program proposals submitted to the faculty will mainly consist of the more detailed Academic Business Plans. All proposals in either form need to address the following issues:
a. Justification for the program. This should include the pedagogical need for the program and how it fits within the University’s mission and goals.
b. Curriculum for the program. This should include a summary of courses proposed for inclusion in the program, distinguishing those that exist and those that need to be created; how the curriculum compares with similar programs at peer institutions.
c. Resources needed for the program. This should include a summary of necessary resources (such as faculty, graduate student, and staff positions and other financial support) and the short-and long-term institutional costs and revenue from the program. Sources of necessary short-term costs need to be identified.
d. Evidence of consultation with related units across campus and commentary from programs that might be affected.
e. Evidence of support from any off campus programs or other entities that will participate.
1. The Provost prepares a Letter of Intent for submission to SUNY System Administration. Draft of letter is sent to Faculty Senate Executive Committee (FSEC) for informational purposes at least one week prior to submission to System Administration.
2. Proposals for undergraduate degrees are approved at the school level before submission to the Educational Policy and Priorities Committee (EPPC) for initial action on behalf of the Faculty Senate. Proposals for graduate degrees are approved at the school level and by the Graduate Council before submission to the EPPC.
3. EPPC reviews the proposal and makes
recommendation to Faculty Senate Executive Committee. EPPC’s principal role is, in the words of the
committee’s charge, to ensure that the proposal is “compatible with the
educational objectives of the State University of New York at
4. The Faculty
Senate Executive Committee considers the recommendation of the EPPC and makes a
recommendation to the Faculty Senate.
This recommendation could include a request for additional information,
and the FSEC retains the option of returning a proposal to the originating
department for further work before it is forwarded to the Faculty Senate.
5. The Faculty Senate makes a recommendation to the President regarding the proposed degree program.
6. Degree proposals may undergo revision
between the time they are initially developed and approved internally on campus
and when they are submitted to System Administration, in response to recommendations
from external reviewers. The Provost
will submit the final version of the degree proposal to the Faculty Senate
Executive Committee at least two weeks prior to planned submission to System
Administration. The FSEC reviews the
final proposal and may decide to seek additional endorsement by the full
Faculty Senate if substantive changes have been made to the initial proposal
approved by the Senate.
7. The EPPC may re-review new programs within
3-5 years, using information gathered through the assessment process and/or
additional reasonable data requested from the program. In the event of such a re-review, EPPC will
inform the FSEC of any concerns that arise.
New 3/2, 4/1, or Combined Programs Leading to Double Degrees
Proposals for new 3/2, 4/1, or other programs that propose to combine existing degrees are submitted to the Graduate Council for information and advice. These proposals will also be submitted to EPPC for information, and EPPC may undertake additional review.
New Departments and Other Academic Units
All proposals for establishment of new departments and other academic units or elimination of existing units require review by the Faculty Senate (unless mandated by the Board of Trustees). Proposal review should follow the same procedures outlined above for degree programs (including the routing hierarchy). However, additional materials should be provided as follows:
a. Need for a new departmental structure. This could include addressing the need to change from an existing program to a department or the justification for starting a new department.
b. Relationship of proposed department to existing programs. This should include supporting documentation from existing departments/academic units that may be affected by creation of the new department.
c. Resources necessary to develop new
department. This should include summary
of new positions needed (faculty, staff, etc.), source of funding for new
positions and/or possible replacement of existing positions in other programs
that may get transferred to the new unit.
Composition:
Seven
faculty, all tenured, distributed as follows:
1. four from Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, with a minimum
of one from Humanities and Fine Arts, one from Social Sciences, and one from
Science and Mathematics
2. three from the Professional Schools (Thomas J. Watson School of
Engineering and Applied Science; School of Education; College of
Community and Public Affairs; School of Management; Decker
School of Nursing; the Library; Health, Physical Education and Athletics)
3. two undergraduate students
4. one graduate student
Additional
non-voting members whose expertise would contribute to the committee's function
may be added at the discretion of the committee chair, subject to the approval
of the Executive Committee. The term of
office of such appointees shall be the same as that of the committee's elected
members.
EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE
Functions:
1. Report to the Faculty Senate on matters of concern to the
faculty that have come to its attention.
The Executive Committee shall have the discretion to:
a. refer questions or requests it may receive for consideration to
the appropriate faculty committee;
b. make recommendations
to the Faculty Senate on pending legislation;
c. consider matters in
confidence when appropriate;
d. establish and maintain communication with appropriate
policy-making individuals and groups.
2. to represent faculty interests and views, and strengthen the
role of the faculty in University policy-making.
Composition:
The
Executive Committee shall consist of seventeen (Approved by faculty in May 2007) members of the State University of New
York at
1. Nine from Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, distributed as equally
as possible among the divisions of the School; such distribution to be
determined by the Committee on Committees.
Each division shall be considered a separate constituency for the
purpose of this Article;
2. Two from the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied
Science; (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in March 2006)
3. Six (Approved by faculty in May 2007), distributed one each from the Library;
Health, Physical Education and Athletics; Decker School of Nursing; School of
Education; College of Community and Public Affairs; and School
of Management;
4. The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Senate and the
Faculty Senator representing the faculty to the SUNY Faculty Senate shall be ex
officio voting members of the Executive Committee and, if not already a member
of the Executive Committee, the size of the Executive Committee shall be
(temporarily) increased. (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in March 2006)
5. If one of the academic units listed above (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in March 2006) has fewer than 8 voting faculty, that
unit will not have a member on the Executive Committee and the size of the
Executive Committee will be reduced accordingly. Such a unit may send a non-voting observer
from among its voting faculty to Executive Committee meetings. (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in December 2004)
6. Officers: The Executive Committee
shall elect its own chairperson, who shall serve for a two-year term. (Approved by faculty in
mail ballot in May 2000)
COMMITTEE ON
COMMITTEES (SUBCOMMITTEE OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE)
Charge:
to assist
the Executive Committee in the election of standing committees of the faculty
and provide advice as appropriate on nominations for ad hoc committees, joint,
and University-wide committees with faculty as members. The Committee on Committees is not a standing
Committee of the Faculty Senate, but shall instead report to the Executive
Committee. The Executive Committee shall
elect the membership of all standing committees and the Committee on
Committees.
INTERCOLLEGIATE
ATHLETICS COMMITTEE (Approved
by Faculty Senate on October 12, 1999)
Charge:
to make recommendations and suggest policies to the Faculty Senate
regarding the impact of intercollegiate athletics on academic standards and
practices.
Composition:
Four faculty
drawn from various schools. The Faculty
Representative to the NCAA shall be a non-voting member of the committee. Two undergraduate students (one male and one
female) with vote designated by the Student Association. One graduate student teaching assistant with
vote designated by the Graduate Student Organization. The Director of Health, Physical Education
and Athletics shall be a non-voting ex officio member of the committee. One individual designated by the Vice
President for Student Affairs without vote.
LIBRARY
COMMITTEE
Charge:
1. advise the Faculty Senate and the Director of Libraries on
matters of Library policy and budget priorities;
2. serve as liaison between the
faculty and Library;
3. consult with student
representatives when appropriate.
Composition:
Seven
faculty members including a minimum of three from Harpur College of Arts and
Sciences, two undergraduate students, one graduate student. Additional non-voting members whose expertise
would contribute to the committee's function may be added at the discretion of
the committee chair, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee. The term of office of such appointees shall
be the same as that of the committee's elected members.
PROFESSIONAL
STANDARDS COMMITTEE
Charge:
1. in cases which are not matters of grievance of discipline under
provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, to consider all sides of
issues involving professional conduct, and to seek a resolution or to recommend
appropriate action to assure high standards of professional conduct;
2. to report annually on the number of issues raised, the nature
of the issues raised, and the procedures used in recommending resolution of
redress.
Composition:
Five tenured
voting faculty. Additional non-voting
members whose expertise would contribute to the committee's function may be
added at the discretion of the committee chair, subject to the approval of the
Executive Committee. The term of office
of such appointees shall be the same as that of the committee's elected
members.
UNIVERSITY
UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
Charge:
1. to receive or devise proposals for all-university or
inter-school curricular initiatives, including but not limited to proposals for
all-university graduation requirements;
2. to review, refine, and report to the Senate on such proposals,
with recommendations for Senate action.
Composition:
Ten (Approved by faculty in May 2007, October
2009) faculty
(four from Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, with one each from Fine Arts, Humanities,
Science and Mathematics, and Social Sciences; and one each from School of Management; School of
Education; College of Community and Public Affairs; Thomas J.
Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science; Decker School of Nursing; the Library; and Health,
Physical Education and Athletics), one undergraduate student, one graduate
student (who must carry a Teaching Assistantship). Additional non-voting members whose expertise
would contribute to the committee's function may be added at the discretion of
the committee chair, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee. The term of office of such appointees shall
be the same as that of the committee's elected members.
PROCEDURES
COMMITTEE
The
Procedures Committee is described in Article III, Title B. 9. of the Faculty
Bylaws.
Title B. Joint Faculty Administration
Committees
ACADEMIC
COMPUTING AND EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE (Joint) (Approved by Faculty Senate on February
20, 1996)
Charge:
1. to advise the Faculty Senate, the Associate Vice President for
Computing and Educational Technology, and the administration on matters of
2. to serve as a liaison between the
faculty and the
Composition (Approved by Faculty Senate on November 5,
2002):
The Academic
Computing and Educational Technology Committee is a Joint Committee between the
Provost and the Faculty Senate as described in Article IV, Title B. 2. of the
Faculty Bylaws.
The Academic
Computing and Educational Technology Committee consists of fourteen members
total, the Provost who is Chair, the Vice Provost for Administration, the
Associate Vice President for Computing and Educational Technology, seven faculty
drawn from various schools and the Library, two additional members chosen by
the Provost, a graduate student, and an undergraduate student. Thus, Faculty Senate representatives comprise
seven of the fourteen voting members of the Academic Computing and Educational
Technology Committee. Additional
non-voting members whose expertise would contribute to the committee’s function
may be added at the discretion of the committee chair, subject to the approval
of the Executive Committee.
COMMITTEE
FOR THE UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENT (Joint) (Approved
by Faculty Senate Executive Committee on June 11, 2003)
Charge:
1. to act to preserve and
enhance the quality of the University environment;
2. to develop and oversee a
university-wide environmental policy;
3. to participate broadly in
the physical planning of the University and its environs;
4. to make recommendations
about all future construction, including the need for such
construction, placement, general shape, and functional
relationship of buildings, access routes, and parking areas, and their
relationship to natural areas;
5. to participate in the
institution of proposals for construction, and in the planning of buildings,
roads, and other structures on this campus by meeting regularly with the
university architects and the Associate Vice President for Physical Facilities,
or their representatives. The Committee
shall meet with concerned campus groups at various stages in the planning of
such construction.
6. to make recommendations
concerning the use of all campus natural areas;
7. to consider the need for
additions to the land holdings of the University, and to make recommendations
for such acquisitions as are deemed necessary;
8. to establish liaison with
local organizations and governmental agencies concerned with the quality of the
environment.
Composition:
·
8
faculty members, 5 selected by the Faculty Senate and 3 selected by the Provost
·
3
students, 2 nominated by the Student Association (SA) and 1 by the Graduate
Student Organization (GSO)
·
Vice
President for Administration or his/her designee
·
One
professional employee appointed by the Professional Employees Council (PEC)
·
One
Residential Life representative appointed by the Vice President for Student
Affairs
·
One
Physical Plant representative appointed by the Associate Vice President for
Physical Facilities
·
One
environmental ombudsperson or other environmental professional appointed by the
Vice President for Administration
·
Additional
non-voting members whose expertise would contribute to the committee's function
may be added at the discretion of the committee chair, subject to the approval
of the Executive Committee. The term of
office of such appointees shall be the same as that of the committee's elected
members. (Approved by
Faculty Senate on November 29, 2005)
Faculty Senate appoints the Chair and the
President appoints an Administrative Vice Chair.