Bylaws
Table of Contents
- General Powers
- College Faculty Membership
- Dean of the College
- Organization and Procedures
- College Committees
- Departments
- Bylaw Amendments
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College Bylaws
I. General Powers
All duties, responsibilities, and privileges delegated to the faculty of this College reside with the faculty as a whole unless specifically assigned to committees of the faculty or to the faculty of the several departments.
The College faculty shall (1) provide for the establishment and modification of curricula and courses (subject to Faculty Senate approval), (2) determine educational and academic policies of admissions to the College, (3) determine the requirements for degrees and recommend candidates for diplomas, degrees, and certificates (subject to Faculty Senate approval), (4) recommend educational and academic policies relating to the administration of University services as they pertain to the College and its departments, (5) adopt regulations governing its own procedures, (6) make recommendations for conduct of formal exercises and public functions held under the auspices of the College, and (7) take such other actions deemed appropriate by the College faculty.
The College faculty has the privilege (1) to consider matters of general interest to the College and to make recommendations thereupon, (2) to consider and make recommendations to the Dean concerning policies governing appointments, promotions, tenure, dismissals, and salaries, and (3) to comment on such other matters as are deemed appropriate by the College faculty.
Though the collective responsibilities granted to the College faculty remain with the College faculty, final or ultimate responsibility is not initial responsibility. The faculty of each department in the College is charged with the duty to initiate proposals on all topics listed in paragraphs I.B and I.C above for consideration by the College faculty, in conformance with the College Bylaws.
All provisions of the College Bylaws are subject to consistency with University policy and procedures.
II. College Faculty Membership
The faculty of the College of Business and Economics shall consist of the Dean, Associate Deans, Directors who hold academic rank, Assistant Deans, Department Chairs, Professors, Associate Professors, Assistant Professors, Lecturers, and Instructors who hold full-time appointments in the College. The voting privileges of those College faculty members holding joint appointments with another unit of the University will be adjudicated by the College faculty as a whole after receiving a recommendation from the Committee on Organization. In no case shall a person having voting privileges in another college also have voting privileges in the College of Business and Economics.
III. Dean of the College
The Dean of the College, as the chief representative and executive officer of the College, shall have general administrative authority over College affairs. He/she shall exercise leadership in the formulation of policies, in the introduction of educational ideas and proposals, and in the stimulation of College discussions leading to improvement of the educational program of the College. His/her responsibilities shall include both strengthening the College and its program, and interpreting that program to the University and to the community.
In the course of administering his/her responsibilities, the Dean of the College is expected to consult with the chairpersons of the departments regarding departmental affairs, and maintain communication with the faculty on all matters of concern to the faculty and the College as a whole.
Though not a part of these Bylaws, the Dean of the College is encouraged to formulate and publish administrative procedures, which in a serial form shall be attached to these Bylaws for the information of the College faculty. Unless amended by the Dean, these published procedures shall be assumed by the faculty of the College to be an official statement regarding College operations.
IV. Organization and Procedures
i. Presiding Officer
The Dean of the College or his/her representative shall conduct and preside at all meetings of the College faculty.
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ii. Meetings
The College faculty shall meet at least once a semester at times determined by the Dean. Special meetings of the faculty may be called by the Dean, or by written petition of 15 percent of the voting membership of the College presented to the Dean, or by a majority vote of the College faculty at a regular or special meeting of the faculty.
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iii. Notice of Meetings
Written notice of special faculty meetings together with an agenda shall be published and distributed to the faculty at least forty-eight hours (not including Saturdays and Sundays) in advance of such meetings. At special meetings only those topics on the announced agenda may be voted upon at that meeting. The agenda for each regular faculty meeting must be published and distributed to the faculty at least one week before the meeting.
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iv. Agenda
The agenda for regular and special meetings of the College faculty shall be prepared by the Dean of the College. The agenda shall include:
- All items presented by the Dean of the College.
- All items submitted for faculty consideration by committees established by the College faculty.
- All items approved by a department faculty for College consideration.
- All items supported by 15 percent of the College faculty as evidenced by a written petition submitted to the Dean of the College.
- New business not on the announced agenda may be introduced for discussion from the floor or by the Dean. A resolution or motion which requires a vote by the faculty which is not part of the announced agenda cannot be acted upon until the next meeting of the faculty. It shall be considered at that next meeting to be "old business." A commemorative resolution may be introduced and voted upon at any meeting of the faculty.
v. Order of Business
The order of business for regular faculty meetings shall be as follows:
Call to order
Announcements
Approval of minutes of previous meetings
Approval of the agenda
Old business
New business
Adjournment
vi. Quorum
One-third of the voting membership of the College faculty not on official leave shall constitute a quorum. The faculty shall abide by its own rules of procedure, but in cases where it has adopted no explicit rules, or where applicability of or interpretation of rules is in doubt, Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall apply. A Parliamentarian may be appointed by the Dean.
vii. Minutes
The Dean shall publish minutes of regular and special meetings of the College faculty which shall become the official record upon being submitted to and approved by the faculty at the first subsequent regular meeting of the faculty.
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viii. Voting Procedures
When voting upon nominations for committee positions, the faculty may, by majority vote taken prior to the election in question, elect to follow the voting method contained in Appendix A.
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V. College Committees
i. General Provisions Regarding Committees
Standing committees authorized by the faculty of the College of Business and Economics shall be empowered to act as the agent of the faculty in administering responsibilities delegated to them and shall be a continuous source of information and recommendations for action by the faculty of this College.
Faculty appointments to standing committees are to be for terms of two years unless otherwise noted--staggered so as to insure satisfactory continuity. Faculty members shall not normally serve for more than two consecutive terms on any one committee.
It is expected that each standing committee will keep minutes of its meetings and annually file a written report of activities. This report shall be published and distributed to the faculty of the College at least one week prior to the last scheduled faculty meeting in the Spring term.
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Standing committees of the College of Business and Economics are specified in the sections that follow.
ii. Committee on Organization
This Committee shall have general responsibility for the College committee system which shall include the following:
Prepare for the consideration of the College faculty recommendations concerning changes in the standing committee structure, the composition of standing committees, and the delegation of responsibilities and tasks to the several standing committees.
Prepare for action by the faculty slates of nominees for standing committees authorized by the College or University faculty including designation of a chairperson. These nominations shall be published and distributed to the faculty at least one week prior to a regularly scheduled meeting of the faculty in the Spring term. The presiding officer shall call for nominations from the floor for committee positions prior to a formal vote by the faculty. In the event nominations from the floor are received, there shall be a secret ballot for positions for which there is more than one nominee (see paragraph IV.H on voting procedures). This Committee shall fill vacancies on standing committees for the unexpired term with the requirement that all such appointments must be published in the minutes of the next regularly held faculty meeting of the College.
Annually canvass the faculty of the College to determine individual faculty member interest in serving on committees. The willingness of nominees to serve on committees shall be ascertained before their names are submitted to the faculty for vote. The Committee in preparing nominations shall have regard for equitable distribution with respect to academic ranks and with respect to disciplines and academic units of the College. This Committee is authorized to consult with members of the University community and assume such supervisory functions that appear necessary to promote the effectiveness of the College faculty committees in accordance with their respective responsibilities.
This Committee shall also have responsibility for preparing modifications to the College Bylaws for consideration of the faculty. Modifications may be necessary when a change is required as a result of actions taken by the Board of Trustees to modify their Bylaws, because of actions by the University faculty or its Senate, or because of changes begun by any other organization of the faculty with a superior jurisdiction. Any faculty member may propose modifications in the Bylaws of the College directly to the College faculty.
Upon the request of the Dean of the College, the Committee on Organization is authorized to propose faculty member nominations to advisory bodies formed by the Dean in administering his/her responsibilities. Such nominations are in the nature of staff assistance and do not imply a faculty position regarding such bodies or their conclusions.
The Committee shall consist of one faculty member from each department within the College. The members shall elect their own chairperson. Faculty members holding administrative appointments in the College shall not be eligible to serve on the Committee on Organization.
iii. Committee of the Senate
The elected Senators to the University Faculty Senate shall constitute a standing committee of the College of Business and Economics. They shall represent the College of Business and Economics and its faculty as provided for by the Constitution and Bylaws of the University Faculty Senate, and shall report to the College faculty at each regular faculty meeting of the College of Business and Economics, or at any special meeting of the College of Business and Economics. Senators have an obligation to keep the College faculty informed about the activities of the University Faculty Senate and to seek faculty opinion regarding issues before the University Faculty Senate.
Each of the departments constituting the College of Business and Economics shall elect a Senator by secret ballot. In the event that the number of departments should exceed the number of Senators allocated to the College of Business and Economics, the privilege of a department to elect a Senator shall be rotated in an equitable fashion to be determined by the Committee on Organization. In the event that the number of Senators allocated to the College of Business and Economics exceeds the number of departments within the College, the extra Senators shall be elected by the College faculty "at large" with nominations coming from the Committee on Organization, in accordance with nominating procedures specified in paragraph V.B.1.b of the College of Business and Economics Bylaws.
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iv. Undergraduate Programs Committee
This Committee of the College of Business and Economics shall oversee and review undergraduate courses and programs in the College and shall originate, receive, review, and approve for submission to the College faculty proposals for their development.
The Committee shall play active and advisory roles in overseeing and coordinating the various undergraduate programs and their development. Proposals to add, modify, or delete courses, including experimental courses and curricula may originate in the Committee or in the several departments of the College. Proposals originated and approved in the Committee may be submitted for consideration by the College faculty if and only if they have received a positive vote from the majority of faculty in each College department that will be responsible for implementing the proposed changes, if approved. Proposals originated at the departmental level will require a positive vote from the majority of department faculty and the Committee prior to their submission to the College faculty. Contingent upon recommendation of the department faculty, the Committee shall have authority to act for the College on procedural matters, such as renumbering or renaming of courses.
The Committee shall formulate, for determination by the College faculty, policies concerning undergraduate courses and programs. The Committee shall review academic standards for undergraduate study and make recommendations to the departments and to the College faculty.
The Committee shall consist of two full-time continuing faculty members from each department within the College, at least one of whom is tenure track. The Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Services shall be included as a non-voting member of the Committee. If a single faculty member holds a College-level appointment as “Faculty Director, Undergraduate Programs” then he/she shall be afforded ex-officio membership on the Committee and shall be the presumed chair of the Committee. However, if no faculty member holds such an appointment or if any two elected members of the Committee request a formal election, then the Committee shall elect its own chairperson through a voting procedure conducted by the Committee on Organization. A faculty member holding an appointment as “Faculty Director, Undergraduate Programs” is eligible for election to the Committee as a departmental representative.
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v. Graduate Programs Committee
The Graduate Programs Committee of the College of Business and Economics shall oversee and review all graduate courses and programs in the College, excepting MBA Programs, which shall be overseen by the MBA Committee. The Graduate Programs Committee shall originate, receive, review, and approve for submission to the College faculty proposals for their development.
The Committee shall play active and advisory roles in overseeing and coordinating the various graduate programs and their development. Proposals to add, modify, or delete courses, including experimental courses and curricula may originate in the Committee or in the several departments of the College. Proposals originated and approved in the Committee may be submitted for consideration by the College faculty if and only if they have received a positive vote from the majority of faculty in each College department that will be responsible for implementing the proposed changes, if approved. Proposals originated at the departmental level will require a positive vote from the majority of department faculty and the Committee prior to their submission to the College faculty. Contingent upon recommendation of the department faculty, the Committee shall have authority to act for the College on procedural matters, such as renumbering or renaming of courses.
The Committee shall formulate, for determination by the College faculty, policies concerning graduate courses and programs. The Committee shall review academic standards for graduate study and make recommendations to the departments and to the College faculty.
The Graduate Programs Committee shall consist of two full-time, tenure-track faculty members from each department within the College. The Assistant Dean for Graduate and Executive Programs shall be included as a non-voting member of the Committee. All members, where possible, shall be currently active in graduate programs or instruction. The Committee shall elect its own chairperson.
vi. Master of Business Administration Committee
The Master of Business Administration Committee shall formulate, for determination by the College faculty, policies concerning the Master of Business Administration courses and programs.
The MBA Committee will have the primary role of actively overseeing and reviewing the College’s MBA programs, and will act in an advisory capacity to help co-ordinate course offerings with other graduate programs. Proposals to add, modify, or delete MBA courses, including experimental courses and curricula, may originate in the Committee or in the several departments of the College. Proposals originated and approved in the Committee may be submitted for consideration by the College faculty if and only if they have received a positive vote from the majority of faculty in each College department that will be responsible for implementing the proposed changes, if approved. Proposals originated at the departmental level will require a positive vote from the majority of department faculty and the Committee prior to their submission to the College faculty. Contingent upon recommendation of the department faculty, the Committee shall have authority to act for the College on procedural matters, such as renumbering or renaming of courses. The Committee shall review academic standards for the College’s MBA programs and make recommendations to the departments and to the College faculty.
The MBA Committee shall consist of seven voting members and up to four non-voting members. Voting members - all of whom should be actively involved in MBA Programs or instruction - shall include: one faculty member each from Economics, Finance, Accounting, MIS, Management, Marketing, and Operations. Non-voting members shall include up to two MBA Program administrators (e.g., the Associate Dean of the College and the Assistant Dean of Graduate and Executive Programs) and up to two MBA students (e.g., one fulltime student and one part-time student). If a single faculty member holds a College-level appointment as “Faculty Director, EMBA Programs” then he/she shall be afforded ex-officio membership on the Committee. If a single faculty member holds a College-level appointment as “Faculty Director, MBA Programs” then he/she shall be afforded ex-officio membership on the Committee and shall be the presumed chair of the Committee. However, if no faculty member holds such an appointment or if any two elected members of the Committee request a formal election, then the Committee shall elect its own chairperson through a voting procedure conducted by the Committee on Organization. Faculty members holding appointments as “Faculty Director, EMBA Programs” or “Faculty Director, MBA Programs” are eligible for election to the Committee as area representatives.
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vii. Committee on Promotion and Tenure
Evaluations of faculty and recommendations for promotion and tenure shall originate in the departments in accordance with established University procedures and policy. Department evaluations and recommendations for promotion and tenure shall be forwarded to the College Committee on Promotion and Tenure for review as outlined below. Instruments for evaluation of promotion and tenure complying with accepted provisions for the process shall be forwarded to the Dean of the College for further action.
The responsibilities of the College Committee on Promotion and Tenure shall be as follows:
- To advise the department chairs and department committees on procedures that are appropriate, uniform among departments, equitable, and consonant with University requirements in the areas of evaluation, promotion, and tenure.
- To advise the department chairs and department committees on the selection of standards to be used in evaluation and in recommending promotion and tenure. Standards shall be consistent with University requirements.
- To advise the department chairs and department committees on criteria for determining compliance with established standards.
- To advise the Dean of the College on the adequacy and equity of departmental procedures, standards, and criteria.
- To establish its own operating procedures and schedules, consistent with University guidelines, for the review and evaluation of all departmental recommendations for promotion and tenure in the College.
- To review and evaluate departmental recommendations for compliance with published and approved procedures and standards and for the proper application of criteria.
Further, recognizing the primary responsibility of the respective departments to establish criteria and evaluate candidates for promotion and tenure, the College Committee on Promotion and Tenure shall rely upon the promotion and tenure criteria published by the candidate’s department and the university when evaluating the merits of a candidate’s dossier. Before reaching a final decision the Committee may consult with the candidate or department regarding additional evidence that might clarify the promotion dossier.
The Committee will make a recommendation based upon a majority vote. The recommendation will contain a record of the vote count, reasons for the recommendation, and any minority statements that dissenting members request be included. Committee members from a candidate’s department may not participate in the discussion about the candidate’s case, nor vote on the candidate.
The Committee’s recommendations shall be promptly reported in writing to the candidate and department and forwarded on or before December 1 with the dossier for review and recommendation by the Dean.
To establish procedures and schedules consistent with University guidelines for hearing appeals to its decisions. An intention to appeal the committee’s decision must be given in writing to the chairperson of the College Committee and to the dean of the College within five working days of notification of the decision. Normally, appeals will be handled within two weeks, except under extenuating circumstances.
These guidelines supplement the University guidelines for promotion and tenure. If a conflict arises between anything in these guidelines and the University guidelines, the University guidelines take precedence.
The College Committee on Promotion and Tenure shall consist of two full-time tenured faculty members from each department within the College. All College faculty eligible to serve on departmental promotion and tenure committees are eligible to serve on the College Committee. The members shall elect the chairperson who will serve for one year.
VI. Departments
For purposes of administering faculty business, a department shall consist of those Professors, Associate Professors, Assistant Professors, Lecturers, and Instructors who hold full-time appointments in that department, and such others as may be elected to membership by the department faculty.
In the appointment or reappointment of department chairpersons, the Dean shall receive nominations for chairpersons from the department concerned, and he/she shall consult, collectively or individually or both, with members of the department concerned. In accordance with University policy, when seeking a new chairperson, the Dean is encouraged to appoint a search committee to advise him/her. This search committee shall consist of members of the department concerned, faculty members from departments closely related in discipline, and faculty members outside the College.
Upon concluding his/her deliberations, the Dean shall forward his/her recommendation to the appropriate administrative office.
Each department faculty shall hold at least one meeting every semester for the consideration of matters relating to departmental policy, operation, and to act upon items requiring department faculty action. As the presiding officer, the department chairperson shall compile and publish in advance an agenda for each department meeting. Minutes of each meeting shall be kept and published by the chairperson as the official record of the meeting, subject to department faculty approval at the next department faculty meeting. Each department faculty will publish its own Bylaws and form such departmental committees as they see fit.
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VII. Bylaw Amendments
These College Bylaws can be changed by a two-thirds majority vote of those casting votes by electronic or paper mail balloting. In the case of petitions (as set forth in Section IV. B.), such changes must be placed on the announced agenda and discussed at a faculty meeting which proceeds balloting by not less than two weeks.
Appendix A
In choosing one or more candidates from among a slate of three or more candidates, the Borda Criterion will be used as follows: Each voter will enter on his/her ballot the names of the candidates in the order of his/her preference. The winner or winners shall be the candidate or candidates having the highest total score(s) determined by assigning to each first ranking for each candidate a score of (n - 1) where n is the number of candidates, to each second ranking a score of (n - 2), and so on to the score of zero for each last place.
In the event of a tie between or among candidates that affects the outcome of the election, one of the following remedies will be applied as appropriate:
a) Where one candidate is to be chosen and two or more candidates are tied for first place, the candidate with the lowest score will be eliminated and the scores recomputed on the basis of (n - 1) candidates.
b) Where two or more candidates are to be elected and there is a tie for first place among three or more candidates, the procedure will be as in a) above.
c) Where two or more candidates are to be elected and there is a tie for second or lower place, candidates with higher scores will be eliminated for the purpose of recomputing scores to break the tie.
d) In the event of an n-way tie among n candidates, a new election will be held. If the tie persists after the new election, a run-off election will be held in which the order of pair-wise elections will be determined by lot.
Approved by the Faculty:
September 19, 1973
Revised by the Faculty:
May 26, 1976
July 8, 1981
April 10, 1984
May 31, 1985
May 25, 1989
October 30, 1995
April 30, 1998
November 13, 1998
May 11, 2001
March 27, 2003
May 1, 2006
October 23, 2006
Click on the department listed below for specific department Bylaws:
ACCOUNTING AND MIS
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
ECONOMICS
FINANCE
