Faculty Senate

Bylaws

Preamble

The Constitution of which these By-Laws are a part is the document embodying the principles of organization and rule governing the Boise State University Faculty. The delegation of authority to the Faculty Senate is based upon the Constitution of the Faculty. Because that is the fundamental document, a two-thirds majority vote of the Faculty voting in favor of amendment is required to alter it. Stability is guaranteed by this protection. Flexibility, however, is required in the day-by-day performance of routine and emergency tasks. Hence, the By-Laws of the Faculty serve as the instrument of the Senate in its execution of its assigned mission. Any By-Law material found by experience to be of a constitutional nature may be incorporated into the Constitution proper by following Article VI, Section 1. Any constitutional matter found by experience to be unworkable may be eliminated or transferred to the By-Laws by the same procedure. Stability and flexibility are both preserved thereby.

BY-LAWS

1. BL I Meetings of the Faculty Senate
   1. Regular Meetings: Scheduled meetings of the Faculty Senate shall be held during the academic year on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month at a time and place to be announced. Occasional conflicts (such as holidays or special University functions) may require rescheduling of Senate meetings by Senate resolution.
   2. Special Meetings: Special meetings of the Faculty Senate may be called at any time during the calendar year by the President of the Faculty Senate, by a majority vote of the Senate, or by any five members of the Senate through petition to the President.
2. BL II Format for the Standing Committees of the Faculty Senate Except as otherwise provided, Standing Committees of the Faculty Senate shall be either committees with one representative from each college/division or committees with limited representation from colleges/divisions. The President of the Faculty Senate shall serve as an ex officio member of all Senate Standing Committees. The two types of committees shall be patterned as follows:
   1. One Representative from each College/Division:
      1. One member from the Senate.
      2. One Official Faculty member from each college/division, except the Graduate College and the Honors College.
      3. One fully participating student representative.
      4. Nonvoting ex-officio members as listed in individual committee descriptions.
   2. Limited Representation from Colleges/Divisions:
      1. One member from the Senate.
      2. Five Official Faculty members each from a different college/division.
      3. One fully participating student representative.
      4. Nonvoting ex-officio members as listed in individual committee descriptions.
   3. Appointment:
      1. The members of the Nominating Committee shall appoint the Official Faculty members of each committee.
      2. The President of the Faculty Senate shall appoint the Senate liaison Faculty member of each committee.
      3. The student member of the committee shall be appointed by the Student Senate.
   4. Term of Office: Appointment of Official Faculty members shall normally be for a two-year term so arranged that approximately half the members' expiration dates shall occur on alternate years. New appointments shall normally become effective by the first September Senate Meeting.
   5. Committee Organization: The Senator appointed to each committee shall be responsible for calling an organizational meeting of the committee by September 15. He or she may serve as committee chairperson pro tem, but normally should not accept permanent chair. The Faculty Senate representative's main role is to serve as the liaison between the committee and the Senate.
   6. Registration: The names of all committee and subcommittee members and their length of term shall be registered with the Secretary of the Faculty Senate. The records will also be posted electronically to the official Faculty Senate website.
   7. Meetings: The time, place, and agenda of meetings of all standing committees shall be published electronically prior to these meetings on the official Faculty Senate website. All committee meetings shall be open to the Boise State University Faculty except when such open meetings would be an infringement of individual rights.
   8. Reporting:
      1. When requested by the President of the Senate, progress reports shall be made to the Senate. These progress reports may be oral or written and should identify the time and place of the committee meetings and describe the current and planned investigations of the committee. A written summary of the activities of each committee shall be submitted at the end of each academic semester for electronic posting to the official Faculty Senate website.
      2. Normally recommendations for Senate action shall be printed and distributed to the members of the Senate prior to the Senate meetings at which they will be presented. Each committee recommendation shall be made as a report in the following form: the recommendation, the rationale, a summary of the committee discussion including arguments pro and con, results of votes and polls, and appendices.
3. BL III Standing Committees of the Faculty Senate: Identification
   1. Steering Committee
      1. Composition: The current Vice President and two former presidents of the Senate, to be appointed by the current Faculty Senate President, plus the President of the Faculty Senate as an ex-officio member.
      2. Function:
         1. Aid the President of the Faculty Senate.
         2. Determine all questions of appropriate jurisdiction.
         3. Supervise appropriate revisions of the Faculty Handbook, Constitution, and By-Laws.
         4. Participate as members of the Nominating Committee (described below).
         5. Review the Constitution and By-Laws of the Faculty Senate every five years.
   2. Nominating Committee
      1. Composition: The Steering Committee of the Faculty Senate plus four Faculty Senators appointed by the President of the Faculty Senate, with the President of the Faculty Senate as an ex-officio member. The chair of the Steering Committee shall serve as the chair of the Nominating Committee.
      2. Function: This committee shall solicit faculty candidates for membership on University committees or other positions requiring representation of the faculty and shall make faculty appointments to those committees.
   3. Academic Standards Committee
      1. Composition: BL II A plus the Registrar or his/her designee, the University Librarian or his/her designee, and the Director of the Honors College or his/her designee, as nonvoting, ex-officio members.
      2. Function: This committee shall be responsible for all matters of policy governing undergraduate academic standards, including the Honors College and the Albertsons Library.
   4. Core Curriculum Committee
      1. Composition: BL II A with a member each from the Library and the College of Education, plus the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs or his/her designee, the Coordinator of Institutional Assessment or his/her designee, and the Registrar or his/her designee, as nonvoting, ex-officio members.
      2. Function: This committee shall supervise all core offerings of the University determining additions and deletions from the Core Curriculum be compatible with the core philosophy as described in the core document approved in 1980 (or as amended in more current documents), existing programs, and the educational objectives of Boise State University under state and federal law.
   5. Curriculum Committee
      1. Composition: BL II A with a member each from the Library and the College of Education, plus the Registrar or his/her designee as a nonvoting, ex officio member. All Committee persons shall normally be current members of their college/divisional curriculum committees, except the representative from the Faculty Senate.
      2. Function: This committee shall supervise all undergraduate offerings of the University determining that curricular changes be compatible with existing programs, feasible under given circumstances, and consistent with the educational objectives of Boise State University under state and federal law.
   6. Diversity Committee
      1. Composition: BL II A except no member from the College of Applied Technology, plus the director of the International Programs Office, or his/her designee, as a non-voting ex-officio member.
      2. Function: This committee shall be responsible for all matters of policy regarding diversity and enhancement of diversity on campus.
   7. Faculty Financial Affairs
      1. Composition: BL II B with the Director of Human Resources and Payroll or his/her designee, the Budget Director or his/her designee, and the Provost or his/her designee as nonvoting, ex officio members.
      2. Function:
         1. Determine priorities related to budget preparation and allocation of appropriated funds after meeting with appropriate administrators.
         2. Design and monitor policies pertaining to reduction in force and program phase-outs.
         3. Make recommendations regarding faculty salaries and fringe benefits.
         4. Advise faculty members of the Executive Budget Committee of faculty fiscal priorities and coordinate the flow of information between the faculty members of the Executive Budget Committee and the Faculty.
   8. Faculty Grievance Committee
      1. Composition: BL II A omitting student representation.
      2. Function: This committee shall conduct hearings to resolve individual faculty grievances within the guidelines of BSU Grievance Policy. This committee shall be responsible for recommending desirable and/or necessary changes in the Boise State University Grievance Policy and Procedures.
   9. Faculty Professional Standards Committee
      1. Composition: BL II B omitting student representation plus the Provost or his/her designee, the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs or his/her designee, and the Training and Development Officer or his/her designee as nonvoting, ex officio members.
      2. Function:
         1. Responsible for all matters of policy regarding faculty professional standards (e.g., Rank, Promotion, Evaluation, Tenure, Sabbaticals).
         2. Promotes faculty development
   10. Graduate Council
       1. Composition: BL II A except no member from the College of Applied Technology, the University Librarian or his/her designee, and the Graduate Dean as nonvoting, ex-officio member.
       2. Function:
          1. The Graduate Council shall supervise all graduate offerings of the University determining that curricular changes be compatible with existing programs, feasible under given circumstances, and consistent with the educational objectives of Boise State University under state and federal law. The Council shall be concerned with all matters of policy and procedures of the Graduate College.
   11. Sabbatical Committee
       1. Composition: BL II A except no member from the College of Applied Technology, plus the Provost or his/her designee.
       2. Function:
          1. This committee shall be responsible for all matters of policy regarding sabbaticals, including the recommendation for which faculty should be awarded sabbaticals.
   12. Student Affairs
       1. Composition: BL II B plus the Director of Financial Aid or his/her designee, the Registrar or his/her designee, and the Dean of Continuing Education or his/her designee, as nonvoting, ex-officio members.
       2. Function:
          1. This committee shall be responsible for matters of policy regarding the registration, orientation, and advising of students; for policies pertaining to the awarding of student scholarships, grants and loans and overseeing the process of selecting scholarship recipients; and for policies, procedures, and coordination of prior learning.
4. BL IV Supplemental Voting Regulations Ballots submitted to the Faculty by campus mail or through electronic mail must specify the time period allowed in which votes may validly be cast. As a general rule, ballots should be returned and in the hands of the Secretary to the Faculty by 5 p.m. the fourth normal day from mailing/sending date.
5. BL V Vacancies
   1. Senate:
      1. College/Division Vacancies: Supplying interim replacement for any Senate seat vacated during the school year shall be the responsibility of the remaining elected Senate representative from the college/division. Replacement shall be by appointment or, if the period involved is more than one semester, by special election.
   2. Committee: The Faculty Senate member of each committee shall inform the President of the Senate whenever a vacancy occurs on the committee involved. The President of the Faculty Senate will forward that information to the members of the Nominating Committee. Replacement appointment shall be made according to procedure delineated in BL II C.
6. BL VI Succession:
   1. Senate Year: The Senate year shall commence with the seating of the new Senators during the final meeting each April.
   2. Transition: During the second week following Spring Break each year, the Junior Senator(s) from each college/division shall:
      1. Conduct an election to fill the seat to be vacated by the Senior Senator at the end of the current Senate year.
      2. The election for these seats will be conducted by the Junior Senator(s) in the following manner:
         1. In the third week of March, send a written or electronic communication to each member of the college/division for the purpose of soliciting nominations or self-nominations.
         2. In the first week of April, conduct an election among all academic faculty (see Article II, Section 1 of the Faculty Constitution) in the college/division containing the names of candidates willing to serve. The election may use either paper or electronic ballots, provided proper security precautions are observed.
      3. In the second week of April, inform the Secretary to the Senate in writing or electronically concerning the results of this election. The person(s) receiving the most votes shall be the new Junior Senator(s) for the college/division.
      4. Deviations from the above procedures will be allowed only by a vote of the Faculty Senate.
   3. To improve continuity in Faculty Senate succession:
      1. At the final April meeting, committee reports shall be made and all organizational matters completed.
      2. As the last items on the agenda, Senators-elect shall be welcomed, introduced, seated, and shall participate as voting members in the election of officers.
      3. The retiring Senators shall not vote in the election of new Officers.
      During the Summer interval:
      1. The new officers shall be responsible for representing the Faculty and convening special meetings of the Senate when required.
7. BL VII Conflict of Interest Faculty serving in more than one college/school shall be considered a member of that college/school or division to which he or she owes prime responsibility when representation and election to the Faculty Senate is being questioned. BL VII Divisions Two divisions in the College of Arts and Sciences will be retained for the purposes of Senate. The College of Arts and Sciences will be divided into two divisional committees:
   1. Natural Sciences
   2. Arts and Letters
8. BL VIII Representation of Library Faculty and Professional/Technical Faculty Assigned to the Department of Nursing The Library Faculty shall be regarded as part of the College of Education for purposes of Senate and most committee representation. The exceptions shall be on the Core Curriculum and Curriculum committees where both the Library Faculty and the College of Education shall have their own representatives. Professional/Technical faculty assigned to the Department of Nursing shall be regarded as part of the College of Health Sciences for purposes of Senate and committee representation. Revised Spring 2004

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