Faculty Handbook
Section II:
University Organization
& Governance
Section III:
Faculty Governance
Section IV:
Teaching, Research & Service
Section V:
Appointment, Promotion
& Tenure
Section VI:
Salary, Leaves & Benefits
Section VII:
Other University Policies
Section IX:
Organizations, Special Events
& Recreation
Office of the Provost
Section III: Faculty Governance
- Faculty Government
- Faculty Governance Structure
- University-wide Faculty Committee Procedures
- Responsibilities of the Committee Chair
- Committees
Faculty Government
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Faculty government offers the individual faculty member a wide variety of opportunities to influence and carry out the University's policies. The General Faculty is the overall governing body of the faculty composed of all its members. The legislative powers of the General Faculty are exercised by the Faculty Senate which has thirty-seven voting members who are professors, associate professors, assistant professors, or librarians, elected by their General Faculty colleagues in the College, professional schools, or the Library. In addition, fourteen nonvoting members represent the administration, faculty, staff, and graduate and undergraduate student governments. The Chancellor opens the meetings of the General Faculty; the Chair of the Faculty Senate (elected by members of the Senate) presides over the business sessions of the General Faculty and presides at Senate meetings.
Both elected and appointed faculty committees are important to the system of faculty governance. The concerns of elected committees include the approval of new courses and programs, evaluation of faculty members considered for promotion and tenure, assessment of due process in certain cases, development of policies governing undergraduate and graduate admission, and review of the academic calendar. Appointed committees report to the Senate and advise the administration and faculty on a broad range of topics including the library, the intercollegiate athletics program, and the budget. Others inform and advise on employee benefits, commencement activities, and equal employment opportunity. Committees of the faculty report to the Faculty Senate. The Senate has certain committees, such as those on bylaws and promotions and tenure, to aid in fulfilling its duties. Together with other committees of the academic units and departments, these committees are the means by which the opinions and wishes of the faculty are made known and acted upon.
This system of faculty governance has experienced a long and active history. Its future effectiveness, however, depends upon the willing efforts of individual faculty members and the continuing cooperation of the administrators. Faculty members also have the opportunity to participate in informal day-to-day decisions as well as in more formal determinations of policy or action. Their participation may be at several levels - from the department or division, school, or College to the University level.
A member of the faculty with a particular interest in a committee's work should inform the Committee on Appointed and Elected Committees and his or her department head. Although there is no guarantee that a desired assignment will be forthcoming, the Committee on Appointed and Elected Committees will try to accommodate these requests in its recommendations and the Faculty Senate in its appointments. Anyone eligible should feel free to run for elected committees.
Participation in faculty government, whether at the department, school, College, or University level, is a significant service. The system brings together persons from different disciplines in a common cause: the welfare of the University as an institution of higher learning. Service is also an important demonstration of commitment to the University; consequently, it is a part of evaluating for promotion, tenure, and merit salary increases.
There should be something of interest for each faculty member among the University's many committees. Additional information on committees, including their formal charges, may be obtained from the Faculty Senate Office and from the current chair of each committee. It may also be helpful to consult "The Constitution of the Faculty." (PDF)
Faculty Governance Structure
As stipulated in The University Code, faculties, committees, and officers of the institution work with and within a scope of authority defined by the Chancellor, who is in turn subject to the policies and regulations of the UNCG Board of Trustees, the President, and the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina.
The General Faculty
"The Constitution of the Faculty" (PDF) reserves a few legislative actions for the General Faculty. It affords the faculty the opportunity to discuss and act on matters of concern to the entire University. All members are urged to attend General Faculty meetings. The authority, structure, and membership of the General Faculty are set forth in Article II of the Constitution. Voting and nonvoting members of the General Faculty are designated in Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution. Procedures to be followed in considering University officials for membership of the General Faculty are contained in the Bylaws of the Faculty Senate.
Faculty Senate
The Senate exercises the legislative powers of the General Faculty and advises and counsels the administration on matters of interest to the entire University. As the legislative body of the General Faculty, it initiates discussion and advises the faculty on subjects reserved for General Faculty action. It may act for the General Faculty when that body is not able to meet. The General Faculty may modify or rescind any Faculty Senate action. The Senate meets monthly during the regular academic year, usually the first Wednesday of each month.
All members of the General Faculty eligible for election to the Senate have the right to attend and speak at Senate meetings and are encouraged to run for election to the Senate. Museum privileges are extended to all other members of the University community. The authority, purpose, structure, and membership of the Senate are set forth in "The Constitution of the Faculty," Article III.
Agendas for the General Faculty and Faculty Senate Meetings
The Chair, Secretary, and Chair-elect of the Faculty Senate, the Chancellor, and the Provost meet to set the agenda for the Faculty Senate about two weeks before each meeting. The Secretary of the Faculty Senate is replaced by the Secretary of the General Faculty to constitute the group which sets the agenda for the meetings of the General Faculty. Suggestions for agenda items should be sent to the Faculty Senate Office. The Senate agenda is distributed in advance of the meeting to all members and to each Dean and Department Chair, who are charged by "The Constitution of the Faculty" to make these copies available to each faculty member. In addition, the agendas and meeting minutes for both Senate and General Faculty meetings and special announcements are published on the Web.
Faculty Senate Office
The Faculty Senate Office is located in the Mossman Building, Room 122 (telephone 334-5345). Upon request, the Chair and the Secretary of the Faculty Senate are available for consultation. Housed in the office are copies of the annual reports from faculty committees, a copy of the instrument of governance of each of the schools and the College, and copies of other materials of interest to the faculty, including the official list of members of the General Faculty.
University-wide Faculty Committee Procedures
The Creation and Abolition of Committees
The committee system, upon which faculty governance relies, is comprised of elected and appointed committees. College and school committees are established in accordance with each unit's instrument of governance and are described in those documents.
Certain elected faculty committees are established by "The Constitution of the Faculty" (PDF) and by action of the Faculty Senate in accordance with Article IV of the Constitution. Each committee's purpose, responsibility, and membership are set forth in the Constitution, the committee's bylaws, and the Bylaws of the Senate. Rules governing nomination and election are also set forth in the Constitution or by action of the Senate.
The Senate may establish committees of the Senate, in addition to those established by "The Constitution of the Faculty," as it deems necessary to its functions. The Senate is responsible for the continuing evaluation and review of committees as well as assisting in the implementation of committee recommendations. Requests to change a committee's name, charge, or composition are usually initiated by the committee and submitted to the officers of the Senate. The officers forward the recommendation to the Faculty Government Committee for consideration, and the Faculty Government Committee brings the recommendation to the Senate for action. Decisions to alter the structure or operation of a committee made as a result of such action are subject to the approval of the Chancellor.
From time to time, committees other than those of the faculty may be established by the administrative officers of the University. When the concerns of such administrative committees are in part common to those of an existing faculty committee, a designated member of the faculty committee is normally invited to serve as a liaison with the administrative committee, reporting when appropriate to the faculty committee and the Faculty Senate.
Election or Appointment to Committees
Elections to University committees and to the Faculty Senate are held in the spring of each year, under the direction of the Committee on Appointed and Elected Committees or similar committees of the College, Library, or professional schools.
The Committee on Appointed and Elected Committees recommends faculty members to serve on the appointed committees to the Faculty Senate, which officially appoints the members. Student members are nominated by the undergraduate and graduate student government associations. Ex-officio and adjunct members of certain committees are specified in the bylaws.
Notification of Appointment or Election to a Committee
The usual method of notification is the list of committee appointments published by the Faculty Senate Office and distributed to the faculty at the beginning of the fall semester. This list also includes the membership on elected committees, although those elected will have been informed earlier by the Committee on Appointed and Elected Committees. Each faculty member will have agreed by means of the nomination process or by a request to the Committee on Appointed and Elected Committees to serve on the committee if elected or appointed. Those who become unable to serve on the committee (because of changing circumstances) to which they were elected or appointed should write to the Chair of the Senate, with a copy to the committee chair, giving their reasons for resigning from the committee for either a stated period or for the remainder of the term of membership.
Selection of the Chair of a Committee
Each elected and appointed committee is responsible for selecting its own chair and for promptly notifying the Chair of the Senate of the name of the person chosen. The chairpersons of the committees shall be selected by the last meeting of the year by the continuing members of each committee. New chairpersons will take office July 1 annually and will be named in the committee annual reports to the Faculty Senate. Preferably, the persons chairing these committees will have had previous service on the committee before assuming these responsibilities. The committee chair must be a member of the faculty who is a voting member of the General Faculty.
Responsibilities of the Committee Chair
The effective functioning of each committee depends on the leadership of the chair, which requires skill in utilizing the talents of committee members, sharing responsibility, and maintaining contact with the Senate.
The chair of the committee calls its meetings, sees that records are kept and passed on to his or her successor, brings appropriate matters to the attention of the Senate, and files an annual report with the Senate by April 30 of each year. The chair also works with the Senate in its review of committees, deposits committee records in the University Archives at Jackson Library when no longer needed, and assists the succeeding chairperson. Finally, the chair has the responsibility, when asked, of evaluating the contribution of each of the committee's members to its work. The chairperson is encouraged to send notice of meritorious service to the committee member's department chair (or the equivalent). The committee chairperson must contact any nonparticipating committee member to ascertain the reason and, if unable to obtain participation, report the matter to the Chair of the Senate.
Procedures
Each committee is expected to meet within the first month of the fall semester to organize its work, familiarize new members with its charge, and begin work for the year.
Active participation in the work of the committee is expected of all members. Anyone unable to be actively involved should send a letter to the Chair of the Senate asking to be replaced. A committee member who receives a research assignment may choose to remain active in the work of the committee. If unable to be active during the research assignment, the member should write to the Chair of the Senate asking to be replaced for that period. Recommendations for replacements on appointed committees will be made to the Senate by the Committee on Appointed and Elected Committees. The Senate will select those for elected committees; these replacements will serve until the member resumes the position or until the expiration of the term of the person who has withdrawn from that position or office.
The annual committee report should cover the work of the committee for that year as well as set forth plans for the next. The report should also note any special concerns, needs, or advice within the committee's area of responsibility. Since records of attendance are kept for each committee meeting and are included in the committee's annual report, members who cannot be present are urged to let their chairperson know in advance. Absences due to sickness or a serious conflict in schedule are, of course, excused. If there is likely to be a continuing problem with a committee member's participation, the member should consult with the chairperson. It is sometimes possible to change a committee's schedule or to reach some other accommodation enabling that member to attend.
The Senate reviews the work of committees; "The Constitution of the Faculty" (PDF) specifies that each committee shall be reviewed at least once every three years by an ad hoc committee of the Senate. Each member of the committee should have an opportunity to participate in this review. Members should also share in the preparation of the annual report and should be given copies of any communication submitted to the Senate. These reports are studied by the members of the Senate. Because they form the basis for assessing the effectiveness of faculty governance, careful thought should be given to their preparation.
Throughout the year, the Chair and the Secretary of the Faculty Senate are available to assist the committees in their work. When appropriate, committees should ask the Senate to discuss matters of importance with them.
Generally, no provision for secretarial assistance or operating budgets for committees exists. Where records of reports and appeals must be kept, secretarial assistance may be supplied by the administrative office most directly linked to the committee's work. When assistance with special projects is needed, the Chair should discuss the need for such assistance with the ex-officio member of the committee, if there is one. If there is none, the need for secretarial assistance should be discussed with the Chair or the Secretary of the Faculty Senate, who will take up the matter with the proper administrative office.
Evaluation
Service to the department, school or College, and the University is taken into account in evaluations for promotion, tenure, and merit salary increases. It is appropriate that special service be acknowledged by a committee chairperson and committee members. Letters may be sent to the dean and the department head involved. Service on University committees can vary in its significance and in the demands it places upon the time and energies of the faculty member. Self-evaluations may also be included in a committee member's personnel files.
Committees
Faculty Senate Committees
Brief descriptions of the current faculty boards and committees and their memberships can be viewed on the Faculty Senate's web site. The complete charges and past reports of the committees are kept on file in the Faculty Senate Office. According to Article IV of "The Constitution of the Faculty," (PDF) the description of each board or committee and the rules and procedures for conducting its business are approved by the Faculty Senate and become a part of the Senate Bylaws.
During the 1993-94 academic year, discussions began to reorganize the Faculty Senate committee structure. These discussions resulted in some committees being combined; others were seen to have more "university-wide" responsibilities; and yet others were deemed to provide specific advice or carry out duties required by a University official such as a vice chancellor, the Provost, or a director. As a result of these discussions and negotiations, Senate committees were divided into two major categories: elected and appointed. Effective with the 1996-97 academic year, the current committee structure was approved, and since that year only minor changes have been made.
University-Wide and Functional/Area Committees
In addition to the Faculty Senate committees, a wide range of university-wide committees and functional/area committees exist. The responsibilities of these committees have been determined by the Chancellor to be of interest to the institution as a whole. These committees will include representation from faculty, EPA nonfaculty, staff, and students. These committees may report directly to the Chancellor or to another designated University official. Examples of these committees include but are not limited to the following:
University-Wide Committees:
Honorary Degrees Committee
Human Relations Council
Parking Services Committee
University Benefits Committee
Functional/Area Committees:
Academic Appeals Committee
Academic Integrity Executive Committee and Hearing Panel
Campus Arts Committee
Campus Recreation Committee
Campus Residence Appeals Committee
University Concert/Lecture Series Committee