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Faculty Bylaws

Preamble

These articles provide procedures by which the Faculty of Engineering of The University of Arizona shall function as a professional organization, exercising its authority and responsibility subject to the constitution and statues of the State of Arizona and the regulations of the Arizona Board of Regents and the University. Within the College the purpose of this organization is to ensure orderly means for reaching and expressing agreement among the Faculty and Staff of Engineering and its student body on the governance of the College.

Article I: Objectives
Article II: Membership
Article III: Responsibilities
Article IV: Meetings
Article V: Chair of the Faculty of Engineering
Article VI: Standing Committees
Article VII: Ad Hoc Committee
Article VIII: Elections
Article IX: Adoption
Article X: Amendments

Article I: Objectives

To provide a forum in which matters of concern to the Faculty of Engineering may be discussed and in which a consensus may be reached and formally expressed.
To provide mechanisms by which the Faculty of Engineering may function in matters such as establishment of goals of the College, implementation of new degree programs, awarding of professional and honorary degrees, organization for interdisciplinary studies, resolution of curricular matters of concern to the College as a whole, formulation of policies for promotion and tenure, and formulation of general policies and procedures.
To provide means by which the opinions and needs of the classified staff and students may be solicited and taken into consideration.
To provide a structure for faculty input on strategic planning and resource allocation.

Article II: Membership

The voting Faculty of the College of Engineering shall consist of:

All those members holding half-time or greater appointments in the College who are responsible for and whose performance evaluations are primarily based on the teaching, research and public service goals and objectives of the institution; and who have appointments as tenured or tenure-eligible professor, associate professor, or assistant professor in their title;
Instructors, lecturers, and nonclassified employees who are academic professionals holding continuing-eligible positions in the College and who are involved half-time or greater in departmental teaching or research.

Persons on temporary leave and professors emeritus remain voting members of the College Faculty.

The President of the University, the Provost of the University, the Dean of the College, and the Associate and Assistant Deans of the College shall, if not otherwise qualified for membership, be ex officio nonvoting Members of the Faculty.

The Faculty may designate other individuals as Associate Members of the Faculty (who are Members in every sense except for the privilege of voting) at a regular meeting or at a special meeting called for that purpose. Persons with the rank of adjunct professor, or visiting professor, in the College shall also be Associate Members of the Faculty.

One-third of those voting Members of the Faculty who are not on leave or emeritus status shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of transacting business at a meeting.

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Article III: Responsibilities

The Faculty shall be responsible for the governance of the College, subject to the constitution and statutes of the State of Arizona and the regulations of the Arizona Board of Regents and the University. The Faculty shall, at its discretion or upon the request of the College Administration, the University Administration, or the Arizona Board of Regents, consider questions regarding any of the objectives in Article I of these bylaws, and any other matters concerning the welfare of the College.

If the College Administration finds it necessary to take action on a matter of general policy in a manner contrary to a formally expressed consensus of the Faculty acting under these bylaws, then the Dean shall communicate the reasons for such action to the Faculty.

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Article IV: Meetings

The Faculty shall meet not less than twice each year, at a time and place determined and announced by the Chair of the Faculty of Engineering at least two weeks in advance of the meeting. An agenda shall be circulated at least two days in advance. At least one meeting shall be held between January 15 and April 15 of each year. The Chair or Chair’s designee shall preside at meetings.

Special meetings shall be called at the Chair’s discretion or when requested in writing by the Dean or at least ten members of the Faculty. Notice of a special meeting must be made at least one week in advance. Such notice must indicate the reason for calling a special meeting, and no business shall be transacted except the business stated in the notice calling the meeting.

Any motion adopted by the Faculty shall be subject to ratification by a mail ballot of the entire Faculty currently in residence if such ratification be demanded by any Member before adjournment of the meeting. Such mail ballot shall be conducted by the Chair acting with all reasonable speed, and the results shall be announced within one week following the meeting.

A Secretary designated by the Chair shall take minutes of each meeting of the Faculty. The Chair shall be responsible for maintaining a file of transcribed minutes for inspection by Members of the Faculty. Copies of resolutions and other actions which effect changes in general policy shall be distributed by the Chair to all Members of the Faculty.

All meetings shall be conducted according to R obert’s Rules of Order (revised) unless state otherwise in these articles.

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Article V: Chair of the Faculty of Engineering

The Chair of the Faculty of Engineering shall be responsible for the orderly conduct of the business of the Faculty acting under these bylaws. The Chair shall preside at meetings of the Faculty as stated in Article IV of these bylaws, shall act in an advisory capacity to the College Administration on an individual basis and in regular meetings of the Dean and Department Heads, shall be available to Faculty Members and students for consultations on matters of concern to the College, and shall strive to maintain good communication among the Faculty, the College Administration, the Staff, and the student body.

The Chair shall maintain an up-to-date roster of the Members and Associate Members of the Faculty and shall maintain records of meetings of the Faculty.

The Chair shall be elected by the Faculty from among its membership, and the term of office shall be for two years beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30. No person may serve more than two consecutive terms as Chair (see Article VII: Elections).

In the event of vacancy by at least one semester temporary leave, death, retirement, or resignation, the office of Chair shall be filled by the Vice Chair, subject to recall only in a special meeting called according to Article IV of these Bylaws.

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Article VI: Standing Committees

There shall be at least five standing committees of the College of Engineering: the College Advisory Committee, the Undergraduate Studies Committee, The Graduate Studies Committee, the Awards and Recognition Committee, and the Faculty Status Committee.

Other standing committees may be created by action of the Faculty of Engineering at a regular meeting, or at a special meeting if the new committee is relevant to the purpose of that meeting. The motion to create a standing committee may include a method for selection of its chair and its members, including staff and students as appropriate (e.g., election or appointment, and by whom). Standing committees created in this manner may be dissolved only by action of the Faculty.

In the remainder of this article, "the Dean" shall be construed to mean the Dean of the College of Engineering, or the designated representative of the Dean of the College of Engineering.

College Advisory Committee
The College Advisory Committee shall consist of one member elected by the Faculty of each department, two members elected at-large by the Faculty of Engineering and the Chair of the Faculty of Engineering. The Chair of the Faculty of Engineering shall serve as Chair of the College Advisory Committee. The committee shall elect a Vice Chair each year, from the current committee members. The Dean shall appoint a staff member to serve as secretary to the committee, and also serve as liaison to the Staff Team in Engineering.

The primary function of the College Advisory Committee shall be to provide faculty input on strategic planning and budget issues to the Dean. In addition, the Committee shall function as general advisor to the College Administration, shall initiate, promote, and stimulate study and action dealing with and looking toward solutions of problems concerning the welfare of the College, shall act as advocate(s) for the Faculty in ways that may be authorized by the Faculty, shall receive and investigate matters of concern to the College upon the request of the Dean or a Member of the Faculty, and shall appoint members of committees created by the Faculty except when action creating such committees specifies otherwise.

Terms of office shall be for two years, on a rotating basis, beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30. Approximately one half of the departments shall elect representatives during any particular academic year. No person may serve more than two consecutive terms (see Article VIII: Elections).

In the event of a vacancy by at least one semester temporary leave, death, retirement, or resignation, a member elected by the Faculty of a department shall be replaced by action of that Faculty; a member elected at-large shall be replaced by the Faculty of Engineering at the time of the next scheduled election.

Undergraduate Studies Committee
The Undergraduate Studies Committee shall consist of one faculty member selected by each Department from the corresponding Departmental committee, two staff members selected by the Staff Team in Engineering, and a student representative selected by the Engineer’s Council. The Dean shall serve as an ex officio member of this committee. It shall be the responsibility of the Dean to convene the first meeting of each academic year, when necessary, and to arrange for the election of a Chair from the membership of the Committee.

The primary function of the Undergraduate Studies Committee shall be to deal with curriculum development and other matters concerning undergraduate studies which involve the entire College or cannot be appropriately dealt with at the Departmental level. This committee shall also serve as a forum for communicating and discussing curriculum changes affecting more than one department.

Graduate Studies Committee
The Graduate Studies Committee shall consist of one faculty member selected by each Department from the corresponding Departmental committee, one staff member selected by the Staff Team in Engineering, and a student representative selected by the College of Engineering graduate student representatives to the Associate Students of The University of Arizona. The Dean shall serve as an ex officio member of this committee. It shall be the responsibility of the Dean to convene the first meeting of each academic year, when necessary, and to arrange for the election of a Chair from the membership of the Committee.

The primary function of the Graduate Studies Committee shall be to deal with curriculum development and other matters concerning graduate studies which involve the entire College or cannot be appropriately dealt with at the Department level. This committee shall also serve as a forum for communicating and discussing curriculum changes affecting more than one department.

Awards and Recognition Committee
The Awards and Recognition Committee shall consist of the Dean, and two members of the Faculty, two members of the classified staff, one undergraduate student, and one graduate student appointed by the Dean. The College information specialist shall be an ex officio member. The Dean shall convene at least one meeting in September and one meeting in February of each academic year, and arrange for the election of a Chair from the membership of the committee. The purpose of the Awards and Recognition Committee shall be to recognize and encourage excellence in performance by those individuals involved in meeting the goals and mission of the College of Engineering.

Functions of this committee shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

Seek and develop ways to recognize excellence by students, faculty, and staff.
Define and publish the nomination and selection process for each College-level award.
Solicit nominations and recommend recipients of College-level awards to the Dean.
Coordinate awards and recognition of excellence to ensure consistency and maximize benefit.
Oversee the Honors Convocation and College commencement plans and activities.

Faculty Status Committee
The Faculty Status Committee shall consist of five faculty holding the rank of tenured full professor. The committee shall elect a chair each year, from the current committee members. The function of the Faculty Status Committee is to advise the Dean before recommendations are forwarded to higher administrative levels concerning promotion, tenure, and other faculty personnel matters.

Terms of office shall be for two years, on a rotating basis, beginning on October 15 and ending on October 14. Nominations shall be solicited from the Departments by their College Advisory Committee representatives in early September. A slate of at least twice a as many nominees as there are vacant positions shall then be forwarded to the Dean, who shall make the final selection.

The College Advisory Committee proposed the creation of a new standing committee for the purpose of reviewing sabbatical leave applications. This was approved by a unanimous vote of the faculty present at the Fall Faculty meeting on the above date. Accordingly, the following will be added to the Bylaws of the Faculty of Engineering, under

Sabbatical Leave Advisory Committee
The Sabbatical Leave Advisory Committee shall consist of three tenured faculty who have each experienced at least one sabbatical leave. The member with longest record of service on this committee shall serve as Chair.

The function of the Sabbatical Leave Advisory Committee is to review sabbatical leave applications submitted by faculty of the College, and to recommend whether the Dean should approve or disapprove each application. Applications are normally received by November 20 of each year, and recommendations are due to the Dean before the end of the Fall semester. The candidates and the committee should be informed of the Dean’s decisions by January 15.

Terms of office shall be for three years, on a rotating basis, beginning on November 1 and ending on October 31. Nominations for the vacant position shall be solicited from the Departments by their College Advisory Committee representatives in early October. A slate of at least two nominees shall then be forwarded to the Dean, who shall make the final selection.

The following paragraphs, proposed by the College Advisory Council, were approved at the Fall Faculty meeting on November 12, 1997. These amendments, concerning the establishment of an Annual Performance Evaluation Audit Committee and a Performance Peer Review Committee, will be added to the Bylaws of the Faculty of Engineering under Article VI: Standing Committees.

Annual Performance Evaluation Audit Committee
The Annual Performance Evaluation Audit Committee shall consist of five members elected by the Faculty of the College of Engineering. The function of this committee is documented in Section 3.10.01 of the University Handbook for Appointed Personnel, amended to incorporate the Arizona Board of Regents’ mandate for post-tenure review.

Any tenured faculty member is eligible to serve on this committee. Each department in the College not already represented on the committee shall nominate one faculty member before February 15. It is the responsibility of the members of the College Advisory Committee to obtain such nominations. The election will start on March 15 of the same year, and in all years after 1998 shall last for two years. The terms of office will be staggered to ensure continuity.

During the 1998 elections the three candidates receiving the highest number of votes will serve a two-year term; the next two will serve a one-year term. In subsequent years the vacant positions will be filled by the candidates receiving the highest number of votes.

Performance Peer Review Committee
The Performance Peer Review Committee shall consist of five members elected by the faculty of the College of Engineering. The function of this committee is documented in Section 3.10.04 of the University Handbook for Appointed Personnel, amended to incorporate the Arizona Board of Regents’ mandate for post-tenure review.

Membership on this committee is restricted to tenured full professors. Nominations shall be by mail ballots circulated by the Chair of the Faculty and CoEM during January and returned no later than February 15 of each year. All candidates nominated by five or more voting members shall be place don the ballot. The term of office will start on July 1 of the same year, and in all years after 1998 shall last for three years.

The terms of office will be staggered to insure continuity. During the 1998 elections the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes will serve a three-year term, the next two will serve a two-year term, and the next a one-year term. In subsequent years the vacant positions will be filled by the candidates receiving the highest number of votes. However, no department shall have more than two members on the committee. The committee will select three of its members to serve on each individual case review. This provision is made to prevent possible conflicts of interest.

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Article VII: Ad Hoc Committees

Ad hoc committees may be created by action of the Faculty of Engineering at a regular meeting, or at a special meting if the new committee is relevant to the purpose of that meeting. The motion to create an ad hoc committee may include the method for selection of its chair and its members, including staff and or students as appropriate (e.g., election or appointment and by whom). An ad hoc committee shall be considered as automatically dissolved when its final report is accepted by the Faculty.

Ad hoc committees may also be appointed by the Dean of the College at his or her discretion, or by the Chair of the Faculty of Engineering in consultation with the Dean, the Department Heads, and the College Advisory Committee.

At least one member of each ad hoc committee shall be a member of the College Advisory Committee. If committee membership includes classified staff or students, at least one member shall be a member of the Staff Team in Engineering, the Engineers’ Council, and the graduate student organization, as appropriate.

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Article VIII: Elections

Departmental representatives to the College Advisory Committee shall be elected by the Departments no later than April 15 for new terms due to begin on July 1 of that year.

The Chair of the Faculty of Engineering shall be elected every two years, and one Member-at-Large of the College Advisory Committee shall be elected every year, by mail ballot as follows:

Nominations shall be by mail ballots circulated during January by the Chair, to be returned before February 15 of each year. For each office, all persons nominated by five or more voting members shall be placed on the election ballot, unless no person so qualifies, in which case the two names receiving the highest number of nominations shall be placed on the ballot. The election ballot shall be circulated during February and returned before March 15.

A majority vote shall be required for election to each office. In the event of no majority for an office, a second mail ballot shall be circulated during March and returned before April 15, listing the two candidates who received the highest number of votes for that office. Ties shall be resolved by the casting of lots.

Article IX: Adoption

These bylaws shall become effective when approved by secret ballot by a majority of the Faculty of Engineering defined in Article II: Membership. Copies of the proposed bylaws shall have been circulated to all Members of the Faculty of Engineering at least one month before that ballot. Balloting shall be completed within ten working days after the call for ballot.

Article X: Amendments

These bylaws may be amended by secret ballot by a majority of the Faculty of Engineering as defined in Article II: Membership and currently in residence. Copies of the proposed amendment or amendments shall have been circulated to all Members of the Faculty of Engineering at least three weeks before that ballot. Balloting shall be completed within ten working days after the call for ballot.