Chapter 3359-10 | Governance Structure and Bylaws; Rules of the University Council; Bylaws of Faculty Senate

Rule 3359-10-01.1 | The university of Akron rules of the university council.

• Effective: October 14, 2023
• Promulgated Under: 111.15

(A) Name. The name of this body is the university council.

(B) Defining shared governance. The university council will operate under the principle of consultative decision-making whereby the opinion and advice of the university council membership are sought, but decision-making authority remains with the board of trustees and its appointed agent, the university president. Thus, the university council will function in a manner consistent with information sharing and discussion rather than joint decision-making. The university council provides open lines of communication and informs university administration on matters of planning, policy, and programs that are pertinent to the fulfillment of the university's mission. University council recommendations shall be referred to the president, as provided for in these bylaws. The faculty senate remains the sole body which proposes curricular and academic changes to the board through the president.

(C) Duties:

(1) The university council is the primary shared governance body of the university that deliberates and makes recommendations to the president on matters such as strategic planning, university policy, and other substantive matters that pertain to the strategic direction, and operations of the university. University council helps to ensure that the goals and objectives of the strategic plan are realized.

(2) Based on input from university council committees and its own deliberations, university council contributes to ensuring that university policy is based on sound principles of shared governance, sound reasoning and adequate information.

(3) The university council receives topic submissions from members of the university community. Through the executive committee, topics are referred to the appropriate committee, campus administrator, or campus unit for discussion and recommendation to university council.

(a) All recommendations passed by the university council shall be forwarded to the president.

(b) Within forty-five calendar days of receipt of a passed recommendation, the president shall do one of the following:

(i) Forward the recommendation to the board of trustees for consideration;

(ii) Put the recommendation into effect if the president deems it unnecessary to send the matter to the board of trustees;

(iii) Send the recommendation back to university council with a request for more information;

(iv) Send the recommendation back to university council with an explanation for disapproval.

(c) The president will notify university council of the disposition of each recommendation, indicating whether the recommendation has been approved, referred to the board of trustees, sent back for more information, or sent back with an explanation for disapproval.

(4) University council will record its recommendations in minutes of meetings that are publicly available on its website and communicated to its members by email.

(D) Membership of university council.

(1) University council has three components: The university council, the university council executive committee and subcommittees (e.g., standing, ad hoc, and special).

(2) The university council and its standing committees shall be composed of representatives from campus groups: faculty senate, deans/senior administration, department chairs/school directors, professional staff advisory committee (PSAC), staff employee advisory committee (SEAC), graduate student government (GSG) and undergraduate student government (USG).

(3) Council members and standing committee members shall be selected or elected by each of the campus groups as defined in paragraph (D)(2) of this rule in a manner which each campus group deems appropriate. Terms shall be for three years with the exception of USG and GSG which will each have one year terms. Employees who retire from the university and continue employment pursuant to a re-employment agreement may, if they wish, continue to fulfill the duties of their unexpired terms, but may not run for another term. Continuation of terms shall be subject to the approval of the constituency group that selected or elected them.

(4) The university council shall consist of twenty-five voting members:

(a) Fifteen members: Three members from each of the following constituent groups: faculty senate, SEAC, PSAC, USG and GSG. At least one of the three representatives from each constituency shall be from its representative body. A representative may be from its respective at-large community, i.e., not a member of the representative body.

(b) One member: dean from the council of deans.

(c) One member: department chair from the association/caucus of department chairs/school directors.

(d) Chairs of the standing committees.

(e) The president and executive vice president and provost shall be ex officio but non-voting members.

(f) Appointed administrators for support shall be ex officio but non-voting members of their respective committees.

(5) Election of officers.

(a) The members of the university council who are elected as chair, vice chair and secretary are also the officers of the executive committee.

(b) Terms of officers are for two years. If the seat is held by a member of USG or GSG, the term shall be for one year.

(c) Officers must be a representative of faculty senate, PSAC, SEAC, USG or GSG.

(6) Membership of the executive committee.

(a) The executive committee shall be comprised of eight voting members:

(i) The officers of university council are the officers of the executive committee.

(ii) There shall be five additional members, one from each of the constituency groups (faculty senate, PSAC, SEAC, USG, and GSG). They shall be elected by their constituency's elected/selected representatives to university council from amongst themselves.

(iii) Terms for executive committee members shall be for two years except USG and GSG terms which shall be for one year.

(b) The executive vice president and provost will be an ex officio non-voting member.

(c) Elections shall be held by secret ballot.

(7) Each standing committee shall consist of twelve elected/selected members, as defined in paragraph (D)(3) of this rule, and one appointed administrator for support:

(a) Membership.

(i) Ten members: two members from each of the following constituent groups: faculty senate, PSAC, SEAC, USG and GSG. At least one of the two representatives from each constituency may be from its respective at-large community.

(ii) One member: dean or their representative from the council of deans.

(iii) One member: department chair/school directors from the association of department chairs.

(iv) One member: An appointed administrator for support shall be designated and appointed by the executive vice president, and provost. The appointed administrator for support shall be an official from the office of academic affairs or the vice president that is most closely associated with the standing committee's topical areas. The appointed administrator for support is a voting member of the standing committee who is responsible for convening the first meeting every year to elect committee officers and providing administrative support to the officers of the committee sufficient to achieve the work of the committee.

(b) Officers.

(i) At the first meeting of the university council year, the appointed administrator for support shall coordinate an election for the chair, vice chair and secretary of the committee, if necessary. The appointed administrator for support may not be an officer of a committee.

(ii) Terms of office for committee officers are two years. If the officer is a student representative, the term shall be one year.

(iii) The duties of the chair are to preside over committee meetings, which determine their own agenda. The university council or executive committee may refer matters to the committees directly. The chair of the committee shall coordinate support for committee activities with the appointed administrator for support.

(iv) The duties of the vice chair are to assist the chair in such ways as the latter may request; and in the absence of the chair, the vice chair presides over the meetings of the committee.

(v) The duties of the secretary are to record, transcribe and distribute the proceedings of the committee to committee members and the university council, assist the chair in such ways as the latter may request, arrange for orderly conduct of the business of the committee, and in the absence of the chair and vice chair, the secretary presides over the meetings of the committee.

(8) Vacancies.

(a) University council may, at its discretion, declare vacant any university council seat and each standing committee may, at their discretion, declare vacant any standing committee seat for which the relevant council member:

(i) Is no longer a member of the group from which they were selected, unless this is due to retirement from the university. Employees who retire from the university and continue employment pursuant to a re-employment agreement may, if they wish, continue to fulfill the duties of their unexpired terms, but may not run for another term. Continuation of terms shall be subject to the approval of the constituency group that selected or elected them. If this approval is not granted, a vacancy may be declared.

(ii) Is unable to regularly attend meetings due to conflicting professional duties, imperative personal affairs, illness, or student class schedule.

(iii) Has, without notice, missed more than three regular meetings of the university council or of regular meetings of standing committees during the previous twelve months.

(b) Should a university council vacancy occur the university council chair shall notify the appropriate unit to select a new member to fill the vacant seat for the balance of the unexpired term.

(c) Should a standing committee vacancy occur, the committee chair shall notify the university council chair to notify the appropriate unit to select a new member to fill the vacant seat for the balance of the unexpired term.

(E) Service support.

(1) Membership on university council or its committees contributes significantly to the university and is therefore an essential component of university service by faculty, staff, professional staff, and students.

(2) The administrative and academic units shall recognize that active service on university council and its standing committees, where not in conflict with established unit performance guidelines, is critical to the functioning of the shared governance system of the university and recognize such service accordingly. Administrators who find that such service is in conflict with established unit performance guidelines shall communicate that finding in writing to the executive committee.

(3) Membership carries expectations of attendance at and preparation for committee meetings. The chair, appointed administrator for support, vice chair, and secretary of each committee has the responsibility to encourage all committee members to contribute in a substantial manner to committee activities.

(4) Supervisors or instructors of members of university council are expected to support all university council committee member activities and consider such service as both professional development and part of the member's work duties.

(5) University council membership work shall be planned to the greatest extent possible and should not diminish unit-level activities.

(6) Contributions to university council shall be considered in the annual assessment of employee performance and shall be recognized appropriately in the compensation decision-making process. Supervisors may choose to secure feedback from the chair and appointed administrator for support on the level of involvement of their employees in university council activities.

(F) Material and record support.

(1) Material support. The university shall, subject to approval of the board of trustees, provide suitable office space, a budget for appropriate expenditures including funds for providing reassigned time or stipends to officers, and at least one full-time staff person for support of the university council activities.

(2) Appointed administrators for support for standing committees are responsible for providing materials support to the committee to which they are assigned.

(3) Records. All inactive documentary material and related records of the council shall be handled in a manner consistent with rule 3359-11-11 of the Administrative Code.

(G) Meetings.

(1) Meeting requirements.

(a) Meeting agendas of university council and each standing committee shall be distributed with the meeting announcement.

(b) Meetings shall be held in physical or digital form where all members are able to communicate synchronously. Email can be used to inform the activities of a meeting, but cannot be used to replace a meeting.

(c) Members cannot miss more than three regular meetings of the university council or of regular meetings of standing committees during the previous twelve months without notice. Members cannot designate individuals to substitute for them when they are unable to attend a meeting.

(d) For purposes of conducting business, a quorum of the council shall be a majority of the filled council seats.

(e) For purposes of conducting business, a quorum of any standing committee shall be a majority of the filled committee seats.

(f) Voting. To ensure the ability of members to provide effective independent inputs, all votes shall be made by secret ballot.

(g) Scheduling of university council and standing committee meetings shall be determined by their respective chairs. The university council shall meet at least once a month, year round and standing committees shall meet at least once a month, year round.

(h) All meetings of the university council and standing committees shall be open to the public.

(2) Specific guidelines on meetings.

(a) University council.

(i) Announcement of meeting dates and an agenda shall be available electronically at least one calendar week prior to each regularly scheduled meeting accompanied by the minutes of the previous meeting.

(ii) Requests to have items placed on the agenda of the council shall be submitted in writing to the secretary of the council by a university council member at least two calendar weeks prior to a meeting of the council.

(iii) Special meetings may be called at any time with one week's notice by the chair of the university council.

(iv) Items referred to the council by the president shall be automatically placed on the agenda of the council.

(b) Standing committees.

An agenda shall be made available electronically at least two full business days prior to each meeting, accompanied by the minutes of the previous meeting.

(H) University council executive committee.

The executive committee is responsible for agenda-setting and coordination of the work of university council to facilitate deliberation, communication and action. Executive committee recommendations shall be considered in a timely manner by the standing committee to which it is referred.

(1) Duties of chair, vicechair and secretary.

(a) Duties of the chair of the university council/executive committee: Presides over meetings of the university council and executive committee, calls special meetings of the university council, acts as or designates the official spokesperson for the university council in all of its external communications, forwards to the president all recommendations passed by the university council, supervises the clerical staff of the university council, and undertakes such tasks as are directed by the council. Upon the expiration of the chair's term of office, the ex-chair shall for one year be a non-voting member, ex officio of the university council if that individual they otherwise would not be a member. During that period, the ex-chair shall also be a non-voting member ex officio of the executive committee.

(b) Duties of the vice chair of the university council/executive committee: Assists the chair in such ways as the latter may request; and in the absence of the chair, the vice chair presides over the meetings of the university council/executive committee.

(c) Duties of the secretary: oversees the preparation and posting of council agendas and minutes to all constituent groups and interested members of the university community, assists the chair in such ways as the latter may request. In the absence of the chair and vice chair, the secretary presides over meetings of the university council.

(2) Responsibilities of the executive committee.

(a) The executive committee shall forward university council policy recommendations to the president, and monitor their disposition.

(b) When policies are enacted by the board of trustees, the executive committee may monitor their implementation or may delegate such monitoring to a standing committee.

(c) The executive committee shall ensure that all policy questions that come to the university council will be referred to the appropriate standing committee for discussion and recommendations to university council. It shall also ensure that their disposition is managed through a system that will be available to all members of the university community.

(d) The executive committee shall accept items for consideration by university council or one of the university council standing committees, from the president, or the executive vice president and provost, or from a member of the university council constituency groups.

(e) The executive committee shall oversee and monitor the operations of the standing committees and ensure that the business of the standing committees and ad-hoc committees are completed in a timely fashion.

(f) The executive committee shall receive reports of standing committees and transmit them to the university council for disposition. Each such report must be on the university council agenda.

(g) The executive committee shall recognize and notify, prior to the first meeting of the university council in each council year, all new members as having been duly chosen based on information provided by the presiding member of each constituency group. Notifications are to be provided to the persons selected, the constituency, the chair of the standing committee and such others as the executive committee may designate.

(h) The executive committee shall participate in meetings with the president at least once per semester (fall, spring, summer).

(i) The executive committee shall ensure that university council and its committees convene in joint session, once per year.

(j) Orientation of new university council members: The executive committee shall oversee appropriate orientation of new members (prior to October first of each year) to the university council. Orientation should consist of university council history, organizational structure and operational protocol at a minimum.

(k) Members of the executive committee serve on the university planning group (or its equivalent). The university planning group (or its equivalent) shall be responsible for creation, updating and execution of the strategic plan.

(3) Special committee and awards and recognition.

(a) The special committee on awards and recognition (awards special committee) is responsible for overseeing the nomination, selection and recognition of faculty, staff and professional staff through the achievement award function. Further, the committee is responsible for studying, monitoring and making recommendations on employee achievement and recognition issues in collaboration with staff, professional staff, and faculty in appropriate departments.

(b) Members of the awards special committee shall consist of volunteers and past award recipients from university council and the campus community. The special committee may ask for additional volunteers to serve only during the selection of finalists in order to ensure a robust and diverse working group for selection of finalists. An appointed administrator for support who is from the rank of vice president and is most closely aligned with the special committee's topical area shall be designated by the executive vice president and provost. This appointed administrator shall provide administrative support to the special committee sufficient to achieve the work of employee awards and recognition. Members shall not serve in the selection of finalists in an award category in which they have nominated a colleague and must recuse themselves due to the conflict of interest.

(c) At the first meeting of the special committee for the new university council year, the appointed administrator shall facilitate the selection of a chair, vice chair and secretary for the special committee as appropriate based on expiration of terms or vacancies. Terms and conditions for officers and duties for each shall follow those outlined for standing committees.

(I) Standing committees.

(1) General charges/responsibilities of each standing committee:

(a) Recommends mid and long-range plans for standing committee work.

(b) Provides recommendations for action on policy, operations, organization and other matters related to the committee domain to the university council.

(c) Develops procedures and measures to be used to evaluate progress toward achieving the goals of the mid and long-range plan(s).

(d) Conducts an annual assessment of the progress toward achieving the goals of the mid and long-range plans(s) based on the procedures and measures referenced above.

(e) Reports monthly to the full university council in writing made available electronically.

(f) Participates in evaluation of the development of objectives, strategies, initiatives, and action steps for academic support units to enable the academic units to successfully accomplish the academic mission of the university.

(2) The standing committees of university council are:

(a) Student engagement and success committee.

The student engagement and success committee is responsible for studying, monitoring and making recommendations regarding the university's student engagement and success strategies and practices in collaboration with staff, professional staff, and faculty in appropriate departments.

(b) Information technology committee.

The information technology committee is responsible for studying, monitoring and making recommendations regarding information technology planning, policies, strategies and practices in collaboration with staff, professional staff, and faculty in appropriate departments.

(c) Budget and finance committee.

The budget and finance committee is responsible for studying, monitoring and making recommendations to university council on the development of all university budget, finance and purchasing policies and resource allocations in collaboration with staff, professional staff, and faculty in appropriate departments.

(d) Physical environment committee.

The physical environment committee is responsible for studying, monitoring and making recommendations related to overall campus planning, safety, and the use and assignment of university space, physical facilities and equipment in collaboration with staff, professional staff, and faculty in appropriate departments.

(e) Communications committee.

The communication committee is responsible for: assessing and making recommendations regarding the university's internal/external communication strategies and practices; providing/receiving feedback to/from university council on systemic communication issues; tracking issues that have a direct institution-wide impact and recommend action as appropriate; gathering feedback from the constituents that each committee member represents and bring attention to issues for consideration by the whole committee in collaboration with staff, professional staff, faculty and students in appropriate departments.

(f) Campus wellness committee.

The campus wellness committee is responsible for developing policy in support of building a campus community that provides a foundation for the life-long wellbeing of each student, employee, partner, and alumnus. It is an institutional priority to continually mold thriving individuals to be citizens that use a lifelong model for reflection, resilience, meaning, and lifelong happiness.

(g) Talent development and human resources committee.

The talent development and human resources committee is responsible for studying, monitoring and making recommendations on the development of all university policies and practices relating to inclusive excellence and to the wellbeing of employees of the university, subject to existing contractual agreements. Issues of wellbeing would include but are not limited to fringe benefits, insurance, employee performance, recreation and wellness and other aspects of working conditions in collaboration with staff, professional staff and faculty in appropriate departments.

(h) Institutional advancement committee.

The institutional advancement committee is responsible for studying, monitoring and making recommendations on development and alumni issues in collaboration with staff, professional staff and faculty in appropriate departments.

(J) Rules. The parliamentary authority for the university council shall be "Robert's Rules of Order," in its most recent edition. In any conflict between the university council bylaws and "Robert's Rules of Order," the council bylaws take priority. A person who is not a member of the university council may be appointed parliamentarian by the chair of the university council.

(K) Amendments.

(1) Amendments to these bylaws may be proposed in writing by a member of university council at any regularly scheduled meeting.

(2) A vote by the university council on a proposed amendment may be taken only at a subsequent regular or special meeting of the university council.

(3) To pass, a proposed amendment requires a positive vote by at least two-thirds of the voting members present at a regular or special meeting of the council.

(4) Amendments shall take effect upon approval by the board of trustees.

(L) Bylaws revision

(1) University council bylaws will undergo a complete review every three years or earlier if circumstances warrant a review.

(2) The executive committee of the university council will oversee the process and present recommendations to university council for approval.

(M) Authority of board of trustees. Notwithstanding the preceding, Ohio law vests full authority and responsibility for the operation of the university in its board of trustees which retains and reserves exclusively to itself all rights, powers, prerogatives, responsibilities, and authority vested in it, whether exercised or not. Nothing in this rule shall be construed to limit, reduce, modify, or relinquish any authority or power of the board to govern the university consistent with the powers conferred on the board by law. Any delegation of authority by the board may be enlarged, reduced, modified, or withdrawn at the discretion of the board.

Last updated October 17, 2023 at 11:30 AM

Supplemental Information

Authorized By: 3359.01
Amplifies: 3359.01

Rule 3359-10-02 | The university of Akron bylaws of the faculty senate.

• Effective: May 11, 2024
• Promulgated Under: 111.15

(A) Name. The name of this body is the faculty senate of the university of Akron.

(B) Duties. As delegated by the board of trustees of the university, the faculty senate is the legislative body of the faculty regarding its academic mission and is empowered to:

(1) Formulate suitable rules, requirements, and procedures for the admission, government, management, and control of the students, courses of study, granting of degrees and certificates, and other internal affairs of the institution necessary to meet the objectives of the university, subject to the approval of the board of trustees, in accordance with the established policies of the board.

(2) Review and offer recommendations concerning proposals for the creation, abolition, or rearrangement of colleges, departments, schools, or divisions of instruction, proposals from university-wide committees, and such other matters as may be referred to the senate by the president of the university. Such proposals shall be forwarded to the executive committee for inclusion on the agenda of senate meetings.

(3) University-wide committees created by the senate shall report to the senate unless otherwise indicated by the senate.

(a) Committee recommendations for senate action shall be distributed to the members of the senate at least seven days before the senate meeting at which the recommendation is to be considered. All messages shall include a statement of the rationale for the recommendation.

(b) No committee recommendation that was not distributed in accordance with the foregoing requirement shall be considered by the senate unless the senate consents to its consideration by majority vote.

(4) All legislation introduced in the faculty senate shall be designated as such; and if passed, shall be forwarded to the president, with the exception of changes to curriculum. Within forty-five days of receipt of the legislation, the president shall:

(a) Forward the legislation to the board of trustees, or

(b) Forward the legislation to the appropriate vice president; or

(c) Put the legislation into effect if the president deems it unnecessary to send the matter to the board, or

(d) Disapprove and return the legislation to the senate with explanation for the president's rejection; and

(e) Notify the senate of the disposition of the legislation, indicating whether the legislation has been approved, referred to the board of trustees, referred to the appropriate vice president, or returned to the senate for reconsideration or amendment. In the event that the president refers legislation to the board of trustees, the president shall notify the faculty senate of the board of trustees' eventual disposition of the legislation.

(5) Curriculum change proposals that are approved by the faculty senate shall be forwarded to the office of academic affairs. The executive vice president and provost or their designee shall, within two weeks, approve or disapprove any curriculum change proposals forwarded to it by the faculty senate and shall inform the originator of the proposal and the faculty senate of their decision. If a proposal is disapproved, a statement of the reason(s) for the disapproval shall be included. If the executive vice president and provost, or their designee, is unable to approve or disapprove a proposal within two weeks, they shall notify the chair of the faculty senate of such inability, the reason(s) therefor, and the date by which they expect to act on the proposal.

(6) The senate shall elect a representative to the Ohio faculty council, who serves in that capacity along with the chair of the senate.

(a) Senate members who are full-time teaching members of the faculties of the colleges are electors of the senate representative. Any full-time faculty member may be elected.

(b) The election shall be conducted by secret ballot.

(c) The representative shall be elected biennially by the senate. The term of office shall be for two years. There shall be no limit on the number of terms a person may serve.

(d) The representative, if not already a member of the senate, shall become an ex-officio, non-voting member.

(C) Officers and executive committee.

(1) Officers. The faculty senate shall elect a chair, vice chair, and secretary biennially from among the membership of the faculty senate. The election shall be by majority vote using a secret ballot. Except for the ex-chair serving pursuant to paragraph (C)(2) of this rule, members of the executive committee shall serve for two years.

(2) Duties of the chair. The chair of the senate presides over regular meetings of the senate, calls special meetings of the faculty senate, acts as or designates the official spokesperson for the faculty senate in all of its external communications, serves on the Ohio faculty council, administers the budget of the senate, serves as chairperson of the executive committee of the senate, forwards to the president all legislation and recommendations passed by the senate, supervises (jointly with the secretary) the clerical staff of the senate, and undertakes such tasks as are directed by the senate. Upon the expiration of the chair's term of office, the ex-chair shall for one year be a voting member ex officio of the senate if he or she otherwise would not be a member. During that period, the ex-chair shall also be a voting member ex officio of the executive committee.

(3) Duties of the vice chair. Assists the chair in such ways as the latter may request; and in the absence of the chair, the vice chair presides over the meetings of the senate.

(4) Duties of the secretary. The secretary of the senate prepares and posts the minutes of the senate meetings; assists the chair in such ways as the latter may request; has custody (jointly with the chair) of the books, records, physical facilities, and tangible property of the senate; supervises (jointly with the chair) the clerical staff of the senate; and arranges for the orderly conduct of the business of the senate. In the absence of the chair and the vice chair, the secretary presides over meetings of the senate.

(5) Executive committee. The chair, vice chair, secretary, and four elected members of the senate will serve as the executive committee of the senate. The executive committee of the senate will have the following responsibilities:

(a) Appoint members to appropriate faculty senate committees.

(b) Prepare the agenda for each meeting.

(c) Serve as an advisory committee to the executive vice president and provost on governance matters affecting the academic mission of the university.

(d) Ensure that the business of permanent and ad hoc committees is completed in a timely fashion.

(e) Bring matters to the senate or assign matters to committees.

(f) Consider any questions and complaints regarding elections of members to the senate and make recommendations concerning these complaints to the senate. The executive committee shall further certify the validity of all senate elections.

(g) When necessary, act on behalf of the senate during the period between the end of the spring semester and the beginning of the fall semester. Such actions shall be reported to the faculty senate for ratification at its next regular meeting.

(h) Act on behalf of the senate to approve the degree candidate lists for the fall and spring semesters. The approvals will be reported to the faculty senate for ratification at its next regular meeting.

(D) Committee structure.

(1) The faculty senate shall create such committees as it deems appropriate to the conduct of its business.

(2) The executive committee, at its discretion, may invite non-members of the senate to serve on senate committees.

(3) In special cases, the senate may choose to make part or all of the membership on a committee elective rather than appointed by the executive committee.

(4) The senate committees shall yearly elect their own chairs, who, if not otherwise members of the faculty senate, shall become ex officio, non-voting members.

(5) For organizational purposes, the committees of the senate will have either of two forms:

(a) University committees, the members of which shall be elected from specified constituencies, or

(b) Permanent committees, the members of which shall be appointed by the executive committee of the faculty senate.

(E) University committees.

(1) The faculty rights and responsibilities committee ("FRRC").

(a) This committee shall concern itself with grievances relating to faculty assessment or evaluation, appointment, retention, tenure, and promotion. This committee shall be composed of one member from the tenured faculty of each degree-granting college, elected by its full-time faculty and one full-time faculty member from the university libraries, elected by its full-time faculty.

(b) For each grievance case submitted by a part-time faculty member three members of the part-time grievance pool shall be selected to be members of the faculty rights and responsibilities committee ("FRRC") for the duration of that case. These members will only participate in FRRC business involving the grievance case in question. These members will be selected by lot by the chair of the FRRC, but part-time faculty members from the same department as the grievant shall not be eligible to serve.

(c) A part-time faculty grievance pool shall be established by each college every fall. The pool will consist of part-time faculty members who have taught at least four semesters at the university of Akron and who have been nominated by the part-time faculty members of that college and who have subsequently confirmed to the college dean their willingness to serve.

(d) Any persons in an administrative position, including interim positions, at or above the decanal rank (deans, associate deans, and persons of similar rank) are ineligible to serve on the committee. Members shall serve overlapping three-year terms so that during two years, three are elected, while four are elected during the third year. The committee shall elect its own chair who, if not already a member of the faculty senate, shall become an ex-officio, non-voting member.

(2) Graduate council. The faculty senate delegates to the graduate council operational responsibility over all matters concerning graduate education, but reserves to itself the right to take up any matters it deems necessary. Action taken by the graduate council that requires faculty senate approval shall be reported to the senate for final approval. Graduate council shall be composed of two members of the faculty senate who have category two or three graduate faculty status and the elected members of the graduate council.

(F) Permanent committees.

(1) Permanent committees of the senate shall be academic investment; academic policies; curriculum review; athletics; university libraries; faculty research; computing and communication technologies; accessibility; part-time faculty; and program review.

(2) Members of the executive committee shall, in May, and after considering preferences of senate members and then non-senate members, appoint all permanent and ad hoc committees of the senate. To provide some continuity of membership for each committee, the executive committee shall appoint committee members so that, if possible, only one-third of the membership of any committee is terminated each year and members serve a three-year term. At the first meeting of each committee, the committee shall elect its chair.

(3) If not already a member of the senate, the chair of each permanent committee shall become an ex-officio, non-voting member for reporting purposes only. Ex-officio members of permanent committees shall be non-voting unless they are members of the senate.

(4) Academic investment committee.

(a) Reviews and makes recommendations on the criteria to be used by the administration in its development of the yearly academic budget,

(b) Engages with the executive vice president and provost, office of academic affairs and other relevant stakeholders throughout the process of academic budget development,

(c) Reviews recommendations made by the executive vice president and provost for academic investment.

(d) Reports on the process and final recommendations for academic investment to faculty senate for review and discussion. The discussion will be documented and considered by the academic investment committee in the following year's investment process.

(e) One non-voting, ex officio committee member is designated by the executive vice president and provost.

(5) Academic policies committee.

(a) Recommends and interprets academic policy on university-wide matters such as admission, retention, graduation, and dismissal requirements.

(b) Recommends changes for the improvement of the academic program of the university.

(c) Makes recommendation for the reorganization or renaming of academic units.

(d) The executive vice president and provost or said person's designee, the university registrar or said person's designee, and the chief admissions officer or said person's designee shall be ex-officio members of the academic policies committee.

(6) Athletics committee.

(a) Advises faculty senate on all university activities relating to intercollegiate athletics including, but not limited to, conference affiliations and the national collegiate athletic association.

(b) Coordinates with other faculty senate committees matters of joint concern relating to intercollegiate athletics.

(c) Provides advice and counsel to the director of athletics concerning individual player eligibility, interpretation of policy, and other matters relating to the athletic program.

(d) The registrar decides questions of academic eligibility of student athletes. If conflicts arise between the registrar, student athlete, and/or athletic department, the following procedures shall be made by any of the grieved parties to the athletics committee:

Upon reviewing the facts, the committee would make a recommendation to the executive vice president and provost.

(e) Promotes academic achievement among student athletes.

(f) The director of athletics or said person's designee and the "NCAA" faculty representative (appointed by the president) shall be ex-officio members of the athletics committee.

(7) University libraries committee.

(a) Serves as an advisory group to the dean of university libraries to express the faculty will in the growth and development of the academic support which the libraries supply.

(b) Provides the dean of university libraries with guidelines and advice on acquisitions, budget, policy, and other matters affecting academic areas.

(c) The dean of university libraries or said person's designee shall be an ex-officio member of the university libraries committee.

(8) Faculty research committee (faculty projects).

(a) Reviews research proposals submitted by faculty members.

(b) Recommends the budgeting of sums of the university's support of faculty research proposals to be funded by this committee.

(c) Establishes policies for funding proposals and guidelines for expenditures of those funded.

(d) The chief research officer or said person's designee shall be an ex-officio member of the research committee.

(9) Computer and communications technologies committee.

(a) Provides recommendations to the senate on policy matters concerning utilization of information technology related to the academic functions of the university.

(b) Provides advice and counsel to the vice president and chief information officer on information technology needs related to the academic functions of the university.

(c) The chief information officer or said person's designee shall be an ex-officio member of the computer and communications technologies committee.

(10) Curriculum review committee.

(a) Reviews curricula and course recommendations of the several colleges and divisions and, when necessary, submits them to faculty senate for action.

(b) Considers the mechanics of the academic programs of the several colleges and divisions, such as adjustments in admission, retention and dismissal requirements, and changes in general bulletin descriptions.

(c) Reviews proposals for changes to courses and academic programs, and for new courses and academic programs, and recommends same for inclusion in the general bulletin.

(d) The executive vice president and provost or said person's designee and the university registrar or said person's designee shall be ex-officio members of the curriculum review committee.

(11) Accessibility committee.

(a) Reviews and recommends policies regarding disability and accessibility issues that relate to the academic function of the university, including academic policies which apply to faculty or students, and reports these to the senate for action.

(b) At the request of the curriculum review committee of the faculty senate, considers the mechanics of the academic programs of the several colleges and divisions, such as adjustments in admission, retention and dismissal requirements, and changes in general bulletin descriptions, as they may relate to accessibility/disability issues, and reports such to the curriculum review committee for action.

(c) At the request of the curriculum review committee or the faculty senate, reviews proposals for new courses, course changes, and new programs as they may relate to accessibility/disability issues, recommends such proposals for inclusion in the general bulletin, and reports such to the curriculum review committee for action.

(d) The director of the office of accessibility or said person's designee shall be an ex-officio member of the accessibility committee.

(12) Part-time faculty committee.

(a) Gathers information about matters of concern to part-time faculty.

(b) Proposes policies concerning part-time faculty.

(c) Advises the executive vice president and provost on matters related to part-time faculty.

(13) Program review committee.

(a) Reviews the self-studies submitted by program faculty, providing formative assessment to the program faculty.

(b) Establishes the template and guidelines for the program review self-studies.

(c) Modifies the timeline for the program review process and the program review schedule as needed.

(d) The dean of the graduate school or said person's designee shall be an ex-officio member of the program review committee.

(14) Subcommittees. Each committee may establish subcommittees as it sees fit and having established a subcommittee, may abolish it. No person who is not a member of a standing (permanent) committee may serve as a member of its subcommittees except by appointment of the executive committee. It is each committee chair's responsibility to maintain minutes and pass them on to the incoming chair.

(G) Meetings.

(1) The number of meetings of the faculty senate shall be determined by the faculty senate as appropriate for the conduct of its business, but at least two general meetings will be held each semester. All reasonable efforts will be made to schedule regular meetings at a standard time and day to permit coordination of senators' teaching schedules with meeting times.

(2) All meetings of the faculty senate shall be open to members of the university community. Non-members of the senate may make a request to address the senate. Such requests to speak will be granted subject to a vote of the senate.

(3) All meetings of the senate will be announced at least two weeks prior to the scheduled meeting unless the senate declares itself to be meeting in emergency session.

(4) Requests to have items placed on the agenda of the senate must be submitted in writing to the secretary of the senate at least two weeks prior to the scheduled meeting of the senate.

(5) Items referred to the senate by the president of the university, or the president's designee, for the good of the university, will be automatically placed on the agenda of the senate.

(6) A petition of ten members of the senate may force an item on the agenda of the senate.

(7) A detailed agenda will be distributed one week before the meeting.

(8) A majority of the members of the senate shall constitute a quorum.

(9) A roll call vote will be conducted if requested by any senator.

(10) One permanent item on the agenda shall be presidential remarks.

(11) Special meetings may be called at any time by the chair, or by the executive committee, or upon petition by any seven senate members who present their request in writing to the chair. Announcements of special meetings will contain an agenda for the meeting.

(12) Senate members are expected to regard attendance at all meetings as a primary obligation to their colleagues and to the university. When conflicting professional duties, imperative personal affairs, or illness make attendance at a given meeting impossible, senate members are expected to notify the secretary in advance of the meetings. Such absence will be separately listed in the minutes as absences with notice. Senators are expected to attend meetings in person. When a virtual meeting option is available, those with a compelling reason to attend remotely should request permission by contacting the chair prior to the meeting.

(H) Membership.

(1) Eligibility. Members of the faculty senate shall be elected from the members of the full-time faculty of the university of Akron, excluding deans, department chairs, and other primarily administrative officers with faculty rank; from the part-time faculty; from students; from full-time academic advisors; and from retired faculty.

(2) Apportionment.

(a) The full-time faculty of the individual degree-granting colleges, the branch campuses, and the university libraries shall elect representatives from their membership, excluding deans and other primarily administrative officers with faculty rank, apportioned on the basis of the number of full-time faculty within the electorate and appointed to the units during the semester of the election; one senator for each fifteen full-time faculty members or fraction thereof. For purposes of these bylaws the terms full-time faculty includes all full-time distinguished professors, professors, associate professors, assistant professors, professors of instruction, associate professors of instruction, assistant professors of instruction, professors of practice, associate professors of practice, and assistant professors of practice, excluding visiting faculty members.

(b) The part-time faculty shall elect two representatives from their membership.

(c) The full-time academic advisors shall elect one representative from their membership.

(d) There shall be three student representatives as follows:

(i) The president of the undergraduate student government;

(ii) One student appointed by the president of the undergraduate government whose term shall coincide with the president's term;

(iii) One graduate/professional student elected by that constituency.

(e) The association of the university of Akron retirees shall elect two senators from its dues-paying membership who are retired faculty members. Senators representing the university of Akron retirees association may not be elected to the executive committee nor serve as chair or vice-chair of any senate committee on which they sit.

(3) Diversity. To insure the representation of diverse views, all reasonable efforts should be made by the various electing units to elect members of underrepresented groups to the senate. The senate may appoint up to three additional members from full-time faculty to increase diversity.

(4) Electorate.

(a) The eligible electorate, for the full-time faculty membership on the faculty senate, consists of all full-time faculty of the University of Akron. For the purposes of election to the faculty senate, academic deans, department and division chairs, directors of schools, and administrative officers holding full-time faculty appointments will be considered part of the electorate.

(b) The eligible electorate for the part-time faculty membership on the faculty senate consists of all part-time faculty of the university of Akron.

(c) The eligible electorate for the full-time academic advisors consists of all full-time academic advisors of the university of Akron.

(d) The eligible electorate for the graduate/professional student membership on the faculty senate consists of all graduate and professional students currently enrolled at the university of Akron.

(5) Terms of office.

(a) The terms of office for members of the senate shall be three years, with the exception of student government representatives and part-time faculty senators who shall serve one-year terms.

(b) New members shall take office at the first senate meeting of the fall semester.

(c) Should any elected member of the senate become an administrative officer on either an acting or a permanent basis during the term for which the member was elected to the senate, the person's seat shall be deemed vacant.

(d) A full-time faculty member who, before the expiration of his or her term of office as a senator, retires but continues to be employed part-time as a faculty member while participating in a university-approved program for transition from active employment to retirement may complete his or her term of office as a senator and may serve as an officer of the senate.

(e) Should a member of the senate be unable to discharge the duties of the office, the senate may declare the member's seat vacant.

(f) Senators who are on professional, medical, or administrative leave for one semester or less will retain their seats. If the leave extends past one semester, the senate may declare that seat vacant. The senate may declare vacant the seat of any senator who becomes unable to regularly attend meetings.

(g) The senate may expel any senator who is absent without notice from more than three meetings during an academic year. In such event, the senator's seat shall be deemed vacant.

(h) Should a vacancy occur, the senate shall notify the appropriate unit to conduct a special election to fill the vacant seat.

(6) Elections.

(a) Elections to the senate shall be subject to the following requirements and to the bylaws and rules of the electing unit except to the extent that they are inconsistent with these requirements:

(i) General elections shall be conducted and election reports of the individual units shall be submitted to the faculty senate office by the Friday of the twelfth week of the spring semester.

(ii) All elections shall be by secret mail or electronic ballot.

(iii) Elections may be conducted using the ranked-choice (i.e., instant-runoff) method.

(iv) In elections with only one seat at stake, when the ranked-choice method is not used, each winning candidate must secure a majority of the votes cast. In the event no candidate receives a majority, there shall be a run-off election between the two highest vote-getters.

(v) In elections with more than one seat at stake, when the ranked-choice method is not used, each winning candidate must receive a number of votes exceeding half of the total number of ballots cast. In the event there are seats unfilled and the remaining candidates did not achieve a sufficient number of votes, there shall be a run-off election among the highest vote-getters (two per unfilled seat).

(vi) When the ranked-choice method is not used, all run-off elections are subject to the same procedural requirements as the general elections.

(vii) All special elections are subject to the same procedural requirements as are general elections.

(b) Conduct of nominations and elections to the senate from the degree-granting colleges and the university libraries will be the responsibility of the respective deans.

(c) Conduct of nominations and elections to the senate from the part-time faculty will be the responsibility of the continuing part-time faculty senator, the faculty senate office, and the office of the executive vice president and provost.

(d) Conduct of nominations and elections to the senate from the graduate/professional students will be the responsibility of the graduate student council and the student bar association.

(I) Amendments.

(1) Proposal. Proposed amendments to this rule may be placed on the agenda of a regular or special meeting of the faculty senate by a member of the senate or by petition of twenty per cent of the voting members of the faculty.

(2) Procedure. A vote by the senate on a proposed amendment may be taken only after at least twenty-seven days have elapsed from the date on which the proposal was formally presented to the senate.

(3) Majority. Prior to submission to the board of trustees, a proposed amendment requires the concurrence of sixty per cent of the votes cast by members of the faculty senate.

(J) Support.

(1) Material support. The faculty senate shall have suitable office space, a budget for appropriate expenditures, and at least one full-time secretary for support of its activities.

(2) Assigned time. The officers of the senate will receive at least one three-credit course equivalent per semester assigned time for support of their service.

(3) Schedules. Collegiate deans, department and division chairs, and directors of schools are to use all reasonable efforts to provide members of the senate with course schedules permitting attendance at regular meetings of the senate.

(4) Records. All inactive documentary material and related records of the senate will be deposited in and catalogued by the university archives.

(K) Rules. The rules contained in the current edition of "Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised" shall govern the faculty senate in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with university bylaws and any special rules of order the senate may adopt. A person who is not a member of the faculty senate may be appointed parliamentarian by the chair of the faculty senate.

Last updated May 14, 2024 at 8:34 AM

Supplemental Information

Authorized By: 3359.01
Amplifies: 3359.01
Prior Effective Dates: 11/24/2001