Southern Polytechnic State University

Policy and Procedure Manual

P&P Number:  203.02

Original Date: November 1987

Previous Revision: None       

Approved: May 25, 2006

Faculty Council

Contents

·         This P&P describes the Faculty Council as set forth in the Statutes (VI. B, 2). The Faculty Council is one of the standing committees of the faculty.  (Also see P & P 870.0 on Faculty Grievances).

Overview

The Faculty Council is responsible for hearing grievances and concerns from any member or members of the faculty. Grievances will be considered only when they are in compliance with the Statutes.  The Faculty Council shall have the authority to conduct inquiries into any faculty grievances and concerns, to attempt their resolution by mediation, and to present to the President its recommendations for appropriate responses to the grievances and concerns it has considered. The decision of the President may be appealed to the Board of Regents pursuant to the provisions of Board of Regents Bylaws, Article IX.

Grievances involving promotion, salary, non-renewal of contracts, or denial of tenure shall be appropriate for consideration by the Faculty Council only if the aggrieved faculty member reasonably alleges discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, national origin, race or ethnicity, handicap, or age.

In its actions, the Faculty Council shall protect the rights, privileges, and reputations of other persons. Therefore, in publishing its actions or decisions, it shall have the right to preserve anonymity or confidentiality.  The nature of the grievance will determine what degree of detail will be provided in the minutes.

If any member of the Faculty Council is a party to an appeal or grievance:

·         The Council member shall recuse himself or herself from deliberations on that case. 

·         The Council member will then be replaced by the corresponding Faculty Council alternate. 

·         The original Council member shall have the same right as any other faculty member to appear as a witness and to summon witnesses in his or her own behalf.

The Faculty Council shall meet at the beginning of each academic year to elect a chair and a secretary, even if there is no other issue to discuss or resolve.

The minutes of Faculty Council meetings will be submitted to the general faculty for approval

Composition of the Committee

The Faculty Council consists of six faculty members elected by the faculty at large. To be eligible for service on the Faculty Council, a faculty member must be a full-time tenured employee with at least five years of service at the institution. Department Chairs are not eligible to serve on the Faculty Council. No faculty member shall be declared ineligible to serve on the Faculty Council on the basis of his or her department.

Election Process

The election process for the Faculty Council shall be as follows:

1.        Before the last faculty meeting of each Spring Semester, the Moderator of the Faculty shall invite nominations by the Faculty from the floor and by notification to the faculty.  Any faculty member is eligible to make a nomination. 

2.        Only those faculty members receiving two or more nominations shall be eligible for inclusion on the ballot.

3.        The Faculty Senate shall then screen all possible nominations to ensure that nominees are qualified.

4.        At the last faculty meeting of the Spring semester, election for Faculty Council positions shall be held by secret ballot, with two members of the Faculty Senate supervising the elections.

5.        The names of all qualified nominees shall appear on the ballot.

6.        A faculty member may vote for up to three of the nominees, with the three nominees receiving the most votes being elected for a two-year term.  The faculty member placing fourth in the balloting will become the Faculty Council alternate for the same term.

7.        If any member of the Faculty Council either no longer wishes to serve or becomes ineligible to serve, the alternate with the corresponding term will replace the original Faculty Council member.

The Faculty Council shall be constructed so that half of the members’ and alternates’ terms expire each year.