Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Constitution

Article I.  THE GENERAL FACULTY

The General Faculty of Iowa State University consists of all regular and adjunct faculty of the rank of instructor and above, including administrative officers with faculty appointments.  The General Faculty is the legislative body of the university and is responsible for educational policies and procedures, including admissions requirements, graduation requirements, curriculum and course revisions, new degree programs, and grading procedures.  It also recommends candidates for diplomas, degrees, and certificates to be conferred by the university president on behalf of the General Faculty.  Major changes in educational policy approved by the General Faculty must be presented by the university president to the Board of Regents for final approval.  In addition to its legislative responsibilities, the General Faculty also has responsibilities for advising the university community on matters pertaining to the university and for facilitating communication and conflict resolution within the university community.

The General Faculty is responsible to, and is chaired by, the university president.  Although the Faculty Senate was created by the General Faculty to conduct its business, meetings of the General Faculty may be held as needed at the call of the university president or the senate.  If the General Faculty dissolves the senate, meetings of the General Faculty will be held at the end of each semester and at the call of the university president.

 

Article II.  THE FACULTY SENATE

The General Faculty hereby creates the Faculty Senate to act as its representative body and to conduct the business of the General Faculty.  In so doing, the General Faculty affirms the principles of shared governance, recognizing the central role of cooperation in collegial decision-making.

 

Article II, Section 1.  Name and Character 

This body will be known as the Faculty Senate.  It will be an elected body of faculty and will represent and act on behalf of the General Faculty.

Article II, Section 2.  Purposes 

The Faculty Senate will:

A.  have legislative responsibility for general academic and educational policy for the university

B.  conduct studies and advise the faculty, the staff, the student body, the administration, and the Board of Regents on matters within the purview of the General Faculty

C.  facilitate communication among faculty, staff, students, and the administration and assist in the resolution of conflicts

Article II, Section 3.  Responsibilities and Functions 

The Faculty Senate will speak only for the faculty of the university, confining its activities to matters directly concerning the university, its administration, faculty, staff, and students.

Because shared governance works best in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect, communication and cooperation between the university administration and the Faculty Senate are to be encouraged and expected.

The principal functions of the Faculty Senate are as follows.

A.  Legislative  The Faculty Senate will have legislative responsibility proposing, reviewing, and modifying the educational and academic policies and procedures of the university, including admissions requirements, graduation requirements, curriculum and course revisions, degree programs, and grading procedures and policies.  It will recommend candidates for diplomas, degrees, and certificates to be conferred by the university president on behalf of the General Faculty.

The Faculty Senate must approve any additions to or changes in university educational and academic policies and procedures.  In the formation and review of educational and academic policies and procedures, the senate will work collaboratively with the university administration and with all faculty members.  Policies and procedures approved by the senate must be submitted to the university president for review and to the Board of Regents for final approval.  In the event that the university president does not approve a recommendation from the senate, the university president will inform the senate in writing of the reasons for his or her objections and every effort will be made by each party to resolve the differences.  The senate may vote again on the issue, either in the same or in modified form, and inform the university president of its final decision.  If the differences cannot be resolved, the university president will present to the Board of Regents the administration's recommendation with respect to the issue in question.  The university president will invite the senate president to present the senate's recommendation with respect to the issue.

B.  Advisory  The Faculty Senate will serve in an advisory capacity in other areas of the university as they relate to academic and educational matters or to the general welfare of the faculty, staff, and students of the university.  On its own initiative or in response to expressed concerns of faculty members, the senate may conduct studies and may make recommendations to the university president, the provost, or others as appropriate.

C.  Conflict Resolution  When necessary, and on its own initiative, or in response to expressed concerns of faculty members, the Faculty Senate may conduct investigations and make recommendations to assist in resolving conflicts among faculty, staff, students, and the administration.  Such investigations may be requested by faculty, staff, students, or the administration.

Article II, Section 4.  Organization 

The times and manner of the election or appointment of all officers and members of Faculty Senate councils and committees will be made according to the following procedures plus those in the other senate governance documents.

A.  Officers  The officers will be members of the Faculty Senate when nominated and elected by the senate.  The officers of the senate will consist of a president, president-elect, and secretary. 

B.  College Caucuses  All senators representing a single college will caucus and elect one of them to be chair of the caucus.  Caucus chairs are members of the Executive Board.  They may call meetings of the caucus to consider senate business.

C.  Executive Board  The Executive Board will prepare the agenda for all Faculty Senate meetings.  The Executive Board will bring to the senate in a timely manner all recommendations of senate councils and any other matters deserving senate attention, consideration, or action.  The Executive Board will oversee the activities of the councils and will review and may revise resolutions and documents prepared by them prior to consideration by the senate.  The Executive Board shall will act for the Faculty senate when the Faculty senate is not in session and will report such actions to the senate at its next meeting.

The voting members of the Executive Board will be the senate president, president-elect, secretary, chair of each council, and chair of each college caucus.  The senate president will chair the Executive Board.  The provost will be a non-voting, ex officio member of the Executive Board.

D.  Councils  The councils of the Faculty Senate will oversee the activities of the committees within their jurisdiction and will review and may revise resolutions and documents prepared by these committees prior to their being presented to the Executive Board for consideration.  When appropriate, the councils will facilitate communication and cooperation among senate committees during preparation and timely forwarding of issues to the Executive Board.  The voting members of each council will be the chair, one senator elected by each college caucus, and the chairs of the standing committees reporting to that council.  The chair of each council will be nominated and elected by the senate.

E.  Committees  All Faculty Senate committees will report to a senate council or to the Executive Board.  All members of these committees and each committee’s chair, will be appointed by the senate president, with the approval of the Executive Board.  Any member of the faculty is eligible to chair or serve on senate committees.

F.   Organization Changes  The Faculty Senate may establish and dissolve councils and committees.  The senate president, with the approval of the Executive Board and the senate, may appoint non-faculty individuals to be voting members of senate committees.  The Executive Board may specify the non-voting, ex officio representation on senate boards, councils, and committees.

G.  Removal of Officers  The Faculty Senate may establish procedures for the removal of a senator from a senate office or other senate position.

Article II, Section 5.  Membership

A. Voting  Each department is entitled to one senator elected by the faculty of the department.  Each college is entitled to one senator elected at large by the faculty of the college plus one additional at-large senator for each 100 faculty or fraction thereof over 100.  The minimum number of senators from any college will be the number of Faculty Senate councils plus one.  The timing of elections and the seating of new senators will be determined by the senate.

B.  Adjustment in Size  With the approval of two-thirds of the Faculty Senate, the Executive Board may increase or decrease the number of members from any college for up to one year.  When increasing the membership, the senate will specify how and when the seat should be filled.  Time served by any new senators will be counted toward the limitation on time served in the senate.  When decreasing the membership, only vacant positions may be eliminated.

C. Non-voting  To facilitate communication, the past-president, the provost, the chair of the Professional and Scientific Council, the chair of the Supervisory and Confidential Council, the president of the Government of the Student Body, and the president of the Graduate Student Senate, or their designees, may participate as non-voting, ex-officio members of the Faculty Senate.

Article II, Section 6.  Term of Office

The term of office on the Faculty Senate will be three years, except when the senate establishes a shorter term to comply with the provisions of Section 7.  Members will serve the term for which they were elected or until their successors have been elected and seated.  Newly elected senators will be seated at the last regular meeting of the spring semester.

Article II, Section 7.  Continuous Body 

The Faculty Senate is a continuous body.  Approximately one-third of senate members will be elected each year.

Article II, Section 8.  Definitions 

A.  University President and Provost  The provost is the principal representative of the university president to the Faculty Senate and the administrative officer who most directly interacts with the senate.  Wherever the senate governance documents call for communication with or an action by the university president, at the president’s option, the provost or the appropriate vice-president may represent the president.

B.  Department and College Faculty  The terms “department faculty” and “college faculty” include all regular and adjunct faculty members affiliated with each department or college.  The academic departments and colleges are listed in the Bulletin (catalog of courses and programs).  Departmental senators are those elected by the faculty of their department; college senators are those elected at‑large by the faculty of an entire college.  No senators are elected to represent the Graduate College.

C.  Affiliations  For purposes of membership and voting in the Faculty Senate, a department will be regarded as belonging to only one college, and a person will be regarded as on the faculty of only one department and one college.  Senators must caucus with the college from which they were elected.

Article II, Section 9.  Eligibility of Faculty Senate Members

All faculty members are eligible for election to the Faculty Senate with the following exceptions:  (1) those who are completing the second of two consecutive terms in the senate and (2) those college and central administrative officers whose duties are judged to be primarily administrative.  These college and central administrative titles are listed in the Bylaws.  In all questions of eligibility, the Executive Board will be the final authority.

Article II, Section 10.  Nomination and Election of Senators

Departmental and at-large senators will be elected by the faculty of the respective departments and colleges once each year during the spring term.  Every person eligible to vote in Faculty Senate elections will have the opportunity to nominate by written petition a candidate for each position for which the elector is eligible to vote.  All elections will be by secret ballot.  The times and procedures for conducting elections and counting votes will be specified in the senate governance documents.

Article II, Section 11.  Vacancies in Unexpired Terms

A position becomes vacant whenever a senator will be absent or unable to participate in Faculty Senate activities for a period in excess of two consecutive academic semesters.  Further, whenever a senator is unable or unwilling to serve the full term for which elected, the senator (or the chair of his or her department on behalf of the senator) will notify the senate president in writing.  The seat then becomes vacant, and an election to fill the vacancy will be conducted by the affected constituency according to procedures in the senate governance documents.

Article II, Section 12.  Absences and Temporary Vacancies

In the event a senator is unable to attend any meeting of the Faculty Senate or any of its councils and committees, the senator should designate a qualified substitute.  Procedures for filling temporary vacancies lasting from one to two semesters will be specified in the senate governance documents.

Article II, Section 13.  Dismissal

The Faculty Senate will establish procedures for the dismissal of a senator for cause.  Dismissal will be by a vote of the senate and will require a two-thirds majority of those senators eligible to vote.  Dismissal may be appealed by the affected senator to the senator's electing constituency within 15 days of the date of the dismissal action.  Revocation of the dismissal action will be by a majority of those voting.  This vote will occur not sooner than five days after the appeal is received in the senate office and not later than 15 days thereafter during the  academic year.  Positions declared vacant by reason of dismissal will remain vacant until the appeal process is completed.  Vacancies will then be filled by election by the affected constituency.

Article II, Section 14.  Meetings

The Faculty Senate will schedule and hold monthly meetings at stated times during the academic year.  The senate will hold special meetings upon call of the senate president or the Executive Board, or when requested by at least one-third of the senate. 

The Faculty Senate, the Executive Board, the councils, and the committees of the senate may invite any person to meet with them at any of their meetings.  Without violating university policy or state law on open meetings, from time to time the chair of any committee may call meetings of the voting members only or of subcommittees.

 

Article III.  SENATE GOVERNANCE DOCUMENTS

The Faculty Senate will operate according to the rules and procedures of this Constitution and such other senate governance documents as it may create.  This Constitution will be superior to the other governance documents.  Unless otherwise stated in the governance documents, the business of the senate will be conducted according to the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order.

 

Article IV.  AMENDMENTS

 

Article IV, Section 1.  Procedures 

Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed by any senator or by written petition signed by at least twenty percent of the General Faculty.  All amendments must be approved by a majority vote of the Faculty Senate before being submitted in writing to all members of the General Faculty at least 20 class days prior to a vote during the academic year.  Amendments approved by majority of those voting will be adopted and will be forwarded to the university president for presentation to the Board of Regents.

Article IV, Section 2.  Other Documents 

The content of and amendments to any of the senate governance documents other than this Constitution may be made either by majority vote of the Faculty Senate following its ordinary rules or by a procedure set forth in the respective documents. 

 

Article V.  DISSOLUTION OF THE FACULTY SENATE

The Faculty Senate may be dissolved by action of the General Faculty during the  academic year.  Within ten class days of receiving a written petition to dissolve the senate signed by one‑third of the General Faculty eligible to vote, or when notified of the adoption of a resolution by the senate itself calling for the dissolution of that body, (a) the university president will convene a public meeting of the General Faculty to discuss and debate the proposed dissolution, and (b) written ballots will be prepared and distributed to eligible faculty.  Ballots received at the university president’s office no later than 15 class days after the meeting of the General Faculty will be counted.  The senate will be dissolved if approved by a majority of the General Faculty eligible to vote.  If the senate is dissolved, the business of the General Faculty will be conducted by the General Faculty as a whole.

Approved by the General Faculty on February 24, 2000