PREAMBLE The faculty governance body of the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI is the Faculty Assembly. The authority, responsibilities, and activities of the Faculty Assembly and its Officers will be governed by these Bylaws as adopted and amended by the Faculty Assembly
ARTICLE I. THE FACULTY
The Faculty of the School of Liberal Arts (henceforth, ‘the Faculty’) shall consist of:
all persons in the following full-time, non-visiting academic appointments, regardless of probationary status or rank: tenure-line, clinical- line, lecturer-line, research-line, academic specialists, and professors of practice; and
any persons whose membership is ratified by majority vote of those present and voting at a regular meeting of the Faculty Assembly.
These Bylaws confirm and establish in the Faculty the powers and duties herein specified.
At the beginning of each academic year and as appointments occur, the Dean of the School of Liberal Arts shall communicate to the Secretary of the Faculty Assembly the name, department, rank, and tenure status of each person receiving or holding an academic appointment in the School of Liberal Arts.
ARTICLE II. LEGISLATIVE AUTHORITY OF THE FACULTY
Legislative authority is defined as the power to establish both general and specific policies and to determine procedures for their implementation.
The Faculty shall have the general power and responsibility to adopt policies, regulations, endorsements, and procedures intended to achieve the educational objectives of the School of Liberal Arts.
Specifically, the Faculty is charged with the authority to confer degrees, to determine degree requirements, and to establish the conditions for the completion and the conferral of those degrees.
Without implied limitation on the general authority of the Faculty by failure of enumeration below, the Faculty shall have the legislative duties and responsibilities in the following areas as appropriate to the School of Liberal Arts:
standards of admission and retention of students,
determination of the curriculum,
determination of faculty status,
standards and procedures for faculty status,
standards and procedures for faculty appointments,
standards and procedures concerning faculty tenure and promotion,
standards and procedures concerning faculty conduct and discipline,
standards and procedures for the appointment and retention of academic administrative officers,
other educational policies of this School.
ARTICLE III. THE FACULTY ASSEMBLY
Voting membership in the Faculty shall be limited to those designated as “Faculty of the School of Liberal Arts.” (See Article I, Sec. 1.) The Faculty of the School of Liberal Arts may extend non‐voting membership to anyone it deems appropriate for period of one year. Non‐voting membership includes the right to speak at meetings, but not the right to serve on the Assembly’s committees.
The Officers of the Faculty Assembly shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, and four members of the Executive Committee elected at large. No two Faculty members from the same program may hold office simultaneously. For departments with multiple programs, no three faculty members may come from that department.
Section 2.a. Duties of the President
The duties of the President include the following:
Schedule and preside over meetings of the Faculty Assembly and the Executive Committee or designate someone as needed.
Represent faculty concerns to the Dean and Associate Deans, as necessary.
Attend weekly Dean’s staff meetings.
Attend and/or monitor monthly meetings of department chairs and directors, as appropriate.
Approve minutes of Faculty Assembly meetings before they are distributed.
Work with the Executive Committee to fill any School committee positions that may become vacant during the year.
Ensure the currency of these bylaws, and propose amendments for the good of order.
Appoint a parliamentarian annually.
Work with the School webmaster to ensure currency and accuracy of the Faculty Assembly web site.
Represent School faculty at selected special events on campus (e.g., convocations).
Perform other duties appropriate to that office or as requested by the Faculty.
Section 2.b. Duties of the Vice-President
The Vice-President shall assist the President with the aforementioned duties in Section 2.a. as determined by the President in consultation with the Executive Committee. This delegation will facilitate the transition from Vice-President to President of Faculty Assembly.
Section 2.c. Duties of the Secretary
The duties of the Secretary include the following:
Summarize in writing and shall record in any other appropriate manner the deliberations of the Faculty Assembly and the Executive Committee.
Submit to all members of the Faculty the minutes of each Faculty Assembly meeting with the agenda for the following meeting.
Distribute the agenda at least one week prior to each meeting.
Transmit to the Dean within seven days after a meeting all main actions approved by the Faculty Assembly. It is expected that the Dean respond in writing to those actions requested of that office within thirty days or prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting.
Distribute after the final meeting of each semester a Summary of Actions passed by the Faculty Assembly and shall record administrative action concerning such legislation.
Section 2.d. Term of Office
The President assumes the office after his or her term as Vice-President.
The Vice-President is elected for a one-year term. At the end of the academic year following his or her election, the Vice-President will assume the role of President for that year.
The Secretary serves a two-year term and is elected along with two members-at-large in the same year. Two at-large members are elected in separate years for a staggered term of service. Members of the Executive Committee are elected by the Faculty and serve no more than two consecutive terms in the same office.
Terms of office begin on May 1 and end on April 30 of the following year. Newly elected Officers need to be available immediately after the transition meeting scheduled at the end of the spring semester.
Section 2.e. Method of Election
The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of candidates for Officers who shall be submitted to the Assembly no later than the second meeting of the spring semester; at this time, the President shall call for additional nominations from the floor for each office.
For the regular election of Officers and committees, the Secretary shall organize the election to conclude the election in a timely manner so that results may be announced at the April meeting of the Assembly. Offices shall be filled by candidates receiving the plurality of votes.
For the regular election of Officers and committees, the Secretary shall be responsible for overseeing the preparation of the electronic ballots and timely distribution of ballot to all faculty members in order to conclude the election in the time frame as indicated in these Bylaws so that results can be announced at the April meeting of the Assembly. Secure electronic ballots are expressly authorized by these Bylaws. Any voting member may request a paper ballot from the Secretary of Faculty Assembly and must return the ballot to the Secretary by the end of the voting period.
Regular election results shall be announced at the April meeting of the Assembly. The new Officers shall assume advisory roles immediately thereafter and actual duties on May 1.
In the event that a special election is required to fill vacancies on the Executive Committee or elected committees during the academic year, a special election shall be held. At least two weeks must elapse between the distribution of ballots and the last date to submit ballots.
Section 2.f. Replacement of Officers
In the event that an Officer other than the President must be replaced, the Executive Committee shall make an effort to distribute the names of at least two faculty members to fill the unexpired term. If a meeting of the Assembly is scheduled during that month, the election will be held at that meeting. If no meeting is scheduled, the voting may be conducted by a secure ballot. In the event that the President must be replaced, the Vice- President shall assume that position and a new Vice-President will be selected in accordance with the rules described above.
Section 2.g. Temporary Replacement of Officers
In the event that an Officer of the Executive Committee must be temporarily replaced (because he or she is on leave, is on sabbatical, or would otherwise be unable to carry out his or her duties for up to one semester), the Executive Committee may make a temporary appointment without resort to an election. The name of the temporary appointee must be announced at the next scheduled Faculty Assembly.
The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary, four faculty members elected at large, and the Dean of the School of Liberal Arts.
Section 3.a. Duties of the At Large Members
The four Executive Committee members elected at-large shall:
represent the Faculty in meetings of the Executive Committee;
be the ex-officio voting members of Faculty Assembly committees with the exception of the Promotion and Tenure Committee, and the Faculty Enhancement Committee;
submit to the Executive Committee an abstract of all substantive committee actions and any changes in a committee’s operating procedures; and
carry out all other functions determined by the Assembly and the Executive Committee.
Section 3.b. Creating the Agenda
The Executive Committee may receive items from all Faculty members for the agenda, and shall determine the agenda for all meetings of the Faculty Assembly. If any Faculty member of the Assembly obtains the signatures of 15 percent of the members of the Assembly in support of a particular item, then upon submission of this item to the Executive Committee, it must be placed on the agenda of the next scheduled meeting of the Assembly.
Section 3.c. Appointing Committees
The Executive Committee shall appoint all committees of the Faculty (as prescribed in Article IV, Sec. 2) except where otherwise designated.
Section 3.d. Communicating Decisions
The Executive Committee shall carry out the decision of the Faculty under the General policies or specific directives established by the Faculty Assembly, and shall transmit the decisions of the Faculty to the appropriate unit for implementation.
Section 3.e. Consulting with the Dean
The Dean may consult the Executive Committee as representatives of the Faculty on matters affecting the Faculty and School when it is not practical to consult the full Faculty Assembly.
Section 3.f. Identifying Committee Charges
With input from the Faculty, the Executive Committee will discuss and recommend charges to Faculty Assembly Committees, which, in part, shall be based on Committee reports from the previous year(s).
Section 4.a. Regular Meetings
The President of the Assembly shall convene the Assembly at least two times during each fall and spring semester. At the first meeting of each fall semester, the Dean will be invited to comment on the State of the School and the President of the Assembly will introduce all new members of the faculty.
Section 4.b. Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Assembly may be called by the Executive Committee.
If any member of the Faculty obtains the signatures of 25 percent of the members of the Faculty in support of a special meeting, the Executive Committee must, within ten days of receiving the petition, call such a meeting of the Assembly to consider the proposed topic; notice of the meeting must be given at least three full working days in advance of the meeting.
The Executive Committee shall set the agenda for special meetings.
A quorum of the Faculty Assembly shall consist of at least 25 percent of the members.
Section 6.a. Process
Unless specifically noted otherwise or determined by the Executive Committee, all proposals require for passage a simple majority of all faculty present and voting.
Section 6.b.Ballots
Mail or electronic ballots may be used when approved by the Executive Committee; when required by these Bylaws, they must be used. Unless specifically noted in these Bylaws, such ballots shall require for passage a majority vote of all returned ballots.
Section 6.c.Proxy Voting
A proxy vote shall be permitted those faculty members unable to attend meetings of the Assembly due to documented professional activities related to teaching, research, and service that are in conflict with that meeting.
Prior to its exercise, the proxy vote must be registered in writing via email at least 48 hours prior to the meeting with the Vice President and Secretary of the Assembly, who will then present it for approval by a simple majority vote of the Executive Committee members. The Vice President will announce the approved proxy votes at the meeting for inclusion in the Secretary’s tally.
A proxy vote may not be used in the determination of a quorum.
The place, date, and arrangements for all regular meetings of the Faculty Assembly as outlined in Section 4.a shall be determined by the Executive Committee and distributed at least one week before the beginning of the fall semester.
No regular meeting of the Faculty Assembly may be called unless all Faculty are notified by mail or electronic mail at least one week before the date of that meeting. Such notice shall consist of the agenda of that meeting with all details of those agenda items as can be distributed feasibly.
ARTICLE IV. COMMITTEES OF THE FACULTY ASSEMBLY
Committees shall be established as the working basis for the Faculty Assembly. They shall keep records of their work and, at the end of the academic year, shall submit written reports of their actions to the Executive Committee no later than May 31.
Section 2.a. Request for volunteers.
Before the last Faculty Assembly meeting of the spring semester, the Executive Committee shall make known to all Faculty members all committee vacancies, with the request that all members indicate the committee(s) on which they would prefer to serve.
Section 2.b. Number of Members
The number of committee members and their role is stipulated in the Membership section of each committee. However, individual committees may request additional members as needed to be named by the Executive Committee.
Section 2.c. Terms and Expectations.
All standing committee appointments and elections shall be for two-year, staggered terms, except for the Enhancement Review Committee and the School representative to the campus Promotion and Tenure Committee for which the terms are three years. Terms begin at the end of the spring semester when appointments and elections shall take place. Committees that may need to conduct business during the summer should designate a contact person.
All elected and appointed members of committees have a responsibility to ensure that the committee is able to do the best work possible to complete its charge. It is expected that members will attend at least 75 percent of meetings, and that they will participate fully in and take responsibility for making decisions on issues, policies, and other matters in their charge.
Should any elected or appointed member of a committee not be able to continue serving on a committee due to unforeseen circumstances, the member will inform the committee chair and the Executive Council and request a replacement. And in the event that a member does not regularly attend meetings and/or does not act in good faith to meet the expected responsibilities of membership on the committee, the committee, by majority vote, may make a formal request to the President and the Executive Committee to have that member replaced.
Section 2.d. Limitations on Membership.
Committees shall have no more than two members from the same academic department. As a guiding principle, every attempt should be made to ensure the greatest diversity of membership possible, in terms of independent programs, programs within departments, as well as balanced representation from the humanities and the social sciences.
Section 2.e. Student members.
The Office of the Dean of Student Affairs in conjunction with Liberal Arts Student Council shall be asked to nominate student members for standing committees, although the Executive Committee is not limited to these nominations. Student members may be selected early in the fall semester. The inability of the Executive Committee to appoint interested and qualified students to these committee positions shall in no way inhibit the ability of the committee to function.
Section 2.f. Chairs.
Each committee shall select its chair and shall include administrative officers and students where appropriate or where specified below. Each committee shall report the name of the committee chair to the Secretary of the Executive Committee no later than October 1.
Section 3.a. Enhancement Review Committee
Charge. The Enhancement Review Committee shall:
conduct performance evaluations of faculty members voluntarily seeking peer feedback or a change in career focus; and
conduct reviews of faculty members receiving overall evaluations of unsatisfactory (level 0 on the Annual Faculty Performance Evaluation Form) in two successive years.
Membership. The Committee shall be composed of three members of the Faculty at the Associate Professor level or above elected by tenured members of the School. Membership on the Committee, consisting of staggered three‐year terms, is restricted to faculty members who do not hold administrative appointments at the rank of department chair or above.
Standing Rules:
In performing reviews, the Committee shall conduct a thorough evaluation of the faculty member and shall specify at the end of their review whether the faculty professional productivity is rated within one of the following categories:
some strengths, no deficiencies,
some strengths, some deficiencies (but deficiencies are not substantial or chronic), and
substantial chronic deficiencies.
If substantial chronic deficiencies are found, the Committee and the faculty member shall work together to create a development plan. The plan becomes final once the faculty member, the Dean, and the department chair have signed the document. The plan should:
identify specific strengths that should be enhanced;
identify the specific deficiencies to be addressed;
define specific goals or outcomes that are needed to remedy the deficiencies;
outline the specific activities and programs that should be completed to achieve these goals and outcomes;
set appropriate timelines for the completion of these activities;
indicate appropriate benchmarks to be used in monitoring progress;
indicate the criteria for annual progress reviews; and
identify the source of any funding or institutional support, such as assigned time or new research equipment, based on discussions with the Dean, the Associate Dean for Research and/or the School’s Grant specialist.
The Committee shall meet at least once per semester to review the faculty member’s progress. In the case of Function 3b above, if the progress is not congruent with the specified timelines and benchmarks outlined in the development plan, the Committee will forward its recommendation to the Dean who shall notify the faculty member of the outcome of the review and remind him or her of the appeal process before proceeding with sanctions.
Section 3.b. Nominating Committee
Charge. The Nominating Committee shall prepare slates of candidates
for Executive Committee and for elected positions, for presentation no later than the second spring semester meeting of the Faculty Assembly,
to fill vacancies on the Executive Committee or elected positions between regular elections, slates of candidates for School representatives to the IUPUI Faculty Council, and
for other elections that may from time to time become necessary.
Membership. The Committee shall be composed of five members of the Faculty: four elected members of the Faculty and one Executive Committee representative.
Section 3.c. Promotion and Tenure Committee
Charge. The Promotion and Tenure Committee shall:
review each dossier forwarded in support of a candidacy for promotion or tenure.The Committee takes into account the recommendation of the primary committee and and the Chair, but it makes its own recommendation. The Committee provides the Dean with a record of its vote(s) and a written review of the candidate.
conduct a School level Three Year Review of tenure track and clinical faculty members and provide them with a written assessment of their progress toward promotion and tenure. A copy of each assessment shall be provided to the faculty member’s Chair and to the Dean. The Committee shall, at the Dean’s request, assist in evaluating recommendations received from primary committees and Chairs concerning reappointment and shall serve to examine departmental review procedures.
Membership. The committee shall consist of seven tenured members of the Faculty and two Senior Lecturers, excluding full-time administrators, elected by the Faculty who shall serve staggered terms of two years. Every effort shall be made to ensure diversity of representation on this committee. A faculty member at the rank of Professor shall be elected by the Promotion and Tenure Committee in the spring from a slate of qualified Faculty from the School, prepared by the Nominating Committee, to a renewable term of three years as the IU School of Liberal Arts representative to the IUPUI campus Promotion and Tenure Committee. If not already a voting member of the Promotion and Tenure Committee elected by the Faculty, the School representative elected by the committee shall also serve as a non-voting ex-officio member of the School Promotion and Tenure Committee.
To the fullest extent possible, the tenured members of the committee should hold the rank of Professor. No more than one tenured member may be elected from any department or stand-alone program. Members may not vote for a candidate who is presenting himself/herself for a higher rank than the one held by the committee member.
The two Senior Lecturers shall be elected from different departments. These two members shall serve as voting members on the committee only to consider candidates seeking promotion from lecturer to senior lecturer.
All members of the committee must recuse themselves from discussing and voting on candidates from their own departments, family members, or those presenting significant conflicts of interest.
Nothing in these Bylaws may preclude the Committee from recommending tenure but not promotion for the same individual.
Standing Rules:
The Committee will carry out its prescribed responsibilities in accord with the most recent IUPUI and School promotion and tenure guidelines.
In carrying out these functions, however, the Committee shall respect the charges stated in the IUPUI Faculty Handbook and the IU Academic Handbook (as well as the IUPUI Supplement to the Indiana University Academic Handbook) that constrain its purpose. To this end, the Committee:
shall evaluate each recommendation of a primary committee and department chair to award or not to award tenure, and when requested by the Dean, may review a recommendation of a primary committee and departmental chair with regard to annual appointment or non-reappointment. In either case, the following criteria shall be taken into account:
whether the recommendation in question is based on adequate peer review;
whether, especially in the case of a recommendation of non-reappointment, all rights of the faculty member in question have been safeguarded in accordance with university-established procedures in this regard;
whether a candidate for tenure shows strong promise of achieving promotion to the rank of Associate Professor, although not necessarily during the same year as that in which a tenure decision is being made; and
whether the recommendation in question takes into account the academic mission in support of which the candidate has been hired and with respect to which his or her expectations have been formed and contributions rendered;
shall not make a recommendation contrary to that of the primary committee without having first consulted with that committee and, as appropriate, the dep artment chair. After evaluating the dossier and the recommendations of the primary committee, department chair, and Promotion and Tenure Committee, the Dean will make an independent recommendation; he or she shall provide copies of the Promotion and Tenure Committee's and his or her recommendations to the candidate, chair, and primary committee. In all cases the separate, written recommendations of the primary committee, the chair, the Promotion and Tenure Committee, and the Dean will be forwarded to the Ex ecutive Vice Chancellor or administrative authority for the campus level Promotion Tenure Committee;
shall examine departmental review procedures when so requested by the Dean, or, with notice to the Dean, by any probationary appointee or by any other member of the department concerned, and shall report its findings to the Dean.
The committees named in this section shall be appointed by the joint Executive Committees before the end of the spring semester. As noted in Section 2.b.3 above, if a committee member is unable to complete his or her term of appointment, the Executive Committee shall appoint another faculty member to complete the term. If a committee member fails to attend regularly scheduled meetings or to participate in the committee’s work, the committee, by majority vote, may request the Executive Committee to replace the member.
Section 4.a. Academic Affairs Committee
Charge. The Academic Affairs Committee shall:
apply to individual cases the existing policies of Indiana University, IUPUI, and the School of Liberal Arts with regard to admission, dismissal, re-admission, and grade changes; and
recommend to the Undergraduate Curriculum and Standards Committee modifications or clarifications of these policies in the light of its experience.
Membership. The Committee shall be composed of seven members:
four members of the Faculty,
a designated Executive Committee representative,
a non-voting School administrative officer designated by the Dean, and
a student.
Section 4.b.Budget and Resource Planning Committee
Charge. The Budget and Resource Planning Committee shall:
serve as the primary deliberative body of the faculty in terms of academiacademic planning, resource allocation, and budgetary advising;
assist the Dean in the assessment of funding requests and other matters of resource allocation from departments, programs, and faculty, thus contributing towards the establishment of academic and financial priorities for the School; and
every fifth year, review the most recent long-range plan of the School and develop a new plan if circumstances warrant, in consultation with the Dean.
Membership. The Committee shall be composed of the following members:
at least five members of the Faculty, appointed by the Executive Committee and chosen in consultation with the Dean,
a designated Executive Committee representative, and
a non-voting School financial officer designated by the Dean.
Section 4.c. Community Outreach and Public Engagement Committee
Charge. The Community Outreach and Public Engagement Committee, a student- and public-facing committee, shall:
help publicly promote scholarship, academic programs, and liberal arts values;
work with appropriate university offices in identifying marketing and branding strategies focused specifically on the School of Liberal Arts; and
advise and assist in building the reputation of the School to increase majors and promote donations, scholarships, and sponsorships.
Membership. The Committee shall be composed of seven members:
four members of the Faculty,
a designated Executive Committee representative,
a non-voting School administrative officer designated by the Dean, and
a student.
Section 4.d. Diversity and Inclusion Committee
Charge. The Diversity and Inclusion Committee shall serve as the primary body working to create and update the School’s Diversity plan. The Committee will also:
define and work on ongoing efforts regarding diversity and inclusion within the School of Liberal Arts;
prepare and analyze reports to monitor our success (in compliance with campus policies, initiatives, and reporting);
provide oversight and planning for annual diversity training opportunities and education; and
identify and/or nominate SLA faculty and staff who qualify for school-, campus-, and university-wide diversity awards.
Membership. The Committee shall be composed of eight members:
four members of the Faculty,
a designated Executive Committee representative, a non-voting School administrative officer designated by the Dean,
a staff member, and
a student.
Section 4.e. Faculty Affairs Committee
Charge. The Faculty Affairs Committee shall:
consider questions, policies, procedures and cases concerning conditions of faculty employment, professional conduct, and professional rights and responsibilities; and
oversee certain School of Liberal Arts awards, including the following: Outstanding Tenure-line Faculty, Outstanding Lecturer, Outstanding Associate Faculty, and distinguished Student awards. Guidelines for these awards shall be announced annually by the Committee.
Procedure. The Committee shall follow the “Procedure for Handling Student Complaints Against Academic Personnel” established in 1984 when considering specific cases referred to it by the Dean.
Membership:
The Committee shall consist of seven members:
four full-time members of the Faculty, and a member of the Associate Faculty,
a designated Executive Committee representative (all six with voting privileges), and
a non-voting School administrative officer designated by the Dean (by majority vote of committee members, the School officer may be excused from certain committee deliberations).
Each spring the Executive Committee will invite volunteers from the School's Associate Faculty and appoint one continuing Associate Faculty member for a one-year term, renewable for up to three terms. The Associate Faculty representative will need to be ratified by the majority vote of those present and voting at the first fall Faculty Assembly (see Art. I, Sec. 1). The inability of the Executive Committee to appoint an interested and qualified Associate Faculty member shall in no way inhibit the ability of the committee to function.
Section 4.f. Graduate Curriculum Committee
Charge. The Graduate Curriculum Committee shall be responsible for the curricula of graduate programs in the School of Liberal Arts. The Committee shall:
receive and review proposals for graduate degrees or certificates to be offered in the School of Liberal Arts, and for courses that are to be added to or dropped from existing graduate curricula or for those that are to be significantly revised; and
present reviewed proposals for new or significantly revised graduate degrees and certificates to the Faculty Assembly for approval.
Membership:
The Committee shall be composed of six members:
four members the Faculty who are also members of the IU Graduate Faculty,
a designated Executive Committee representative, and
a non- voting School administrative officer designated by the Dean.
At least one Committee member will also be a representative of the School of Liberal Arts on IUPUI’s Graduate Affairs Committee.
Standing Rules: The committee shall provide for the orderly review of courses and curricula by:
establishing guidelines for submission dates and for proposal formats. These shall be prepared in consultation with the Dean and shall follow University and campus guidelines;
acting on behalf of the Faculty in reviewing all proposals for new or revised graduate courses; a negative decision may be appealed to the Faculty Assembly by asking the Executive Committee to place the disputed decision on the agenda of the next regular meeting of the Faculty Assembly; and
presenting all new programs and major changes in existing programs at a regular meeting of the Faculty Assembly for approval by a majority of the voting members.
Section 4 g. Online Education Committee
Charge. The Online Education Committee will support the work of the Graduate and Undergraduate Curriculum Committees by providing information related to online education that has implications for any policy changes, curriculum revisions, or to the review of new courses or programs.
Membership. The Committee shall be composed of seven members:
four members of the Faculty with voting privileges appointed by the Executive Committee, with at least one faculty member who serves as a representative of a department or program that participates in an IU Online collaborative degree or program,
a designated Executive Committee representative with voting privileges,
a non-voting School administrative officer designated by the Dean, and
a non-voting invited representative/liaison from UITS or eDS.
Standing Rules:
The Committee will review new online (or hybrid) course or program proposals, and existing programs that are proposed to be transitioned into an online format. Specifically, after initial approval of new online (or hybrid) courses and programs, or of changes to existing programs to an online format, by the Graduate or Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, the Online Education Committee will review the proposals for issues related to teaching in the online environment. Final approval of proposals for new or significantly revised graduate or undergraduate degrees or certificates, and their presentation to the Faculty Assembly for approval, will remain with the respective Curriculum Committee.
The Committee will similarly review existing courses being newly offered online or as a hybrid.
The Committee will also examine data on online education in the SLA to inform faculty and the Dean’s Office of trends that may be relevant for planning and decision making.
The Committee will collaborate with the Teaching and Advising Committee to facilitate the adoption of best practices related to online education in the School by promoting and disseminating information and resources related to online education for faculty, doing so by means determined by the Committee.
The Committee will collaborate with the Promotion and Tenure Committee and the Teaching and Advising Committee to advise on other School policies affected by online education, such as evaluation of online courses by peers and students, consideration of online teaching in promotion and tenure, and other unique considerations posed to the School, departments, and faculty by online education.
The Committee will facilitate involvement in collaborative online programs offered through IU Online by maintaining a repository of legal agreements (MOUs) for programs involved in IU Online, and surveying faculty involved in those programs.
Section 4. h. Research Advisory Committee
Charge. The Research Advisory Committee shall be responsible for:
serving as a liaison between the Faculty and the Associate Dean for Research; and
advising the Associate Dean and the faculty on matters related to research and research funding in the school including, but not limited to:
distribution of funds to promote research,
review of proposals for SLA grant funds,
review of sabbatical applications, and
policy development regarding research activity and integrity.
Membership. The Committee shall be composed of eight members:
five voting members including:
four full-time members of the Faculty with significant involvement in research activity, and
a designated Executive Committee representative,
three non-voting members including: 1. the Associate Dean for Research, 2. the SLA grants analyst, and 3. a student.
Section 4. i. Teaching and Advising Committee
Charge. The Teaching and Advising Committee shall:
recommend policies on the evaluation of teaching and advising to the Faculty Assembly;
develop activities for the improvement of teaching and advising within the School;
select recipients of teaching awards; and
serve as a resource on teaching and advising issues related to in-person, hybrid, and online classes to individual faculty, departments, programs, and administration of the School of Liberal Arts.
Membership. The Committee shall consist of:
four members of the Faculty,
a designated Executive Committee representative,
a non-voting School administrative officer designated by the Dean, and
a student.
Section 4. j. Technology Committee
Charge. The Technology Committee shall:
address issues related to technology and technical facilities and services raised by faculty, students and departments and academic units; and
advise the Dean on policies, procedures and planning in the use of technology in the School.
Membership. The Technology Committee shall consist of six voting members and two non-voting members:
the voting members shall consist of four members of the Faculty selected by the Executive Committee, and an Executive Committee representative;
the non-voting members will consist of the Director of Facilities and Technical Services, and a representative from the Dean’s Office; and
An invited representative from UITS who may attend as a non-voting liaison.
Section 4.k. Undergraduate Curriculum and Standards Committee
Charge. The Undergraduate Curriculum and Standards Committee provides faculty oversight for matters of curriculum and academic policies and standards. The Committee shall:
review and develop specific recommendations for the Assembly on academic policies and standards; andb. approve new courses and recommend to the Assembly the approval of new majors, programs or certificates.
Membership. The Committee shall be composed of seven members:
four members of the Faculty,
a designated Executive Committee representative,
a non-voting School administrative officer designated by the Dean, and
a student.
Standing Rules:
The Committee shall refer recommended policy changes to the Faculty Assembly for approval in the following manner:
each recommendation, along with a brief supportive statement, shall be distributed to each member of the Faculty Assembly;
the Faculty shall have one week to review the recommendation before a vote. At the discretion of the Executive Committee, votes may occur by secure ballot or during a meeting of the Assembly; and
the Executive Committee has the responsibility to ensure that new or revised academic policies are transmitted to the appropriate authorities and incorporated into the Bulletin of the School of Liberal Arts.
The committee shall provide for the orderly review of undergraduate courses and curricula by establishing guidelines for submission dates and for proposal formats. These shall be prepared in consultation with the Dean and shall follow University and campus guidelines.
If the committee does not approve a course, the interested department may appeal to the Faculty Assembly.
The President of the Faculty Assembly may appoint ad-hoc committees in consultation with the Dean and the Executive Committee. Such committees expire at the completion of their assigned tasks, or at the end of the academic year, whichever comes first. If the committee’s charge has not been fulfilled by the end of the academic year, the next President may reappoint the committee in consultation with the Dean and the Executive Committee.
At the end of the school year, no later than May 15, the chair of each committee shall send a letter to each member of the committee evaluating that member’s service to the committee during the year. The member of the Executive Committee who serves as liaison to each committee shall send a similar letter to the chair of the committee evaluating the chair’s service. Committees without such liaisons, such as the Promotion & Tenure Committee or the Enhancement Review Committee, shall select two committee members to evaluate the chair’s service.
ARTICLE V. THE AMENDING PROCESS
Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed by any member of the Faculty or by any committees thereof.
All proposed amendments shall be directed to the Executive Committee and placed on the Agenda for the next scheduled meeting of the Assembly.
Section 3.a. Amendments Distributed in Advance
If the proposed amendment has been distributed to the full Faculty at least one week prior to the meeting, it may be passed after discussion by a majority vote of those present and voting.
Section 3.b. Amendments Proposed During Meetings
If an amendment is proposed during a regularly scheduled meeting and if the Assembly so votes, the Secretary shall distribute a secure ballot on the proposed amendment. A majority vote of the returned ballots is required for approval.
Any Bylaw may be suspended without due notice by unanimous consent of the Faculty Assembly during any regular or special meeting. Such suspension shall be used only when an exigency of time precludes the normal processes above.
ARTICLE VI. THE PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The rules contained in the latest edition of ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER, NEWLY REVISED, shall govern the Faculty Assembly in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws, any special rules the Faculty Assembly may adopt, or any rules of a superior academic body
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