The
following version of the Constitution of the Faculty Senate incorporates
changes approved by the Faculty during the 2004 Spring Ballot and that are
understood to have been approved by the Board of Trustees during their May,
2004 meeting.
I. Purpose
The
Faculty Senate shall serve the Faculty on issues affecting the common purposes
of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The Faculty's role in the creation,
understanding, and dissemination of knowledge is held in the highest esteem,
and will not be abridged. The Senate shall represent Faculty interests in the
broader issues of education and research, including Curriculum, Promotion and
Tenure, and Planning, and Resources. The Senate shall advise the President of
the Institute and the Board of Trustees as to the Faculty views in all matters.
The resolutions of the Senate shall guide Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in
scholarly activities and instruction. Important issues affecting the Faculty in
general will be presented, with recommendations for action, at a general
meeting of the Faculty each semester.
II. Membership
A.
Personnel
i. For the purposes of Senate
business, the term "Faculty" includes persons having the title
Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Research Professor,
Research Associate Professor, Research Assistant Professor, Librarian,
Archivist and Assistant Archivist, and also includes those retired from these
positions. Persons holding an administrative position at or above the level of
department chair or department head, or in direct report to a Provost or
President, including but not limited to those having the title Dean, Associate
Dean, Assistant Dean, Provost, Associate Provost, Vice Provost, Vice President
or President are not eligible to hold a Senate office except as listed below.
If a person is appointed to a position having this title while holding a Senate
office, he or she shall resign from the Senate office or delay accepting the
administrative appointment.
ii. The Faculty Senate shall consist of fifteen regular members (to
include one member from each School, one from the retired faculty, one from
Rensselaer at Hartford, one from the Library, and six members at large), a
President of the Senate, a Vice President of the Senate, a Secretary, a Recording
Secretary, a Chair of the Faculty, a Secretary of the Faculty, and the Chairs
of three Special Committees (Curriculum, Promotion and Tenure, Planning and
Resources). The Provost shall also serve as an ex officio non-voting member.
B. Succession
The
Faculty shall elect from its ranks the regular members of the Senate to serve
two-year terms. Faculty shall also elect from its ranks the Vice President of
the Senate and the Recording Secretary of the Senate. The Vice President of the
Senate shall succeed to the position of President of the Senate in the second
year, and in the third year shall serve as the Chair of the Faculty. The
Recording Secretary of the Faculty shall succeed to the position of Secretary
in the second year, and in the third year shall serve as the Secretary of the
Faculty.
III. Structure
The Faculty Senate
shall maintain an Executive Committee, a Curriculum Committee, a Promotion and
Tenure Committee, a Planning and Resources Committee, an Election Committee, a
Faculty Committee on Honors, and standing committees.
A.
The Executive Committee
i. Composition. The
Executive Committee shall consist of the President of the Senate, the Vice
President, the Secretary of the Senate, the Recording Secretary of the Senate,
the Chair of the Faculty, and the Secretary of the Faculty.
ii.
Duties. The Executive Committee shall plan and coordinate the business of the
Faculty Senate, to include scheduling meetings, preparing the agendas for
Senate meetings and general Faculty meetings, and inviting appropriate
interested parties to attend meetings.
a.
Duties of the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall
preside at meetings of the Faculty Senate. The President of the Senate shall
only cast a vote on issues before the Senate in the case of a tie vote. The
President of the Senate shall give a financial statement, including a report on
transactions during the year, at the spring general Faculty meeting.
b.
Duties of the Vice President of the Senate. The Vice President of the Senate
shall assume the duties of the President of the Senate in case the President of
the Senate shall be unable to do so. The Vice President of the Senate shall act
as Parliamentarian for the Faculty Senate.
c.
Duties of the Secretary. The Secretary shall take the minutes of the general
Faculty meetings, issue the agendas for general Faculty meetings, and
distribute the minutes of these meetings with the minutes of the Faculty
Senate. The Secretary of the Senate shall be responsible for maintaining order
in the records of academic policy approved by the Faculty and the records of
the Faculty Senate business.
d.
Duties of the Recording Secretary. The Recording Secretary shall take the
minutes of the Faculty Senate, issue the agendas for Senate meetings and
distribute the minutes to the general Faculty.
e.
Duties of the Chair of the Faculty. The Chair of the Faculty shall preside at
the general Faculty meetings. The Chair of the Faculty shall provide a written
report annually on the state of the Institute from the Faculty perspective. The
Chair of the Faculty shall serve as a member of the Faculty Senate, and shall
represent the views of the Faculty to the President of the Institute and to the
President's advisors.
f. Duties of the Secretary of the Faculty. The Secretary of the Faculty
shall be responsible for conducting the annual review of the Faculty Handbook,
and recommending changes to the Senate. The Secretary of the Faculty shall
keep the Faculty roll. The Secretary of the Faculty shall serve as a member
of the Faculty Senate, and shall represent the views of the Faculty to the
Academic Deans and their advisors.
B.
The Curriculum Committee
The educational offerings of the Faculty shall be of the highest quality, to
inspire students, colleagues, and society in general toward the goals of
lifetime learning and contributions to the common good. To assure this quality,
the Curriculum Committee shall take responsibility for the educational
offerings of the Faculty.
i. Composition. The Faculty Committee
on Curriculum shall consist of seven members of the Faculty, elected for three-year
terms. There shall be one representative from each School and two members
at large. There shall also be one representative from the Dean's office for
each School. There shall also be two undergraduate student members, and one
graduate student member selected by the Student Senate. The Chair of the Curriculum
Committee shall be selected from the elected members of the Committee by the
Senate Executive Committee. Also, with the consent of the President of Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, the Dean of Undergraduate Education, the Dean Graduate
Education, and the Registrar shall serve as ex officio non-voting members;
the Dean of Undergraduate Education shall act as permanent Executive Secretary
and the Registrar shall act as permanent Recording Secretary of the Curriculum
Committee.
ii.
Duties. The Curriculum Committee shall consider proposals for changes in
courses of instruction, requirements for majors in each subject, for new
curriculums, and changes or discontinuations in existing curriculums. It shall
determine that adequate provisions are made to inform faculty and students of
any curriculum changes and their consequences. The Committee shall consider
proposals for changes in the Core Curriculum and make suitable recommendations
to the Faculty for action at a general Faculty meeting. The Committee shall
encourage innovations in instruction and in pedagogical materials and media.
Following
appropriate review and approval by the Senate or the Faculty, decisions of the
Committee to approve or terminate programs shall become binding with the
approval of the President of the Institute. The President of the Institute
shall act with all deliberate speed either to approve the decision (and, as
necessary, to request the approval of the Board of Trustees), or to convey a
notice of rejection to the President of the Senate, giving cause for the
rejection.
C.
The Promotion and Tenure Committee
Attracting, developing, and maintaining high-quality Faculty is essential
to the common purposes of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
i. Composition. The Faculty Committee on Promotion and Tenure shall
consist of eight Full Professors with Tenure serving three-year terms. There
shall be one member from each School and two members at large to be elected
by the Faculty. The two at-large members cannot be from the same School. In
addition, there shall be one member, a Full Professor with Tenure, who is
elected annually by the Students during Grand Marshal Week. The Chair of the Promotion and Tenure Committee shall be
selected from the elected members of the Committee by the Senate Executive
Committee.
ii. Duties. Duties of the Promotion and Tenure Committee and criteria
for promotion are specified in the Faculty Handbook.
D.
The Planning and Resources Committee
In
order to facilitate the educational and research missions of Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, the Planning and Resources Committee shall participate
in strategic planning and identifying necessary resources and facilities to
achieve long-term goals and ensure the fair and proper distribution thereof
i. Composition. The Planning and Resources Committee shall consist
of eight members of the Faculty, elected to three-year terms. There shall
be one faculty member from each School and three members at large. The Chair
of the Planning and Resources Committee shall be selected from the elected
members of the Committee by the Senate Executive Committee. With the consent
of the President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the Academic Deans (or
their non-voting designates) shall serve as ex officio voting members, and
the Controller, the Director for Development, and the Director of Government
Relations shall serve as ex officio non-voting members.
ii.
Duties. The Committee shall review all proposals to approve new programs or to
terminate existing programs that, due to their scale or uniqueness, bear
substantial impact on the Institute community at large. Following timely
re-view and approval by the Senate or the Faculty, decisions of the Committee
to endorse the creation of new programs or the termination of existing programs
shall become binding with the approval of the President of the Institute.
The
President of the Institute shall act with all deliberate speed either to
approve the decision (and, as necessary, to request the approval of the Board
of Trustees), or to convey a notice of rejection to the President of the
Senate, giving cause for the rejection.
The
Committee shall participate in the formation of the Institute budget and shall
recommend Senate action concerning the endorsement of the final budget. During
this process, any member of the Faculty shall have the opportunity to examine
the budget and to raise questions about it.
E.
The Election Committee
i.
Composition. The Election Committee shall consist of the Vice President of the
Senate, who shall act as the Chair of the Election Committee, six elected
members of the Faculty (one from each School, and one from the Library), and
the Dean of Undergraduate and Continuing Education.
ii.
Duties. The Election Committee shall issue a public call for nominations and
shall provide a slate of eligible Faculty willing to run in the election for
the positions to be filled on the Curriculum Committee, on the Promotion and
Tenure Committee, on the Planning and Resources Committee, on the Election
Committee, for Vice President of the Senate, for Recording Secretary of the
Senate, and for the regular members of the Faculty Senate. The slate of nominees
shall be sent to the Faculty at least one week before the Election. Further
nominations may be offered to the Election Committee in writing.
The Election Committee shall be responsible for seeing that any Faculty
election is completed fairly and in a timely fashion.
F. Faculty
Committee on Honors
i. Composition. The Faculty Committee
on Honors (FCH) shall consist of five faculty members who shall be appointed
for staggered terms of three years each by majority vote of the Senate upon
nomination by the Executive Committee. The five members shall be selected from each
of the five Rensselaer Schools: Architecture, Engineering, Humanities and
Social Sciences, and Management. The
members of the FCH shall elect the Chair of the FCH from among themselves.
ii. Duties.
a. The
Faculty Committee on Honors (FCH) shall, through the offices of the Rensselaer
Provost, issue a public call for nominations, evaluate, and select candidates
for specific honors. The FCH Chair shall
communicate each selection to the Provost.
Selections are subject to approval by the President and the Rensselaer
Board of Trustees.
Awards/Grants for which FCH are responsible include the following: The Early
Career Award, the Jerome Fischbach ’38 Faculty Travel Grant, and the William H.
Wiley 1866 Distinguished Faculty Award.
b. The
Faculty Committee on Honors (FCH), through the offices of the Rensselaer
President, shall also evaluate, rank, and recommend to the Rensselaer
President’s Committee on Honors (PCH) the candidates for the following year’s
Commencement Speaker and Honorary Doctor’s Degrees candidates.
The FCH Chair shall communicate these rankings and recommendations to the Chair
of the President’s Committee on Honors.
The FCH Chair will serve as a member of the PCH.
G.
Standing Committees
Faculty governance is a
complex issue, and it is important to maintain flexibility in the actions of
the governing body. The Faculty Senate shall maintain standing committees from
its membership as it sees fit. These committees shall investigate issues
involving education, research, the role of the faculty, and other issues as
they arise.
H.
Institute-wide Committees
Committees
offer an efficient means of gathering information and conducting business on
many issues. However, Faculty time is valuable. Committees having insufficient
power or reason for existence should not be formed, and committees having
accomplished their business should cease to exist. The Executive Committee
shall facilitate and coordinate the appointment of Faculty to Institute-wide
committees. The Executive Committee shall also conduct an annual review of the
Institute-wide committees. Upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee,
the Senate shall renew the charge for each Institute-wide committee, or direct
that it be disbanded.
IV. Elections
Election
to the Senate shall be by ballot of the Faculty, as defined in Section II.A.i,
during the Grand Marshal Week in the spring semester. For the purpose of
voting, an eligible voter must maintain a campus email address. At the time of
retirement or no later than 30 days prior to an election, a retired faculty
member may register with the Secretary of the Faculty to vote using a campus
email address. The role of eligible voters shall be maintained by the Secretary
of the Faculty. The Election Committee shall conduct the election and report on
it to the Senate at the first Senate meeting after the polls are closed. The
Senate shall, by a majority vote of the members present and voting, accept the
results of the election. In case two or more candidates receive the same number
of votes in the election, the Senate shall vote by secret ballot to break the
tie. If the result of any contest in the election is not accepted by the
Senate, the election to that contest shall be declared invalid, and the
Election Committee shall, at the earliest possible opportunity, conduct a
supplementary election to fill the positions for which the election was
invalidated.
All
duly elected members of the Faculty Senate and its Committees assume office at
the end of the last regular Senate meeting during the semester in which the
election is ratified, with the exception of the members of the Promotion and
Tenure Committee, who shall take office at the beginning of the fall semester.
When
an elected member or officer is unable to assume office or to complete a term,
the person will be replaced for the duration of that term by the next ranking
nominee for that position in the last-held election. If no ranking nominee is
available to serve, the Senate shall either elect a replacement by majority
vote, schedule a special election to elect a replacement, or allow the position
to remain vacant until the next general Faculty Senate election; and a
replacement for the duration of the term, if any, will be selected by ballot as
part of the regular election process.
V. Grievances
The Faculty Senate shall not act as a grievance body. If general policy issues
arise out of individual Faculty grievances, however, the Faculty Senate shall
act in a constructive manner to assist Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to
develop policies that minimize future grievances.
VI. Policies,
Rules, and Procedures
The
Faculty Senate shall initiate, study, and make recommendations for the benefit
of the Faculty and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Matters will be debated
and refined by the Senate. Authority over all Senate business rests in the
Faculty, and major actions affecting the Faculty shall be considered by the
entire Faculty at General Faculty meetings. The Senate shall communicate its
deliberations to the Faculty through its Minutes. Resolutions of the Senate
shall reflect the wishes of the Faculty, and are intended to be implemented.
A.
The Faculty Senate shall conduct its business
according to The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure (Sturgis. 1988).
B.
The President of the Senate shall call an open meeting
of the Senate at least once each month during the academic year. All formal
action taken by the Senate shall take place at open meetings previously
announced to the Faculty.
C.
Two thirds of the members of the Senate shall constitute a quorum.
D.
Any member of the Faculty has the right to appear before the Senate at her or
his request. The Faculty member requesting the appearance may also request that
it take place in closed session.
E.
A Senator or an Officer of the Senate can be recalled by a 2/3 vote of the
Faculty. In order to initiate such a vote, a petition with signatures of at
least 1/10 of the Faculty should be presented to the Senate. The recall
election shall be conducted by the Election Committee within three weeks of the
submission of the petition.
F.
This Constitution may be amended by the following procedure: A
Proposal for amendment must be circulated to the Faculty over the signatures of
at least 1/20 of the Faculty at least thirty days before a general meeting of
the Faculty at which the proposal will be discussed. Voting shall be by mail
ballot, conducted by the Secretary of the Senate. Adoption of amendments
requires a two-thirds majority of those voting and subsequent endorsement by
the President and the Board of Trustees. No amendment to this Constitution
shall be in disagreement with the Institute's Acts of Incorporation or the
Institute Bylaws.
G. The Faculty Handbook
shall be the Rules and Regulations of the Faculty. The Handbook shall be
reviewed annually. Handbook revisions require a majority vote of the Faculty
Senate, approval of the Provost, and the concurrence of the President of the
Institute.
VII. General
Faculty Meetings
Issues
of importance to the general Faculty should be brought before the Faculty at a
general meeting. The Executive Committee shall call a regular meeting of the
general Faculty each fall and spring. An agenda for a regular meeting shall be
prepared by the Executive Committee, with the advice of the Senate, and
distributed to the Faculty one week before the meeting. Each meeting shall
include a report from the President of the Senate on Senate business and a
report from the Chair of the Faculty on past and future issues affecting
Faculty. A quorum for the meetings shall consist of 1/10 of the Faculty. The
fall meeting shall include a report from the President of Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, and the spring meeting shall include a report from the
Dean of Faculty. Minutes of the general Faculty meetings will be approved by
the Faculty Senate for accuracy and distributed with Faculty Senate minutes.
Issues
of pressing importance can be brought before a special meeting of the general
Faculty. Special meetings of the Faculty can be called by the Executive Committee, or by a majority vote of the Senate, or by
petition from the general Faculty with the signatures of 1/15 of the Faculty.
ADDENDUM
The
following items were voted on by the Faculty or the Faculty Senate but are not
part of the Constitution of the Faculty Senate.
Core Curriculum Proposal
A Core Curriculum
Proposal was
rejected by 69% of Faculty voters during the Spring
2004 election.
A proposal for grade modifiers (+ and -) was approved by 75% of Faculty voters
in a special ballot in Spring 2004.
Satisfaction Survey
The following proposed amendment to the Constitution was approved by 84% of
Faculty voters during the Spring 2004 election but was not approved by the
Rensselaer Board of Trustees:
Coincident with the annual election of the Faculty Senate, the Senate
shall also organize a survey of the Faculty to determine its level of satisfaction
with the Faculty Senate, and with the Faculty’s administrative chain of command,
including its applicable department chairs, center directors, deans, the Provost
and the President. Anyone who is eligible to vote in the election
is also eligible to participate in the survey. The results will be made public to the extent,
and in the manner, deemed appropriate by the Faculty Senate.
Employee
Handbook
On
Motions
The following motions were passed at the Faculty Senate meeting held on January
26, 2005.
1. The Faculty Senate asks the Administration to negotiate revisions to the
graduate student policy with the Faculty Senate Executive Committee.