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Faculty bylaws

In order to exercise the powers granted under Faculty Code, Section 23-43, and to make recommendations to the Dean as required in Section 23-43B in an orderly and expeditious manner, the faculty of the College of Engineering establishes herewith, under Faculty Code, Section 23-45A, its organization and rules of procedures.

Article I: Purpose and function Article II: Voting membership Article III: Faculty council and standing committees Article IV: Vacancy in office Article V: Quorum Article VI: Voting Article VII: Faculty meetings, order of business, and agenda Article VIII: Parliamentary authority Article IX: Amendments Article X: Delegation of powers to departmental faculties

ARTICLE I: PURPOSE AND FUNCTION

Section 1.

The purpose of the College of Engineering shall be to provide programs within the larger context of the University of Washington, whose mission is defined in University Handbook, RCW, 28 B-20.020 Vol. 1-1.

Section 2.

The faculty of the College of Engineering, University of Washington, is the College's governing body, under The Faculty Code, Section 23-41.

Section 3.

Under Section 13-23 of the Faculty Code, the College faculty shares with its dean the responsibility for such matters as:

  1. educational policy and general welfare;
  2. policy for the regulation of student conduct and activities;
  3. scholastic policy, including requirements for admission, graduation, and honors;
  4. approval of candidates for degrees;
  5. criteria for faculty tenure, appointment, and promotion;
  6. recommendations concerning campus and University budgets;
  7. formulation of procedures to carry out the policies and regulation thus established.

Pursuant to Section 23-43 of the Faculty Code, the faculty of the College of Engineering

A. shall, with respect to academic matters,

  1. determine its requirements for admission and graduation;
  2. determine its curriculum and academic programs;
  3. determine the scholastic standards required of its students;
  4. recommend to the Board of Regents those of its students who qualify for the University degrees;
  5. exercise the additional powers necessary to provide adequate instruction and supervision of its students;

B. shall, with respect to personnel matters, make recommendations to its dean in accord with the provisions of Chapter 24 and of Section 25-41.

 

ARTICLE II: VOTING MEMBERSHIP

Voting members of the University faculty who are voting members of a College department shall be voting members of the College faculty, in accordance with the Faculty Code, Section 21-32.

 

ARTICLE III: FACULTY COUNCIL AND STANDING COMMITTEES

Section 1.

Faculty Councils

In accordance with the Faculty Code (Sec. 23-45B) there shall be three Faculty Councils: the College Council, the Council on Promotion and Tenure, and The Council on Educational Policy. The councils’ collective responsibilities shall be to act on behalf of the College faculty and make recommendations to the Dean on (1) matters of policy regarding faculty promotion and tenure, (2) matters involving academic policy, including priorities, resource and salary allocation, and (3) budgets. The Faculty Councils are directly accountable to the College faculty, from which they are elected. In carrying out their duties the Councils are empowered to obtain information from the dean and department chairs (Sec. 23-46H).

A council shall consist of one representative from each department. Representatives shall be voting members of the College faculty and shall be elected by their departments to serve three-year terms, which begin September 16 of the first year and end September 15 of the third year. The College Council shall establish the terms for each department such that approximately one third of a council’s members complete their terms in a given year. Departments whose terms are expiring shall elect their representatives and inform the College of the outcome in the prior Spring Quarter.

In the Spring Quarter, each council may elect a member to serve the next year as vice-chair and the following year as chair. A member so elected during the second year of a three-year term shall serve a third year as vice-chair and a fourth year as chair.

A representative may serve a maximum of two full terms consecutively except that a one-year extension shall be provided to allow service as council chair. Following this extension, the affected department shall elect a replacement to serve the remainder of the term.

Section 2.

The College Council

Responsibilities: The Powers and Duties of the College Council are to:

A. Make recommendations to the Dean regarding the College budget and resource allocation.

B. Advise the Dean regarding faculty affairs including but not restricted to: criteria and procedures for appointments, professional leave, compensation, annual evaluations, academic freedom, ethical conduct, affirmative action, consulting, and inter-disciplinary research and teaching activities

C. Consider matters within the purview of the Council that are not clearly the responsibility of another council or department, and act (Sec. 23-41) or advise the Dean as appropriate.

D. Administer a vote of the College faculty upon receipt of a petition signed by at least ten percent of the College faculty members, or when a council requests a College-wide vote on a proposed action. The College Council shall ensure that the issue is communicated to each College faculty member at least three weeks prior to the vote and that it is discussed by all interested parties. Means for such discussion include presentations at departmental faculty meetings, electronic forums, and the like.

E. Ensure that election of each Council’s representatives complies with the College bylaws.

Membership: Each departmental representative shall hold the rank of associate or full professor.

Section 3.

The Council on Promotion and Tenure

Responsibilities: The Powers and Duties of the Council on Promotion and Tenure are to:

A. Review each departmental case for promotion and tenure and submit a recommendation to the Dean as required by the Faculty Code (Sec. 24-54 C). The procedures and policies governing such reviews (e.g., the required documentation and the steps leading to the council vote) are the purview of the Council.

B. Maintain the criteria and standards for faculty promotion and tenure in a form accessible to the College faculty. Review these annually and make recommendations to the faculty. Changes to these criteria and standards require discussion at a College faculty meeting, approval by a vote of the College faculty, and the Dean’s approval.

Membership: Each departmental representative shall hold the rank of full professor.

Section 4.

The Council on Educational Policy

Responsibilities: The Powers and Duties of the Council on Educational Policy are to:

A. Review College courses and academic programs and make recommendations to the Dean so as to maintain quality, promote effective use of instructional resources, and balance the interests of students, departments, and the College faculty as a whole. This includes but is not limited to review of proposed changes in departmental admission and graduation requirements, courses, curricula, and academic programs.

B. Develop policy and/or procedures relating to student welfare including, but not restricted to: career guidance, academic advising and counseling, awarding of scholarships and fellowships, improvement of teaching and of programs and courses, academic disciplinary actions, and student grievances.

Membership: Each representative shall hold the rank of senior lecturer, or assistant, associate, or full professor. The Council shall include as non-voting advisory members at least one undergraduate student, one graduate student, and one member of the College advising staff. The Council shall appoint its advisory members.

Section 5.

Council Actions

Council decisions that are advisory to the Dean require that a majority of the Council members vote. A council may adopt a higher participation standard provided that it applies to all such decisions in that year. The number of Council members approving, denying, abstaining, and absent shall be included in the Chair’s communication to the Dean. If those in the minority provide a written dissenting view to the Chair within one week of the vote, this shall be included in the communication to the Dean.

Council actions that would establish enduring College criteria or procedures, such as those regarding faculty affairs, review of curricular proposals, etc., must be approved by a majority of the Council members. The approved action must then be communicated by an accepted means, such as campus mail or email, to each voting member of the College faculty. If within one month of such communication a petition against the action is signed by at least ten percent of the College faculty and submitted to the Chair of the College Council, the originating Council must withdraw the action or submit it to a vote of the College faculty. Such a vote shall be administered by the College Council. If there is no such petition or the action is approved by vote of the College faculty, the action shall be enacted if approved by the Dean.

Other council actions shall follow an established procedure, such as the curriculum change review process or the student academic misconduct review process.

Section 6.

Council Coordination

Each council shall, through its chair, inform the other councils of its deliberations regarding policy and procedures.

The Council on Promotion and Tenure shall hold its deliberations in confidence until the end of the Spring Quarter, at which time it shall inform the College Council of its recommendation and the Dean’s action in each case. These data shall be transmitted in a way that preserves the anonymity of the subject faculty members.

A council chair may request that another chair attend a council meeting. A council may request a joint meeting with another council to consider a matter in which responsibilities overlap.

Section 7.

Standing Committees

A Council may establish a standing committee when deemed necessary and desirable. Such a committee shall report to the originating Council.

ARTICLE IV: VACANCY IN OFFICE

Definition. A vacancy in either elected office or appointed committee membership can occur through such processes as resignation, termination of employment, or failure to attend meetings without advanced notification.

Filling Vacancies. If a Council vacancy should occur, the Council shall notify the appropriate department and request that it elect a replacement to complete the unexpired term. If a Council chair or vice-chair is unable to serve, the Council shall elect a replacement from among its members. If a committee vacancy should occur, the supervising Council shall appoint a replacement.

ARTICLE V: QUORUM

A quorum for any meeting of the College of Engineering faculty as a whole shall consist of at least half the voting members of the College faculty.

ARTICLE VI: VOTING

In accordance with the Faculty Code, Section 23-46, a proposed action of the College of Engineering faculty becomes effective if approved by any one of the following means:

  1. a quorum majority of its voting members present at a meeting, in which case voting may occur orally, by show of hands, or by secret ballot if requested by one or more voters
  2. a mail or electronic ballot administered by the College Council, in which case a majority of those voting must approve and at least half of the eligible faculty members must cast ballots.
  3. a vote of the appropriate council (Article III, Section 5).

and if approved by the Dean.

ARTICLE VII: FACULTY MEETINGS, ORDER OF BUSINESS, AND AGENDA

MEETINGS. At least one meeting of the College faculty shall be held during each academic year. The College Council shall establish an annual calendar of meeting dates prior to the beginning of the Autumn Quarter. Change in a scheduled meeting date requires a vote of the College Council and the faculty must be notified of the cause. Special meetings shall be held when called by a council, when requested by the Dean, or when requested in a petition to the College Council signed by ten percent of the voting members of the College faculty. Unless otherwise requested by the body calling the meeting, the Dean presides.

ORDER OF BUSINESS. The College Council shall determine the order of business.

AGENDA. The agenda shall be developed by the council chairs with input from faculty members, departments, divisions, councils, committees, task forces, and the Dean. Agenda items must be submitted in writing to the chair of the College Council at least three weeks prior to a College faculty meeting. A copy of the agenda shall be distributed to the faculty at least one week prior to the meeting.

ARTICLE VIII: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

Roberts' Rules of Order Newly Revised shall be the parliamentary authority. The rules contained in College of Engineering Faculty Bylaws shall govern the faculty in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the bylaws or special rules of order of this University.

ARTICLE IX: AMENDMENTS

These bylaws may be amended provided that the proposed amendment has been submitted in writing to all members of the College faculty at least three weeks in advance and it is approved by one of the following means:

  1. a two-thirds vote in a scheduled meeting of the College faculty in which a quorum is present (Article V).
  2. a mail or electronic ballot administered by the College Council, in which case at least one half of the eligible College faculty members must cast ballots and two-thirds of those voting must approve.

ARTICLE X: DELEGATION OF POWERS TO DEPARTMENTAL FACULTIES

The faculty of the College of Engineering delegates to the faculties of its several departments the following powers and duties (23-43C)

  1. determine its requirements for admission and graduation (subject to review by the Council on Educational Policy).
  2. determine its curriculum and academic programs (subject to review by the Council on Educational Policy).
  3. determine the scholastic standards required of its students;
  4. recommend to the Board of Regents those of its students who qualify for the University degrees;
  5. make recommendations on the departmental budget and exercise the additional powers necessary to provide adequate instruction and supervision of its students.

With respect to personnel matters, make recommendations to its dean in accord with the provisions of Chapter 24 and of Section 25-41.

Version date:

4-27-2007