• Home
• About
• Bylaws
• Members
• Committees
• Motions
• Agendas
• Minutes

Search

Bylaws

• Adopted April 27th, 2006
• Faculty Governance for the College of Arts & Sciences
• University of Colorado

Preamble

The Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder, recognizing that faculty governance is imperative, affirms its right and responsibility to participate fully in the governance of the College in consonance with the Laws of the Regents, including all matters of educational policy, academic ethics, faculty appointments, promotion and tenure, budgetary review, the selection of administrators, and other policies concerning the general academic welfare.

In exercising its rights, the Faculty commits itself to:

• an open and meaningful process of cooperative decision-making;
• the encouragement of excellence in learning, research, and teaching;
• service to the University, the academic profession, and the public;
• the pursuit of a policy in which faculty appointment, retention, advancement, and rewards are based on teaching, creativity, scholarly contributions, and community enhancement;
• diversity in the faculty, administration, staff, and student body, with opportunity for all people regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, political affiliation, national or class origin, disability, or veteran status.

Article I. Name

The primary governing unit of the College of Arts & Sciences is the Faculty of Arts & Sciences (FAS). The FAS will normally exercise its authority through its representative body, the Arts & Sciences Council (ASC).

Article II. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences Membership

The voting members of the FAS are the voting members of primary units in the College of Arts & Sciences. The primary unit is a department, program, or other academic unit with at least two full-time equivalent rostered faculty members. Included in the voting membership are the Dean, Associate Deans, and Assistant Deans of the College and any other individuals with administrative contracts who also hold qualified teaching ranks in the College.

Article III. Conduct of Meetings of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences

1. The FAS shall meet at least once per semester in each academic year. The FAS meeting may take place in conjunction with an ASC meeting.
2. The FAS shall meet at least once per semester in each academic year. The FAS meeting may take place in conjunction with an ASC meeting.
3. The Chair of the ASC must call a special session of the FAS, to be held within ten working days, upon receipt of a petition signed by 5% of the membership. The petition must state the specific item(s) to be considered at the meeting. The Chair of the ASC must also call a meeting of the FAS at the request of the Dean.
4. The Chair of the ASC shall preside over meetings of the FAS, assisted by the Parliamentarian of the ASC. The Chair and the Parliamentarian will prepare the minutes.
5. Representation of over 50% of the academic departments and attendance at a meeting by 10% of the members of the FAS shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business. Representation of over 60% of the academic departments and participation by 25% of the members of the FAS constitute a quorum for conduct of mail or email balloting.
6. A majority of those present and voting at meetings of the FAS, or a majority of those participating in mail or email balloting, shall be sufficient for adoption of all measures, except as other provisions of these bylaws require a two-thirds majority.
7. At the request of one-third of the members present and voting, a mail ballot or email ballot, to be submitted to all members of the FAS, shall be ordered on any question, before the final vote shall have been taken.
8. The routine business of the FAS will ordinarily be conducted by mail ballot or email ballot.

Article IV. The Arts & Sciences Council

1. Membership

   • The Arts & Sciences Council is composed of members from primary units, elected for three-year terms. The Dean of the College is an ex-officio, non-voting member of the ASC.

   • The normal responsibilities of ASC members are to:

     • participate in the work of an ASC standing committee,
     • articipate in the work of an ASC standing committee,
     • distribute the agenda and minutes to the faculty they represent, and
     • report back, in a timely fashion, to one's unit or constituency on ASC activities.
2. Purpose

   • The ASC represents the views and interests of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences. Each month during the academic year the ASC meets to initiate and decide matters of policy, make proposals, and set guidelines that may be general or specific. The ASC will report on its activities to the FAS on a regular basis and at least once per semester.

3. Conduct of Council Meetings

   • Normally, the Arts & Sciences Council meets monthly during the regular academic year, at least four times each semester. The final meeting of any semester may be held jointly with the FAS meeting. The Chair of the ASC shall preside over meetings of the FAS, assisted by the Parliamentarian of the ASC. Representation of over 50% of the ASC participating academic departments shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business.

4. Operation

   • The ASC constitutes standing committees to participate in the governance of the College. The Dean will prepare administrative and policy matters for presentation, review, amendment, and approval or disapproval by the ASC. The Dean will regularly report and explain his or her policies and decisions, both general and specific, to the ASC or its appropriate committees for information and action. In this manner budgetary and other final decisions will constitute a collaborative endeavor.

5. Election and Vacancies

   • Each primary unit elects one member to the ASC. Under-represented groups of faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences may apply to the Arts and Sciences Council for certification as a unit entitled to elect a representative.

     Members serve three-year terms. If a member goes on leave during the three-year term, the department may elect a temporary replacement, allowing the person to complete the term following the leave; or the department may elect a new representative to begin a new three-year term.

     A representative may not serve more than two consecutive terms. After a two-year hiatus, a person may serve again. An ASC representative may be replaced for reason of non-attendance or other good cause. Each primary unit is responsible for replacing its own ASC representative if the position falls vacant.

6. Officers
   1. Chair

      • The Chair acts as the presiding officer of the ASC and its Executive Committee, and is an ex officio member of the ASC Standing Committees. The Chair will distribute to ASC representatives a one page Executive Summary of discussion and votes taken to all ASC representatives, within 1 week of each ASC meeting. The Chair serves as a non-voting member of the Boulder Faculty Assembly (BFA) and of the BFA Executive Committee.

        1. Election

           • Each year the Executive Committee will designate a member of the ASC to preside over the election of the following year's chair. The presiding officer may not be a candidate. At the next-to-the-last meeting of the ASC, the presiding officer will solicit nominations for the election of the Chair. The election will be held at the final meeting of the academic year. Prior to the vote candidates will present themselves and describe their qualifications to the membership. The vote will be held by secret ballot.

        2. Term

           • The Chair will serve a one-year term commencing with the start of the next academic year following election. The Chair may not serve more than two consecutive terms. In the absence of the Chair, the Executive Committee will designate one of its members to act as presiding officer.

   2. Parliamentarian

      • The Executive Committee will appoint a Parliamentarian who will assist the Chair in presiding over meetings of the ASC and over meetings of the Faculty.

        The Chair and the Parliamentarian will be assisted by a full-time program assistant (Administrative Assistant III or above). The position should be provided by the Dean and appointed by the Chair of the ASC. The program assistant will take notes during meetings of the ASC and assist in other matters relevant to ASC and ASC Committee business. The program assistant will prepare and distribute the minutes one week before the next meeting.

Article V. Committees of the Arts & Sciences Council

The ASC has a variety of working committees. The Standing Committees of the ASC include the Budget, Curriculum, Diversity, Grievance, Personnel and Planning Committees. Two additional Standing Committees are the Executive Committee and the Committee on Committees.

The Committee on Academic Ethics, the Appeals Committee on Academic Rules and Policies (ACARP), and Honors are Student Affairs Committees, to which the ASC appoints liaison members.

The committees of the ASC are intended to be working committees participating in the administration of the College. Each committee establishes and publishes its rules of procedure. These committees will be supplied in a timely manner with information and proposals from faculty and administration before these proposals are put into effect. The administration will provide adequate staff support for committee activities.

The standing committees may invite members of the administration as non-voting members to consult on specific issues. The standing committees may nominate non-ASC faculty to serve as voting members of their committees. Nominations will be approved by and the terms of service will be determined by the Committee on Committees.

The standing committees shall report at least annually to the full ASC.

• Membership

  • Members of the Budget, Curriculum, Diversity, Grievance, Personnel and Planning committees come from the ASC and from non-ASC faculty, nominated by the standing committee and approved by the Committee on Committees. No person can serve on more than one ASC standing committee, except the ASC Chair who serves ex officio on all standing committees.

    Under normal circumstances, each standing committee roster shall include at least 4 ASC members, and all committees may have as many more members drawn from non-ASC faculty in the College as needed to maintain the efficient functioning of those committees. Personnel Committee members will normally hold the rank of Professor.

• Appointments of ASC Committee Members

  • The Committee on Committees appoints members and fills vacancies to all ASC committees, unless otherwise specified in these bylaws. When making appointments, the Committee on Committees is charged with taking into account the committee preference of the ASC representative, the University's commitment to diversity, and appropriate representation of departments, academic divisions, and academic ranks.  This committee also approves the nominations from the standing committees of non-ASC faculty to a standing committee.

• Terms of Office

  • Unless otherwise indicated, committee members serve three-year overlapping terms.

• Standing Committee Chairs

  • Standing Committee Chairs must be ASC representatives. Committee chairs will serve a term of one year, and can be re-elected. Normally, committee elections take place in March or April each year. Terms begin at thestart of the next academic year, synchronous with the term of the ASC Chair.

    The Chairs of the Budget and Personnel Committees are appointed.

    The chairs of the Curriculum, Diversity, Grievance, and Planning committees are elected by the voting members of the committee.

• Standing Committees of the ASC
  1. Budget Committee

     • This committee acts jointly with the Dean to review and approve the College budget. When necessary it provides additional advice to the Dean on other budgetary matters.

  2. Curriculum Committee

     • This committee considers and makes recommendations to the FAS, the ASC, and the Dean on curricular matters in the College.

  3. Committee on Academic Community and Diversity

     • This committee identifies, prioritizes and addresses issues of academic community and climate for faculty, staff and students, and advocates diversity at all levels and in all activities of the College. The committee may solicit requests and in some cases proposals from A&S units. It makes recommendations to the Dean and administration about implementation of diversity programs in the College. The committee will maintain and update a Diversity Plan for the College.

  4. Grievance Committee

     • This committee makes recommendations to the A&S Dean about career salary grievances, and salary and non-salary grievances such as those stemming from annual merit evaluations.

  5. Personnel Committee

     • This committee acts jointly with the Dean on matters of re-appointment, tenure, promotion, and evaluation of the Faculty, and awarding of honorific titles such as the College of Arts & Sciences Professor of Distinction.

  6. Planning Committee

     • This committee advises the Dean on aspects of planning for the College, including its departments and constituent programs. A committee member attends all Information Technology Council meetings and Boulder Campus Planning Committee meetings to be in touch with campus planning that may impact the College.

  7. Executive Committee

     • The Executive Committee consists of the chairs of the six standing committees (Budget, Curriculum, Diversity, Grievance, Personnel and Planning) and the Chair of the ASC, who also chairs the committee. This committee sets the agenda for meetings of the ASC. The agenda must be distributed to each member of the ASC in advance of the ASC meeting. The Executive Committee may propose policies to the ASC for approval that will guide the activities of the College and be implemented by the administration. The Executive Committee will maintain ongoing communication with the Dean and the ASC committees. It is further charged with overseeing elections to the ASC each year and may form ad hoc subcommittees to assist in its various responsibilities.

• Student Affairs Committees

  • The following appointed committees deal with student affairs and report to the Arts & Sciences Council at least once per year.

  1. Academic Ethics

     • The ASC will select one member to serve as the College of Arts & Sciences representative to the Campus Ethics Committee in accordance with Section G of the Honor Code Constitution. The CEC does not hear individual honor code violation cases, but is the oversight and consultative body on the by-laws of the Honor Code and its operation.

  2. Appeals Committee on Academic Rules and Policies (ACARP)

     • This committee acts on student appeals of academic rules and policies. The voting membership will be drawn from current and retired A&S faculty, with at least two members being ASC representatives, with special emphasis on recruiting faculty who serve departments as Associate Chairs or Undergraduate Directors. A minimum of 3 faculty are required in order for cases to be reviewed. The committee can include non-voting members from outside the faculty (e.g., Wardenburg, or disability services) as necessary to provide perspective and expertise on issues outside the expertise of the faculty such as medical, psychological and disability issues.

  3. Honors Council

     • This committee is concerned with granting honors to graduates, and is to continue to function under 1995 membership and rules, having one representative elected from each primary unit.

Article VI. Parliamentary Procedures

In all matters not specified in these bylaws, FAS and the ASC will be governed by the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

Article VII. Amendments to the Bylaws

1. Proposals for Amendments to the bylaws must be sent to the members of the FAS at least ten calendar days prior to the date on which action is to be taken upon them.
2. Amendments to the bylaws require a two-thirds majority of the FAS, voting in assembly or by mail or email ballot.

• Home | Contact Us
• 303-492-7593
• Campus Box 275, Boulder, CO, 80309