Three Geological Sciences faculty members are appointed to the Bylaws
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES BYLAWS
and MANUAL OF POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. The Faculty
II. The Department Chair
III. Departmental Committees
IV. Departmental Faculty Meetings
V. Promotion and Tenure
VI. Manual of Departmental Policies and Procedures
Appendix A. College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Faculty Designations
I. The Faculty
The faculty will contain both a general and a graduate faculty, not mutually exclusive.
1. Composition of the General Faculty: Regular and Associate Faculty Members
1.1 The Regular Faculty
1.1.1 The regular faculty of the Department of Geological Sciences shall consist of all persons holding the rank of Professor, Associate Professor, or Assistant Professor, Lecturer, Associate In and Assistant In who are normally budgeted in the department. Any of the above titles only modified by research.
1.1.2 Appointments to the Regular Faculty
In accordance with the University Constitution, nominations for the appointment of faculty members are made by the department chair (hereafter referred to as "the Chair"). For guidance in making these nominations, the Chair shall consult the general faculty. This consultation shall consist of a discussion before the general faculty and a vote of the regular faculty members. The outcome of the vote shall be sent to the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (hereafter referred to as "the Dean"), along with the nomination for appointment. If the majority vote is against the appointment and the Chair still wishes to make the nomination, he will obtain two letters that reflect the majority opinion to accompany the nomination. Regardless of the outcome of the vote, the minority view may be represented by one letter.
1.2 Associate Faculty status may be accorded to the following:
1.2.1 Visiting faculty members who are temporarily placed on the University of Florida payroll.
1.2.2 Adjunct professors who are not on the University of Florida payroll but who are participating in research and/or teaching in the department. This status requires a majority vote of the regular faculty and remains in effect only while the appointee continues to qualify.
1.2.3 Courtesy appointments, including both joint and affiliate faculty (see Appendix A) may be made to those funded less than 50% in a tenure accruing line position in the Department but participating in the department's teaching and/or research programs. This status requires a majority vote of the regular faculty and remains in effect only as long as the appointee continues to qualify.
1.2.4 Emeritus Faculty
1. 2.5 Others deemed appropriate by majority of the regular faculty.
2. Voting Privileges of the General Faculty
2.1 Regular faculty members will have unrestricted voting privileges within the provisions of the University Constitution and University policies.
2.2 Members of the associate faculty may be accorded voting privileges by a majority vote of the regular faculty. The following voting categories are established;
2.2.1 Non-voting.
2.2.2 Restricted: These members shall be accorded regular voting status for all matters except those dealing with personnel and with amendments to these policies and procedures.
3. Departmental Responsibility to Associate Faculty
3.1 Accompanying any offer of appointment to Associate Faculty status will be a letter from the Chair defining the specific financial and academic responsibilities of the Department of Geological Sciences and the appointee.
The conditions of the appointment, as stipulated in this letter, must be approved by at least 2/3 of the regular faculty.
The letter will be considered a binding agreement between both parties subject to revision by a 3/4 vote of the regular faculty.
4. Composition of the Graduate Faculty - see Graduate Coordinator's Manual.
II. The Department Chair
1. Term of Office and Selection
Selection and term of office of the Department Chair shall be made in accordance with policies established by the Board of Trustees, the University of Florida Policy Manual, the Dean, and the agreement in effect between the Board of Trustees and the duly elected bargaining agent for the University of Florida's faculty.
1.1 Search and Screen Committee
The Dean, as the administrative supervisor of the College, will appoint, or direct the department to elect a search and screen committee.
The number constituting this committee will be determined by the department and approved by the Dean.
1.1.1 Duties of the Search and Screen Committee
The committee chair may be selected by the members of the committee or a vote of the general faculty. No later than two weeks following its election or appointment the Search and Screen Committee shall be convened by its chair, and shall poll the general faculty (either by mail or at an open meeting) to determine (i) their wishes as to an "outside" or "inside" chair, and (ii) suggestions as to possible candidates. Within two weeks of the poll the committee shall make the results known at an open meeting of the general faculty. The results of the poll, together with additional faculty comments; shall be presented to the Dean. Unless otherwise directed by the Dean, the committee shall (in best interests of the department) seek qualified candidates from both within and/or outside of the department. The committee shall begin screening the candidates, and the regular faculty shall be kept informed of the committee's progress at scheduled meetings. A final report to the Dean will contain the results of final candidate preference polls of both the tenured and the non-tenured regular faculty members.
1.2.2 Emergency Selection Procedures
In the event that the department chair should be unexpectedly vacated, or that the Chair should become incapacitated, the Dean shall appoint a person to serve as Interim Chair.
2. Review Procedures (see III. 2.6, The Review Committee)
3. Duties of the Chairman
In accordance with the Constitution of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Article III, Section G), the Chair shall act as agent for the faculty in formulating department policy and generally over seeing all tasks that are necessary to the proper functioning of the department.
The Chair shall have final departmental authority on:
a. Salaries
b. Teaching assignments
c. Recruiting (with the advice and consent of the tenured faculty)
The Chair will be the prime mover within the department in all matters concerning:
a. Tenure and Promotion
b. Fiscal policy (with the aid of the Fiscal and Administrative Assistants)
c. Merit Pay and Raises
d. Nominations for University honors and awards
e. Soliciting and utilizing funds from donors and alumni to the department
4. Associate Chair
Unless otherwise directed by the Dean, the Chair shall designate a tenured regular faculty member as Associate Chair to carry out necessary duties during the Chair's brief absences from the campus and/or during periods of illness.
III. Departmental Committees
General Comments
1 There shall be a reasonable degree of rotation of committee memberships.
2 For all committees except the Search and Screen and Review committees, assignments, including that of Chair, are to be made by the department Chair and reviewed by the Chair annually. The Chair, or Associate Chair when designated by the Chair, shall be an ex officio member of all committees except the Search and Screen and Review Committees.
3 Except when clearly indicated otherwise, all committees shall report to the Chair, who will keep the faculty informed of pertinent committee actions. When deemed appropriate, committees are encouraged also to communicate a concise summary of a particular action to individual faculty members.
4 Departmental committees fall into three categories: Standing committees, which carry out established departmental tasks; Ad Hoc committees, formed and dissolved as special needs require; and the Executive Committee which is advisory to the Chairman.
5 Terms of appointment to standing committees will be for a one-year period beginning at the beginning of fall semester. In most cases, an individual will serve more than one term on a given committee.
6 Appointments for standing committee chairs will normally be for two consecutive one-year terms. The chairs must have served as a committee member for at least one year of the previous five years prior to taking office excluding the first year of the committee's existence. After an absence of no less than one year, he the chair may be appointed to the committee as either chair or member.
1. Executive Committee
1.1 Duties
1.1.1 Advise the department chair, at his/her request, on the conduct of the department business within the domain of his the chair's responsibility, including periodic evaluation of the faculty
1.1.2 This committee serves in an advisory capacity only, and is without authority to make decisions on matters that come under the domain of the general faculty.
1.2 Composition
This committee shall consist of three full professors and/or associate professors of the regular faculty of the department typically comprised of the Associate Chair, Graduate Coordinator and Undergraduate Coordinator.
1.3 Term: indefinite
2. Standing Committees
2.1 Space Committee
2.1.1 Duties
2.1.1.1 Recommend to the Chair allocations of space and maintenance for all departmentally controlled space.
2.1.1.2 Make recommendations to the appropriate university or college steering or space committees concerning the department's space uti1ization of space in campus buildings.
2.1.1.3 Make recommendations concerning all off-campus property supervised by the department.
2.1.2 Composition
This committee shall consist of three members of the regular faculty.
2.1.3 Terms: see general comments 0.5 and 0.6
2.2 Library Committee
2.2.1 Duties
2.2.1.1 Make recommendations to the Department for journal subscriptions, monograph and book purchases.
2.2.1.2 Delegate to one member of the Committee the responsibility for representing the department.
2.2.2 Composition
This committee shall consist of two members of the regular faculty.
2.2.3 Terms: see general comments 0.5 and 0.6
2.3 Graduate Student Affairs Committee.
2.3.1 Duties
2.3.1.1 Make recommendations to the department chair on the recruiting, selection, and support of graduate students
.
2.3.1.2 Advise graduate students prior to their assignment of a thesis or dissertation supervisor.
2.3.1.3 Handle department publicity: brochure and flier.
2.3.1.4 Seek fellowships for all qualified graduate students.
2.3.2 Composition
This committee shall consist of three members of the regular faculty including the Graduate Coordinator.
2.3.3 Terms: see general comments 0.5 and 0.6
2.4 Curriculum Committee
2.4.1 Duties
2.4.1.1 Recommend to the general faculty required courses for the degrees offered by the department.
2.4.1.2 Collect and keep up to date a Syllabus of courses offered by the department.
2.4.1.3 Arrange for proper course sequencing.
2.4.1.4 Advise the department chairman on teaching assignments.
2.4.1.5 Study and make recommendations to the general faculty for revisions in the curriculum, including new courses and other changes or modifications that seem desirable.
2.4.1.6 Investigate new course needs for service to other departments.
2.4.1.7 Make recommendations to the department chair for new instructional and demonstration equipment purchases.
2.4.2 Composition
The curriculum committee will have three members of the regular faculty.
2.4.3 Terms: see general comments, 0.5 and 0.6
2.5 Colloquium and Field Trips Committee
2.5.1. Duties
2.5.1.1 The responsibility of the colloquium and field trips committee is to plan and make detailed arrangements for a program of regularly scheduled departmental colloquia for the academic year, and for such special colloquia and field trips as shall be scheduled from time to time.
2.5.1.2 The colloquium and field trips committee shall make travel and lodging arrangements for visiting speakers, if these are required, and also is responsible for arranging social entertainment for visiting speakers as is appropriate.
2.5.1.3 It is expected that the colloquium and field trips committee will call upon other faculty members for assistance in these duties and for suggestions for colloquium speakers.
2.5.2 Composition
This committee shall consist of two members of the general faculty, one graduate student and one undergraduate student.
2.5.3 Terms: see general comments, 0.5 and 0.6
2.6 The Committee to Review the Chair
2.6.1 Duties
This committee shall review bi-annually, by a poll of all general faculty members, the department chair's administration. The regular faculty must approve the method of review proposed by the committee. The Chair and the Dean shall receive detailed reports, and all faculty members a general report, of the results of the evaluation. This report will be in addition to the required College procedure of review.
2.6.2 Election and Composition
This committee shall consist of three regular faculty members elected by secret ballot of the regular faculty. The committee members will elect a chair.
2.6.3 Terms: see general comments, 0.5 and 0.6
2.7 Student Grievance Committee
2.7.1 Duties
This committee shall review individual student grievances related to grades, course content, and other matters, including requirements for a degree. It shall convene within ten days of the student's request to hear oral arguments concerning the grievances, consider the merits of the cases argued, and render a decision. This decision will be considered the official position of the department. The party whose position was decided against may appeal the committee's decision by contacting appropriate administrative personnel of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Grievances regarding cheating will be handled under existing (current) university-wide guidelines.
2.7.2 Composition
This committee shall consist of at least two members of the regular faculty.
2.7.3 Terms: see general comments, 0.5 and 0.6
3. Ad Hoc Committees
3.1 Duties
These committees will perform specific tasks assigned by the department chair.
3.2 Composition
To be determined by department chair.
3.3 Term
These committee appointments are made for the duration of the assigned task.
IV. Department Faculty Meetings
1. Initiation of Meetings
1.1 The department chair shall call all faculty meetings. Depending upon the nature of the business to be conducted, they may be general meetings involving the entire faculty or special meetings involving a subgroup of the faculty; for example, the graduate faculty or the tenured faculty. However, any faculty member has the right to attend and speak at special faculty meetings if he wishes, except in cases of promotion and tenure where certain restrictions are imposed as stated in Section V.
1.2 The department chair shall call at least one general faculty meeting each semester. Additional meetings may be convened as necessary. Upon the receipt of a written request for a faculty meeting signed by at least one third of the regular faculty, the Chair shall call the appropriate meeting within ten days. The written request must state a specific purpose or purposes, and the business of the called meeting must be restricted to that purpose.
1.3 Notice of a meeting will be given at least one week prior to the meeting, whenever possible. It is recognized that for emergencies this may not be possible. The announcement shall include an agenda listing all action items.
1.4 Any faculty member may request of the department chair prior to a meeting that an item be placed on the agenda. The Chair may decline to do so, stating his reasons, but upon written petition of three faculty members this item must be placed on the agenda.
2. Quorum
A quorum is comprised of 70 percent of the faculty members in the group summoned, excluding those on leave for the term.
3. Voting
A simple majority vote carries any motion, except an "important question" which requires a majority of two-thirds of the members present. Amendments to the Procedures Manual are declared to be in the category of Important Questions. Any motion before the faculty may, in the process of debate, be declared an Important Question through a motion to this effect and a favorable vote by two-thirds of the faculty members present. Written absentee ballots will be accepted. Proxy voting will not be allowed.
4. Minutes of Faculty Meetings
4.1 A tenured member of the regular faculty shall be designated by the Chairman as recording secretary. The recording secretary shall prepare minutes of all faculty meetings. The purpose of the minutes is to provide an accurate and permanent record of action taken at meetings. The minutes will not include details of confidential remarks (such as tenure and promotion discussions). Within ten days following each faculty meeting copies of the minutes shall be distributed to the faculty group summoned and should anyone detect an error in the minutes, he should make this known to the recording secretary. If no objections are voiced within three days following the distribution of a correct version of the minutes, they will be considered approved and will be placed on file. If an objection is raised which cannot be resolved satisfactorily by personal discussion, it will be considered at the next faculty meeting. A copy of the minutes will be kept on permanent file in the department office, where it will be available for examination by faculty members at any time.
5. Procedures
5.1 A tenured member of the regular faculty shall be designated by the Chair to be department parliamentarian.
5.2 When procedural disagreements arise concerning matters not covered in this manual, Robert's Rules of Order shall be followed.
V. Promotion and Tenure
1. General Policy
Tenure and Promotion are intended, respectively, to provide increased academic freedom in which to work, and to reward excellence in the pursuit of teaching and research. Untenured faculty members and/or those who are eligible for promotion shall be evaluated annually by a variety of methods (see details below) and shall be informed in writing of the outcome by the Chairman.
All Board of Regents Trustees, University and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences regulations must be followed.
2. Evaluation
Each individual who is becoming eligible for promotion and/or tenure shall be evaluated annually. On or shortly following January 1 of each year, the Chairman shall begin collecting (or adding to an existing collection) data on each person under consideration. The Chair may select regular tenured faculty members to assist him in this task. Normally the data should include all of the following:
a. List of publications, including books; abstracts should be identified as such.
b. List of papers presented at meetings (especially invited papers).
c. List of graduate students whose research the candidate has directed.
d. List of courses taught at U.F. by candidate.
e. Especially significant literature citations (e.g. in texts, journal articles, and reference books).
f. Results of student evaluations of teaching.
g. Records of service to the university, the community, and the department.
h. Other professional activity (consulting, professional society offices held, etc.).
i. Evaluation by former students.
j. Letters from professionals outside the University.
k. Grant and contract proposals submitted and funded.
(i) and (j) will only be required in the year in which the individual is eligible for tenure and/or promotion. In general, letters should be sought from as large a cross section of respondents as is practicable and they should include specific comments on the professional competence of the individual.
The collected data shall be made available to the appropriate voting body at the proper time (subsection 4 below).
3. Voting Bodies
3.1 Tenure
All regular tenured faculty members shall be eligible to vote on tenure cases.
3.2 Promotion
All regular faculty members of rank higher than the present rank of the candidate shall be eligible to vote on his/her promotion.
4. Voting Procedure and Report
A faculty meeting or faculty meetings shall be called by the department chairman no later than February 15 of each year to consider promotion and tenure matters. Announcement of this meeting will, if possible be made a week in advance. At least three working days prior to this meeting faculty members will be provided access to a confidential packet containing a current curriculum vitae and the collected data on each person for whom he is eligible to vote. Each case will be discussed individually at the faculty meeting. Discussion will continue until it is cut off either by common consent or by formal motion to terminate discussion carried by a majority of two-thirds of those voting. Voting will be by secret ballot at the close of discussion. The ballots will be counted and announced by the recording secretary at this meeting.
VI. Manual of Departmental Policies and Procedures
1. General
1.1 All items affecting the governance of this department, which have been approved by the faculty at faculty meetings, shall constitute the Manual of Policies and Procedures. The manual shall contain accurate-rolls of the various categories of faculty delineated in Section 1.
1.2 It shall be the responsibility of the recording secretary to keep this manual current by inserting changes and additions and periodically the Executive Committee shall check this manual for accuracy and completeness.
1.3 Copies of this manual will be kept in the department office, where they will be available for examination by the faculty members.
2. Amendments and Revisions
2.1 Adoption
2.1.1 Amendments and revisions to these procedures may be made by vote of all regular faculty members.
2.1.2 only a simple majority shall be required for amending or revising the procedures.
2.1.3 a two-thirds affirmative vote shall be required. Following discussion at a faculty meeting this vote shall be taken by secret ballot and announced immediate1y.
2.2 Initiation of Amendments and Revisions
2.2.1 The department chairman may at any time appoint a special committee to consider and recommend amendments or revisions.
2.2.2 Any faculty member who secures theEndorsement of one-fourth of the regular faculty by signed petition may submit proposed amendments or revisions for consideration.
2.2.3 Written notice and the text of proposed amendments and revisions must be sent to the faculty at least one week before the meeting at which they are to be discussed.
Appendix A: College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Faculty Designations
In addition to full-time appointments to a department budget, there shall be three types of department members. These are:
1. Joint Faculty. Joint faculty appointments may be conferred on those members regularly participating in the teaching of the department at either the undergraduate or graduate level and/or participating in the graduate supervision and research. At the option of the department, such persons shall have full rights to vote on departmental matters unless otherwise specified by the department. The rights and privileges of joint appointees in the department should be made clear to them at the time of the appointment. This category may be used for anyone of three types of appointment in two or more departments or disciplinary centers within the University.
These types are:
(1) Appointments partly on one budget and partly on another budget.
(2) Initial appointments by joint action and signature of two or more departments, or a department and a center, although entirely on one budget yet with academic status in both, and
(3) Initial appointment in one department or interdisciplinary center and later appointment in a second or third department or interdisciplinary center, by action of the latter departments and other appointing officials.
2. Affiliate Faculty. Those persons who are paid and hold regular appointments in a department or unit of the University and who participate in another department's or unit's functions such as occasional teaching and/or supervision of graduate students and/or research, may be offered affiliate faculty status by a majority vote of the faculty in the secondary department of unit. Affiliate faculty may accrue, but may not be awarded, tenure in the department where the status is held until or unless they become regular members of the department with which they are affiliated. Accrual of tenure time while an affiliate member of a department is not automatically transferable, but requires approval of the department and other tenure-gathering committees within the University.
3. Adjunct Faculty. Adjunct Faculty shall be those not receiving a salary from the University who are appointed to a department for participation in some course teaching and/or graduate supervision and/or research. Adjunct faculty, however may receive compensation from University OPS funds. As an example; persons employed by the Division of Continuing Education who are paid from OPS funds may be classified as adjunct faculty. Such persons are appointed for one year at a time, are normally compensated on a per course basis and possess no continuing contractual relationship with the university. Adjunct faculty may not accrue tenure and are determined to be temporary unless otherwise approved by the Chancellor on an individual basis.
Reviews and changes in appointments in categories, i.e., 1,2, and 3 above, can be made annually. In matters of promotion and tenure faculty members holding joint or affiliate appointments will be evaluated by regular procedures in the parent department and by other department chairmen and center directors of those units to which they are appointed. The final departmental recommendation to the Dean of the College will reside in the department or center in which the individual is budgeted.
