with Executive Committee Guidelines
Mission of the Faculty Assembly
The Faculty Assembly is recognized by the Board of Trustees as the vehicle by which the faculty members exercise their responsibility to advise and make recommendations to the President regarding the following:
• The College’s educational objectives, curriculum and standards
• Policies, regulations, and procedures necessary to achieve those objectives.
Promotion of a rich and stimulating artistic intellectual environment in which teaching and learning occur
• Criteria for faculty performance and review (faculty appointments, promotions, and renewals)
• Professional development of the faculty and all matters reflecting the well-being of the faculty and their concerns, including grievances
• All matters essential to the general welfare of the students
The Faculty Assembly receives reports from the President and other administrative personnel and is encouraged to engage in regular dialogue with those individuals.
Membership
Membership in the Faculty Assembly is constituted by full and part-time faculty.
Mission of the executive committee
The Executive Committee sets the schedule for Faculty Assembly meetings, plans the agenda for each meeting, appoints the members of the appointed standing committees, and performs other duties as specified by Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised. The Executive Committee is also available for faculty who want to address an issue on a confidential basis. The faculty may do so by approaching member(s) of the Faculty Assembly Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will act as a fact finder in this matter, and report back to the inquiring faculty on a confidential basis. Based on the outcome of the inquiry, and if appropriate, the Executive Committee may carry the
issue forward, make recommendations to bring the matter before the Faculty Assembly, or refer it to an appropriate Committee. Person(s) approaching the Executive Committee with such a request can reasonably expect their confidentiality to be maintained.
tier status
The Executive Committee is a “Tier 1 Committee” of the Faculty Assembly.
The composition of the Committee shall be four full time faculty members nominated by the Faculty Assembly. The Dean of Academic Affairs is an Ex-Officio member, hereafter known as “Ex-Officio.” If needed, the Faculty Assembly will nominate member substitutes.
OFFICER ELECTION
The nomination of (6) new full-time faculty members in January is followed by the election of four (4) new Executive Committee members at the February Faculty Assembly. To ensure a smooth transition, newly elected members of the Executive Committee will serve concurrently with existing members of the Executive Committee during the final two months of the outgoing Committee’s term of service (March and April) and will fully participate in all Executive Committee meetings and Faculty Assemblies.
ROLES DEFINED
The four members of the Executive Committee are: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Parliamentarian. These positions are self-determined by the Committee.
The Chair shall preside at the Faculty Assembly meetings and perform other duties as assigned by the Executive Committee. The Chair is also an Ex-Officio member of the Board of Trustees of the College for Creative Studies and shall attend all full Board meetings. The Chair will report to the Assembly on the Board of Trustees meetings.
The Vice-Chair shall preside over the Faculty Assembly in the absence of the Chair. He/ she will also perform other duties as assigned by the Executive Committee.
The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the Faculty Assembly and Executive
Committee meetings, compose correspondence, and perform other duties as assigned by the Executive Committee.
The Parliamentarian shall make decisions about procedures in meetings of the
Assembly and ensure that Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised are followed.
The Ex-Officio is appointed from the Academic Affairs Office.
Procedures
nominations and voting for officers
The Faculty Assembly nominates Six (6) new full-time faculty members in January of the second year of the outgoing Executive Committee’s service.
meeting schedule
Regular meetings of the Faculty Assembly will be held according to a schedule
established by the Executive Committee prior to the beginning of the current academic year. There will be a minimum of four (4) regularly scheduled meetings per semester.
Executive Committee meetings shall take place once a month. Meeting dates shall be coordinated to coincide with the Faculty Assembly calendar, and set for the academic year. Both meeting calendars will be posted to Blackboard, and sent via email to members by the Vice-Chair.
All faculty, full-time and adjunct, as well as staff and administrative personnel, regularly attend and present at the Faculty Assembly.
Additional meetings (or retreats) may be called by the Executive Committee, or by faculty referendum.
A schedule of meetings shall be electronically posted and distributed in writing to all faculty members at the beginning of the school year. A hard copy agenda of the Faculty Assembly in question shall be distributed at the beginning of each meeting.
Meetings are conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised
RECORDING ATTENDANCE
Attendance will be recorded at every meeting via a hard-copy sign in sheet or a digital record.
Quorum Requirements
The presence of at least half of the full-time faculty will constitute a quorum for the purpose of voting and approving issues before the Faculty Assembly.
Scheduling the First Meeting
The first meeting will be called by the in coming Chair, who will have been nominated by the faculty at the previous February Faculty Assembly.
Decision process
The work of the Faculty Assembly is conducted through its standing committees, which are as follows:
Elected Standing Committees
• Executive Committee (Tier 1) – 2 yr. term
• Faculty Review Committee (Tier 1) – 3 yr. term
• Faculty Concerns Committee (Tier 2) – 3 yr. term
• Sabbatical and Faculty Development Committee (Tier 1) – 3 yr. term
Appointed Standing Committees
• Academic Performance Committee (Tier 2) – 3 yr. term
• Academic Technology Committee (Tier 1) – 3 yr. term
• Assessment Committee (Tier 1) – 3 yr. term
• Curriculum Committee (Tier 1) – 2 yr. term
• Health and Safety Committee (Tier 2) – 3 yr. term
• Library Committee (Tier 2) – 2 yr. term
• Speakers and Exhibitions Committee (Tier 2) – 3 yr. term
Membership on Standing Committees
• Membership on elected standing committees is determined by vote of the Faculty Assembly in accordance with the guidelines of each committee.
• Membership on appointed standing committees is determined by the Executive Committee, which will endeavor to balance the committee workload equitably among all faculty members and departments.
• The Executive Committee will work with the staff liaison for Student Government to ensure students are appointed to serve on specific committees for one academic year.
• With the committee’s consent, the Executive Committee may invite staff
members or students to selected meetings of the appointed committee when
such staff member’s or student’s duties or expertise are well suited to the
responsibilities of the appointed committee in question.
• Adjunct faculty members may attend and participate in committee meetings of the appointed standing committees, but may not vote.
• Administrative officers of the College may attend appropriate meetings of the
appointed standing committees on an Ex-Officio basis.
• Members of the administrative staff serve as Ex-Officio members of elected and appointed standing committees
• Committee terms of service are determined by each standing committee on an
individual basis and are clearly stated in each committee’s guidelines.
Procedures of Appointed Standing Committees
• Each committee will select a Vice-Chair from among its members to record
minutes. Committee minutes will be archived by the Secretary of the Executive
Committee, distributed to members of the committee, and posted electronically.
• Committees will meet regularly, at least once per semester, at times agreed upon by the committee members.
• Special meetings of a committee may be called by the chairperson, and appropriate Dean, at the request of committee members, or by a vote of the
Faculty Assembly.
• Each committee will establish it’s own guidelines. Outgoing Chairs will make
sure that all procedures/ minutes/ documents are passed down efficiently to the
next Chair.
• Each committee should be prepared to report regularly to the Faculty Assembly and may propose actions for consideration by the Faculty Assembly as prescribed by the Assembly’s By-laws and rules of conduct.
Other Committees
• The Faculty Assembly, on recommendation of the Executive Committee or on
motion from the floor, may appoint ad hoc committees to consider specific issues or accomplish specific objectives.
• The President, and/ or the appropriate Dean may from time to time
appoint special committees or task forces of faculty and/ or staff to consider
specific issues or accomplish specific objectives.
Committee proposals, which require a vote of the Faculty Assembly shall be presented at one meeting and voted on at the next meeting. A motion from a committee shall be placed on the agenda only after said committee has held open meetings to allow adequate discussion of the motion. Motions from committees shall be placed on the agenda and shall not be made from the floor.
Voting rights are extended to full-time faculty and adjunct faculty teaching six (6) credit hours in the current semester or nine (9) credit hours cumulatively in two consecutive semesters. Faculty teaching fewer than the above stated hours are encouraged to attend meetings and participate in discussions, but may not vote.
ex-officio involvement/responsibilities
The Ex-Officio guides the implementation and documentation of the Executive
Committee and Faculty Assembly efforts.
Note: The Committee reserves the right to hold meetings without the Ex-Officio.
Archiving Documents
Confidentiality
In the event that a confidential issue is brought before the Executive Committee, all efforts will be made to maintain confidentiality to help resolve or aid the issue. Any and all documents pertaining to the issue will not be recorded in the Executive Committee hard-copy binder.
record/reference material maintenance
All meeting agendas, attendance rosters, meeting minutes and documentation brought before the Faculty Assembly will be posted electronically on a shared google drive.
binder
The Chair maintains a hard-copy binder of meeting notes and documents and passes it to the newly appointed Chair at the last committee meeting of the academic year.
Reporting
summaries of the faculty assembly
attendance
A list of those attending Faculty Assembly will be posted electronically on a shared google drive.
minutes
Minutes of the prior assembly are electronically posted within two weeks of the meeting. Minutes will also be made available in hard copy at each Faculty Assembly.
Committee meeting minutes, summaries and proposals are to be submitted to the Executive Committee no later than two business days prior to the intended Faculty Assembly.
annual report
The Chair submits an annual report of the Committee’s activities to be entered into the Executive Committee binder and to be posted electronically on a shared google drive no later than May 31.
Amending Guidelines
In order to amend these guidelines, the Faculty Assembly shall make a recommendation, in the form of a two-thirds vote in a regularly scheduled Assembly, to the President and Board of Trustees, who may approve or disapprove the recommendation.
These guidelines are subject to approval by the Board of Trustees, the legal governing body of the College for Creative Studies. The Board reserves the right to modify them at any time, following consultation by the President with the Assembly, and will duly inform the Faculty Assembly via the President of such changes.