SECTION 3 FACULTY GOVERNANCE
3.1 ARTICLES OF GOVERNANCE OF THE COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS FACULTY
Article III - Academic Council
Responsibilities - It shall be the responsibility of the Academic Council to:
A. Provide academic leadership in the College through cooperation with the Administration, Students, and Faculty.
B. Make recommendations to the College of Liberal Arts faculty for their deliberation and action with respect to:
1. Academic standards and policies for the admission, retention, and graduation of students.
2. Academic policies and programs necessary to achieve the educational aims of the University.
3. Curricula and methods of instruction necessary to implement academic policies and programs.
4. General policy and regulations for the conduct of intercollegiate athletics and other formalized intercollegiate activities.
5. University policies regarding student privacy and student records - see the complete text of the Education Records Policy in Section 8.4, APPENDIX.
C. Constitute its voting members as the Faculty Positions Committee, with the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts as chair, to make recommendations to the Administration on all vacant faculty positions and on requests for additional positions in the College of Liberal Arts.
D. Assume any additional responsibilities or duties delegated to it by the College of Liberal Arts faculty.
Composition - The Academic Council shall consist of nine (9 ) members:
A. Six (6) faculty members elected by constituency areas according to the procedures of Article V - five (5) members elected to two (2) year staggered terms, and a Chair elected separately for a two (2) year term. The Chair must be someone who has already served on the Academic Council.
B. The Dean of the College of Liberal Arts who shall have no vote.
C. Two (2) undergraduate students selected by a means determined by student government.
The Council shall elect its Vice Chair from among its own members.
Operating Procedures - To facilitate its work, the Academic Council shall establish the following standing committees and assign appropriate responsibilities to each: Academic Programs Committee, Off-Campus Study Committee. Prior to the end of each academic year, standing committees will be reconstituted for the upcoming academic year. The Council may also establish ad hoc committees, as appropriate, to discharge special responsibilities of a short term duration.
Standing committees shall consist of (1) faculty members appointed by the Chair of the Council after consultation with the Council; (2) student members selected by a means determined by student government; and (3) administrators designated by the President of the University. Ad hoc committee membership should be appropriate to the committee charge and should give adequate representation to faculty, student, and administration interests.
It shall be the function of Council committees to study proposals and report their findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the Academic Council. The Academic Council shall submit its recommendation to the Faculty for deliberation and action.
The Positions Committee will review requests for replacement and expansion faculty positions each fall. The CLA faculty have two ways of recommending new and replacement tenure-track positions. The first and most common is to request authorization for a national search open to all qualified applicants. A department or program initiates this process by applying to the Dean and the Positions Committee during the regular fall positions review.
An alternative way to request authorization is through the uncommon vehicle of an Opportunity Hire, which may be initiated at any time during the academic year. Such a hire may be made only when the College 1) identifies a candidate uniquely qualified to contribute to the strategic interests of the institution, and 2) determines that securing the candidate would likely be jeopardized by delaying the hire until the completion of a national search. An Opportunity Hire shall be made subject to existing salary and tenure policies and shall not be used as a way to increase the size of a department over the long term.
An Opportunity Hire shall be proposed by a department to the Positions Committee, which assesses the merits of adding the position. The proposal and the Committee’s recommendation shall be forwarded to the Faculty Council, which judges the merits of this particular candidate and his/her potential for long-term success. The proposal and both recommendations shall then be forwarded to the Dean and the President, who decide whether or not to authorize the hire based on the recommendations received, on their review of the candidate, and on available funding.
There are six major standing committees of the undergraduate faculty. Five report to the Academic Council; one reports to the Faculty Council. In addition, there are three all-University committees and various ad hoc committees and task forces. After the first year of service, faculty members normally serve on at least one committee. There are student members on all committees with the exception of the Faculty Council and the Faculty Resource Committee.
I. COMMITTEES OF THE ACADEMIC COUNCIL:
These committees are appointed by the Academic Council each spring after soliciting individual preferences of the faculty:
A. Academic Programs Committee1. Makes recommendations to the Academic Council on proposals for new or revised courses and academic programs or other curricular modifications, graduation requirements, and academic policies.2. Reviews and makes recommendations to the Academic Council on charges referred to the Academic Programs Committee by the Council.
3. Initiates studies and reviews appropriate to the discharge of the Committee's responsibilities.
4. Keeps informed about and works clearly with the Faculty Positions Committee.
B. Academic Status/Admissions Committee
1. Makes decisions regarding student petitions for waivers of academic policies and procedures.2. Administers College of Liberal Arts policies on the academic status of students in areas of warning, probation, and dismissal.
3. Recommends policies about and students for academic honors for graduation, external fellowships, and College Honors List.
4. Advises the Registrar on matters of permanent student records.
5. Reviews and makes recommendations to the Academic Council on decisions referred to the Academic Status Committee by the Council.
6. Initiates studies and reviews appropriate to the discharge of the Committee's responsibilities.
7. Advises the College of Liberal Arts Office of Admissions in formulating standards and policies in the recruitment and admission of students.
8. Assists in articulating the description and image of Willamette, as expressed orally and in publications to prospective students and the public.
9. Promotes a cooperative involvement in student recruitment among faculty, students, and administrative offices in support of the admissions effort.
10. Initiates studies and reviews appropriate to the discharge of the Committee's responsibilities.
C. Faculty Positions Committee (Consists of the Academic Council members; chaired by the Liberal Arts Dean). Responsibilities are:
1. To acquire and maintain a comprehensive view of all faculty positions at Willamette as to type (tenure, non-tenure, part-time, etc.), distribution (subject field), and rationale.2. Every time there is a vacancy in an existing position, to assess the need for its continuance in the light of the total faculty needs and educational aims of the University; and inform the faculty through the Academic Council of its judgment so that it can advise the administration in the process of replacement.
3. Every time there is a proposal to add or drop a faculty position or change the type or distribution of an existing one, to assess its impact upon the curriculum, program, and educational aims of the University as a whole and advise the faculty through the Academic Council and the administration of these impacts.
4. To study the impact upon type and distribution of faculty positions and staffing needs arising from all proposals for changing requirements or initiating new programs, and the like, and to make this knowledge available to the faculty and administration.
D. Off-Campus Study Committee
1. Serves as the primary recommending body to the Academic Council on all academic programs of the College of Liberal Arts which occur off the main Willamette campus in Salem.2. Reviews and makes recommendations to the Academic Council on all proposals for new or revised courses and programs of off-campus study. Such courses and programs include foreign and domestic study programs involving student groups, and off-campus programs such as internships and independent study.
3. Recommends to the administration the staffing of off-campus programs.
4. Reviews and makes recommendations to the Academic Council on charges referred to the Off-Campus Study Committee by the Council.
5. Reviews periodically and makes recommendations in regard to the College Guidelines for Off-Campus Study.
6. Initiates curricular studies and reviews as appropriate to the discharge of the Committee's responsibilities.
II. COMMITTEE OF THE FACULTY COUNCIL
Members are appointed each spring by the Faculty Council after soliciting individual faculty preferences.
A. Faculty Resource Committee:1. Administers the faculty travel program.2. Administers Atkinson Fund support for professional development, summer research, and curriculum enrichment.
3. Coordinates faculty development activities carried out in conjunction with other colleges (e.g., Seven-College Consortium).
4. Coordinates campus workshops and presentations in the area of teaching and learning.
5. Solicits and screens proposals for sabbatical leaves in accordance with Section X of the Personnel Policies and Procedures.
III. ALL-UNIVERSITY COMMITTEES
A. Campus Student Affairs Committee1. Purpose: reviews, initiates, formulates and amends policies, programs, and procedures related to student life beyond academic policies and programs.2. Composition. Fifteen (15) members distributed as follows:
a. Five (5) Faculty. Four to be appointed by the College of Liberal Arts faculty for two-year terms; one to be appointed by the College of Law faculty for one year and by the Graduate School of Management faculty on alternate years.b. Two (2) Administrators. To be appointed by the Student Affairs Staff.
c. Seven (7) Students. Five to be appointed by the A.S.W.U. Senate in the spring to serve the next academic year; one to be appointed by S.B.A. of the Law School in the spring to serve the next academic year; one to be appointed by the A.S. of A.G.S.M. in the spring to serve the next academic year.
Vice President for Student Affairs: who shall preside.
B. Educational Programs Committee1. Purpose: develop a campus-wide educational data base of speakers, concerts, forums, etc., which enhance the educational environment of the University.2. Composition. Thirteen (13) members distributed as follows:
a. Six (6) Faculty. Four to be from the College of Liberal Arts, to be appointed by the Academic Council; one from the Graduate School of Management, to be appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School; one from the College of Law, to be appointed by the Dean of the College of Law.b. Two (2) Administrators. One will be the Director of Student Activities, the other will be appointed by the Vice President of Student Affairs.
c. Seven (7) Students. Five appointed by the A.S.W.U. Senate in the spring to serve the next academic year; one Law School appointed by the S.B.A. in the spring to serve the next academic year; one appointed by the A.S. of G.S.M. in the spring to serve the next academic year.
C. University Review Board
1. Purpose: student disciplinary cases involving violations of the Standards of Conduct and requiring a formal hearing shall fall within the jurisdiction of the University Review Board.The University Review Board shall be authorized to conduct fact-finding hearings, determine whether the Standards of Conduct have been violated, and impose disciplinary penalties as appropriate in the name of Willamette University.
2. Composition. Ten (10) members distributed as follows:
a. Three (3) Faculty. To be appointed by the President of University.b. Seven (7) Students. Five nominated by the President of A.S.W.U. and appointed by the President of the University; one Law School nominated by the S.B.A. and appointed by the President of the University; one nominated by the A.S. of G.S.M. and appointed by the President of the University.
D. Minority Action Committee (MAC)
An ad hoc committee open to any interested student, faculty member, administrator, or staff member who shares concerns about the welfare and well-being of Willamette's minority community.
This Committee seeks to:
1. Provide a forum for the discussion of issues of importance to minority and Third World students;2. Recommend action in any cases of racial and ethnic discrimination that may occur on campus;
3. Promote programs of education about minorities and Third World peoples;
4. Generate ideas about raising the social consciousness of the campus.
Faculty members in the College of Liberal Arts are eligible to apply for funds for travel to professional meetings: up to $1300 for domestic meetings and $1500 for international meetings. The Faculty Resource Committee generally allocates all remaining funds by December of the current budget year. Faculty submitting requests later than this should not expect funding in this fiscal year. Temporary faculty members not in permanent positions are not eligible for travel funds during that year. Other limits and policies apply; contact the CLA Dean’s Office for the application form and details.
Faculty members in the College of Liberal Arts are eligible to apply for funds for research up to $1500. Appropriate uses are research travel, expenses for artistic and research materials and supplies, costs for surveys and services, support for publication and other costs related to scholarly activities. Stipends are not funded. Equipment may be funded, but requires special justification. Other limits and policies apply; contact the CLA Dean’s Office for the application form and details.
3.5 FACULTY STUDY TIME PROGRAM
This program provides individual faculty members with time to complete a major, long-term scholarly or creative project intended for peer review in the form of publication, public performance, or exhibition. Full-time, tenure track faculty with two or more years of full-time teaching at Willamette University may participate in the program. Awards are not made to faculty members within two semesters preceding or following a sabbatical leave. Successful applicants will have their normal teaching load reduced by two-thirds time for one semester..
Other limits and policies apply; contact the CLA Dean’s Office for the application form and details.