Clone of Policies & Guidelines

Departmental Governance

Each department/unit in the College of Natural Sciences is responsible for keeping a record of its governance structure, including its departmental or unit policies and procedures. Every three years, departments/units are required to submit a recommendation packet to CNS Faculty Affairs that includes the following two items:

A memo that states whether the department/unit will continue with their existing governance or propose a new organization.
A governance document that covers its departmental policies and procedures, including voting structure.

Please see the steps below for more detailed instructions.

Please note that all CNS departments/units will need to update their governance structure in AY 2024-25 following the Faculty Governance Checklist provided by EVPP. For more information, please see this email from Associate Dean Shardha Jogee sent on June 14, 2024.

Step 1: Establish the Faculty Governance Committee

Step 1: Establish the Faculty Governance Committee (FGC)

There are two types of Faculty Governance Committees, distinguished by their membership:

Budget Council: A Budget Council consists of all tenured full professors in a unit.
Executive Committee: An Executive Committee may include tenured, tenure-track and
professional-track faculty. Committees historically referred to as Extended Budget Councils are a form of Executive Committee.

Units with fewer than five tenured full Professors may not operate with a Budget Council and must instead have an Executive Committee and include a minimum of five members. Units with five or more tenured full Professors and that are not centers may opt to have either a Budget Council or an Executive Committee. Because centers cannot be the primary academic home for tenured faculty, centers must have an Executive Committee, not a Budget Council, as their Faculty Governance Committee. Faculty members on modified service may not serve on either type of Faculty Governance Committee. (See HOP 2-2420) More information on Faculty Governance Committees can be found on the HOP 2-1310.

Step 2: Establish the Chair of the Faculty Governance Committee

Each Faculty Governance Committee must have a Committee Chair. The Faculty Governance policy for the unit should specify who is eligible to be Committee Chair, the term of their appointment, and how they must be selected. In addition, the Faculty Governance policy should clarify the voting eligibility of the Committee Chair. By default, the unit supervisor serves as the Committee Chair.

Step 3: Create the Governance Document

Departments/units are required to establish a governance document and voting policy that answers all of the prompts in the F aculty Governance Structure and Voting Policy Checklist. Additionally, departments and units must ensure their governance policies and procedures align with the CNS Workload Policy and includes information on the following sections:

Faculty Recruiting/Hiring
Faculty Compensation/Merit Raises
Faculty Review (including Promotion and Tenure, Mid-Probationary and Third Year Reviews, Annual Reviews, and Comprehensive Periodic Reviews)
Recommending the List of Candidates for Promotion Review (i.e., professional-track
faculty and tenured associate promotions who are not invoking their
right for consideration)
Recommending Nominations for Emeritus Appointments
Continuation of and future changes (every three academic years) to the Policy
Faculty Development and Mentoring

Additional recommended sections for which a Voting Policy might be needed include:

Professional-Track Faculty (hiring, compensation, contract terms for new-hires and contract renewals)

All governance documents should also include both an effective date as well as an expiration date by which a proposal for continuation or renewal must have been reviewed and approved. More information about faculty governance documents can be found on the the HOP 2-1310.

Step 4: Vote on Creating, Modifying, or Renewing the Governance Structure

Creating a New Governance Document

The proposed governance document should be circulated to the faculty, allowing at least one week for the faculty to review the proposal. A new unit’s Voting Policy must include delineation of which unit faculty are eligible to vote on the next continuation or revision proposal for the unit’s Faculty Governance Committee structure and Voting Policy.

After circulation and completion of the review period, an in-person meeting shall be called for the unit faculty (including those on leave) who are eligible to vote on the proposal as outlined in the active Voting Policy for the unit. The meeting must also allow for synchronous, remote engagement by faculty approved to work remotely or who have a personal accommodation requiring remote participation.

At the meeting, the faculty should discuss the merits of the proposal. Upon conclusion of the discussion at the meeting, a vote of the eligible voting faculty who participated in the meeting should be taken. The proposal must be submitted to the Dean for their recommendation; afterwards, the proposal will be submitted to the Provost for approval via the Governance Committee Structure and Voting Policy Submissions Smartsheet.

Continue/Modify an Existing Governance Document

During the third academic year of operation for a Faculty Governance Committee and not later than each third year thereafter, each unit must submit for approval by the supervisor, dean, and provost a proposal to modify or continue their Faculty Governance Committee structure and the associated Voting Policy in accordance with the provisions of Section 3 in HOP 2-1310.

The proposal for continuation or modification (“Proposal”) of the unit’s Faculty Governance Committee’s structure and Voting Policy should:

Address each of the points (1 through 11) listed in this checklist about membership, voting policy, etc.
Be circulated to the unit faculty allowing at least one week for the faculty to review the Proposal
Include delineation of which unit faculty are eligible to vote on the next continuation or revision of the Proposal
Include an in-person meeting for the unit faculty (including those on professional leave) who are eligible to vote and also allow synchronous, remote engagement by faculty approved to work remotely or who have a personal accommodation requiring remote participation
Include that a recommendation for a modification to or continuation of the unit’s Faculty Governance Committee can be made if a majority voted in favor of the Proposal consistent with all requirements in the voting policy
Provide for review by the supervisor and dean for their recommendations to the Provost’s Office for final approval.

Once the Faculty Governance Committee has voted to either continue or modify the existing governance structure, the Department Chair/Director must fill out one of the memos provided in the Forms section below as part of the recommendation packet. The proposal must be submitted to the Dean for their recommendation; afterwards, the proposal will be submitted to the Provost for approval via the Governance Committee Structure and Voting Policy Submissions Smartsheet.

Step 5: Submit the Governance Document for Approval

The Department Chair or Director is responsible for submitting the recommendation packet to CNS Faculty Affairs Staff via email. Typically, this must be submitted no later than March 31st every Spring semester. For AY 2024-25, departments/units must submit their proposed governance documents by November 5, 2024. The submission should include both a governance memo as well as the full governance document. Once received, it will be reviewed for approval by the Dean and the Provost's Office following the timeline outlined in the tab below.

Departmental Governance Timeline

AY 2024-25: Timeline for Updating Departmental Governance

November 5, 2024

Deadline for departments/units to submit governance documents to CNS Faculty Affairs Staff.
December 1, 2024

Deadline for the college to submit the Dean-approved governance documents to the Provost’s Office via the Governance Committee Structure and Voting Policy Submissions Smartsheet.

AY 2025-26+: Timeline for Updating Departmental Governance

Fall (Year 3)

CNS Faculty Affairs sends out reminders to departments/units whose governance structure will be up for review and renewal on August 31 of the following year.
Spring (Year 3)

Department's/unit's existing governance structure votes to continue or recommend changes to the governance structure.
March 31st (Spring, Year 3)

Department Chair/Director submits governance recommendation packet to the Dean's Office for approval.
Spring (Year 3)

The college submits the Dean-approved governance documents to the Provost’s Office for approval via the Governance Committee Structure and Voting Policy Submissions Smartsheet.
Summer (Year 3)

CNS Faculty Affairs communicates approval or requested changes to governance document to the department/unit.

Governance FAQs

1. Who has voting status in a governance structure?

A faculty member will have voting status in a department on departmental matters if he or she holds a full-time appointment in the department in the rank of Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Visiting Professor, Visiting Associate Professor, Instructor, Distinguished Senior Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Lecturer, Professor of Instruction/Practice, Associate Professor of Instruction/Practice, Assistant Professor of Instruction/Practice, Clinical Professor, Clinical Associate Professor, or Clinical Assistant Professor. The release for research, career development, an endowed professorship or chair, or other such activities will not jeopardize the voting status. In addition, a voting member may be one who has a joint appointment in two or more departments that total a full-time appointment at the University, and holds any of the ranks previously mentioned.   However, voting status within a department's governing body is inclusive to those serving on that committee or council only.

2. What if a unanimous vote is not achieved during the voting process?

A modification will take effect if it is approved by a majority vote of the members and by the Dean and the Provost's Office.

3. Is it possible to modify a department's governance structure, policies, and procedures prior to the third year?

Yes, it is acceptable to modify or update before the third year as long as the proposed change is presented to the voting members of the faculty in accordance Section 3 in HOP 2-1310.

Active Governance Documents in CNS

Helpful Links and Forms

Governance Forms

CNS Policies

Questions or concerns: Contact CNS Faculty Affairs Staff