The name of this governance body shall be the Faculty Council of
Montana State University-Bozeman, hereinafter called Faculty Council or
Council.
Faculty Council is the chief governance body of the faculty of
Montana State University-Bozeman and, together with Professional Council, a
constituent of University Governance Council. Within the authority and
constraints of the Montana University System powers as described in the
Constitution of the State of Montana, Council has authority to frame the
policies, procedures and standards of the Faculty Handbook. These policies,
which are incorporated in and made part of the faculty member's annual
Professional Employment (Board of Regents) Contract foster a climate of academic
freedom throughout the University; promote equity in tenure, promotion in
academic rank, workload, and salary; uphold academic standards, and uphold
standards and procedures of accountability concerning faculty ethics and
responsibilities. Council provides a means for faculty and administration to
interact and discuss University business including long range and strategic
planning, budgeting, curriculum, accreditation, and graduation requirements.
Faculty Council may develop policies and standards that promote,
among other things:
There shall be voting and nonvoting members of Faculty Council elected from
their respective constituencies.
Any member of the tenurable faculty is eligible to the seats of the Council.
Each individual constituency shall elect one (1) faculty representative, except
the College of Nursing and MSU Extension which shall each elect one (1)
additional member to represent the off campus interests of their faculty.
Each member of the tenurable faculty is eligible to vote in
elections for Faculty Council members, provided that he/she meets the
requirements specified in Faculty Council Constitution, Article Three, Section
One which specifies that the tenurable faculty member shall hold a .25 or
greater FTE appointment. Department heads and senior administrators are
excluded.
Elected faculty members shall serve a term of three (3) years and shall be
eligible for re-election. No elected Council member may serve for more than two
(2) full consecutive terms. A member who has served two (2) full consecutive
terms must wait out at least one (1) term of three (3) years before becoming
eligible for election again.
Alternates shall not be subject to the two (2) consecutive term limit
established in Section 4, immediately above. Terms served as an alternate shall
not be counted in determining the eligibility for election as a member of
Faculty Council.
If a seat is vacated during a term through resignation or removal, an elected
alternate may assume the seat or an election shall be held by the constituency
to fill the remaining term of the seat and/or the alternate.
Any member who is absent and does not send an alternate to five (5) Council
meetings during an academic year may be asked by the chair of the Council to
resign the position. If this should occur, a replacement shall be chosen by the
appropriate constituency to serve until the time of the regular annual election.
At that time, a member will be elected to fill out the unexpired term.
Section 1: Officers
of the Faculty Council.
The officers of the Council shall be the chair, chair-elect, and
parliamentarian. In addition, a secretary shall be employed to maintain an
office for Faculty Council and University Governance Council.
Section 2: Chair of Faculty Council.
A. Duties and
Responsibilities. The duties and responsibilities of the chair
are to:
- Preside over meetings of Faculty Council (F.C.), University Governance
Council (U.G.C.), and University Governance Council Steering Committee.
- Approve for distribution agendas of F.C., U.G.C. and U.G.C. Steering
Committee.
- Attend all meetings of the Board of Regents as the official
representative of Faculty Council and University Governance Council.
- Prepare an executive recommendation for the annual Council budget,
including released time, travel, and other appropriate items to be approved
by the Steering Committee prior to being transmitted to the Office of the
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
- Represent Council and communicate information about its activities to
the university community, the Montana University System and the Montana
Board of Regents.
- Election. The chair of Faculty Council shall be
elected by and from the membership of Faculty Council at its last spring
meeting. The chair is elected by a majority of Faculty Council.
- Term of Office. The chair shall serve for one (1)
year. The chair-elect [see Section 3] shall take office at the first regular
meeting of Faculty Council in the Fall.
Section 3: Chair-Elect of Faculty
Council.
- Duties and Responsibilities. The duties and
responsibilities of the chair-elect are to:
- Assume the duties of the Chair in his/her absence.
- Attend meetings of the University Governance Council Steering Committee
as an ex officio member.
- Serve as a member of the Salary Review Committee.
- Election. The chair-elect of Faculty Council
shall be elected by and from the membership of the Council at its last spring
semester meeting. The chair-elect shall become the chair of Faculty Council at
the end of his/her term as chair-elect. If the chair-elect is unable to serve
in the capacity of chair, an election shall be held. The chair-elect is
elected by a majority of Faculty Council.
- Term of Office
. The chair elect shall serve for
one (1) year unless the chair-elect fills a vacancy in the position of chair.
Section 4:
Parliamentarian.
The Parliamentarian who is a non-voting member of Council shall be a faculty
member who has substantial knowledge of the Council Constitution, Bylaws, and
Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised.
- Duties and Responsibilities. The duties of the
Parliamentarian are to:
- Advise the chair or presiding officer on questions of procedure in
transacting the business of the Council.
- Advise chairs of standing committees.
- Attend all regular meetings of the Council.
- Term of Office. The parliamentarian shall serve
for three (3) years. There is no limit on the eligibility of the
Parliamentarian for re-election.
- Election. The parliamentarian shall be elected
upon the expiration of the three (3) year term at the last spring meeting of
year. If the parliamentarian is an elected member of Council, his/her seat
becomes vacant and shall be filled in accordance with Article III, Section 6.
- Alternate. The elected parliamentarian must
designate an alternate to perform his/her duties in the event of a necessary
absence of the parliamentarian.
Section 5. Vacancies.
A vacancy in the office of chair shall be filled by the chair-elect. A
vacancy in the position of chair-elect or parliamentarian shall be filled by
election by the members of Council.
Section 6: Secretary of Faculty
Council.
The secretary is an employee of Faculty Council and University Governance
Council Steering Committee. The secretary has no vote in Council matters. The
duties of the secretary are to:
- Prepare and distribute the agenda materials for Faculty Council and its
standing committees and subcommittees.
- Prepare and archive the records of Faculty Council and its standing
committees and subcommittees.
- Count and certify written ballots.
- Process all petitions and referenda.
- Record attendance at all meetings of the Council.
- Receive all correspondence and transmit it to the appropriate parties
for action.
- Notify the Council constituencies when their elected seats become vacant
at the end of a term and therefore require replacement. Notification is also
necessary to new constituencies, should they be created. This notification
must be made at least thirty (30) days prior to elections.
- Maintain for inclusion in the end-of-year activity summary, proposals
from standing committees and their disposition.
Section 1: Calendar.
Faculty Council will convene on the first Wednesday of the first week of
classes each academic year. The established meeting times for Faculty Council
shall be on Wednesdays of all weeks that classes are in session, from 4:10 to
5:00 p.m. All regular Faculty Council meeting dates will be published in the
Staff Bulletin, when possible, prior to the meeting date.
Faculty Council will meet jointly at least once a month with the Professional
Council as the University Governance Council (U.G.C.), during the months that
classes are in session. The meeting should be held monthly throughout the
academic year at a common time. More than one U.G.C. meeting in a month may be
arranged by the U.G.C. Steering Committee if necessary. If there are no agenda
items, the U.G.C. Steering Committee may decide that the Councils will meet
separately.
Section
2: Accommodations.
A place large enough to accommodate the entire Faculty Council (or the entire
University Governance Council for U.G.C. meetings) shall be contracted and
publicized each Semester. The meeting room should also be able to accommodate an
additional audience in accordance with the Montana State University-Bozeman open
meeting policy.
Section 3: Special
Meetings.
Summer meetings of Council may be called by the Chair as needed.
Special meetings of either Faculty Council or University Council may be
called at the discretion of the Chair or at the written request of ten (10)
members of the appropriate council. The purpose of the meeting shall be stated
in the call. Except in cases of emergency, at least three (3) days notice shall
be given.
Section 4: Notice of
Meetings.
Notices of meetings and agendas shall be mailed or electronically delivered
to each member and designated alternate of Faculty Council, to all deans, vice
presidents and to the president no later than the Monday before the Council
meeting. These same items shall also be available to the campus and public
through electronic means.
Section 5:
Agenda.
Agenda items shall be submitted in writing to the Chair for consideration by
University Governance Steering Committee. Agendas for the Faculty Council
Meetings shall be set and approved by the University Governance Council Steering
Committee.
Section 6:
Consideration of Policy Recommendations.
All actions or recommendations shall pass or fail in the Council by virtue of
a simple majority vote. Approval of policy recommendations requires first and
second reading of the proposal under consideration.
- First Reading. Proposed policy recommendations, as defined in the
Faculty Council Constitution, Article One, Section One, may be considered by
not acted upon at the meeting at which it first appears on the agenda or at
the first meeting at which it is brought up from the floor.
- Second Reading. The vote on a policy recommendation shall be
taken at any subsequent meeting of the Council, unless a two-thirds (66%)
majority of those attending vote to suspend this rule and approve the
recommendation during the first reading.
Section 7: Quorum.
A simple majority of the elected members of Faculty Council shall constitute
a quorum.
Section 8: Distribution of Minutes.
Printed or electronic copies of Faculty Council minutes shall be distributed
to all members and alternates of the Council and to the chair of Professional
Council, the president, vice presidents, and deans, and the president of the
Associated Students of Montana State University-Bozeman (ASMSU) and the chair of
the Classified Employees Personnel Advisory Committee (CEPAC). The minutes shall
also be posed on the web for public review.
All meetings of the constituent membership of official Montana
State University-Bozeman committees and board shall be open to the public,
except when the discussions or deliberations of these committees or bodies
relate to a matter of individual privacy and the demands of individual privacy
clearly exceed the merits of public disclosure and shall be conducted in
conformity with the MSU-Bozeman Open Meeting Policy (www2.montana.edu/policy/open_meetings/index.html).
These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Council
by two-thirds (2/3) vote provided that the amendment has been submitted in
writing at the previous regular meeting. Amendments shall be effective upon
adoption unless otherwise specified.
