Article 3 - Committees

Faculty committees facilitate the orderly governance of the University by using the collective talents of the faculty and administration working together. Committees address areas and issues that require continuing review, study, and action. There are two types of University level standing committees: elected and appointed. Both types give reports to the Faculty Senate.

Minutes and recommendations or actions of all university level faculty committees will be presented in writing to the Chairperson of the Faculty Senate within one week of the meeting date of the committee. These committee minutes and requests for action will be attached to the minutes of the Faculty Senate and will be posted on the Faculty Senate Website within two weeks of the Senate minutes being approved.

An annual executive summary from each committee will be submitted in the spring to the Senate with objectives for the upcoming academic year. The chairperson of the Faculty Senate will compile these summaries and post them to the Faculty Senate Website.

A quorum for all committees operating under the Faculty Council will consist of two-thirds of the voting membership of that committee (University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Faculty Council Bylaws Page 6).

If a senator or committee member is unable to attend a meeting of the senate or committee, that faculty member may appoint a proxy for the meeting.

The proxy must satisfy the qualifications for a member of the committee (e.g. fulltime faculty member) and in the cases where the committee member represents a certain constituency (e.g. a particular academic unit) then the proxy must also represent the same constituency. A proxy cannot be given to another member of the same committee.

The absent member must give a written statement giving proxy to the substitute. (An e-mail to the chair is acceptable as written notice.) This written statement must be presented to the chair prior to the meeting.

A proxy will be counted as part of the quorum and will have full rights of discussion and vote.

These committees are directly responsible to the Faculty Senate.

• All faculty members have the right to submit topics or information directly to the committee having jurisdiction over that topic or to their Faculty Senate representatives. The Faculty Senate may refer topics to standing committees as well.
  
  
• All Faculty Council members may attend committee meetings.
  
  
• Any change in a committee’s composition or scope including number of representatives or distribution of representatives must be approved through amendment of these bylaws.
  
  
• Standing committees will present a written set of minutes and requests for action to the Faculty Senate. These requests for action must include the date approved by the committee, the number of committee members present at the meeting, and the vote count on the request. Requests for action by a standing committee should be brought to the floor by a senator and do not require a second. All requests for action by a committee must be presented directly to the Faculty Senate unless an exception is given in these bylaws.
  
  
• The Faculty Senate must include the minutes and written requests for action by standing committees in their minutes in unaltered form so that it will be available for review by faculty and administrators. The Faculty Senate may take any one of the following actions on requests for action from a standing committee.
  
  • Approve the recommendation as presented and present it to the appropriate administrator.
  • Send the proposal back to committee with suggestions for improvement for later reconsideration.
  • Approve an amended version of the request for action and present it along with the original version to the appropriate administrator.
  • Deny the proposal.
    • If a document prepared by a committee is altered it should be made clear in the Faculty Senate minutes that the recommendation has been amended.
    • Regardless of the action of the senate, the chair of the senate will notify the chair of the committee of its action.

To be eligible for election to a standing committee of the Faculty Senate, the faculty member must be a voting member of the Faculty Council.

• Elections and Terms
  • Faculty are elected to standing committees by their respective academic component or at large by the faculty as outlined by committee below for a term of two academic years, serving staggered terms.
  • Elections will follow procedures outlined for the members of the Faculty Senate in Article IV Election Guidelines below.

  • The term of a member of a Standing Committee shall expire upon the seating of his or her successor in the fall after the elections are held in April.
    
    

• Chair
  • After the spring election of the new committees the current chair elect of the faculty senate will meet with each newly elected committee to go over committee responsibilities and conduct the election of the chair for the following year by the newly elected committee. The new committee and its new chair take office at the beginning of the following fall semester.
    
    

• Ex-officio members
  • All ex-officio members are non-voting.

If the chair of a standing committee fails to fulfill his/her duties, is habitually absent, or routinely demonstrates behavior that obstructs normal parliamentary procedures then that faculty member may be removed from their elected position by one of the following two methods.

Senate Initiated Method

• The Faculty Senate may vote by secret ballot to remove the Standing committee chair.
• Such action should only be taken after counseling with the representative in question and giving notice to the members of the standing committee chaired that such an action is being considered.
• The committee chair and the entire committee will be notified of the pending vote at least one week prior to taking the vote. All members of the committee will be encouraged to attend the Senate meeting at which the vote will occur.
• The member in question cannot chair the discussion but will be allowed to be present to address charges against him/her.
• A 75% majority vote of those voting is required for removal from office.
• This removal from the position of committee chair does not remove the individual from a voting position on the committee.
• Any committee chair thus removed cannot be reelected to that same position in the current academic year or in the academic year immediately following the removal.
  
  

Committee Initiated Method

• A committee chair may be removed from office by a simple majority vote of the committee.
• This removal from the position of committee chair does not remove the individual from a voting position on the committee.
• The committee will immediately hold elections to replace the chair and will immediately inform the Faculty Senate of the results of these results.

If a member of a standing committee fails to fulfill his/her duties, is habitually absent, or routinely demonstrates behaviors that obstruct normal parliamentary procedures then that faculty member may be removed from their elected position by one of the following two methods.

Committee Initiated Method

• Upon a simple majority vote, a standing committee may petition the Faculty Senate to remove one of the members of the committee.
• Upon such a request the officers of the senate will counsel with the representative in question and will give notice to the members of the standing committee that such an action is being considered.
• The Faculty Senate will vote by secret ballot to remove the Standing committee chair.
• The committee chair and the entire committee will be notified of the pending vote at least one week prior to taking the vote. All members of the committee will be encouraged to attend the Senate meeting at which the vote will occur.
• The member in question cannot chair the discussion but will be allowed to be present to address charges against him/her.
• A 75% majority vote of those voting in the senate is required for removal from the committee.
  
  

Constituency Initiated Method

• Upon submission to the Faculty Senate of a petition signed by 20% of the faculty constituency that elected the standing committee member (academic component or faculty council for at-large positions) the Elections Committee will be charged with holding a vote of the constituency to determine if the faculty member is to continue in office.
• A simple majority of those voting will result in the faculty member being removed from his/her position.
• Any committee member thus removed cannot be reelected to that same position in the current academic year or in the academic year immediately following removal.

The standing committees of the Faculty Senate along with their primary purpose and function are as follows:

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Curriculum Committee

Composition
The apportionment for the voting membership of the Curriculum Committee follows the same formula outlined for the Senate given in Article II, Section C. 2 above. Ex-officio members are the Registrar, Provost, academic advisor and articulation officer, and Student Learning Committee chair.

Function
The Curriculum committee monitors the total undergraduate curriculum. It evaluates and makes recommendations concerning the creation and modification of courses and programs, making these recommendations directly to the Provost without presenting them to the Faculty Senate. It also reviews and recommends to the Faculty Senate policies for class scheduling, the academic calendar, and other curricular issues. This committee will play a leadership role in helping to determine institutional objectives based on regional needs.

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Policy and Procedure Review Committee

Composition
The voting membership of the Policy and Procedure Review Committee consists of members elected by the academic component according to the following formula, based upon the size of the voting membership of the academic component.

In addition, the committee will have the following non-voting members: one representing the UAFS Chapter of the AAUP, one representing Human Resources, and one selected by and from the Staff Council.

Function
The Policy and Procedure Review Committee reviews and recommends for Faculty Senate consideration proposals for the implementation, modification, or elimination of policies and annually reviews and proposes updates to the faculty handbook and appropriate portions of the employee handbook. These recommendations will be submitted in a report to the senate each year before the end of the fall semester. Policies that impact staff will be sent to the Staff Council for review.

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Library Committee

Composition
The voting membership of the Library Committee consists of members elected by the academic component according to the following formula, based upon the size of the voting membership of the academic component, the Library Director, and two librarians appointed by the Library Director. Ex-officio members are two full-time students elected by Student Government Association.

Function
The Library Committee works in conjunction with the library staff and faculty of each discipline to review and collect library holdings; makes recommendations to the library staff on issues of library use, library priorities, collection growth, and needs; collaborates with the Director of Library Services and library staff to suggest long-range plans for the library and to advocate for funding for the library to provide resources appropriate for programs offered; acts as an advisory committee to the Director of Library Services. Advisory needs include, but are not limited to, appropriation of funds available to various disciplines, acquisitions, and use of various library resources.

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Election Committee

Composition
The voting membership of the Election Committee consists of one member elected from each academic component.

Function
The Election Committee maintains a current list of faculty members eligible to vote by academic component; calculates the number of representatives per academic component as prescribed by Article II, Section C. 2 above; conducts all elections; organizes standardized election procedures; certifies the results of elections to the faculty and administration, to include the number voting “yea” or “nay” and the number eligible to vote.

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Academic Integrity Committee

Composition
The Academic Integrity Committee is made up of individuals representing faculty, staff, and students on campus across all colleges. The apportionment for the voting membership of the Academic Integrity Committee follows the same formula outlined for the Senate given in Article II, Section C. 2 above. The remaining individuals are ex-officio members including Dean of Students or their designee, one administrator appointed by the Provost (or Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs), and two students elected by student government (maybe SGA President and Vice-President). All ex-officio members are non-voting.

Function
The Academic Integrity Committee recommends directly to the Provost (without report to the Faculty Senate) action on individual student petitions for grievances concerning academic issues. It reviews and recommends to the Senate policies concerning academic honesty and grade appeals.

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Campus Climate and Traditions Committee

Composition
The voting members of the Campus Climate and Traditions Committee consists of members elected by the academic component according to the following formula, based upon the size of the voting membership of the academic component. The president of the Student Senate and the Chair of the University Support Council will be ex-officio, non-voting members. The Director of Student Activities will appoint one representative to be a non-voting member.

Function
The Campus Climate and Traditions Committee develops and recommends to the Faculty Senate means of promoting and enhancing the role of learning, the physical and social environment, and personal interaction of the University within the campus and the community; positively promoting and enhancing student relationships with faculty; recognizing special service to the University; and establishing, developing, and maintaining traditions for the campus including, but not limited to, such events as commencement, faculty appreciation, and those newly developed by the committee.

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Faculty Development Committee

Composition
The voting membership of the Faculty Development Committee consists of members elected by the academic component according to the following formula, based upon the size of the voting membership of the academic component. The Provost or the Provost’s designee is an ex-officio member.

Function
The Faculty Development Committee identifies faculty development needs; recommends faculty development activities to the Senate including but not limited to in-service; develops opportunities for faculty to share or present development activity results; recommends to the Senate policies, standards, and procedures concerning learning resources, facilities, improvement of instruction, and support services related to instruction; reviews and recommends policies for faculty evaluation when requested by the administration; provides input on administrative and support function performance evaluations; carries out evaluation process for faculty development activities; serves as members of the campus-wide Professional Development Committee on issues of development that affect all employees.

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University Awards Committee

Composition
The voting membership of the University Awards Committee consists of three members elected by each academic component.

Function
The University Awards Committee develops and recommends to the Senate qualification for nomination and procedures for conducting faculty teaching awards; conducts the selection of the recipients of the faculty teaching awards; and in conjunction with the Provost, plans and carries out the presentation of faculty teaching awards.

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University Promotion Committee

Composition
The voting membership of the University Promotion Committee consists of members with a rank of associate professor or above elected by the academic component according to the following formula, based upon the size of the voting membership of the academic component. In addition, two at large members will be appointed by the provost. Due to the natural membership of the various components, the above rules for representation may result in an even number of voting members. If this is the case, the chair of the Faculty Senate will appoint an additional at large member to ensure that no tie in voting will occur.

Function
The primary function of the University Promotion Committee is to serve as curator of the promotion policy, keeping track of revisions and determining which versions of the policy may apply in a candidate’s promotion decision, as a candidate my choose to be evaluated by any of the promotion policy versions in force during the five years prior to the submission of the portfolio. The secondary function of the University Promotion Committee is to serve as a court of appeal in questions of procedural irregularity or in the case the candidate appeals a department or college level decision against promotion. The UPC will meet with the provost early in the fall semester, and periodically as needed thereafter, to discuss the coming promotion cycle. Recommendations from the University Promotion Committee pertaining to the promotion appeals of specific faculty members will be made directly to the provost. All other recommendations from the committee will be made to the Faculty Senate.