UNM-LA Faculty Constitution PDF

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Article I. The University Branch Faculty

Section 1. Membership

1. Membership: The University Branch Faculty shall consist of the professors, associate professors, assistant professors, clinician educators, lecturers, and instructors, including part-time and temporary appointees. The University Branch chancellor, dean, and associate dean shall be ex-officio members of the faculty, whether or not they are actively engaged in teaching.
   
   
2. Voting Faculty: Members of the University branch who are eligible to vote shall include all members of the University Branch Faculty at professorial ranks (assistant professors, associate professors, and professors), clinician educators, lecturers, and instructors. No person holding an interim, visiting, or temporary faculty appointment or joint appointment shall be a member of the voting faculty. The ex-officio members of the University faculty as listed in Section 1(a) shall be ex-officio members of the voting faculty.
   
   
3. Eligibility: Questions of eligibility for voting shall be settled by the presiding officer of the faculty as defined in Section 3. Any appeal from the decision should be taken to the voting faculty. The Office of Academic Affairs shall prepare the official list of the membership of the faculty and of the voting faculty as defined above.

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Section 2. Responsibilities:

(a) The University Branch Faculty shall have the right of review and action in regard to the following:

(1) formulation of institutional aims;

(2) creation of new departments and divisions;

(3) major curricular changes and other matters that in the opinion of the chancellor or the chancellor’s delegate affect the institution as a whole;

(4) requirements for admission, graduation, honors, and scholastic performance in general;

(5) approval of candidates for degrees;

(6) policies of appointment, dismissal, and promotion in academic rank;

(7) research; and

(8) general faculty welfare.

However, actions taken by the University Branch Faculty shall be subject to the authority of the Board of Regents and its delegates (e.g. chancellor) in matters involving finance, personnel, and general University Branch policy. The Board of Regents reserves final authority over all University Branch policies and procedures.

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Section 3. Organization:

The dean of the Branch, or in his/her/their absence the associate dean, shall be the presiding officer of the University Branch Faculty.

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Section 4. Rules of Order and Agenda:

(a) The University Branch Faculty shall conduct business according to Robert's Rules of Order, except as modified by faculty vote.

(b) The agenda for University Branch Faculty meetings shall be prepared by the Faculty Operations Committee or presiding officer of the faculty. The proceedings of each meeting shall be recorded in minutes and provided to the Office of Academic Affairs. Meeting minutes shall be made available by the Office of Academic Affairs for reference by any faculty member.

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Section 5. Meetings:

(a) Meetings: Faculty Assembly of the University Branch Faculty shall be called at the discretion of the presiding officer, by the Faculty Operations Committee, or whenever a request in writing is made by a majority of voting faculty.

(b) Quorum: Those members of the voting faculty present, but no fewer than half of the voting faculty, shall constitute a quorum for business at a faculty meeting. Voting shall be by a simple majority of those present, except on procedural matters, which shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order, and on amendments to this Constitution, which shall be voted upon in the manner prescribed in Article III.

(c) Standing Rules Governing Meetings of the University Branch Faculty:

1. 1. Meetings shall normally be scheduled for one hour and thirty minutes.
      
      
   2. If the agenda of a particular meeting is not concluded within this time, a motion to adjourn shall include provision for a subsequent meeting. Alternatively, a two-thirds vote of those present could extend the meeting for another thirty minutes.
      
      
   3. Discussion and debate of any item on the agenda shall be limited to forty-five minutes unless an extension of that time is approved by majority vote. The presiding officer will adjudge specific applications of this standing rule.

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Article II. The Faculty Operations Committee

Section 1. Membership:

(a) Faculty Operations Committee: The Faculty Operations Committee is charged with the day-to-day responsibilities of the University Branch Faculty set forth in Section 2 and are hereby delegated, with the specific exceptions of (1) the responsibility of approving changes in the constitution and (2) the right of the Branch Faculty, to hold special meetings as described in Article I, Section 5(a). All actions under this delegation are subject to the rights of review and referendum reserved to the University Branch Faculty by Article II, Section 4(f).

(b) The Faculty Operations Committee shall be composed of five members: chair, vice chair, immediate past chair, the associate dean (non-voting except in the event of a tie vote), and one additional faculty representative.

(1) The Branch voting faculty shall elect the following officers and representatives biannually:

(i) Chair
(ii) Vice-Chair
(iii) Faculty Representatives

a.  A second faculty representative will serve when there is no immediate past chair available.

(2) Only voting members of the faculty are eligible for election to chair, vice-chair, and faculty representative(s) position, excluding ex-officio members outlined in Article I, Section 1(a).

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Section 2: Responsibilities:

(a) Duties of the Faculty Operations Committee

1. Represent the interests and concerns of the branch faculty.
   
   
2. Establish priorities and set agendas for faculty meetings called by the Faculty Operations Committee.
   
   
3. Establish faculty committees as needed.
   
   
4. Approve adoption of all reports, recommendations, and proposals received from faculty committees. In performing this function, the Faculty Operations Committee shall not change committee recommendations or proposals without the approval of the originating committee. It may refer a recommendation back to the committee for further study, or it may present its own recommendations to the branch faculty together with those of the originating committee for final decision.
   
   
5. Appoint ad hoc committees/task forces as necessary to conduct faculty business.
   
   
6. Review Faculty Operations Committee and University Branch Faculty procedures and structure, and make recommendations for their improvement.
   
   
7. Represent the faculty before the UNM-LA Advisory Board, the University administration, and the Board of Regents, on an as-needed basis.

(b) Duties of Officers

(1) The Chair shall have the following duties:

(i) Serve as chairperson of the Faculty Operations Committee.
(ii)Represent the faculty before the Board of Regents, administration, and other groups by attending requisite functions and committee meetings.
(iii)Establish charges and procedures for ad hoc committees.

(2) The Vice-Chair shall have the following duties:

(i) Serve on the Faculty Operations Committee.
(ii) Perform the duties of the Chair in the absence of the Chair.
(iii) Assist the Chair in representing the faculty before the administration, the Board of Regents, and other groups.

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Section 3. Election of Officers and Operations Committee Members:

(a) The election of Faculty Operations Committee officers and members shall be conducted biannually at a meeting of the University branch faculty held at the close of the spring term or electronically.

(b) The election of officers shall be coordinated by the associate dean.

(c) New officers and elected faculty representative(s) shall take office on the first day that faculty contracts begin in the fall semester of the year of election.

(d) Nominations and self-nominations for chair, vice chair, and faculty representative may be made by faculty members electronically to the associate dean, who will verify the faculty member’s eligibility and willingness to serve.

(e) If any member of the Faculty Operations Committee does not complete the term of office, the Faculty Operations Committee will arrange for the voting faculty to elect a replacement for the remainder of the term at the earliest opportunity.

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Section 4. Organization and Procedures:

(a) The members of the Faculty Operations Committee shall determine how the committee shall be organized and what procedures shall be established to carry out the responsibilities delegated to it herein.

(b) The chair and vice chair will oversee faculty committee appointments, including ad hoc committees.

(c) The Faculty Operations Committee will delegate the role of secretary to one member of the Faculty Operations Committee, giving this person the responsibility of recording minutes and acting as custodian of Faculty Operations Committee documents.

(d) The Faculty Operations Committee shall meet no less frequently than once per month during the academic year.

(e) After a Faculty Operations Committee member has missed two meeting in one semester, the Faculty Operations Committee will consider this member’s position vacant and will proceed with the election of a replacement member.

(f) A quorum will be met by the presence of four out of five Faculty Operations Committee members.

(g) All actions of the Faculty Operations Committee shall be reported in writing to the voting faculty regularly and within ten (10) working days of such action. Additionally, the approved minutes of faculty assemblies shall be distributed to the voting faculty within three working days.

(h) Standing and special (ad hoc) committees are committees of the faculty and are responsible to it. In order to discharge the responsibilities delegated to it by this Constitution, the Faculty Operations Committee is empowered to create, abolish, merge, or otherwise redefine the structure and function of any committee of the University branch faculty. Any member of the voting faculty is eligible for membership on standing or special committees.

(i) The University branch faculty reserves the right of review over actions of the Faculty Operations Committee in that the Faculty Operations Committee is the agent of the branch faculty and exercises all authority by way of delegation. By written petition to the chair of ten percent of the voting faculty, issues addressed by the Faculty Operations Committee may be placed on the agenda of a special faculty meeting, debated, and submitted by a ballot of the voting faculty for majority decision.

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Article III. General

Section 1. Adoption of Constitution:

This constitution shall be effective when approved by a two-thirds vote of the voting University branch faculty.

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Section 2. Amendments:

This constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of those voting faculty members responding to an electronic ballot after presentation twice to the faculty for debate in meetings at least one week apart.

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Section 3. Distribution:

The Office of Academic Affairs shall post the ratified constitution on the UNM-Los Alamos website.