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Articles Of Authority including the Constitution, Bylaws, and Standing Rules of Order of the Faculty Council of the College of Education
Ratified by Senate Council: October 9, 2018

PREAMBLE

Principles Underlying "Consultation" and Governance

The fundamental principle underlying these documents is that the most effective system of governance is one in which the faculty and the administration have a mutual concern for the successful operation of the College. That concern requires a participatory system of shared governance in which the faculty and the administration consult with each other. Shared governance and effective mutual consultation rest upon full and open access to information respecting the operation of the College. Both the faculty members and the administration shall have equal access to all such information. Those who would restrict the free flow of information bear the responsibility for justifying that restriction.

Secondly, the Constitution takes into account the ultimate responsibility of administrators for the operation of the College and the necessity of providing them with sufficient flexibility to develop their leadership styles as they may benefit the College and University as well as individual programs and faculty members within the College. This principle thereby acknowledges that administrators within the College have responsibilities to higher level University administration while they serve as leaders and representatives of the College faculty and as facilitators of College affairs.

Thirdly, the participatory system of governance established in the Constitution requires that College administrators seek and respond to appropriate faculty consultation on matters that affect the programs and the faculty of the College. This is not to say that administrators must always follow the advice gained through such consultation, but that they must at least be accountable for seeking and responding to faculty views.

Fourthly, faculty-administration consultation is understood to have the following requirements: (1) Consultation shall take place early in the process of formulating alternatives, i.e., prior to the formulation of positions; (2) Both the administration and the portion of the faculty involved in consultation shall have a reasonable amount of time to consider an issue; (3) Both the faculty and the administration shall have equal access to data relevant to the issue under consideration; (4) The portion of the faculty consulted shall represent an appropriate sample for the given issue; (5) When faculty advice is given but not followed, the administration shall provide reasons for not following that advice.

Because faculty members and administrators see the College from different viewpoints, their judgments will vary. Administration exists to facilitate the fulfilling of the mission of the College by the faculty. Faculty members cannot and should not be responsible for day-to-day administration, which underlie the routine operation of the College. Administrators need to serve the faculty, yet cannot be so tightly bound by rules that they have no liberty for personal style in their work.

These considerations having been recognized, the following statements summarize the relationship between the faculty and the administration which these documents have been designed to effect:

(1) Administrators are responsible for consulting the faculty.

(2) The faculty is responsible for advising the administrators.

(3) Consultation shall be understood to mean requesting specific advice from one or more of the following groups of the faculty, as representing the “appropriate sample” stipulated above:

(a) The Faculty Council

(b) The faculty committees having jurisdiction over the matters in question

(c) The head of departments as a body

(d) The Senators representing the College

Consultation is called for in at least the following cases:

(a)The appointment of the Dean

(b) The appointment of assistant and associate deans

(c) The recruitment, appointment, and development of faculty

(d) The establishment of criteria for the evaluation of performance

(e) The development of annual budgets for the College and the various departments

(f) The establishment of policies and procedures respecting faculty salaries and promotions

(g) The formation of administrative units at University Park and other locations

(h) The addition or termination of programs

(i) The planning and evaluation of programs

(j) The definition of the goals of research and the provision of conditions to sustain it

(k) The establishment of policies respecting admission and retention of students

Finally, the acceptance of the principle of mutual accountability by both the faculty and the administration is necessary if the system of governance established in the Constitution is to be effective. This requires the evaluation of both the administration and the faculty by each other as well as the evaluation of individuals by their peers.

Amendments Articles of Authority - Preamble

- 11/8/90, 3c, 4e

 

College of Education Constitution, Bylaws, and Standing Rule of Order