Constitution
College of Education
University of Florida
ARTICLE I – Government of the College
This Constitution is intended to be consistent with the University Constitution, The Florida Administrative Code, and the Board of Regents/United Faculty of Florida Collective Bargaining Agreement. In matters that conflict, the University Constitution and the Florida Administrative Code and the Board of Regents/United Faculty of Florida Collective Bargaining Agreement are the ruling documents. Operating within these contexts and within the provisions of this Constitution, the faculty of the College of Education has ultimate responsibility for policy development and program planning.
ARTICLE II – The Faculty
Section 1 – Membership
A. The faculty of the College shall consist of those in tenure accruing ranks (assistant professor, associate professor, professor, distinguished professor, eminent scholar), permanent status accruing ranks (University laboratory school personnel), and non-tenure accruing ranks (lecturer series, assistant-in, associate-in, senior associate in, scholar series, and any of the aforementioned ranks modified by the title clinical). Membership in the faculty shall be through membership in a college department [1] or P. K. Yonge.
[1] College department includes degree-granting departments and schools in the College of Education.
B. Eligible faculty, those persons who participate in faculty governance and vote on matters of college policy, shall consist of those in tenure accruing ranks and non-tenure accruing ranks who contribute to the academic mission of a college department and have a full-time appointment during the regular academic year.
C. Courtesy appointments to the faculty may be made, but such faculty members shall not be voting members of the College nor shall they accrue tenure in the College.
D. Faculty within a department may recommend individuals for such appointments as adjunct, affiliate, provisional, courtesy, research, emeritus, and visiting faculty. The rights and privileges of these appointments shall be specified at the time of the appointment. At the option of the departmental faculty, such appointees may attend, speak, and/or vote on departmental matters. They may not vote on College matters. An affirmative vote of departmental faculty is required before an individual can be appointed to emeritus status.
Section 2 – Functions
The functions of faculty shall include but not be limited to:
A. Establishing requirements for entrance into and graduation from the College and for the degrees to be conferred.
B. Planning the instructional program, including the College curricula.
C. Developing College policies.
Section 3 – Meetings
A. Meetings may be called by the Dean, the Chair of the Faculty Policy Council, or by a petition signed by 20 faculty members (as described in Article II, Section 1). At least one meeting shall be held each Fall and Spring Semester. In every instance, the purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the call.
B. The Chair of the Faculty Policy Council will preside at faculty meetings. The Faculty Policy Council Secretary shall serve as Secretary at faculty meetings. The Chair of the Faculty Policy Council shall select a faculty Parliamentarian each year.
C. The Agenda Committee of the Faculty Policy Council shall act as a steering committee to set the time and the agenda for faculty meetings. Any faculty member may suggest items for the agenda of meetings.
D. Except in cases of emergency, faculty shall receive notice of meetings and agendas for meetings at least 48 hours before the scheduled meeting time.
E. A quorum for meetings of the faculty shall be 25 percent of the eligible faculty.
F. No proxies shall be recognized.
Section 4 – Councils and Committees
A. Faculty Policy Council
1. Purpose
The Faculty Policy Council is the policy-making authority for the College of Education. In this capacity, the Council makes policy with respect to matters that concern more than one college department. The Faculty Policy Council shall report its decisions to the Dean and to the faculty at large. The Faculty Policy Council shall also review the budgets with the Dean semiannually (September and April and at other times as requested by the Dean or Council) and recommend resource allocation policies. Implementation of adopted policies is the responsibility of the Dean. The Faculty Policy Council may, at its discretion, refer specific policy decisions to the eligible faculty for a vote by secret ballot.
Governing Rules of the Faculty Policy Council
A. Membership
The Faculty Policy Council consists of members as follows:
(1) Ten voting members shall be elected from the eligible faculty. Annually, one member shall be elected from each college department by a college-wide vote of the eligible faculty. Nominations of at least three faculty members shall be made within each department and communicated to the Elections Committee. The ballot will consist of at least three faculty members from each department or school. Each eligible faculty member will cast a vote for one member from each department or school. The faculty member within a department or school who receives the highest vote total will have been elected to the Faculty Policy Council. The faculty member within the same department or school who receives the second highest vote total will become the designated alternate from that department or school.
(2) Faculty Policy Council members representing the College of Education faculty shall be elected for a term of two years. A term shall commence at the conclusion of the last meeting of the academic year. Terms are to be staggered so that five are elected each year. A member, having served one term, is not eligible for re-election until one year has lapsed after the last year of service.
(3) Role of the designated alternate
(a) If an elected member cannot attend a Faculty Policy Council meeting, the designated alternate shall attend. If neither the elected member nor the designated alternate can attend, the member shall ask another faculty member from the elected member’s department to attend.
(b) When a seat on the Faculty Policy Council becomes vacant, the designated alternate will fill that seat for the remainder of the term. When a designated alternate position becomes vacant, the department or school in which the designated alternate was a member will elect another designated alternate.
(c) When the Faculty Policy Council Secretary becomes Chair, the designated alternate fills the vacant seat.
B. Eligibility of Faculty Members
Eligible faculty in the College of Education may be elected to the Faculty Policy Council. Members of the Dean’s staff and line administrators reporting to the Dean’s Office are not eligible for election to the Faculty Policy Council.
C. Presiding Officer
The Chair shall preside at meetings of the Faculty Policy Council and shall be a non-voting member. The Chair of the Faculty Policy Council shall have .25 released time, reached in agreement with his/her chair or director, for the fall and spring semesters. The Chair of the Faculty Policy Council shall attend the called Dean’s Advisory Committee meetings, preside at faculty meetings, and chair the Agenda Committee.
D. Secretary
The Council shall elect one of its regularly elected and tenured members to serve as Secretary of the Faculty Policy Council. The Secretary is a voting member of the Council. The Secretary of the Faculty Policy Council shall have .25 released time, reached in agreement with his/her chair or director, for the fall and spring semesters. The Secretary shall become the Chair of the Faculty Policy Council the subsequent (or following) year.
E. Operating Guidelines
(1) Duties of Council Secretary. The functions of the Secretary shall include:
(a) Keeping minutes of the proceedings of the Faculty Policy Council;
(b) Distributing minutes of each meeting of the Faculty Policy Council to all faculty members in the College of Education as soon as possible following each meeting;
(c) Serving on the Agenda Committee;
(d) Preparing a summary of activities of the Faculty Policy Council each year with distribution to all faculty members in advance of the spring meeting of the College of Education faculty;
(e) Serving as Chair of the Curriculum Committee;
(f) Serving as Secretary at faculty meetings.
(2) Faculty Policy Council Meetings
All meetings of the Faculty Policy Council are open to the faculty. Only members of the Faculty Policy Council have access to the floor during meetings, except when permission has been granted by consent of the Council or the Agenda Committee. A majority of the voting members shall constitute a quorum. Normally, meetings will be held biweekly and cancellation of regular meetings shall be at the discretion of the Agenda Committee. Minutes shall be distributed to the faculty and should a department or ten faculty members question a decision, it may be appealed at the next meeting of the Council. When ten or more faculty still question a decision, they may appeal in writing to the faculty at its next meeting. No decisions will become final until after these appeals have been acted on and decided.
(3) Amending Council Operating Guidelines
An amendment to the Operating Guidelines of the Council must be approved by at least three-fourths of the voting members at two consecutive scheduled meetings of the Council. A petition of objection to the proposed change, if signed by at least ten faculty members and filed with the Agenda Committee prior to a second scheduled meeting, shall mandate that a special faculty meeting or that a faculty referendum be conducted on the proposal.
F. Committees
The Faculty Policy Council shall be assisted in its work through standing committees. Standing committees serve one or more of the following functions: 1) advise the Faculty Policy Council on matters of general policy; 2) initiate consideration of policy; (3) assist in implementing policies; and (4) carry-out specific operating functions of the College. The Faculty Policy Council has the option of creating ad-hoc committees or additional standing committees if there are special needs or on-going functions of the College not being met by present committees. The Dean, in consultation with the Agenda Committee, will choose a representative(s) of the Dean’s staff to serve on each committee. One faculty member of each committee must be a member of the Faculty Policy Council. The number of additional members shall be determined by the Faculty Policy Council as shall the procedures for selecting these members. For the Student Recruitment, Admissions, and Petitions Committee and the College Curriculum Committee, the Faculty Policy Council shall appoint student representatives to assist these committees.
(1) Agenda Committee. The Agenda Committee shall consist of three persons, the Council Chair, Secretary, and one other voting member of the Faculty Policy Council, who is elected by the Council to serve on the Agenda Committee. The Council Chair shall serve as Chair. A non-voting representative of the Dean’s staff selected by the Dean shall meet with the Committee.
(a) The Agenda Committee shall decide how all matters will be handled, by forwarding appropriate actions to the administration, to appropriate agencies of committees, or by establishing ad hoc committees to deal with issues that cannot be addressed elsewhere. The Agenda Committee shall report to the Faculty Policy Council about the disposition of all matters referred to it.
(b) The agenda for each Faculty Policy Council meeting and college-wide faculty meetings shall be prepared and distributed by the Agenda Committee.
(2) College Curriculum Committee. The College Curriculum Committee shall act for the faculty in matters relating to undergraduate and graduate programs. Specific duties include consideration of new courses, course changes, program changes, and providing oversight of the quality of undergraduate and graduate course and program offerings. The committee shall meet monthly during the Fall and Spring semesters and as needed during the Summer terms. (Course changes, additions, and deletions must be approved by the University Curriculum Committee or University Graduate Curriculum Committee, as appropriate).
(a) Selection. The College Curriculum Committee shall be composed of the Secretary of the Faculty Policy Council who will serve as a non-voting Chair; one representative from each department and School; and two voting members consisting of one graduate and one undergraduate student.
(b) Faculty Prerogatives. Any member of the faculty may attend meetings of the Curriculum Committee and is entitled to speak on any proposal. Only Committee members may vote. No proxy votes may be cast. Decisions of the Committee shall not become final until the close of the meeting following that in which they were originally passed. Minutes shall be distributed to the faculty and should a department or five faculty members question a decision, it may be appealed at the next meeting of the Committee. When five or more faculty still question a decision, they may appeal in writing to the Faculty Policy Council at its next meeting. No decisions will become final until after these appeals have been acted on and decided.
(3) Elections Committee. Each year, an Elections Committee of three persons shall be appointed by the Agenda Committee (who shall not appoint themselves). Its duties are to set the time, procedures, tellers, and other mechanisms for conducting elections to the Faculty Policy Council.
(4) Faculty and Budgetary Affairs Committee. This committee shall be concerned with polices related to promotion, tenure, search and screen, load, in-service development, sabbatical leaves, etc.. It shall also make recommendations to the Dean regarding sabbatical leaves and shall advise the Dean on budgetary affairs.
(5) Lectures, Seminars, and Awards Committee. This committee shall be concerned with enhancing the climate for scholarly and creative activity in the College of Education. Each year the committee shall schedule lectures and seminars for the presentation of scholarly work and participate in the selection of faculty honored for outstanding teaching and mentoring.
(6 ) Long-Range Planning Committee. This committee shall develop long-range plans and recommend priorities for the College of Education. Each year the committee shall examine one or more aspects of the long-range plan of the college and submit a written report with recommendations to the Faculty Policy Council.
(7) Research Advisory Committee. This committee shall make recommendations regarding policies and matters related to research within the College of Education.
(8) Student Recruitment, Admissions, and Petitions Committee. This committee shall provide advice on policies and matters of student recruitment, admissions, petitions, fellowships, scholarships, and placement. The duties of this committee, or a subcommittee thereof, shall include the provision of due process for students who raise questions about admissions, adding and dropping courses, and similar issues.
(9) Technology Committee. This committee shall recommend and review policies regarding the purchase and use of technology for instructional and operational purposes.
Section 5 – Elections
Elections for faculty representation on the Faculty Policy Council shall be held in the spring by ballot. Newly elected members shall take office immediately after the last meeting of the academic year, according to the procedures set forth under Elections Committee above (Article II, Section 4(B)).
Section 6 – Promotion and Tenure
Promotion and tenure in the College are governed by Article V, Sections 4 and 5, of the University Constitution, the University of Florida rules found in the Florida Administrative Code, and the United Faculty of Florida Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Section 7 – Faculty Rights
A. Faculty members have the right to know what is required of them in their work and how that work is judged. All principles and procedures on which decisions on tenure, promotion, salaries and increases and evaluations are made, and all results of those decisions shall be made known to the individual faculty member. Faculty members have the right to appeal such decisions in accordance with the procedures described in Article I. In addition, faculty members shall have access to a summary statement showing the distribution of evaluation results, salary increases, and tenure and promotion decisions. Records on these and other matters of faculty interest shall be readily accessible and shall be given on the request of the individual as provided by law.
B. Pursuant to the United Faculty of Florida Collective Bargaining Agreement, all faculty members, on their request, have the right to see any information about themselves kept in any official files and have the right to reply in writing and place in their files responses to information in their files.
ARTICLE III- Administrative Officers
Section 1 – The Dean
The chief executive and administrative officer of the College shall be the Dean, who may at the same time hold academic rank in one of the departments of the College. The President of the University shall appoint the Dean. In making this appointment, the President shall give consideration to the opinion of the faculty of the College by consultation with a special committee of at least three faculty members elected by the eligible faculty in College. The Dean shall be responsible to the President for the administration of the College and shall be the agent of the faculty for the execution of educational policy. The service of the Dean shall be reviewed annually by the faculty. The Dean may create ad hoc committees to achieve specific administrative tasks not designated to other committees by this Constitution.
Section 2 – Associate and Assistant Deans
The Dean of the College, as the President’s designee, shall appoint such Associate and Assistant Deans and other administrative officers of the College as deemed necessary after seeking faculty input on each position. The duties and responsibilities of such Associate and Assistant Deans shall be determined by the Dean to provide for the execution of College policy. The service of the Associate and Assistant Deans shall be reviewed every two years by the faculty.
Section 3 – Dean’s Advisory Committee
The Dean’s Advisory Committee shall be composed of the Department Chairs, Directors of Schools, Director of P. K. Yonge, Associate and Assistant Deans, and others at the discretion of the Dean. The Committee shall meet with the Dean to work on problems relating to administration of the College. The Chair of the Faculty Policy Council shall attend called meetings of the Committee.
ARTICLE IV – Departments, Divisions, Service Agencies, and Institutes
Section 1 – Departments and Schools
A. The faculty shall be organized into departments and schools for purposes of program development and implementation. The formation or abolition of a department, or its consolidation with another department shall require approval of the eligible faculty following the procedures prescribed in Article IV, Section 3. Transfer of a program from one department to another shall require approval of the faculty in the affected departments. A majority vote of the eligible faculty in each department shall be required for approval.
B. Each college department and school shall have a Chair/Director. Selection of the Chair/Director shall be in accord with Article IV, Section 3(C), of the University Constitution and appropriate provisions of University rules. The service of the Chair/Director shall be reviewed annually by the Dean in consultation with the departmental faculty.
C. The work of the departments shall be reviewed and evaluated at least once every five years, in accord with Article IV, Section 3(D) of the University Constitution.
Section 2 – Service Agencies, Institutes, and Centers
Service agencies, institutes, and centers shall be established as necessary to assist the College in its teaching, service, and research programs.
Section 3 – Procedures for Establishing or Ending a Department or Division
The Dean, or any group of six or more eligible faculty, may petition the faculty for the establishment or abolition of a department. The petition shall be referred to the Faculty Policy Council for study and recommendation. The eligible faculty, in a general meeting, shall vote by secret ballot on this recommendation. If a two-thirds vote of the eligible faculty at that meeting approves, the proposal then shall be sent to the proper University bodies for action.
ARTICLE V – Searches for Tenure-Track or Tenured Faculty
Searches for tenure-track or tenured track faculty, excluding searches for chairs or directors, shall be conducted by the department or school in which the faculty member shall hold academic rank. The department Chair or school Director shall appoint a search committee consistent with College and University guidelines for such committees. After consultation with the department faculty and Chair or Director, the search committee shall nominate at its discretion one candidate, or present a ranked or unranked list of acceptable candidates, to the Dean for approval. In those instances in which the department Chair or Director does not concur with the search committee’s nomination, the department Chair or Director’s dissenting report shall be forwarded to the Dean along with the search committee’s nomination. In the event that the candidate(s) is unacceptable to the Dean, or declines the offer, the Dean shall request from the search committee the name(s) of other acceptable candidates.
ARTICLE VI – Amendments
These articles may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the eligible faculty present at any regular or special meeting, provided that written notice and the text of the proposed amendments are sent to the faculty at least one month prior to the meeting at which such action is to be taken. Amendments shall be effective when written notice of the adopted changes is sent from the Chair of the Faculty Policy Council to all faculty. Such notice must be given within two weeks after the date the amendments have been adopted.
ARTICLE VII – Rules
When conducting business of the College, Robert’s Rules of Order shall be followed.
ARTICLE VIII – Effective Date
This Constitution shall become effective upon written notice from the office of the Dean after it has been adopted by a two-thirds vote of the eligible faculty attending a regular or special meeting at which it has been considered. Such notice must be given within two weeks after the date the Constitution has been adopted. The provisions of this Constitution shall not be used to change personnel assignments in force at the time of its adoption. Those assignments shall be made consistent with the Constitution at the first time a normal vacancy occurs.
