By-laws for School of Human Development & Organizational Studies in Education
College of Education, University of Florida
I. Faculty
The faculty of the School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education (herein referred to as “the School”) will be responsible for participating in meetings, making policy, and planning curriculum as set forth below. For the purpose of voting in elections and on matters of policy, the faculty of the School who are eligible to vote (herein referred to as “the Voting Faculty”) will
consist of all full-time tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure track faculty appointed in the School, unless otherwise prescribed by University of Florida policy.
II. School Organization
A. Leadership. Recognizing the value of shared governance in higher education and the need to distribute decision-making and provide pathways for individual advancement, leadership positions and committees are formed to conduct the business of the School or advise the Director. As appropriate and feasible, faculty should rotate leadership roles and membership on committees, with an eye towards developing leadership capacities amongst the faculty.
B. Director. The Director of the School will be nominated by the Dean after consultation with a committee of the School faculty (the “Consulting Committee”), consistent with Article VI, Section 4, of the UF Constitution, given that the unit is structured more like a traditional department rather than a school organized for a special program of studies under Article VI, Section 3. The Director shall have general responsibility for the activities of the School,including those outlined in the UF Constitution, Senate By-Laws, and the Collective
Bargaining Agreement between the University of Florida Board of Trustees and the United Faculty of Florida (the “Collective Bargaining Agreement”), or as otherwise assigned.
1. When selecting the Consulting Committee, the tenured faculty of the School should consider including faculty from various ranks and lines and shall ensure, to the extent feasible, that the committee consists of at least one Voting Faculty member from each Section.
C. Associate Directors. In addition to the Director, the School will be served by an Associate Director of Faculty Affairs and an Associate Director of Graduate Studies. The Associate Director roles may be combined to suit the needs of the School. The Director shall solicit nominations for and, in consultation with the Section Leads Committee, will appoint both for 3-year renewable terms.
1. The Associate Director of Faculty Affair’s responsibilities: The Associate Director of Faculty Affairs will be responsible for assisting the Director with their duties regarding School policies and procedures on faculty affairs, monitor their implementation, recommend revisions and/or other actions, and other duties as assigned that may fall outside of faculty affairs or graduate coordinator responsibilities, at the discretion of the Director. Duties may include assisting faculty with processes such as tenure and promotion, annual review, internal funding, pursuit of awards, onboarding and orientation of new faculty, promoting faculty accomplishments, and compliance with new and existing university policies.
2. The Associate Director of Graduate Studies’ responsibilities: The Associate Director of Graduate Studies will be responsible for assisting the Director with their duties related to student and School affairs at the discretion of the Director, including serving as the Graduate Coordinator who is responsible for overseeing School compliance with University policies related to graduate programs. The Associate Director of Graduate Studies shall serve as the official liaison between the School and the Graduate School. Duties may include ensuring that graduate programs conform to existing Graduate School policies, communicating graduate regulations and policy changes to the faculty, supervising admissions processes and petitions for the School, and coordinating responses to data requests from other University offices (e.g., the Graduate School), as required.
D. Meetings. The faculty of the School will meet regularly as needed (September through April); the Director will set the meeting dates and times. Meetings will be devoted to the conduct of School business. Special meetings may be called by the Director as the need arises.
III. Sections
A. Organization and membership. Section faculties within the School will consist of all full-time faculty assigned to the Section by the Director as well as others invited to membership by the approval of Section faculty. The four Sections are: (1) Counselor Education; (2) Educational Leadership and Policy; (3) Higher Education Administration and Student Personnel in Higher Education; and (4) Research and Evaluation Methods and Educational Psychology.
B. Duties. Section faculties will be organized to serve the purpose of program planning, implementation, advisement, and assessment. Specifically, each Section faculty will:
1. Coordinate degree programs in the Section and communicate with departmental and interdepartmental faculties.
2. Monitor effectiveness of teaching assistants in the areas served by the Section.
3. Monitor program effectiveness.
4. Oversee the recruitment, admissions, and advisement of students in the areas served, with special emphasis on doctoral students and advanced graduate students. The School Director in consultation with Section faculty may specify parameters for admission (e.g., number of students) based on school resources and budget.
a. Advising and doctoral committee work, particularly chairing dissertations, can result in a heavy workload. To account for this, faculty may receive release time, additional compensation, reduced service expectations, or graduate assistants, as determined in consultation with the Director, subject to the Director’s approval, with an eye towards fairness amongst the faculty and across the Sections.
5. Propose new programs and/or program revisions in the area and monitor the implementation of established guidelines.
6. Work together, as the occasion arises, to facilitate special projects, including outreach, research, and professional developmen
C. Section Leads. A Section Lead for each Section will be selected by the Section faculty. It is recommended that Section Leads be tenured professors in the School. Section Leads will serve a term specified by the Section faculty. Duties of the Section Lead include, but are not limited to, oversight of admissions procedures, accreditation data collection and reporting, and scheduling of courses. Section Leads experience a heavy workload and may receive release time, additional compensation, reduced service expectations, or graduate assistants, as determined in consultation with the Director, subject to the Director’s approval, with an eye towards fairness amongst the faculty and across the Sections. However, the School must be in compliance when accreditation bodies (e.g., CACREP) require that the Section Lead have release time. If another faculty member assumes aspects of the Section Lead’s responsibilities, they may also be eligible for release time, additional compensation, or graduate assistants, as determined in consultation with the Director, subject to the Director’s approval, to the same extent as the Section Lead.
D. Program Coordinators. Within each Section, the Director, in consultation with the Section faculty, will select faculty to serve in the role of Program Coordinator(s). Duties of a Program Coordinator include, but are not limited to, taking primary responsibility for coordinating degree program(s) in the Section, communicating with departmental and interdepartmental faculties, and overseeing the recruitment, admissions, and advisement of students in the program(s) served. Program Coordinators experience a heavy workload and may receive release time, additional compensation, reduced service expectations, or graduate assistants, as determined in consultation with the Director, subject to the Director’s approval, with an eye towards fairness amongst the faculty and across the Sections.
E. Procedures. The business of each Section will be conducted through meetings as well as committees and other procedures approved by the Section.
IV. Committees
A. The Section Leads Committee.
1. Membership. The Committee will include the Section Leads from each of the four Sections. The Director, Associate Director of Faculty Affairs, and Associate Director of Graduate Studies will serve as ex-officio members of the Committee.
2. Duties. The Committee will meet on a regular basis to represent faculty perspectives, to advise the Director, to review School policy and propose appropriate actions to the faculty, and to monitor and respond to issues of concern to the School. The Director will set the meeting times/dates, conduct the meetings, and consult with the Committee and the Associate Directors to set the agenda. Examples of Committee duties may include:
a. Consult with the Director and faculty on School priorities, plans, organization, and operating procedures.
b. Assist the Director in referring business to the appropriate standing committee or recommending the appointment of ad hoc committees and special task forces.
c. Receive reports from the Director on budgetary matters, respond to requests for guidance, and provide advice.
d. Represent faculty issues and concerns to the School.
B. Other Committees. Other standing committees may be established, and their duties and membership determined by a majority vote of the faculty of the School. Ad hoc committees, such as the strategic reinvestment committee, may be appointed by the Director with specified charges and periods of service, with an eye towards including faculty from various ranks and lines and at least one Voting Faculty member from each Section.
V. Merit Pay
The School passed and implemented a unified merit pay policy that began during the 2010-2011 academic year and revised in the 2021-2022 academic year. The policy stipulates that the merit pay evaluation process will begin in the four Sections of the School. The four Sections will each be responsible for the specific implementation of the policy and responsible for developing procedures. Each Section will determine merit pay rankings for faculty within their designated area. The School Director will be responsible for determining rankings for all faculty in the School that are consistent with the Section rankings. The School Director may consult with the Section Leads Committee (or their designees) to develop merit pay rankings for all faculty in the School.
VI. Approval and Amendments
These by-laws and any subsequent amendments to them must be presented to the faculty at least two weeks in advance of an open meeting for consideration and discussion at the meeting and must be approved by a simple majority of the Voting Faculty by a written ballot or through a secure online voting system, except for votes on provisions indicated in Article IX of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (“Provisions… relating to tenure, promotion, merit salary increases, market equity salary increases, and performance evaluations”), as requiring a vote by a show of hands at a publicly noticed meeting