Guiding Principles for Faculty Governance

This page lists the guiding principles for faculty governance developed by the Faculty Governance Review Committee and adopted by the faculty in the 2021-22 academic year. These went into effect at the start of the 2023-24 academic year and are presented here for your reference at the request of CFG.

Article V. Faculty Committees 

Section 1. General Stipulations 

A. Definitions 

  1. Committee: All members appointed or elected to a committee ordinarily participate in the work and decision making of that committee, unless otherwise specified in legislation. 
  2. Board: Members of a board ordinarily do not meet as a group. They participate in the work and decision-making of that board only when selected to do so for a matter that comes before it, as specified in the faculty handbook. 

B. Principles of Committee Work 

  1. Equity and Inclusion: All committees of the faculty shall attend to equity and inclusion in the manner and product of their work to create a culture that values collaborative leadership among a diverse group. Equitable is defined as follows: workload and leadership responsibilities shall be evenly distributed across faculty members within rank and across time. Inclusive is defined as follows: faculty shall listen to, recognize, and value the different and unique perspectives and expertise of all committee members. Faculty shall attend to power differences within committees. 
  2. Shared Responsibility: Shared governance involves the governance work of the Board of Trustees, the college administration, and the faculty, both independently and collectively. For shared governance to be effective, faculty governance ought to be robust, transparent, equitable, and reasonable in its workload demands. As a result, responsibility for faculty governance ought to be distributed broadly and equitably among the faculty. 
  3. Communication 
    a. In conducting their work, committees shall identify and communicate with relevant college stakeholders when and as appropriate. 

    b. Committees shall provide regular updates to the faculty about their work and seek input as is appropriate. 
  4. Committee Records:
    a. Committees shall use agendas for their meetings; agendas shall be communicated in advance of the meeting to all members of the committee. 

    b. Committees shall keep minutes of their meetings. 

    c. Committees shall write a brief annual report of their work to share with the faculty. 
  5. Applicability: All standing committees listed in this Article and any other select committee created by a vote of the faculty are subject to these principles. Unless specified otherwise, all stipulations in this section also apply to faculty boards. 

C. Membership

  1.  Method of Selection 
    a. Appointments : All appointments to standing committees or to faculty-created ad hoc committees shall be made by the Committee on Governance. When the Dean of the Faculty or the President appoints an ad hoc committee, the appointing office shall consult with the Committee on Governance in the process of appointing the ad hoc committee. 

    b. Elections: Slates for elected seats shall be assembled by the Committee on Governance. Voting shall be conducted by electronic means and all those with faculty status at the time of the election shall be eligible to vote. 

    c. Equity: In making appointments and filling election slates for standing committees or for ad hoc committees overseen by the Committee on Governance, appointed by the Dean of the Faculty, or appointed by the President, the Committee on Governance or those making appointments to the ad hoc committee shall aim to distribute appointments and nominations equitably to ensure diverse representation and promote a culture of inclusion on all committees. In order to promote workload equity, appointments shall be informed by data about faculty workload and committee assignments for faculty members. 
  2. Terms: The term of office of both elected and appointed members of standing committees shall begin with the fall semester. Unless specified otherwise, the term for a seat is three years. 
  3. Filling Vacancies
    a. Vacancies in appointed seats on committees shall be filled for the balance of the unexpired term by the Committee on Governance. 

    b. Vacancies in elected seats on committees shall be filled for the balance of the unexpired term by a special election following the same process for nominations and voting as with other elected seats on that committee. 

    c. Temporary vacancies in seats on boards will not ordinarily be filled for the balance of the unexpired term unless the Committee on Governance deems it necessary. Vacancies when a member cannot complete the term will be filled for a new full term. 
  4. Expectations: All members of faculty committees shall be considered voting members of the committee with all the privileges and responsibilities attached thereto unless otherwise indicated in the Rules and Procedures of Governance. 
  5. Chairs 
    a. Selection: Unless otherwise indicated in the Rules and Procedures of Faculty Governance, the Committee on Governance assigns a convener for the first meeting of the each committee. Each committee will select a chair at its first meeting and communicate this selection to the Committee on Governance. 

    b. Responsibilities: The convener of a committee shall convene the committee for a meeting within the first month of the academic year. At this meeting, the committee shall select a chair, review its charge, discuss its scope of work for the academic year, and determine specific responsibilities for each member and for the chair. The chair shall also set the committee’s agenda in consultation with the other members of the committee. The chair may invite other stakeholders to meet with the committee directly. The chair shall oversee the committee’s communication about its work to the faculty and to college stakeholders. The chair may delegate responsibilities to other members on the committee or empower the committee to delegate responsibilities to its members, including the regular keeping, distributing, and archiving of meeting minutes. 

D. Revisions

  1. Amendments: The designation and charges of standing committees of the faculty, as well as any alteration thereof, shall be made by vote of the faculty in accordance with Article VI. 
  2. Special Committees: Special committees may be established by vote of the faculty. Such a committee is authorized through the end of the academic year in which it is created unless otherwise specified in legislation. In creating a special committee, the faculty shall determine the requirements for its composition, the method(s) of selection, its charge, and its duration.