The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Policy # [####]
Faculty Constitution (GOV 1)

Initial Approval: October 27, 1980
Latest Revision:
Faculty Senate Approval: May 14, 2019
Faculty Referendum Approval (136-12): November 8, 2019

Original Issuance Date: MMMM DD, YYYY
Last Revision Date: MMMM DD, YYYY
Next Review Date: MMMM DD, YYYY

1. PURPOSE

2. RESPONSIBLE OFFICER

3. SCOPE

4. BACKGROUND

5. DEFINITIONS

6. POLICY STATEMENT

GOV 1. The Faculty Constitution

Initial Approval: October 27, 1980
Latest Revision:
Faculty Senate Approval: May 14, 2019
Faculty Referendum Approval (136-12): November 8, 2019

We, the members of the Faculty of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, establish this constitution in order to promote the common interest of faculty, students, and administration in enhancing the academic quality of the university, to provide an organizational structure to preserve academic freedom, to protect academic due process, to assure shared responsibility in university decision making, to promote cooperation in university governance, and to establish a structure and procedures by which the faculty may exercise its responsibility for the immediate governance of the institution and for academic and faculty personnel matters.

ARTICLE I. The Faculty.

Section 1. Membership in the Faculty. Persons who hold the academic rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, or instructor in an academic department or equivalent unit at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, and such academic staff members as may be designated by the department or equivalent unit, the Chancellor, and the Faculty Senate following procedures set forth in the operating rules of the university, will be considered faculty members of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Faculty members on leave of absence and faculty on lay-off, subject to appropriate Wisconsin statutes, shall be accorded full university governance rights under this constitution, providing they are “present” to vote in the fashion (e.g., on a paper ballot or via electronic submission) prescribed for the vote.

Section 2. Academic Freedom and Tenure. The purpose of this section is to promote (1) understanding and support of academic freedom and tenure and (2) agreement upon procedures to ensure that academic freedom and tenure are protected at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

A. Institutions of higher education exist for the common good and not to further the interest of either the individual faculty member or the institution. The common good depends upon the free search for and expression of truth.

B. Academic freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to teaching, learning, research, and creative activity. Academic freedom is fundamental for the protection of the rights of faculty members in teaching and of the student to freedom in learning. Faculty members are entitled to full freedom of discussion in the classroom, and are expected to exercise professional judgment about the relevance of material introduced to the subject of the course. Academic freedom in research and creative activity is fundamental to the advancement of truth. Faculty members are entitled to full freedom in research and creative activities and in publication/presentation of the results. These rights are subject to the adequate performance of other academic duties.

C. Academic freedom carries with it duties correlative with rights. The faculty member is a citizen, a member of a learned profession, and an officer of an educational institution. When speaking or writing as a citizen, faculty members should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their position in the community imposes special obligation. As a person of learning and an educational officer, faculty members should remember that the public may judge the profession and the institution by an individual’s utterances. Hence the faculty member should at all times be accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that he or she is not a spokes-person for the institution.

D. It is a responsibility of the Faculty Senate to protect academic freedom in teaching, learning, research, and extramural activities.

E. Tenure is a means to certain ends: (1) academic freedom in teaching, learning, and research, and extramural activities; and (2) a sufficient degree of economic security to make the profession attractive to qualified individuals. Academic freedom and economic security are indispensable to the success of an institution of higher education in fulfilling its obligations to its students and to society. Tenure, therefore, is a necessary component of the institution.

Section 3. Equal Opportunity. The Faculty of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is committed to a policy of fairness and equal opportunity for all. A diverse student body, faculty, and staff that reflects the variety and pluralism of society is desired and encouraged. Moreover, equal access to benefits, programs, services, employment, and educational opportunities is assured for all without regard to sex, color, marital or parental status, race, age, national origin, handicap, or sexual preference/ identity.

Section 4. Powers and Responsibilities of the Faculty. The Faculty of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, subject to the responsibilities and powers of the Board of Regents, the President, and the Chancellor, and recognizing student rights, shall be vested with responsibility for the immediate governance of this institution and shall actively participate in institutional policy development. As such, the faculty shall have the primary responsibility for academic and educational activities and faculty personnel matters. The word primary shall be defined as both first and principal, but not exclusive. The faculty shall have the right to determine its own faculty organizational structure and to select representatives to participate in institutional shared governance.

Section 5. Administrative Review. Faculty decisions or recommendations concerning academic and educational activities and faculty personnel matters are transmitted in writing to the Chancellor. The Chancellor, recognizing the academic tradition of concurring with a clear faculty judgment in matters of primary faculty responsibility, shall as a matter of collegiality respond in writing, giving reasons, providing that such communication shall not be prohibited by law or System policy. Nothing in this section shall impede the authority of the Chancellor, established by law and System policy, to review faculty decisions on such matters and to make independent judgments regarding them; and nothing in this section shall prohibit appropriate consultation.

Section 6. Faculty Referenda. By two-thirds vote of the Faculty Senate, any policy matter related to the powers and responsibilities of the faculty as stated in Article I, Section 4 above, may be referred to the whole faculty for decision. A referendum will also be held if one-tenth of the faculty, as defined in Article I as of Opening Day of the academic year (excluding those with limited appointments) petitions the Faculty Senate President to call for such a referendum. The Senate will draft the referendum proposal and will ordinarily distribute it to the faculty one month prior to the time at which a vote on the referendum is to be taken. At least one general faculty meeting, called by the Faculty Senate President, will be held on the matter for discussion and exchange of information. The referendum vote will be by secret ballot. A majority of affirmative votes of eligible voters who cast ballots is required for passage of a referendum. Eligible voters for faculty referenda will be members of the faculty as defined in Article I (excluding those with limited appointment). The appropriate Faculty Senate committee will count the ballots. The Faculty Senate President will announce the results to the faculty.

ARTICLE II. The Faculty Senate.

Section 1. Powers. Powers and responsibilities vested in the faculty, except those that are reserved by this constitution to the general faculty or delegated by this constitution to faculty in the colleges, schools, departments or equivalent units, shall be delegated to the Faculty Senate as the representative body of the faculty. As such, the Faculty Senate shall represent faculty interests and maintain faculty prerogatives not vested in colleges, departments, or equivalent units, specifically including the faculty role (as defined in Article I, Section 4, and Article II, Sections 2, 3, 4 of this Constitution) in the immediate governance of the institution, in the formulation of academic policy, in planning, in faculty development, in curriculum development, in faculty personnel matters, and in the management and deployment of fiscal and physical resources.

Section 2. University Policy: Primary Faculty Responsibility.

A. The Faculty Senate, in cooperation with colleges and departments and equivalent units and administrative officers, shall assure faculty participation in all stages of policy development about matters of primary faculty responsibility.

B. The Faculty Senate, in cooperation with colleges and departments or equivalent units, and recognizing the students’ role and the Chancellor’s responsibilities and authority, shall have primary responsibility for formulating university-level policy about the following:

1. Academic and educational activities including instruction, review and coordination of curriculum, academic planning, and faculty development.

2. Tenure-track and tenured faculty personnel matters including salary procedures, university-level policy about faculty status, appointments, reappointments, dismissals, tenure, promotion, merit, participation in outside activities, personnel planning, faculty development, and the rights of laid-off faculty. Where applicable, all such policies shall be consistent with the Wisconsin Administrative Code.

C. Faculty Senate decisions and rationale concerning academic and educational activities and faculty personnel matters are transmitted in writing to the Chancellor. The Chancellor, recognizing the academic tradition of concurring with a clear faculty judgement in matters of primary faculty responsibility, shall as a matter of collegiality respond in writing, giving reasons, providing that such communication shall not be prohibited by law or System policy. Nothing in this section shall impede the authority of the Chancellor, established by law and System policy, to review faculty decisions on such matters and to make independent judgements regarding them; and nothing in this section shall prohibit appropriate consultation.

Section 3. University Policy: Governance.

A. The faculty, subject to the provisions of appropriate Wisconsin statutes, shall be responsible for the immediate governance of the institution. The Faculty Senate, in cooperation with colleges and departments or equivalent units, shall assure faculty participation in all levels of policy development about governance.

B. The Faculty Senate, in cooperation with colleges and departments or equivalent units, and recognizing the students’ role and the Chancellor’s responsibilities and authority, shall have responsibility for formulating university-level policy about the following faculty matters: elections, eligibility for voting, representation, faculty participation in governance, faculty organizational structure, bylaws, and constitution.

Section 4. University Policy: Faculty Participation Rights.

A. The Faculty Senate, in cooperation with colleges and departments or equivalent units, shall assure faculty participation in all stages of policy development in areas of faculty concern.

B. The Faculty Senate or its representatives to the appropriate body, subject to the responsibilities and authority of the Chancellor, shall actively participate in the formulation of university-level institutional policies in areas of faculty concern, specifically including the management and deployment of fiscal and physical resources.

Section 5. Administrative Search and Screen Procedures. The Faculty Senate shall select faculty representatives for search and screen committees for System and University-level administrators above the level of dean.

Section 6. Evaluation of Administrators. The Faculty Senate will share in the development of university policy and procedures for the evaluation of administrators concerned with matters of primary faculty responsibility. Faculty within the specific college or school represented by a dean will participate in the periodic evaluation of that dean.

Section 7. Complaints and Grievance Procedure. The Faculty Senate, in accordance with appropriate Wisconsin statutes, shall develop rules and procedures addressing allegations, complaints, and grievances about the professional conduct of faculty members, and shall provide a grievance procedure to assure that violation of faculty rights or unfair treatment may be promptly and equitably remedied.

Section 8. Faculty Senate Bylaws. The Faculty Senate shall write and operate in accordance with its own Bylaws.

Section 9. Faculty Senators. The Faculty Senate shall be composed of approximately one Senator for every 12-13 faculty members. Senators will be elected as representatives of various constituencies as specified in Article II, Section 10 of this Constitution. All faculty members shall be eligible to serve as members of the Faculty Senate except administrators above the level of chairperson or equivalent who hold a limited appointment.

Section 10. Constituencies. The Faculty Senate shall divide the faculty into voting constituencies.

A. Each voting constituency will be entitled to elect at least two faculty senators.

B. Additional seats are apportioned to constituencies based on the relative number of FTE (Full Time Equivalent Faculty) assigned to the constituency using the Huntington-Hill method.

C. The Faculty Senate shall review the size of the Faculty Senate and the distribution of Senators among the constituencies every three years.

D. The constituencies of the Faculty Senate are:

1. College of Business

2. College of Education and Human Services

3. College of Letters and Science: Fine and Performing Arts Division

4. College of Letters and Science: Humanities Division

5. College of Letters and Science: Mathematics and Natural Science Division

6. College of Letters and Science: Social Science Division

7. College of Nursing

E. The Faculty Senate shall establish election procedures ensuring that there are Senators from all campuses (conditional on faculty members from a given campus being willing to serve as Senator).

Section 11. Election of Faculty Senators. Each year elections will be held to fill one-third of the seats on the Faculty Senate. Elections of faculty senators shall be initiated no later than the eighth week of the spring semester and shall be concluded within a five-week period. Election procedures shall be established in the Faculty Senate Bylaws.

Section 12. Meetings of the Faculty Senate.

A. The Senate shall hold a regular meeting at least once per month during the two full semesters of the academic year with a minimum of nine meetings per academic year. Meetings of the Senate shall be called by the president of the Senate. The times and locations of meetings shall be selected by the president of the Senate, in accordance with the preferences of the senators, and shall be announced in advance to the faculty.

B. General faculty meetings, for the purpose of discussion and exchange of information, may be called by the Faculty Senate president or by petition of 20 faculty members to the president. The president of the Faculty Senate shall preside.

Section 13. Standing Committees. The Faculty Senate will establish standing committees to carry out the faculty’s role, as defined in Article II, Sections 2 and 3 of this Constitution, in the formulation and implementation of university policy about academic and educational activities, faculty personnel matters, and immediate governance of the institution in accordance with appropriate Wisconsin statutes. The charter for each of these committees will be approved by the Faculty Senate consistent with the procedure for amending the bylaws of the Faculty Senate.

The Senate shall create other standing committees as it considers necessary to assist it and the faculty in formulating policies and making decisions in areas of faculty concern. The process of establishing a charter for each of these committees will be the same as that described above.

Section 14 Special Faculty Committees. The Senate shall create such ad hoc committees and task forces as it considers necessary to assist it in formulating policies and making decisions on special problems.

ARTICLE III. Joint Committees.

University-level matters that are not the primary responsibility of faculty, students, or administration may be considered by tripartite committees. The Senate will select faculty representatives for each committee and may review the committees’ reports.

ARTICLE IV. Department or Equivalent Unit Affairs.

Section 1. Purposes. The Faculty Constitution shall establish university-level policies, and college and department or equivalent unit bylaws shall establish the framework and specific policies and procedures by which departments and equivalent units can maintain stability, strength, and growth. Such bylaws shall establish policies and procedures by which members shall participate in unit affairs, and by which faculty shall exercise their responsibility for unit governance and their primary responsibility for academic and faculty personnel matters.

Section 2. Organization. In considering organizational changes in paragraphs A through D of this section, the faculty shall recognize the Chancellor’s responsibility for designing curriculum in consultation with the faculty.

A. Each department or equivalent unit that is recognized as such at the time this constitution goes into effect shall continue to be so recognized and to retain the same college affiliation. A different organization or affiliation shall be established only through consultation between the Chancellor and the department or equivalent unit and, if necessary, the college or colleges directly involved.

B. The removal, elimination, transfer, or reorganization of existing departments or equivalent units, or the addition of new ones to a college, shall occur only through consultation between the Chancellor and the faculty of each college or school. Procedures for such changes, when they occur within a college or school, shall be established by the bylaws of each college or school.

C. In event of reorganization between existing colleges or formation of a new college by existing departments, the following process shall apply:

1. Faculty members from within the department(s) seeking to move out of their current college, or any other body seeking an intercollegiate reorganization (e.g., Faculty Senate), shall approve a formal motion or resolution to endorse the reorganization.

2. Each department seeking to move shall simultaneously submit a formal written request, along with supporting rationale and evidence, to the Provost and Vice Chancellor and to the Faculty Senate.

3. The Provost and Vice Chancellor shall forward copies of the written request to the deans of any college directly affected and request recommendations from the colleges and set a deadline for such recommendations. This deadline should allot a minimum of three months for the colleges to collect data for decision-making as noted in step 4 below. Further, it should ensure that the process for obtaining the faculty recommendation (i.e., information-sharing and the referendum or vote) is conducted during an academic semester to allow for maximum participation of the faculty.

4. The dean(s) shall provide a three-year financial history of the unit(s) seeking to move to faculty of the affected colleges and to the Faculty Senate. Financial disclosure will include budgeted funds and actual funds received by the department, expenditures, revenues, FTE salaries, and any other relevant information. The deans shall also address considerations with respect to the effect of the move on issues such as costs, students, physical space demands, and culture.

5. The dean(s) shall request a recommendation from the college faculty in accordance with the college by-laws or as agreed upon by the faculty.

6. Following the college faculty recommendation(s), the dean(s) and the Faculty Senate shall make recommendations to the Provost and Vice Chancellor by the deadline established in step 3 above. The recommendation(s) of the deans shall include a budget allocation proposal which outlines the details of the financial implications of moving the department(s), the terms for reallocating budget, and a rationale for the proposed terms.

7. Within 20 days, the Provost and Vice Chancellor shall make a decision to accept or reject the department(s) request and, if accepted, establish budget allocation rules. As a guiding principle, the Provost and Vice Chancellor will seek to reach an agreement where neither college’s financial situation is made better or worse off as a result of the move itself.

8. A written appeal by any college directly affected by the move, or by departments themselves, must be made to the Chancellor within 10 days of the Provost and Vice Chancellor’s decision.

9. The Chancellor shall respond to the appeal with a written decision within 20 days.

10. If the move is approved in either step 7 or step 9 above, the terms of transition shall be negotiated by the faculty and administrators directly involved in the move. A formal written agreement regarding the terms of the transition will be approved by the parties involved within 30 days.

D. A professional, non‑teaching faculty unit not associated with a college, but organized as a department at the time that this constitution goes into effect shall continue to be identified as a department. A different organizational structure shall be established only through consultation between the Chancellor and the members of the unit. Procedures for such changes shall be established in the unit bylaws. Faculty personnel who hold limited appointments in non‑teaching units may be voting members of those units if the unit bylaws allow that.

E. Effective with the date of the ratification of this constitution, each academic program not associated with a particular college or school shall function independently of Article IV for a three‑year experimental period, during which time the faculty of the program, the university’s chief administrative officer for academic affairs, and the appropriate Faculty Senate committee(s) shall participate in its development. It is recognized that such programs may require considerable flexibility in staffing and that faculty may participate in such programs at less than full time. All faculty who participate in the development of such programs shall, however, serve as advisors to the program and shall be asked to share in their evaluation. After three years, the academic program shall be evaluated by the program faculty, and the appropriate administrative official, and Senate committee to determine whether it should be made permanent. If so, the program faculty shall establish bylaws and, after consultation with the Faculty Senate and the proposed parent body, recommend to the Chancellor a permanent affiliation for the program.

Section 3. Department or Equivalent Unit Membership. Faculty members shall be voting members of the department or equivalent to which they are assigned for the greatest part of their time. Those whose time is divided equally between two or more such units shall choose voting membership in one of the units. The choice is to be communicated to the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate. Faculty members may be non‑voting members of other units in accord with the bylaws of those units.

A. Membership in a unit is limited to faculty members as defined in Article I of this constitution.

B. Assignment of personnel to a teaching or professional unit in which they have not been tenured shall require approval by a majority of the faculty members of that unit and of the person assigned.

C. Non‑teaching chairpersons and equivalent unit leaders shall be voting members of their units.

D. Administrators who hold a limited appointment shall not be voting members of a department or equivalent unit.

E. Only persons holding faculty rank shall be eligible to vote on faculty personnel matters.

F. Faculty members on leave of absence and faculty members on lay‑off shall be accorded full rights under this constitution, in accord with university policy and Article I, Section 1.

Section 4. Rights and Responsibilities of Department or Equivalent Unit Members. The faculty of a unit, recognizing the students’ role and the Chancellor’s responsibilities and authority in formulating university policy, shall have primary responsibility for the unit’s academic and educational policy, faculty personnel policy, and immediate governance. Faculty primary responsibility shall include but not be limited to formulation of major and minor requirements; formulation and continuous evaluation of curriculum; planning and faculty development; full participation in unit decisions about recruitment, appointment, reappointment, tenure, and promotion. The faculty of a unit shall have the right to participate fully in unit governance. The faculty of a unit shall also have the right to participate actively in determining policies about teaching assignments, budgets, and all other such department matters. Each voting member of the unit shall have an equal voice in governance. Unless specifically prohibited elsewhere in this constitution or in university policies as defined in Article V, Section 4 of this constitution, the decisions of the majority of eligible voting members of the unit shall be the decisions of the unit. Implementation of this principle shall be provided by unit bylaws.

Section 5. Responsibilities of Department Chairperson or Equivalent Faculty Leader. Each department or equivalent unit shall have a faculty leader nominated by the department or equivalent unit and appointed by the Chancellor.

A. The chairperson or equivalent unit leader is responsible for seeing to it that provisions of the unit bylaws, those policies, procedures, and decisions made by the faculty in unit meetings, and university policies as defined in Article VI, Section 4 of the Faculty Constitution are discharged. Unit actions shall be in accord with university policies. The chairperson or equivalent shall keep the unit informed about all matters of importance to it. The unit leader shall bring to the attention of the unit faculty their responsibility for immediate governance of the unit, and their primary responsibility for faculty personnel, educational and academic matters, and the necessity for developing unit policies about those matters. If the chairperson or equivalent unit leader acts without consultation with the members of the unit, he or she shall inform all members of the reason for said actions. These actions shall be subject to review by the members.

B. The chairperson or equivalent unit leader shares with the faculty of the unit the responsibility for seeing that the unit bylaws and governance policies are observed.

C. The chairperson or equivalent unit leader shall discharge those duties and responsibilities required by university policies and procedures and shall carry out those duties in accordance with the provisions of Article VI of this constitution.

Section 6. Selection of Department Chairperson or Equivalent Unit Leader. The unit leader shall be nominated by a majority of the eligible voters who cast ballots and shall be appointed by the Chancellor. If a nominee is not accepted by the Chancellor, another nominee shall be selected until the appointment is made.

A. A chairperson/equivalent shall hold the rank of assistant professor or higher in the department or equivalent unit.

B. The term of office for chairperson/equivalent shall be three years.

C. The chairperson/equivalent shall be nominated during March and appointed as soon thereafter as possible. The individual Colleges, through their normal governance processes, determine the date of the Chair/equivalent transition, which will be no sooner than the end of the 17th week of the spring semester in which the election was held.

D. The nomination of a chairperson/equivalent shall be by secret ballot and shall be conducted in accord with procedures established in college bylaws.

E. A unit may remove a chairperson/equivalent for good and sufficient reasons by a vote of two-thirds majority of eligible voting faculty. The Chancellor shall have the right to request that the unit conduct such vote. The recall election shall be conducted according to procedures established in college bylaws.

F. Should the office of chairperson or equivalent become vacant, the office shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term by a chairperson/equivalent chosen by special nomination which shall be held within ten days after the vacancy occurs and shall be conducted according to the relevant provisions of this Article of the constitution. College bylaws shall establish procedures for the nomination and appointment of an acting chairperson or equivalent to fill a vacancy that occurs during a period when the legal voters of the unit are not required to be on campus for professional or teaching responsibilities.

Section 7. Unit Bylaws. Each governance unit covered by this Article shall establish written bylaws consistent with the Faculty Constitution. The bylaws shall create a democratic government for the internal operation of the unit. Unit bylaws must be approved by a majority of the eligible voters who choose to vote.

A. Bylaws approved by a department or equivalent governance unit shall be reviewed by the Faculty Senate for consistency with the constitution and shall take effect when they have been accepted by the Senate.

B. Members of units shall review their bylaws at least every five years.

ARTICLE V. College and School Affairs.

Section 1. Purposes. This Article sets forth principles meant to assure the faculty its proper role in college and school affairs.

Section 2. College and School. Faculty members shall be voting members of the college or school to which they are assigned for the greatest part of their time. Those whose assignment is divided equally between two or more such units shall choose voting membership in one of the units. The choice is to be communicated to the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate and to the appropriate unit. Faculty members may be non-voting members of other units in accord with the bylaws of those units.

A. Administrators who hold a limited appointment shall not be voting members of a college or school.

B. A faculty member may be a non-voting member of other colleges or schools in accordance with the bylaws of those schools or colleges.

C. Membership in a college or school is limited to faculty members, as defined in Article I, Section 1 of this constitution.

D. A faculty member may be a member of both an undergraduate college and a graduate program.

Section 3. College and School Bylaws. Each school or college covered by this Article shall establish written bylaws consistent with the Faculty Constitution. The bylaws shall be drafted by an elected committee, approved by a majority of the eligible voters who choose to vote, and shall become effective after acceptance by the Faculty Senate.

A. School and college bylaws shall specify procedures for faculty governance. The bylaws shall provide for the exercise of faculty responsibility for the immediate governance and of primary faculty responsibility for academic and faculty personnel matters. The bylaws shall provide for a procedural relationship between the college and the appropriate committees of the Faculty Senate. College committees that deal with academic, personnel, or governance matters shall be elected and shall be chaired by an elected faculty member.

B. Members of the faculty shall review their school or college bylaws at least every five years.

Section 4. Selection of Deans and Equivalent Administrators. Search and screen committees for deans and equivalent administrators of faculty units shall be composed of at least 60% faculty members elected in accordance with the faculty unit bylaws.

ARTICLE VI. Sources of Parliamentary Rules Governing the Faculty.

The sources of parliamentary rules governing the faculty shall be the following:

Section 1. The constitution and statutes of the United States.

Section 2. The constitution and statutes of the State of Wisconsin.

Section 3. The resolutions and policies of the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.

Section 4. University Policies that have been developed jointly and approved by the Faculty Senate and the Chancellor.

Section 5 The Faculty Constitution.

Section 6. The bylaws and adopted procedures of the Faculty Senate, the Graduate Council, colleges, schools, and departments (or equivalent units).

Section 7. The most recent edition of Sturgis’ Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure.

ARTICLE VII. Amendments.

Section 1. Proposal of Amendments.

Amendments to this constitution may be proposed to the faculty by a two-thirds majority vote of all members of the Faculty Senate at any regular meeting, provided that a written copy of the proposed amendment shall have been presented to the Senate at a meeting at least one month prior to the time at which a vote on the amendment is to be taken. Amendments to this constitution may also be proposed by means of a petition signed by one-tenth of the faculty membership, as defined in Article I, except for administrators with limited appointments.

Section 2. Hearings on Proposed Amendments.

The Faculty Senate shall conduct hearings on any amendment proposed to this constitution before any action on such amendment shall be considered.

Section 3. Ratification of Amendments.

Amendments to this constitution will become effective after ratification by a two-thirds majority of eligible voters who exercise their voting rights. The eligible voters shall be members of the faculty as defined in Article I, excluding those with limited appointments. Each faculty member shall be sent a copy of the proposed amendment a minimum of four weeks before the amendment is voted upon for ratification. The vote shall be by secret ballot in a special election.

ARTICLE VIII. Ratification.

Section 1. This constitution shall be considered ratified and shall become effective when it has been approved by a two-thirds majority of the eligible voters who exercise their voting privilege. The eligible voters shall be members of the faculty, as defined in Article I, excluding those with a limited appointment. The vote on ratification shall be by secret ballot in a special election.

Section 2. When this constitution shall be approved by the necessary two-thirds vote, the constitution adopted in 1964 shall be repealed and this constitution shall become effective. All actions taken in accordance with the constitution of 1964 shall have continuing validity and application unless they conflict with the provisions of this constitution or actions taken subsequently under the provisions of this constitution.

 

7. REFERENCES

8. PROCEDURES

9. REVISION HISTORY

October 27, 1980 (initial)
Amended: 1989
Amended: May, 1999
Amended: September 11, 2001
Amended: October 12, 2004
Amended: February 15, 2005
Amended: November 8, 2019