ANNUAL REPORT, ARTICLES AND BYLAWS COMMITTEE, 2011-2012
The Articles and Bylaws Committee had a limited number of charges from Faculty Senate during
the past academic year. This report will summarize the two in-person committee meetings that took
place and describe other actions that were taken by e-mail. Minutes of both of the meetings previously
have been filed with Faculty Senate.
The committee’s organizational meeting was held Wednesday, August 31. Four committee
members were present, including David Koster, Curtis Czerwinski, Eric Kraemer, and Donald Sloan. R.
Daniel Duquette was not present. Faculty Senate President Steven Senger also attended part of the
meeting to discuss the committee’s charges for the year. Donald Sloan was elected chair of the
committee. Professor Senger reported that the committee’s charge letter only contained one item and
that it had been withdrawn by the Senate Executive Committee for further work. This charge concerned
changes to the IAS bylaws. There were no additional charges, meetings, or actions by the committee
during the Fall semester.
On February 6, Senate President Senger asked the committee to review a proposed bylaw for
the Academic Technology Committee. The proposal defined the duties and responsibilities of the
Academic Technology Committee and detailed its membership. Due to an urgent need to get this item
on the Senate’s agenda, the committee acted by e-mail. Professor Koster proposed editing changes to
make the wording of the bylaw consistent with other bylaws, and with these changes, the committee
approved the bylaw and forwarded it to Senate.
On February 7, Senate President Senger asked the committee a question regarding a proposed
change to the bylaw regarding the IAS Career Progression Committee. Our committee reviewed its
previous annual report and determined that the proposed by law had been approved the committee
and adopted by Senate on first reading during in the Spring of 2011.
The only in-person meeting of the committee during Spring semester occurred on March 30.
The agenda consisted of several changes proposed by the Senate Executive Committee to deal with
various issues. Members present included Professors Koster, Czerwinski, and Sloan. Professors Kraemer
and Duquette were not present. Faculty President Senger attended the meeting to explain SenEx’s
thinking behind the proposals. As detailed in the minutes of the meeting (previously forwarded), all of
the proposed changes were approved. They concerned bylaw II (f), the meaning of “administrative
responsibility” for purposes of excluding administrators from certain Senate committees; bylaw II (g),
revising the duties and responsibilities of the Faculty Development Committee, and bylaws II (k) and II
(v), revising the duties and responsibilities of the Graduate Curriculum Committee and the
Undergraduate Curriculum Committee.
Submitted,
Donald E. Sloan