[Includes all revisions effective Fall 2010] AMERICAN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES RULES OF THE CAS EDUCATIONAL POLICY COMMITTEE ARTICLES I.
POWERS AND JURISDICTION OF THE EDUCATIONAL POLICY COMMITTEE A. The Educational Policy Committee (EPC) represents the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) faculty and students on college academic policy matters and is the agency for confirming and approving academic matters involving the College and other divisions of the University or other non-­‐University agencies. The EPC makes recommendations on college academic policy matters (budget, curriculum, and faculty/student research) to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. B. The EPC is made up of three standing committees: the Dean’s Advisory Committee, the Curriculum Committee, and the Research Committee. The chair of the Dean’s Advisory Committee serves as the chair of the EPC. C. The EPC annually meets as a body at an open meeting of all College of Arts and Science faculty to solicit faculty concerns and to report on the activities of the EPC and its standing committees. D. “College academic policy matters” include, but is not limited to, the following: 1. Strategies for recruitment, retention, and graduation of students at all levels, including the standards for the awarding of scholarships, assistantships and honors; 2. Recommendations to the College Dean regarding matters of administrative policy when related to educational policy; 3. Guiding principles in accordance with which the faculties and councils of departments and interdisciplinary committees exercise control over their respective curricula; 4. Standards of instruction applicable to the departments and interdisciplinary committees; 5. The depth and breadth of subject matter distribution and the counseling necessary to assure that undergraduates are permitted or are encouraged to take courses other than those in the major or major-­‐related areas of concentration; 6. Student academic integrity, student personnel matters which relate to educational policy, and the care and treatment of student records under the jurisdiction of the College of Arts and Sciences and its teaching units; 7. Procedures and criteria with respect to faculty appointments, promotions, dismissals, tenure, leaves of absence, and the insurance of academic freedom; 2 8. The nature and the use of resource materials and teaching facilities; 9. The distribution of the budget for the College, as it relates to all academic policy matters; 10. The organizational structure of the College, including departments, programs, faculties, and academic support; 11. The requests by departments for faculty positions; 12. Subcommittees to study and report on particular matters or to review administrative action on existing policies or acting as a subcommittee itself for such purposes; 13. The promotion of research efforts in the College. E. The EPC has the power 1. To create, reconstitute, and abolish standing committees and define their powers; 2. To delegate, to redelegate, or to reclaim the exercise of any of its powers to its standing committees; 3. To fix the procedures for the nominations and elections of members of the EPC committees; 4. To create, reconstitute, abolish, or provide for the appointment and discharge of members of special EPC committees and to define the powers of these committees; 5. To invite the attendance at meetings, without vote, of any persons whomsoever, and to empower the presiding officer to recognize such persons to permit them to speak; 6. To take such other action by resolution as it may deem necessary and proper for the exercise of its authority and responsibilities. F. EPC Committees will comply with, and operate under, the rules and the spirit of the all-­‐
University academic policies established by the Faculty Senate. 3 II. STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE EPC A. Dean’s Advisory Committee 1. The Dean’s Advisory Committee advises the Dean on the following: a) All College academic policy matters not delegated to the Curriculum or Research Committees; b) Annual departmental requests for tenure-­‐track and temporary faculty positions; c) Other budgetary issues regarding academic matters. 2. The Dean’s Advisory Committee may study and make proposals concerning any matter that falls within the jurisdiction of another committee of the EPC, or it may refer the matter to the proper EPC Committee or Special Committee. 3. Members of the Dean’s Advisory Committee a)
Faculty Representatives One representative will be elected from the Arts (Art and Performing Arts), and two each from the Humanities (History, Language and Foreign Studies, Literature, and Philosophy and Religion), the Social Sciences (Anthropology; Economics; Education, Teaching, and Health; Psychology; and Sociology) and the Natural and Mathematical Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Mathematics and Statistics, Physics, and Psychology). Department Chairs are not eligible to serve. b)
Student Representatives One will be selected to represent graduate students and one to represent undergraduates. c)
Ex-­‐officio members The Dean, Associate Deans, Assistant Deans, and Senior Academic Counselor of the College of Arts and Sciences are non-­‐voting resource persons. 4. Officers of the Dean’s Advisory Committee a) The Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Committee assumes office after serving for one year in the position of Vice Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Committee. The Chair also serves as the chair of the EPC, appoints members to special committees unless the Dean’s Advisory Committee by resolution fixes another rule for this selection, and can only vote to break a tie. 4 b) The Vice Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Committee is elected by and from the membership of the Dean’s Advisory Committee. The individual elected will serve for a term of two years beginning May 1. In the first year, the Vice Chair discharges the responsibilities of the Chair in the absence of the Chair, or other responsibilities at the Chair’s request. Beginning May 1 of the second year, the Vice Chair assumes the position of Chair. c) The immediate past Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Committee serves as an ex-­‐officio non-­‐voting member of the Dean’s Advisory Committee. d) The Secretary of the Dean’s Advisory Committee is appointed by the Dean from the Office of the Dean. The Secretary is responsible for the keeping of the minutes and of the official records of the EPC Committees and for the issuance of communications in the name of the EPC. B. Curriculum Committee 1. Responsibilities The Curriculum Committee is primarily concerned with reviewing and making recommendations to the Dean and when appropriate, the Dean’s Advisory Committee, regarding proposals from teaching units for new academic programs , courses, revisions to existing programs, and/or termination of courses, academic programs, degrees, majors and minors. The Committee also has purview over curriculum assessment activities in the College, the academic well-­‐being of all CAS students, the support for appropriate teaching facilities, the evaluation of teaching methods and procedures, and the evaluation of teaching media and facilities. 2. Members of Curriculum Committee Two faculty representatives each will be elected from the Arts and Humanities, the Social Sciences, and the Natural and Mathematical Sciences. One student each will be selected to represent undergraduates and graduates. The Dean or the Dean’s designee serves as an ex-­‐officio, non-­‐voting member. C. Research Committee 1. Responsibilities The Research Committee is primarily responsible for making recommendations to the Dean and, when appropriate, the Dean’s Advisory Committee, regarding the following: 5 a) The overall support of faculty research, scholarship, and creative activities by the College faculty; b) The evaluation of proposals for College-­‐wide centers from individual faculty members and teaching units; c) The determination of the policies and processes for research award programs internal to the College; d) The review and recommendations of individual faculty research proposals for College and University sponsored research award programs. 2.
III.
Members of the Research Committee Two faculty representatives each will be elected from the Arts and Humanities, the Social Sciences, and the Natural and Mathematical Sciences. One student each will be selected to represent undergraduates and graduates. The Dean or the Dean’s designee serves as an ex-­‐officio, non-­‐voting member. ELECTIONS TO THE EPC COMMITTEES A. Faculty Membership a. In the first week of March of each year, the Secretary of the EPC will send a list of the continuing members to all unit Chairs and will identify the academic clusters and the departments within the academic clusters that may submit nominations for vacancies in the standing committees of the EPC. b. Units will be asked to submit by March 15 their department nominations for the vacancies in the standing committees for the upcoming year. Each eligible unit may nominate one faculty member to fill the cluster vacancies. A College-­‐wide election will be held for the next academic year. All full-­‐time faculty members are eligible to vote in this election. No department may have more than one of its faculty members on any one committee at a time. c. All committee members serve a two-­‐year term. d. Any member of the full-­‐time College faculty, excluding the Dean, Associate Deans and Assistant Deans, is eligible for election to the EPC. The one exception is that current teaching unit Chairs may not serve on the Dean’s Advisory Committee. e. No ex-­‐officio member of a committee is eligible to be chair. Each committee elects a chair from its own voting membership. B. Elections for vacancies in the faculty membership of the standing committees are held during the first week in April. The terms of members of the Curriculum and Research Committees begin in the following September. The terms of members of the Dean’s Advisory Committees begin on May 1. 6 C. Students Student members of all EPC Committees for the upcoming year are selected by the College undergraduate and graduate student councils by October 1. IV.
MEETINGS A.
Notice of regular meetings of the EPC Committees will be given at least seven days in advance. B. A quorum of any EPC Committee consists of a majority of its elected members. C.
Special Meetings of the Dean’s Advisory Committee 1. Special meetings of the Dean’s Advisory Committee may be called by the Chair (or in the absence of the Chair the Vice Chair), or by a petition signed by three members of the Dean’s Advisory Committee. Faculty members and students not on the Dean’s Advisory Committee may request a special meeting in writing to the Chair. 2. When a special meeting is called, the agenda specified in the petition takes precedence. 3. Notice and the agenda of special meetings will be delivered at least 48 hours before any special meeting. H.
Limitation of Debate 1. In the Dean’s Advisory Committee, no member may speak for more than three minutes at any one time during debate on any resolution or amendment, except by permission of the presiding officer, or speak more than once on any motion when another member desires the floor. 2. For the EPC Curriculum and Research Committees, the general process of discussions, debate, and voting procedures will be determined by the members of those committees. V.
OBSERVERS A. The President of the University, the University Provost, and the University Vice Provosts may attend and may speak at any EPC Committee meeting. 7 B. All members of the EPC Curriculum and Research Committees who are not members of the Dean’s Advisory Committee are invited to attend the Dean’s Advisory Committee meetings at which their committee is scheduled to report on academic actions. They may not vote, but they may be invited to speak by the Chair. C. Any member of the University community may attend and observe meetings of the EPC Committees except on those occasions when a meeting has been declared a closed session. The decision to close a meeting must be accompanied by a stated reason for closing it. VI.
RECORDS OF THE EPC A. The agenda and minutes of the EPC Committee meetings will be serially numbered and duplicated in a uniform manner. Copies of supporting documents will be suitably reproduced for inclusion in the official copies of the record. B. Copies of the official Dean’s Advisory Committee minutes will be made available upon request to the Secretary of the EPC. C. An open file of all information submitted to the EPC Committees will be maintained in the College Dean’s Office. D. The records of the EPC will be considered open. The official records will be maintained in the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. VII.
SPECIAL COMMITTEES Special Committees may be created by resolution of any of the EPC Committees with terms (if any), method of selection, jurisdiction, and duties to be likewise specified. Special committees should include at least one undergraduate and one graduate student selected by the student councils. A. Whenever a vacancy occurs in the position of Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, a Search Committee will be formed in accordance with the provisions of the University Regulations. The Dean’s Advisory Committee will serve as the Nominating Committee for the election of the Search Committee. VIII.
AMENDMENTS A. Amendments to these rules may be proposed in the same fashion as other agenda items, and may be adopted by a majority of the elected membership of the EPC, provided that the proposed amendments to the Rules be sent to every member no less than seven days before the date of the meeting, setting forth the sections of the Rules to be amended using track-­‐
changes. B. An amendment to proposed amendments to the Rules must be germane. 8 IX. USE OF ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER, REVISED Except where they are inconsistent with the above rules, Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, are adopted as the sole and exclusive rules of procedure of the EPC and any of its committees.