1.6.3 Faculty Council
1.6.3.1 The Constitution of the Ithaca College Faculty Council
effective May 2001
Article
Name
I
This body shall be known as the Ithaca College Faculty Council.
Article
Object
II
As the representative body of the Ithaca College faculty as a whole, Faculty Council makes
recommendations for the College faculty on all-college policies concerning curriculum, programs,
Section grading, appointments, tenure, and promotions. The College shall make no changes in these
1.
policies without recommendations from the Faculty Council. The Faculty Council will report its
recommendations to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Educational Affairs for
decision.
Section
It shall be organized to reflect all academic units at the College and the varying size of same.
2.
Section
It shall act as a liaison between the faculty and administration on matters of mutual concern.
3.
It shall make studies upon its own initiative of all-College policies concerning curriculum,
Section programs, grading, appointments, tenure, and promotions, or it may make studies of questions
4.
submitted to it by any individual or group of the faculty, staff, administration, or students. It may
recommend to the appropriate persons or bodies such action as its studies seem to call for.
Section It shall respond to problems referred to it by the Student Government Association, the Staff
5.
Council, the All-Ithaca College Communications Council or Standing Committees of the College.
Section
It shall seek to promote harmony and cooperation among members of the College faculty.
6.
Section It shall call meetings of the Ithaca College faculty, conduct straw votes and referenda as
7.
appropriate to gather faculty sentiment.
Section It shall recommend to the Board of Trustees through the Provost and Vice President for Academic
8.
Affairs and President all degrees granted by the College.
Article
Bylaws
III
The Faculty Council shall have the authority to make Bylaws on such matters as membership,
meeting procedures, voting, elections, committees and other organizational matters and needs of
the Council. Such Bylaws may not be in conflict with the Charter or Bylaws of the Ithaca College
Board of Trustees or any other governing group recognized by the Board of Trustees of Ithaca
College.
Article Amendments to the Constitution
IV
This Constitution can be amended at any regular meeting of the Faculty Council by a two-thirds
vote of those present and voting, so long as that number is not less than a majority of the elected
representatives, and provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing at the previous
regular meeting and provided that it does not conflict with the College governance structure as
found in section 1.6 of Volume I of the Ithaca College Policy Manual.
1.6.3.2 Bylaws of the Ithaca College Faculty Council
Effective fall 2002
Article
Members and Elections
I
The Ithaca College Faculty Council will be composed of members drawn from the various schools
of the College as well as the Division of Interdisciplinary and International Studies and the library
Section at a ratio of one representative plus, at the discretion of the unit, up to one additional
1.
representative for every twenty (20) FTE faculty in the unit and one for any remainder between 11
and 20; in addition, part-time faculty of the College may elect one member. Faculty Council shall
reapportion the membership at least once every five years.
Any faculty member who meets one of the following criteria is eligible to vote in Council
elections and/or to be elected to a two-year or replacement term to Council:
(1) the faculty member is full-time or is ordinarily a full-time faculty member who has temporarily
taken on non-academic duties while teaching part-time;
(2) the faculty member has been at or above half time for three or more years out of the previous
Section four and is at or above half time for the current year;
2.
(3) the faculty member is part-time at the rank of associate or full professor;
(4) all librarians.
Any faculty member who is not eligible under the provisions (1) through (4) above is eligible to
vote in an election and/or to be elected to a two-year or replacement term to Council occupying
the seat for a part-time faculty member.
Council elections will be held by the various component groups on or before May 1 of the year
Section preceding the terms of office.
3.
Council members who go on leave of absence or sabbatical leave will be replaced for the duration
of their leave by a member from their constituency. Council members who vacate their seats will
be replaced by a representative from their constituency for the duration of their term. In either
Section
case, if a vacancy occurs within one month of an election of that constituency, the candidate who
4.
received the most votes among the losing candidates in the most recent election will be appointed;
otherwise a new election will be held to fill the vacancy.
Article
Officers
II
Section
Council officers will be a chairperson, secretary, and three officers-at-large.
1.
At the regular May Faculty Council meeting, officers will be elected by a majority of the members
Section
of the subsequent year's Faculty Council (i.e., continuing members and newly-elected members).
2.
Each office has a term of one year; terms begin on June 1.
Article
Meetings
III
Regular meetings of the Council will be held on the first Tuesday of each month of the academic
Section year except for the November meeting (not to conflict with Election Day) and the January meeting
1.
(held once classes have begun), unless otherwise ordered by the Faculty Council or the Executive
Committee.
Section Special meetings can be held upon a call from the Chairperson, the Executive Committee or upon
2.
written request of seven members of the Faculty Council.
Section A majority of the members of Council are needed for a quorum and decisions shall be made by a
3.
majority vote of these members in attendance.
Section Faculty Council meetings are open to all members of the College community. The Council,
4.
however, may meet in Executive Session when it is deemed desirable.
Council members who are absent without excuse twice consecutively or three times
accumulatively during an academic year will receive a reminder from the chair of Council upon
Section the advice of the Executive Committee. Upon further absences, Council, by majority vote, may
5.
declare the Council member's seat vacant and invoke the replacement procedures described in
article I, section 4 of these bylaws. Any member of Council may request a hearing before the
Executive Committee prior to removal from Council.
To facilitate the cancellation of a meeting when necessary for lack of a quorum, all members of
Section
Council are urged to notify the Chairperson at least 24 hours before a meeting of any anticipated
6.
absences.
Article
Executive Committee
IV
The Officers of the Council and the person selected to represent Council on the Academic Policies
Section
Committee if that person is not an Officer of Council shall constitute the Executive Committee of
1.
Faculty Council. This group is subject to the orders of the Council and none of its actions shall
conflict with action taken by the Faculty Council.
The Executive Committee shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Faculty Council
Section
between meetings, shall act for the Faculty Council as necessary, shall fix the time and place of
2.
meetings, draw up the appropriate agenda, and make recommendations to the Council.
Article
Committees
V
The Council shall appoint committees in accordance with governance documents. The Council
may also appoint ad hoc committees, which the Chair may attend as an ex officio member.
Section
Council will normally set a duration for the life of an ad hoc committee. An ad hoc committee
1
may ask to be dismissed when it has completed its task or for other cause; and Council may extend
the duration of an ad hoc committee as it deems appropriate.
Faculty Handbook Amendment Committee
The Faculty Handbook Amendment Committee is a standing committee of the Faculty Council. It
is composed of one faculty member from each of the five schools and one faculty member at large
elected by the members of the Faculty Council for terms of two years; terms will be staggered to
ensure continuity of membership.
Members of the Faculty Handbook Amendment Committee must be tenured or have served more
Section than five years as a full-time faculty member.
2
The committee reviews and may initiate changes and amendments to the Faculty Handbook on
behalf of the faculty and/or administration.
The Faculty Handbook Amendment Committee will hold public hearings for the faculty in general
prior to submission of changes/amendments.
The Faculty Handbook Amendment Committee reports its actions to Faculty Council.
Faculty Benefits Committee
The Faculty Benefits Committee is a standing committee of the Faculty Council. It is composed of
five faculty members elected by the members of the Faculty Council. Terms will be staggered to
ensure continuity of membership.
Section
The committee provides advice with regard to types and levels of faculty fringe benefits. The
3
committee studies, reviews and recommends changes to existing benefits and/or proposed new
benefits. The Faculty Benefits Committee may hold hearings on proposed changes it recommends;
may poll the faculty at large concerning proposals for changes in fringe benefits.
Members of the Faculty Benefits Committee are members of the Staff and Faculty Benefits
Committee.
Article
Amendment
VI
These bylaws can be amended at any regular meeting of the Faculty Council by the same
procedure for as for the Constitution of the Ithaca College Faculty Council. See section 1.6.3.1,
article IV.
Article Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised will be used when appropriate and a Parliamentarian will
be named.
VII
Last Updated: April 8, 2010