Proposition 19-12/13
Proposition: 19-12/13. Proposal to amend the Faculty Senate Constitution to redefine the role of the Senate
Committee on Committees and to change its name to the Senate Leadership Committee.
Sponsors: Liz Miller (Lib), Meg Goehring (A&S)
Proposed Committee: Faculty Affairs
Committee Assignment: Long Range Planning
Title: Proposal to amend the Faculty Senate Constitution to redefine the role of the Senate Committee on
Committees and to change its name to the Senate Leadership Committee.
Prior Approvals: NA
Rationale: The Faculty Senate Committee on Committees (COC) is comprised of Faculty Senators selected by
their colleagues to represent a leadership team within the Faculty Senate. As currently defined in the NMSU
Faculty Senate Constitution the role of the COC is defined primarily in terms of Administrative duties (e.g.,
assigning senators to committees and scheduling senate meetings). By contrast, the role of the COC as an
important leadership team to advise the Senate Chair and Vice Chair and to deliberate the concerns of the
Faculty senate is underemphasized. This bill proposes to amend the Faculty Senate Constitution to emphasize
the leadership and decision-making role of the Faculty Senate COC and to reflect this emphasis on those
leadership functions in a name change whereby the Senate COC shall henceforth be referred to as the “Senate
Leadership Committee”
Proposal:
Current language of the NMSU Faculty Senate Constitution Article VII
ARTICLE VII – COMMITTEES
Section A: The standing committees of the Faculty Senate shall be the Committee on Committees, Scholastic Affairs, University
Affairs, Faculty Affairs, and Long-Range Planning.
Section B: The functions and membership of the standing committees shall be as follows:
1.
Committee on Committees: The duties of the Committee on Committees shall be: (a) to elect the Vice Chair of the Faculty
Senate; (b) to assign senators to the remaining four standing committees; (c) to create ad hoc or special committees; (d) to
initiate, carry out, or lead senate discussions of such topics as it deems appropriate; (e) to determine the time and place of
each regular meeting of the Faculty Senate; (f) to review the implementation of any legislation adopted by the senate and to
report on the progress and manner of such implementation to the senate; and (g) expedite and monitor electronic
communications with and voting on emergency issues by Faculty Senators during those intervals outside of the regular
academic year. The committee shall consist of one member from each senate electing group for each five elected senators or
major fraction thereof. Each electing group shall have at least one member regardless of its senate representation. Vacancies
shall be filled by the elected senators from the senate electing groups. The four standing committee Chairs will serve as
nonvoting ex officio members, unless the standing committee Chair has also been elected by their senate electing group as a
voting member of the Committee on Committees, in which case that standing committee Chair may serve as a voting member
of the Committee on Committees and remain as Chair of that standing committee.
Proposed amendment of the NMSU Faculty Senate Constitution Article VII
Proposition 19-12/13
ARTICLE VII – COMMITTEES
Section A: The standing committees of the Faculty Senate shall be the Committee on Committees, Scholastic Affairs, University
Affairs, Faculty Affairs, and Long-Range Planning.
Section B: The functions and membership of the standing committees shall be as follows:
1.
Senate Leadership Committee on Committees: The duties of the Senate Leadership Committee on Committees shall be: (a) to
elect the Vice Chair of the Faculty Senate; b) to initiate, carry out, or lead senate discussions of such topics as it deems
appropriate, including the formation of ad hoc or special committees; c) review the implementation of any legislation
adopted by the senate and the reporting of the status of that legislation to the full senate; d) review the balance of the
Faculty Senate Operating Budget and activity in that account once each semester, e) oversee the assignment of senators to
the senate committees specified in Article VII; (f) oversee the scheduling of the time and place of each regular meeting of
the Faculty Senate; (g) expedite and monitor electronic communications with and voting on emergency issues by Faculty
Senators during those intervals outside of the regular academic year. The senate leadership committee shall consist of one
member from each senate electing group for each five elected senators or major fraction thereof. Each electing group shall have at
least one member regardless of its senate representation. Vacancies shall be filled by the elected senators from the senate electing
groups. The four standing committee Chairs will serve as nonvoting ex officio members, unless the standing committee Chair has
also been elected by their senate electing group as a voting member of the Committee on Committees, in which case that standing
committee Chair may serve as a voting member of the Committee on Committees and remain as Chair of that standing committee.