The Former CNRE Constitution and Bylaws
ARTICLE 1.
The name of the College is College of Natural Resources and Environment.
ARTICLE 2.
Operation of the College shall be within the policies of the Board of Regents, the Constitution of
the University of Florida, and the University rules as set forth in the Florida Administrative Code
and the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
ARTICLE 3.
The mission of the College of Natural Resources and Environment is to enhance understanding
of the interaction of natural systems and society and to develop the intellectual capacity to
address the environmental and natural resource issues facing Florida, the nation, and the world.
ARTICLE 4.
Recognizing the high level of expertise in environmental and natural-resource matters already
present in many basic and applied discipline-centered departments and other organizational units
of the University of Florida, the College of Natural Resources and Environment will engage faculty
from a variety of the University's disciplines, as the Faculty of the College, in a new infrastructure
vested throughout the University. The Faculty of the College will develop comprehensive
programs of education, research, and service; assist institutions, scholars, and students engaged
in both basic and applied sciences; and create or enhance methods to manage natural resources
and the environment on a sustainable basis.
ARTICLE 5.
The Faculty of the College shall be comprised of faculty whose appointments are in other
colleges or other organizational units of the University, as described in the Constitution of the
University of Florida. Active faculty status in the College shall be determined according to criteria
established in the Bylaws and shall confer the right to vote in all matters pertaining to the College.
The Faculty of the College or appropriate committees thereof shall exercise control over the
academic affairs of the College, subject to approval by the President, the University Senate, and
the Board of Regents.
ARTICLE 6.
The Dean shall be the administrative officer of the College. The Dean shall act as agent of the
Faculty for the execution of academic policy and as agent for the President or the President's
representative for the execution of administrative policy. The Dean shall be appointed by and
report to the President or the President's representative. In making this appointment,
consideration shall be given to the recommendation of a Search and Screen Committee
representing the College Faculty and appointed by the President or the President's
representative.
ARTICLE 7.
The Dean or the Dean's representative shall be the presiding officer at meetings of the Faculty.
ARTICLE 8.
An Advisory Council representing the Faculty and Students of the College shall advise the Dean
on matters pertaining to the College.
ARTICLE 9.
Students may enter the College, to major in its undergraduate curricula or seek graduate
degrees, according to admission requirements established by the Faculty.
ARTICLE 10.
The College may propose Centers, Institutes, or other entities designed to achieve the goals of
the College.
ARTICLE 11.
The Faculty, by majority vote, are authorized to establish Bylaws for the College not inconsistent
with these Articles of Constitution, and to amend them as needed.
ARTICLE 12.
The Faculty of the College may amend or repeal, by a two-thirds vote, any provisions contained
in these Articles of Constitution, provided that written notice of the proposed change is given at
least 30 days before a meeting at which a vote is taken.
Former CNRE Bylaws
ARTICLE ONE. PURPOSE AND PRINCIPLES.
Section 1. The goals of the College of Natural Resources and Environment shall be consistent
with the mission articulated in the Constitution and shall include:
A. linking the existing strengths of University of Florida scholars and students into a new, futureoriented educational enterprise;
B. offering a rigorous, broad-based, interdisciplinary education to undergraduate majors to
prepare them to understand the relationships between natural systems and society;
C. enriching opportunities for broad education to students engaged in core disciplines and
professional degree programs;
D. integrating discipline-centered graduate education to offer both basic and applied science and
policy analysis;
E. creating opportunities for faculty and students to conduct interdisciplinary research needed to
understand critical environmental and natural resource problems;
F. enhancing education and training of present and future teachers in basic environmental
science and policy; and
G. serving the human and natural community at the state, national, and international level.
Section 2. To achieve the goals of the College, the College shall:
A. develop degree programs, offer curricula, and confer degrees;
B. convene a Faculty to do the work of the College;
C. cooperate with other colleges at the University of Florida and at other universities in
interdisciplinary efforts;
E. foster the conduct of scholarly research; and
F. foster the provision of service to entities outside of the University.
Section 3. The College shall build on existing strengths in the University by encouraging existing
departments or other organizational units of the University to participate in the activities of the
College. The College shall not establish academic departments or schools. The College shall
design curricula and offer degrees that embody states of knowledge and modes of thought
necessary to understand the interaction of natural systems and society and to address
environmental and natural resource issues. The College's curricula shall cut across disciplines
and professions to provide students access to broad, cohesive programs of study that illuminate
the interactions of the disciplines and professions. The basis for inclusion in a curriculum shall be
judgment by the College Faculty that the subject is important enough to justify a place in the
student's course of study. The College may request that departments or organizational units offer
new courses or that content of existing courses be examined in light of the goals of the College.
Section 4. Faculty participation in the College shall be credited and rewarded by the members'
home department chairs or directors in proportion to the efforts expended on behalf of the
College. The Dean of the College shall work with such chairs and directors and other members of
the University administration to apply a mechanism that enables credit-hour generation, advising,
and other FTE-related activities to be fairly assigned, apportioned, and credited so as to enable
primary supervisors to facilitate and evaluate College activities on par with home-unit activities
and to avoid compromising existing home-unit programs.
ARTICLE TWO. FACULTY MEMBERSHIP.
Section 1. All members of the University of Florida faculty who hold the academic rank of
instructor or above (including equivalent-rank faculty employed in research positions such as
Assistant or Associate Scientist) in the departments or other organizational units of the University
in which they are appointed shall be eligible to be considered as members of the Faculty of the
College of Natural Resources and Environment.
Section 2. The criterion for acceptance of members into the Faculty of the College of Natural
Resources and Environment shall be substantial participation in the work of the College of
Natural Resources and Environment, including:
A. teaching a course that is formally part of the curriculum; or
B. academic advisement of undergraduate or graduate students in the College; or
C. participation in College committees; or
D. administration in the College by any Dean, Associate Dean, Assistant Dean, or Director who
holds academic rank in a department or other organizational unit of the University; or
E. any other relevant activities that require investment of time and effort on behalf of the College.
Section 3. The participation of the member in the College shall be approved by the member's
immediate supervisor in his or her department or other organizational unit of the University and
shall be approved by the Dean of the College.
Section 4. The President, the Dean, and any Associate Dean, Assistant Dean, or Director who
are members of the Faculty are ex-officio members and thus have voting status but shall not be
empowered to serve on committees nor to vote on committee actions except as otherwise
specifically provided in these Bylaws;
Section 5. Evidence of investment in the work of the College by each member of the Faculty will
be reviewed by the Dean every 4 years. In the event that a member is found to be inactive, the
Dean shall, after conferring with the member, recommend to the Faculty that the member's status
be revoked until such time as the member resumes academic activity in the College.
Section 6. Emeritus faculty not employed by the University during a current academic year and
faculty holding Visiting, Adjunct, and Courtesy appointments shall not have voting privileges in the
College.
Section 7. Before the first meeting of the Fall academic term, the Dean or Dean's representative
shall prepare a roster of the faculty eligible to vote and the location of the primary assignment of
each member. The number of Gainesville-based eligible voting faculty on the Fall list shall be
used to determine the required numbers of votes for faculty actions (quora and percentages of
total eligible faculty), regardless of additions and deletions that may occur during the ensuing
year.
ARTICLE THREE. POWERS.
Section 1. The Faculty shall act as the governing body of the College. The Faculty shall establish
requirements for entrance into programs of study, for continued enrollment, and for graduation,
shall determine the arrangement and content of the curricula, shall designate the form of
undergraduate and graduate degrees conferred, shall recommend to the Dean those of its
students who are to be granted degrees, and shall promulgate other academic regulations as it
deem necessary.
Section 2. The Dean of the College shall administer the academic policies of the Faculty,
execute the administrative policies of the Vice-President for Agriculture and Natural Resources,
and coordinate College activities with other units of the University. With appropriate approvals,
the Dean may appoint such Associate and Assistant Deans, Directors, and assistants as he or
she deems necessary to accomplish the mission of the College. Subject to the recommendations
of the Faculty, the Dean shall certify to the President those of the College's students who are to
be granted degrees. The Dean shall be directly responsible for minority affairs in the College.
ARTICLE FOUR. MEETINGS.
Section 1. Meetings shall be held at least once in each academic term. The mandatory meeting
shall be scheduled no sooner that the first day of classes nor later than 2 days before
commencement.
Section 2. Other meetings may be called at the discretion of the Dean or upon written petition by
10 percent of the Gainesville-resident eligible voting faculty members.
Section 3. The faculty shall be notified by the Dean or the Dean's representative in writing of the
time, place, and proposed agenda of each meeting. Such notification shall be given at least 7
days in advance of the meeting.
Section 4. A quorum shall consist of 20 percent of the Gainesville-resident eligible voting faculty
members, except during Summer Term. No proxies shall be recognized. During Summer Term, a
meeting that fails to meet the quorum requirements may be convened for the sole purpose of
voting on degree candidates and other such actions of acute emergency.
Section 5. All meetings shall be conducted in accordance with the parliamentary law as set forth
in Robert's Rules of Order.
Section 6. The faculty shall elect biennially one of its members as Secretary. The Secretary shall
keep a suitable permanent record of the minutes of each meeting and shall act as
parliamentarian.
ARTICLE FIVE. ADVISORY COUNCIL.
The Advisory Council shall consist of at least 18 members of the Faculty of the College and up to
2 students who are College majors. The student members of the council shall be appointed by
the Dean of the College. Three council members shall be elected at large by the faculty of the
College. At least 15 of the council members shall be appointed by deans of other colleges, as
follows: 3 by the Dean of the College of Agriculture (to represent the physical, biological, and
social sciences), 3 by the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (to represent the
physical, biological, and social sciences), 2 by the Dean of the College of Engineering, and 1
each by the deans of the colleges of Architecture, Business Administration, Education,
Journalism and Communications, Law, Medicine, and Veterinary Medicine. Deans of any other
college may petition for representation on the Advisory Council. The Dean of the College of
Natural Resources and Environment shall be an ex-officio member. The Advisory Council shall
elect a Chair, schedule meetings, and advise the Dean on matters pertaining to the College.
Members of the Advisory Council shall serve 2-year terms, except in the initial year, when half
(rounded up) of the appointments shall be for 3 years to establish a pattern of overlap in
membership.
ARTICLE SIX. COMMITTEES.
Section 1. Committees of the Faculty shall be either Standing Committees or Special
Committees. The Dean or the Dean's representative may, at decanal discretion, serve as an exofficio member of any committee, without voting privileges unless specifically provided in these
Bylaws.
Section 2. Members of Standing Committees shall be appointed by the Dean. The term of
membership shall be 2 years, except in the initial year, when half (rounded up) of the
appointments shall be for 3 years to establish a pattern of overlap in membership. Members of
Standing Committees may be reappointed for 1 second term at the Dean's discretion. Standing
Committees shall have administrative support from the Dean's office. Standing Committees may
organize such Subcommittees as they deem necessary and, with decanal approval, may recruit
such other members of the Faculty of the College to serve on Subcommittees as may be
appropriate. The Dean has interim authority to amend the structure of Standing Committees,
providing concurrent notice to the Faculty. Such interim amendments may remain in effect for no
more than 12 months, after which either the Bylaws must be amended or the structure of
Standing Committees must revert to those authorized in the Bylaws.
Section 3. The Standing Committees are:
A. Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. The Committee shall engage in a continuing program
of assessment of College-wide policies that have direct influence on the quality of academic
programs at the undergraduate level. The Committee shall review existing curricula, on its own
initiative or in response to decanal charges, and make recommendations to the Faculty for action.
The Committee may recommend existing courses to be added to or deleted from the College
curricula, and it may recommend that new course subjects or content be offered. The Committee
shall prepare written documents describing the College curricula and programs. The Committee
shall hear and act upon blanket petitions on behalf of a specified class of students for
substitutions for required courses; petitions by and on behalf of individual students are the
jurisdiction of the Student Petitions Committee. The Committee shall meet regularly 3 times per
year: Fall, Spring, and Summer. The Dean's ex-officio representative shall serve as Secretary,
prepare the minutes, and distribute them to the Dean, the Faculty, and home-department Chairs
of all College Faculty.
B. Student Petitions Committee. The Committee shall review petitions by individual
undergraduate students for substitutions for required courses and waiver of college rules and
regulations and shall make recommendations to the Dean. Blanket petitions on behalf of a
specified class of students for substitutions for required courses are the jurisdiction of the
Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. The Committee shall meet regularly twice per term: once
before the deadline to drop a course by college petition and once before commencement.
C. Undergraduate Admissions and Advising Committee. The Committee shall review College
admissions policies, progression standards, and advisement practices and make
recommendations to the Faculty for action. The Committee shall prepare written documents
describing the requirements and rules of the College and its procedures for advising. A
representative of the Dean charged with student advisement shall be a non-voting member.
D. Graduate Program Committee. The Committee shall engage in a continuing program of
assessment of College-wide policies that have direct influence on the quality of academic
programs at the graduate level.
E. Student Financial Aid and Awards Committee. The Committee shall establish and review
policy for administering the College's scholarship, assistantship, and awards programs. The
Committee shall actively develop resources from public, private, and foundation funding sources
to assure healthy and balanced programs to meet the needs of undergraduate and graduate
students, including the special needs of minority students. The Committee shall review
applications for scholarships, assistantships, and awards and recommend recipients. The
Committee shall meet regularly once per year in February or March to recommend the next year's
scholarship recipients.
Section 4. Special Committees may be authorized by the Dean or by vote of the Faculty for any
purpose not provided for in Standing Committees.
ARTICLE SEVEN. STUDENT ACADEMIC REGULATIONS.
Section 1. Student Academic Regulations shall be such as the Faculty shall adopt.
Section 2. By application to the Dean's office, a student may seek a degree in the Bachelor of
Science or Bachelor of Arts degree program in one of the majors specified by the Faculty. The
undergraduate curriculum shall include preprofessional requirements specified by the Faculty, the
general education and other requirements of the State University System, and major
requirements designated by the Faculty, composed of a common set of core courses and choices
among elective courses related to the various majors.
Section 3. A student whose program requires a strongly cross-disciplinary composition of the
student's academic advisory committee may apply to the College to enter a Master of Science or
Doctor of Philosophy degree program in areas specified by the Faculty. A majority of the
committee, including the committee chair, shall be members of the College Faculty. Applications
must be approved by the College Dean.
ARTICLE EIGHT. AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS.
Section 1. Proposed amendments to these Bylaws shall be submitted in writing to the Faculty not
less than 14 days prior to a duly called faculty meeting.
Section 2. Proposed amendments to these Bylaws shall be accepted by a majority vote of those
Faculty present at a duly called faculty meeting.