Bd. Min 3-19-71; Amended 10-12-73; 2-18-77; 12-15-78; 6-18-82; 2-11-83; 6-24-83; 5-4-84; 5-3-85; 7-29-88; 3-10-89; 6-22-90; 5-3-91; 1-29-92; 5-8-92, 5-6-93; 3-29-94; 3-24-95; 4-25-96; 5-29-97; 10-16-98; 5-27-99; 3-23-00; 9-28-01; 12-01-05; 12-15-06; 06-06-08, 12-10-10; 11-21-13; 4-10-15; 6-26-15; 10-7-16; 6-21-18; Bd. Min. 9-24-20; Bd. Min. 6-24-21.
- PURPOSE OF GOVERNING PRACTICES - The purpose of these Bylaws is to establish a body that represents the voice of the Faculty and to establish an effective vehicle for the needs and concerns of the Faculty to be presented for discussion and debate. These Bylaws assume that Faculty may participate in academic decision processes. The right of the Faculty to organize and to carry out the responsibilities and functions delegated to them by the Board of Curators (Board) is recognized in Section 10.030.D.2 of the Collected Rules and Regulations of the ϲʹ.
- FACULTY
- Membership - The Faculty of the ϲʹ-St. Louis shall consist of the President, the Chancellor, tenured and tenure-track faculty, and all full-time, ranked, non-tenure track (NTT) faculty with professorial designation, and others elected by the Faculty. Elected members so designated by the Faculty shall be non-voting members of the Faculty. Campus-wide faculty votes on issues specific to tenure or tenured/tenure track (T/TT) faculty will be restricted to T/TT faculty.
- Faculty Rights -
- Academic Rights - Each faculty member has the right to freedom of inquiry, discourse, teaching, research and publication, as well as the responsibilities correlative with this right.
- Civil Rights - The constitutional rights of the Faculty members shall be preserved.
- Employment Rights - Faculty members shall have rights consistent with their continuous appointment or term appointment (during the term), except for cause, retirement or financial exigencies.
- Notification fo Appointment or Changes Thereto - Faculty members shall be notified of their appointments and workload, or any changes thereto, as much in advance of the beginning of institutional responsibilities as possible (as stated in the Board’s Rules and Regulations).
- Right to be Kept Informed - The Faculty shall be kept informed of actions and activities of committees and executive officers, and of other occurrences that pertain to the ϲʹ-St. Louis. When possible, such information shall be made available to the Faculty before being made available to the general public.
- Responsibilities - The Faculty of the ϲʹ-St. Louis shall bear primary responsibility for recommending and implementing educational policy, particularly in areas of curriculum, degree requirements, methods of instruction, research, requirements for admission, student affairs, and faculty status. The Faculty may also make recommendations to the Chancellor and other persons or offices concerning general policy matters affecting the University.
- Authority - The faculty's authority, as delegated by the Board of Curators, is of three types: primary and direct, in which the Faculty has essential decision-making authority; shared, in which the Faculty participates with others; and advisory, in which the Faculty counsels with the person or offices with ultimate decision-making authority. (On those matters requiring multi-campus coordination, the Faculty shall act through its appropriate bodies, UM System 300.040.B.5.)
- Primary and Direct Authority - The UMSL faculty has essential decision-making authority in matters directly affecting the educational program of UMSL, including but not limited to:
(1) Articulation and maintenance of standards of academic performance--this includes but is not limited to guidelines for appropriate research, service, and scholarships; requirements for graduation; and related matters.
(2) Development and approval of courses of instruction and curricula.
(3) Development and approval of procedures governing educational support programs on the UMSL campus.
(4) Formulation of criteria determining professional standing of faculty--including but not limited to such matters as tenure, promotion, termination, guidelines for responsibility, faculty standing with regard to graduate faculty membership and doctoral dissertation supervision.
(5) Determination of an appropriate faculty committee structure.
(6) Determination of minimum admission requirements.
(7) Selection of awardees for academic scholarships.
- Shared Authority - The UMSL faculty has shared authority by which it participates cooperatively with other persons or offices in matters such as:
(1) Development and articulation of students' rights and responsibilities.
(2) Determination of an appropriate academic calendar.
(3) Selection of awardees for honorary degrees.
(4) Application of criteria affecting professional standing of faculty, such as required professional licensure.
- Advisory Authority - The UMSL faculty has advisory authority and responsibility with other persons or offices in matters such as:
(1) Budget and resource allocation.
(2) Planning, including capital expenditures and physical facilities.
(3) Selection of departmental, divisional, campus, and university-level administrators.
(4) Determination of the campus standing committee structure.
(5) Development and implementation of general business procedures that facilitate academic program excellence.
(6) Use of facilities for program activities.
(7) Application of criteria affecting promotion, tenure and termination.
(8) Structure of academic departments and units.
- Faculty Delegation of Authority - The Faculty, recognizing that handling matters through meetings of the Faculty is cumbersome, that attendance at such meetings varies, and that it is often difficult to have complete discussion of issues at such meetings, may delegate its authority to separate schools, colleges, or such other parallel units as may be created from time to time, and to the Faculty Senate within the ϲʹ-St. Louis. The actions of the Senate, in those areas in which they have delegated authority, shall be deemed final unless challenged within 10 days. Such challenge shall require a petition signed by at least twenty-five (25) faculty members from at least two parallel units calling for a review by the Faculty of a particular Senate action.
- Primary and Direct Authority - The UMSL faculty has essential decision-making authority in matters directly affecting the educational program of UMSL, including but not limited to:
- Meetings - The Faculty of the ϲʹ-St. Louis shall meet at least twice each year and at such additional times as the President, Chancellor, or the Faculty itself may determine. Upon written request of at least twenty-five (25) members of the Faculty, the Chancellor shall call a meeting within two weeks.
- The President, or in the President’s absence, the Chancellor, or in the Chancellor’s absence, a member of the Faculty designated by the Chancellor shall preside at each faculty meeting.
- A quorum shall consist of at least ten (10) percent of the voting members of the Faculty representing at least two parallel units when business described in the published agenda is being considered. When other items of business not described in the published agenda are being considered, a quorom shall consist of at least fifty (50) percent of the voting members representing at least two parallel units.
- Notice of all meetings of the Faculty shall be sent to each member of the Faculty at least five school days prior to the meeting. Such notice includes the agenda for the meeting.
- Proceedings in Faculty meetings shall be in accordance with the rules set forth in the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order except where otherwise provided for in these Bylaws or the regulations of the ϲʹ-St. Louis.
- Official minutes shall be kept and made available to each member of the Faculty within a week of the meeting.
- The Intercampus Faculty Cabinet - Three campus representatives will serve on the Intercampus Faculty Cabinet. Two of the three shall be elected by the ϲʹ-St. Louis Faculty to serve three-year staggered terms so that no more than one of the two elected members will be replaced or reelected in any year. The Senate Chairperson shall serve as the third member of the Intercampus Faculty Cabinet.
- Campus Standing Committees -
- Grievance Resolution Panel (GRP) - The Panel shall perform the responsibilities prescribed by the Collected Rules and Regulations of the ϲʹ (370.010.C.1), "Academic Grievance Procedure.” The role of the GRP is to address grievances brought by faculty members. The panel should consist of a senior administrator appointed by the Chancellor and two tenured faculty members, and two alternate faculty members. The faculty members will be chosen by the Faculty Senate after consultation with the Chancellor or the Chancellor’s designee. Members shall serve two-year staggered renewable terms.
- Degree Revocation Committee - In accordance with 220.025, this committee shall have jurisdiction to consider any case in which revocation of a degree, diploma and/or certificate is proposed. The Committee shall be called the Campus Degree Revocation Committee. Four (4) members of the Campus Degree Revocation Committee and an alternate to serve in the event one of the four (4) members cannot serve, shall be appointed annually by the Chancellor after consultation with the Faculty Council or Faculty Senate. Each of the members of the Committee and the alternate shall be a faculty member on continuous appointment at the rank of Professor or Associate Professor. In the event that the Chancellor approves the initiation of the procedures for revocation of a degree, diploma and/or certificate, the Chancellor shall appoint a fifth member of the Campus Degree Revocation Committee, who shall also be a faculty member at one of the campuses of the ϲʹ System on continuous appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor and who shall be from the same discipline or a related discipline as the department faculty who recommended the award of the degree, diploma and/or certificate, but who shall not be a faculty member in such department. The Campus Degree Revocation Committee shall elect a Chair from among its five (5) members.
- STUDENT BODY
- Membership - The student body of the ϲʹ-St. Louis shall consist of all persons who are officially enrolled as regular full-time or part-time students in the ϲʹ-St. Louis.
- Responsibilities- The student body shall have the responsibility to participate in the recommending and implementing of educational policy, particularly in the areas of academic and student affairs. The student body may, through its official representatives, make recommendation to the Vice Provost for Student Affairs or the Chancellor concerning general policy matters affecting the ϲʹ-St. Louis.
- STAFF
- Membership - Non-academic staff members participate in shared governance through The UMSL Staff Association, whose membership includes all benefits eligible administrative, service and support staff of the ϲʹ-St. Louis.
- Responsibilities - The staff of the ϲʹ-St. Louis, through its official representatives, shall have the responsibility of considering methods and means by which employment conditions may be improved and the operating efficiency of the ϲʹ-St. Louis increased; receiving and considering matters concerning working conditions; making such recommendations that it deems appropriate, and communicating problems of mutual concern to the ϲʹ-St. Louis administration.
- FACULTY SENATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS
(Hereinafter referred to as Senate)- Responsibilities - The Faculty Senate is the legislative and policy-making body of the Faculty. It carries out the responsibilities of the Faculty (see Section 300.040 B.3) not reserved by the Faculty as a body or specifically delegated to the University Assembly (Section 300.040 E). The Senate, as a represenetative faculty voice, shall advise the chancellor and the UMSL faculty on questions of UMSL policy submitted by either to the Senate. It may also initiate recommendations concerning changes in UMSL policy for consideration and appropriate action by the chancellor or UMSL faculty.
- Delegation of Authority
- Since the authority of the Senate is delegated to it by the Faculty, it is subject to over-rule by the Faculty.
- All authority delegated by the Senate to committees or individuals is subject to revocation by the Senate.
- Committees of the Senate - In their deliberations the committees shall, when appropriate, consult with the Chancellor or other administrative officers; with representatives of the separate schools, colleges, and other parallel units which may be created from time to time; with departments and concerned faculty; and with students and student organizations. Committee recommendations shall be made to the Senate or to the appropriate administrative officer.
The Senate shall establish the following standing committees:
- Committee on Committees - The Committee on Committees shall be responsible for nominating for election all faculty members of the committees of the Senate and the University Assembly. The chair of the Committee shall be a faculty Senator.
- Steering Committee of the Faculty Senate and University Assembly (hereinafter referred to as the Steering Committee) - The Steering Committee shall consist of the Senate Chairperson, who shall serve as Chairperson of the Steering Committee, the Chancellor, the Secretary of the Senate, and three elected Senators. Chairs of Senate and Assembly Committees will be asked to attend Steering Committee meetings when their committees have items for the agenda of the next Senate or Assembly meeting. It shall be the responsibility of the Steering Committee:
(1) To call regular and special meetings of the Senate and Assembly and to prepare the agenda prior to each meeting.
(2) To coordinate the work and activities of the Senate and Assembly and of Senate and Assembly committees.
(3) To meet regularly and frequently with the Chancellor to discuss matters of policy concerning the ϲʹ-St. Louis.
(4) As an agency of the Senate and Assembly, to maintain avenues of communication with the Faculty and student body of the ϲʹ-St. Louis, with campus administrative officers and the governing board of the University.
(5) To establish all guidelines for elections for membership in the Senate and Assembly and to supervise said elections. - Committee on Curriculum and Instruction - The Committee shall have general responsibility for recommending to the Senate policies and procedures in the area of curriculum and instruction. It shall also recommend policies regarding graduation requirements, special honors programs, and academic publications such as catalogs and schedules of courses.
(1) The Committee also shall regularly recommend to the Senate the calendar of the University. It shall recommend policies relating to schedules of classes and final examination schedules. Departures from calendars and examination schedules will be recommended by this Committee.
(2) New degrees and degree programs proposed by the separate schools, colleges, and such other parallel units as may be created from time to time, shall be submitted by the appropriate dean or equivalent to the Committee for recommendation to the Senate.
(3) Curricular additions and changes will be sent by the appropriate dean or equivalent to the Committee to be examined for overlap and duplication. In the absence of overlap and/or duplication, such proposals will be reported to the Senate. - Committee on Appointments, Tenure, and Promotion - The Committee shall consist of full professors holding a tenure appointment. There shall be one member on the Committee elected from each of the parallel units. There shall also be two members elected at large from the campus. The Committee shall elect a chairperson from among its members.
(1) Initial academic appointments to the ϲʹ-St. Louis recommended as tenure appointments shall be submitted by the Department or Division concerned through the Dean or equivalent of the appropriate school, college, or other parallel unit. The Dean or equivalent shall forward the Department’s or Division’s recommendations with the Dean’s or equivalent’s own recommendations for approval or disapproval. After consideration, the Committee on Appointments, Tenure, and Promotion shall submit its recommendations to the Chancellor.
(2) Tenure recommendations for Faculty holding term appointments, and recommendations for promotion above the rank of assistant professor, shall be made in accordance with the procedure outlined above.
(3) It shall be the responsibility of this Committee together with the appropriate administrative officers, to establish, develop, and maintain in all areas of the University the highest standards of faculty quality. - Committee on Promotion of Non-Tenure Track Faculty – The Committee shall consist of eligible faculty holding the rank of Teaching Professor, Clinical Professor, Extension Professor, or Research Professor and at least one full professor. There shall be one member on the Committee elected from each of the parallel units. There shall also be two faculty members elected at large from the campus. The Committee shall elect a chairperson from among its members.
(1) The Dean or equivalent shall forward the Department’s or Division’s recommendations with the Dean’s (or equivalent) own recommendation for approval or disapproval of promotion to the Committee. After consideration, the Committee shall submit its recommendation to the Chancellor.
(2) Promotion recommendations will be made in accordance with procedures determined by the Committee, consistent with the Collected Rules and Regulations of the ϲʹ.
(3) The committee shall use standards created by the academic units and shall not create additional campus-wide standards.
(4) It shall be the responsibility of this Committee, together with the appropriate administrative officers, to establish, develop, and maintain in all areas of the University the highest standards of faculty quality. - Committee on Research - The Committee shall consist of two panels, one meeting in the fall semester and the other meeting in the spring semester.
(1) The Fall and Spring panels shall meet in the fall to elect a committee chairperson for each panel, to clarify program objectives, to coordinate deadlines, and to set guidelines for research proposals and awards. Thereafter, the panels shall meet during their semester of service to advise and make recommendations on:
(a) Competitions for internal grant funds, including financial support during the summer and during research leaves, support for research assistants, grants for equipment and supplies, and funds for travel to research locations, and
(b) Nominations for campus, University, and external research awards that are available campus-wide.(2) Each panel shall also meet after completing its work in order to review procedures and develop recommendations for the following year’s committee to consider.
(3) The committee chairperson shall vote only as a member of the panel to which he/she has been elected.
(4) Panel members are ineligible to receive funding and awards under the jurisdiction of the panel on which they serve during the period of their service on the panel. The committee chairperson is ineligible to receive funding and awards under the Committee’s jurisdiction during the entire year of his/her service as chairperson. - Committee on Research and Libraries - The Research and Libraries Committee shall be responsible for recommending and reviewing issues and policy in the areas of research, research administration, and libraries, including library budgetary issues. It shall advise the Vice Chancellor for Research and the Dean of Libraries, serve as a liaison between the libraries and the university research community via the Senate, and consider any matter referred by the Senate, the Dean of Libraries, the Vice Chancellor for Research, or any member of the campus community.
- Committee on Faculty Teaching and Service Awards - The Committee shall formulate and publish guidelines for campus-wide teaching and service awards; solicit nominations for these awards as well as University and external teaching and service awards; and recommend candidates to the Chancellor.
Members of the Committee are ineligible to receive awards under the Committee’s jurisdiction during the entire period of their service on the Committee. - Committee on Academic Advisory and Assessment - The Committee shall have the general responsibility for making recommendations to the Provost on academic issues affecting the University, including general policies and procedures governing the evaluation of academic instruction and advising, and assessment of educational outcomes and other related academic and educational assessment matters. The Committee shall also regularly review and advise on policies and procedures in this area and recommend changes when appropriate.
- Committee on Bylaws and Rules for the Faculty Senate and University Assembly - The Committee shall:
(1) Receive all proposals for changes to the Bylaws and the Collected Rules and Regulations, review proposed changes to the Bylaws and the Collected Rules and Regulations, and initiate the process of Bylaws changes as smoothly and infrequently as possible.
(2) Recommend interpretation of the Bylaws and Collected Rules and Regulations upon the written request of the Senate Chairperson, and report its conclusions to the Senate.
(3) Compile and maintain a current set of Senate and Assembly Operating Rules, consider changes in Operating Rules, and report recommendations regarding Operating Rules to the Senate. - Committee on Research Misconduct - The Committee shall perform the responsibilities prescribed by the Collected Rules and Regulations of the ϲʹ (420.010), “Research Misconduct.”
- Committee on Issues of Tenure Removal - The Committee shall conduct hearings in removal cases or in disputed cases involving tenure rights and status as provided for in the Academic Tenure Regulations of the ϲʹ. This committee is referred to as the Campus Faculty Committee on Tenure in the Academic Tenure Regulations (310.050). Grievances by faculty members shall be handled through the Academic Grievances Procedure.
- Oversight Committee - The Committee shall perform the responsibilities prescribed by the Collected Rules and Regulations of the ϲʹ (370.010.C.11), "Academic Grievance Procedure.” The role of the Oversight Committee is to monitor the grievance process as neutral observers and provide feedback on the process to the Faculty Senate, the Faculty, and the Provost’s and Chancellor’s offices.
- Ad hoc Committees - As the need arises, the Senate shall establish or recommend to the Chancellor establishment of ad hoc committees.
Ad hoc Senate Committees shall be established through Senate approval of nominees selected by the Senate Committee on Committees or by nomination from the floor of the Senate. The faculty composition for each ad hoc committee shall be determined by the Senate. - University-Wide and Statewide Committees - Reports from University-wide and statewide committees may be presented to the Senate. Whenever possible, representatives of the ϲʹ-St. Louis serving on University-wide and/or statewide committees should advise the Senate Steering Committee if a report to the Senate is necessary.
- UNIVERSITY ASSEMBLY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS
(Hereinafter referred to as Assembly)- Membership - The voting members of the Assembly shall consist of the elected members of the Faculty Senate; the UM System President; the Chancellor; and such others as are designated by the Senate in the Faculty Senate Operating Rules.
- Responsibilities - The Assembly provides a forum for many of the major stakeholders of the University, including administrators, faculty, staff and students, to work together. The Assembly may exercise those responsibilities of the Faculty (see Section 300.040 B.3) that are delegated by the Faculty as a body.
- Meetings and Officers - The Assembly shall meet regularly every other month during the academic year or in special meetings as called by the Steering Committee of the Senate and the Assembly (hereinafter referred to as the Steering Committee). The Steering Committee shall call a special meeting of the Assembly on request of the Chancellor or of any five members of the Assembly. Proceedings in Assembly meetings shall be in accordance with the rules set forth in the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order. A quorum shall consist of a majority of elected representatives.
- The elected officers of the Assembly shall be the same as those for the Senate.
- The Chairperson, or in the Chairperson’s absence a voting member of the Assembly designated by the Chairperson, shall be the presiding officer at each meeting of the Assembly.
- Committees of the Assembly - All members of the eligible faculty, Administration, and Staff shall be eligible to serve on Assembly committees. Students who satisfy the eligibility requirements for service on the Assembly shall also be eligible to serve on Assembly committees. The standing committees of the Assembly shall be elected each year at the second organizational meeting of the Senate.
The Assembly shall establish the following standing committees:- Administrator Evaluation - The Committee shall annually conduct an evaluation of administrators on the UM-St. Louis campus.
- Budget and Planning Committee - This Committee makes recommendations to the Faculty Senate, the Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor for Administration and Finance on matters concerning the long-range vision of the campus; plans to fulfill this vision; and budgetary matters as a consequence of the vision. This includes, but is not limited to, significant matters of a budgetary nature, and policies and priorities for strategic action plans. The Committee studies the Campus budget, keeps informed of its preparation and status, and consults with and advises the Chancellor on significant matters pertaining to budgetary affairs.
- Committee on Recruitment, Admissions, Retention, and Student Financial Aid - The Committee shall:
(1) Monitor processes associated with recruitment, admissions, retention, and student financial aid and facilitate reporting to the Assembly.
(2) Recommend policies and procedures to the Assembly, the Dean of Enrollment, the Director of Student Retention Services, and the Director of Student Financial Aid regarding recruitment, admissions, retention, and student financial aid.
(3) Facilitate discussion with administrators and students on policies and procedures regarding scholarships, advisement and appeals. - Committee on Student Affairs - The Committee on Student Affairs shall be responsible for recommending and reviewing policy in the areas of non-academic regulations and student services, such as student organizations and student publications, advising administration on policies related to students, and recommending approval of new student organizations. The responsibilities of the committee may be exercised by subcommittees established in any of the above areas. Faculty and staff members with administrative responsibilities in these areas shall be members of the subcommittees dealing in those areas.
- Committee on Physical Facilities, Space, and General Services - The Committee shall have the general responsibility for recommending to the Assembly policies and procedures in the areas of campus facilities and general services. It shall act in an advisory and fact-finding capacity for the planning of physical facilities, review and report priority matters relating to maintenance, construction, and support services to the Assembly, and review and process complaints and suggestions regarding physical facilities and services.
The Committee shall be responsible for formulating long-range space recommendations including the type and amount of space needed, and priorities. Proposals for a long-term or campus-wide nature will be brought to the Assembly for discussion, debate, and ultimate recommendation to the Chancellor.
Allocation of existing unused space will be recommended to the Chancellor by the Committee and reported to the Assembly. - Committee on Information Technology – The Committee shall be responsible for general policy issues regarding campus information technology.
- Ad hoc Committees - As the need arises, the Assembly shall establish or recommend to the Chancellor establishment of ad hoc committees. Ad hoc Assembly committees shall be established through Assembly approval of nominees selected by the Senate/Assembly Committee on Committees or by nomination from the floor of the Assembly. The composition for each ad hoc committee shall be determined by the University Assembly.
- AMENDMENTS
- Proposed changes to these Bylaws shall be submitted to, or initiated by, the Bylaws and Rules Committee, which will follow the relevant procedures outlined above (D.2.l) and then provide them in written form to the Senate or Assembly as appropriate. The appropriate body shall then recommend passage or rejection of the proposed amendment(s) by majority vote. Upon passage of an amendment by the Senate or Assembly, the Chancellor shall submit the proposed change to the Faculty of the ϲʹ-St. Louis for a vote at the Spring Faculty Meeting. Bylaw changes recommended by the Senate or Assembly shall be adopted by a majority of votes cast by the Faculty. Any amendments or modifications shall be presented by the Chancellor through the President to the Board of Curators for its approval before becoming effective.
- Senate Operating Rules may be amended by majority vote of the Senate.
- Assembly Operating Rules may be amended by majority vote of the Assembly.
