Standing Committee System of the Faculty and Its Senate

GENERAL PROVISIONS REGARDING COMMITTEES

Responsive to their roles as agents of the faculty and its Senate and also as prime contributors to them of information and recommendations, all committees are charged to report to the Faculty Senate at least once annually in writing. Committees may be charged further by the Faculty or its Senate for special reports on prescribed subjects.

In the conduct of its business a committee may hold hearings and open meetings as well as joint meetings with another committee.

Faculty appointments to committees are to be for terms of two years, unless otherwise specified in the charge to a committee, staggered so as to ensure satisfactory continuity, but faculty members shall not normally serve for more than two consecutive terms on any one committee. The Committee on Committees and Nominations shall fill the unexpired terms of Senate committee members on leave, except in the case of a committee member who is able to return for a two-year period; in such cases a temporary replacement is permitted. (Rev. fall 1988)

Elections for the standing Committee on Committees and Nominations shall take place at the regular May meeting of the Senate so that this committee is fully constituted on September 1 of each year; and this committee shall prepare its nominations for other committees for action at the following regular May meeting of the Faculty Senate. Officers of the Senate (who with the chair of the Committee on Committees and Nominations form the Executive Committee) shall take office on September 1. Committee members and chairs shall take office on September 1 following their election or appointment.
(Rev. fall 1988)

A committee may subdivide itself into working subcommittees in performing its duties and may turn to the standing Committee on Committees and Nominations for the appointment of task forces, study panels, and the like as hereinafter provided, to expedite its work.

Each committee is to recognize where its work touches upon the responsibilities of individual colleges, departments, and divisions, and accordingly is to effect liaison with them so as to ensure adequate exchange of information and viewpoint.

No charge to or statement of authority or responsibility of any committee of the Faculty or its Senate hereinafter occurring shall be construed to confer upon any committee of the Faculty or its Senate any powers, duties, responsibilities, or authorities contrary to or in conflict with the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees of the University of Delaware. The purpose of the committee structure here established is solely in keeping with Trustee Bylaw Chapter 2, Section II, Paragraph C. Article 10: "(The faculty shall): determine the duties which it will delegate to faculty committees and to the faculties of the several colleges and divisions of the University."

ACADEMIC APPEALS, COMMITTEE ON

This committee shall have the sole purpose of serving at Step 4 of the Student Grievance Procedure in reviewing cases appealed to it, determining whether or not a hearing is appropriate, conducting such hearings, and rendering a decision. (See also Student Grievance Procedure in Section II, Conduct of the Academic Program.)

The committee shall consist of two graduate students and two undergraduate students chosen for one-year terms, and five members of the voting faculty appointed for four-year terms, one of whom shall be appointed as the chairperson. The faculty terms shall be staggered so that, if possible, at least three faculty members carry over each year.
(Rev. fall 1988)

ACADEMIC PRIORITIES REVIEW COMMITTEE

This committee shall provide direct faculty advice concerning long-term priorities for the University to the Office of the University Provost. The committee will also advise the Office of the University Provost in preparing materials for Middle States Accreditation reviews and updates, which occur on a five-year interval. The committee will be provided with information secured by the Coordinating Committee on Education and other Faculty Senate committees concerning such matters as budgets and programs under review, and it will meet regularly with the University Provost.

The committee shall consist of five members, who shall be the present and three most recent former chairpersons of the Faculty Senate Coordinating Committee on Education and one former winner of the Francis Alison Award. In the event that a former chair of the Coordinating Committee cannot serve, another former Senate officer may be appointed as a substitute. Members shall serve four-year terms, with one Senate member joining and one leaving each year. The committee will elect its own chair.
(Committee established 9/94)

COMMITTEES AND NOMINATIONS, COMMITTEE ON

This committee shall have general oversight of the committee system of the faculty. It shall regularly review the system and may make recommendations to the faculty or its Senate concerning faculty organization at all levels. It shall monitor the work of the Senate committees and receive and review the monthly and annual reports. It shall recommend the elimination of committees that no longer serve a valuable function. It is authorized directly to constitute on an interim basis such subcommittees, task forces, or study panels as may be requested by faculty committees to help carry out their work, in each case promptly recording through faculty or Senate minutes the membership and charges of such subgroups. Such subgroups which directly concern themselves with issues falling under the jurisdiction of the Vice President of Student Life shall include a substantial number of students to ensure the diverse representation of student interests, with voting status to be determined by this committee. It shall prepare for action by the faculty or its Senate, slates of nominees for Vice President, Secretary, three Senate designees nominated for membership to the Committee on Committees and Nominations, faculty members to the Board of Trustees committees, and standing committees of the faculty, except where nominations and elections are otherwise explicitly provided for, and also for such ad hoc or other committees as the faculty or its Senate may specify. Upon request from the President of the University, it shall propose faculty names for University bodies he or she is preparing to appoint, in the nature of staff assistance without implying a position of the faculty regarding such bodies.
(Rev. 5/10/93)

Except in cases where individuals are elected by the University Faculty Senate, this committee shall fill vacancies in faculty committees for the unexpired terms using the following options: 1.) replacement for the period of the vacated member's term or 2.) for the period of the vacated member's term and an additional full term not to exceed three years. Whenever a vacancy occurs in a position which was filled by a Senate election, the replacement will be chosen by a special Senate election. The committee is encouraged to solicit, receive, and hear suggestions regarding faculty committees from any member of the University community; adjudicate questions of interpretation of faculty committee functions, including questions of overlap of such functions; help formulate rules of committee operation or procedure upon request; and perform other consultative or supervisory functions that will promote the effectiveness of faculty committees according to their charges.
(Rev. 4/94)

This committee shall annually canvass the faculty for individual faculty members' interest in serving on committees, and may employ the members of the Senate to conduct the canvass on a personal basis. The willingness of nominees to serve on committees shall be ascertained before their names are submitted for action. The committee in preparing nominations shall have regard for equitable distribution with respect to academic ranks and with respect to disciplines and academic units of the University, and may consult with Deans and Department Chairpersons concerning workloads of faculty members. The committee may otherwise consult with the President and other appropriate members of the University community regarding its nominations. To ensure adequate information-flow between the Faculty Senate and the faculty committees, the Committee on Committees and Nominations shall take care that Senators are adequately distributed over the family of committees with appropriate memberships therein. It shall designate one of the faculty appointed to the Committee on Student Life to serve also as a member of the Council on Judicial Affairs. The committee's nominations shall specify committee chairpersons.

This committee shall receive and transmit to the faculty or its Senate the nominations of the duly constituted undergraduate and graduate student governments for student memberships on faculty committees as specified. In the absence of a graduate student government, each Senate committee shall choose its own graduate student member(s) as required, unless otherwise specified.

The committee shall consist of one member who is elected for a two-year term from and by each Unit as defined in the Constitution of the Faculty, and three Faculty members-at-large, elected for two-year terms by the Faculty Senate. Following this election, the Faculty Senate shall select one of the faculty designees to act as chairperson for a one-year term and who will also serve as a member of the Executive Committee. If feasible, at least one committee member shall be a senator.
(Committee Revised fall 1988)

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES AND PUBLIC EVENTS, COMMITTEE ON

It should be the objective of the Cultural Activities and Public Events Committee to foster, encourage, and coordinate throughout the University programs of local, national, and world significance that illuminate, explain, articulate, or are a creative part of the cultures of mankind. The committee shall work with any and all agencies of the University specifically to sponsor, direct, or advise on programs which bring to the University notable and creative figures in scholarship, presentations, art exhibits, and media productions, or any presentation that reflects upon the University's obligation to foster and contribute to the cultural life of the community and the world.

The Cultural Activities and Public Events Committee will meet and will have the specific responsibility of establishing a budget. The Committee will select from its membership a fiscal agent who will have oversight of expenditures. The fiscal agent should have knowledge of the University accounting system and have direct access to secretarial support.

The Cultural Activities and Public Events Committee shall consist of: eight faculty members, two to represent art, two to represent the performing arts, two to represent visiting scholars and speakers, and two to represent films, one of whom shall be appointed as chairperson; two undergraduate students; a graduate student; and an appointee of the Vice President for Student Life.
(Rev. 5/1/89)

DIVERSITY AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, COMMITTEE ON

This committee shall review all University policies and practices pertaining to diversity and affirmative action in the recruiting and retaining of students, staff, and faculty. The committee shall submit an annual report in May evaluating the status of policies and practices. It shall recommend statements of goals, policies, and practices for consideration by the University community and the Senate whenever changes in these functions are needed.

The committee shall consist of five faculty members who shall serve three-year terms, one of whom shall be appointed chair by the Committee on Committees and Nominations, one graduate student who shall serve a one-year term, two undergraduates who shall serve one-year terms, and the Vice President for Administration or his or her designee. Initial appointments shall be staggered to insure continuity on the committee.
(5/21/90;  title updated 2/98)

EDUCATION, COORDINATING COMMITTEE ON

This committee shall be a continuing center for overviewing the broad educational affairs of the University; for providing a large context for the examination and preparation of educational proposals; and for providing liaison and coordination among the following enumerated educational committees. It shall survey academic weaknesses and strengths and help formulate and assess educational policies and practices. Mindful of Trustee and administrative responsibility for the University's fiscal affairs, and at the same time recognizing budgetary matters as a main instrument of academic development, this committee is authorized to confer with the Provost concerning the establishment of academic priorities and their implementation, and such other related budgetary matters as may arise.

This committee shall be made up of the President Elect of the Senate who shall chair the committee; the Provost or his or her designee; three faculty members appointed for three- year terms by the Committee on Committees and Nominations; one undergraduate and one graduate student; and the chairpersons of the following enumerated standing committees of the Faculty Senate.

1) Committee on Graduate Studies
2) Committee on Undergraduate Studies
3) Committee on Instructional, Computing and Research Support Services
4) Library Committee
(Rev. 11/4/91;  editorial update 3/98;  editorial update 12/99)

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

This committee shall be composed of the elected officers of the Senate, who are the President of the Senate, the President-Elect of the Senate, the Vice President of the Senate, the Secretary of the Senate, and the Chairperson of the Committee on Committees and Nominations. (Rev. Fac. Sen. 9/15/97)

The committee is charged with receiving, filing, and considering agenda items for Senate meetings; informing the Faculty of ongoing activities of the Senate and other University committees in order to encourage contributions to projects still in their formative stages; advising the President of the University on the agenda for meetings of the University Faculty and other matters of mutual interest; and bringing to the attention of the Senate such information, recommendations, and resolutions as are deemed necessary for the performance of its constituted duties.

The Executive Committee shall meet at least once weekly during the academic year (September to May) and shall include on its agenda provision for appropriate written acknowledgment of all proposals, comments, questions, or other memoranda directed to and received by the Senate. It shall be the responsibility of the Secretary of the Senate to assure the efficient filing of all such correspondence, as well as of adequate minutes of Executive Committee meetings.
(Rev. fall 1988)

FACULTY WELFARE AND PRIVILEGES, COMMITTEE ON

This committee is charged to develop and review general policies in the areas of reappointment, dismissal, faculty evaluation and appraisal, academic freedom and other areas of personnel policy and conditions of faculty employment, and to prepare recommendations concerning such policies for transmission to the Trustees through the faculty or its Senate, and through the President of the University, in accordance with Trustee Bylaws.

This committee is charged with jurisdiction over faculty complaints which are not grievances as defined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Procedures for mediation and hearing of complaints are detailed in "Mediation and Hearing Procedures" which was approved by the University Faculty Senate April 6, 1992 and is maintained in the office of the University Faculty Senate. The committee's decisions on complaints are presented as advisory opinions to the University Provost.

This committee shall consist of seven faculty members, one of whom shall be designated chair and one of whom shall be an assistant professor.

Nothing in the charge to this committee shall be interpreted as overriding the Collective Bargaining Agreement or the laws of the State of Delaware governing collective bargaining. (Rev. 4/6/92)

GRADUATE STUDIES, COMMITTEE ON

This committee shall review and consider matters relating to graduate education and shall receive, and may stimulate and originate proposals for its development.

This committee shall formulate, for determination by the Faculty Senate, the policies for admission to graduate study. It shall have the power to act on the alteration, addition or deletion of individual graduate courses recommended by college committees and to delegate this authority to the individual colleges, Office of the University Registrar, or Office of Graduate Studies, as it deems appropriate. It shall have the power to act on minor modifications of approved graduate programs and shall make recommendation to the Faculty Senate on courses of study leading to graduate degrees and on matters of policy concerning graduate study, and may employ outside consultants to this end. The committee shall have the authority and responsibility for general policies concerning the judicial system for graduate students. In the absence of a duly constituted graduate student government, each academic year it shall appoint the graduate student member of the Committee on Student Life. (Detailed procedures for instituting or modifying graduate degree programs are on file in the Senate Office and Office of Graduate Studies.)
(Rev. 4/6/92)

The Faculty Senate Committee on Graduate Studies shall periodically receive from the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies a review of the status of each department's program of graduate studies and appropriate recommendations for any action that may be deemed necessary. In addition, the affected unit or units shall be afforded an opportunity to review and comment on the Associate Provost's review. Such comments from the unit shall also be transmitted to the Graduate Studies Committee. The Graduate Studies Committee shall prepare its own recommendations pertaining to periodic reviews of individual graduate programs.

On the recommendation of the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies, this committee shall certify to the President students who have completed the requirements for advanced degrees and upon whom the faculty, with the approbation of the Trustees, is conferring such degrees; such certification shall be entered into the minutes of the faculty or its Senate.

1. The faculty members of the Graduate Studies Committee shall be selected by the Senate Committee on Committees and Nominations from among experienced scholars of the faculty, who shall possess established reputations in their fields, a strong commitment to the highest graduate standards, and experience with various types of graduate degree programs.
   
   
2. The chairperson of the Committee on Committees and Nominations shall annually solicit nominations for service on the Committee on Graduate Studies from the Associate Provost of Graduate Studies, the University Provost, and other sources.
   
   
3. The Committee shall consist of a chairperson and one representative from each college offering a graduate program, serving for three-year terms to be arranged in sequence such that the terms of no more than four members shall expire in any academic year. In addition, there shall be two ex officio members, the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies and the Director of the University Library. There shall be two graduate student members appointed. In the absence of a duly constituted graduate student government, the Committee on Graduate Studies shall have the responsibility of arranging the election of graduate student senators. Members as they retire from the Committee shall be replaced by members with the new period of tenure.
   
   
4. The Chairperson of the Graduate Studies Committee shall be selected by the Committee on Committees and Nominations, and shall be confirmed by the Senate for a two-year term. Nominations for this position shall be taken from a register maintained by the Faculty Senate Office of persons who have served at least one previous term of membership on the Graduate Studies Committee.  (Rev. 4/6/92)
   

This committee will advise the Senate on policies, practices and needs for educational resource facilities and computer facilities. It will further represent the faculty to the Vice President for Information Technologies, the Director of the Instructional Technologies Center, the Director of the Library, and the Director of the University Bookstore.

The Committee on Instructional, Computing and Research Support Services shall consist of one faculty member from each of the colleges of the University, one of whom shall be appointed as chairperson; an undergraduate student; a graduate student; a designee of the Director of the Library; a designee of the Vice President for Information Technologies; a designee of the Director of the Instructional Technologies Center; and a designee of the Director of the University Bookstore.
(Committee added fall 1988; rev. 2/94)

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, COMMITTEE ON

This committee shall coordinate, facilitate, stimulate, and encourage international study. It shall make recommendations and advise the University on appropriate policies and procedures to further international educational activities.

This committee shall consist of five faculty members, one of whom shall be designated the chairperson, the Foreign Student and Scholar Advisor, one appointment by the University Provost, one undergraduate student and one graduate student.

LIBRARY COMMITTEE

This committee shall consist of the Director of Libraries; one faculty from each of the several colleges (with the exception of the College of Arts and Science, which shall have two, one of whom shall be from a discipline in the Humanities); one undergraduate student; and one graduate student. One of the faculty shall be appointed chairperson. It shall serve as a focus for advising the Director and the faculty or its Senate as to policies and practices regarding the University Libraries.
(Rev. 4/94)

PROMOTIONS AND TENURE, COMMITTEE ON

This committee shall review proposed promotions and the granting of tenure to ensure compliance with the units' published criteria and shall either endorse or question recommendations. The committee shall also review adverse recommendations by departments, colleges, or other administrative units that are formally brought to its attention by individual faculty members, and shall advise the appropriate departments and colleges in such cases. In all cases considered, the committee's formal recommendation shall be made known to all appropriate faculty and officers of the University, but unendorsed recommendations and the reasons thereof shall be made known only to the individual faculty member concerned, the department chairperson and/or dean of the college, and the Provost. Whenever the committee discovers a violation of appropriate procedures, the committee will so inform the Provost at the same time that it makes its recommendation to the Provost on the said candidate's promotion and tenure. The committee shall recommend to the Senate University-wide policies and procedures relating to promotion and tenure and shall advise the faculties of the colleges and departments and the President of the University on the formulations of these policies. It shall ensure that these University-wide policies and procedures are made known within each department and throughout the University, and that unit criteria are roughly comparable throughout the University.
(Rev. 12/3/90; 5/96)

No individual serving on this committee may vote on candidates from his or her own department or participate in the discussion of such candidates. No individual may serve on this committee during the same year in which she or he serves on a college-level promotion and tenure committee.
(Rev. 9/8/86; 5/96;  corrected 7/97)

This committee shall consist of four tenured professors and two tenured associate professors. Two of these six shall be from the College of Arts and Science. At least one member of the committee shall be a woman and at least one member shall be a man. No administrative officers (including department chairs) should be appointed to serve on this committee.
(Rev. Fall 1988; 5/96)

RESEARCH, COMMITTEE ON

This committee shall develop and recommend policies relating to research and patent matters at the University and shall hear comments and suggestions on such policies and on their implementation. It shall participate in the award of faculty research and development grants by the University, and it shall actively seek other means of encouraging research by staff and students. It shall have power to review research proposals submitted to it using inside or outside reviewers.

This committee shall consist of the Vice Provost for Research and eight faculty members, one of whom shall be chairperson. Membership on this committee should be restricted to faculty members who have an established record of research and who continue to be actively engaged in a program of research. The faculty committee members should be chosen to be representative of the following general areas: four members should be chosen from the arts, humanities and social sciences (faculty in colleges such as Arts and Science, Business and Economics, Education, Human Resources, Physical Education, and Urban Affairs could most likely be appointed to one of these positions); four members should be chosen from the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics (including faculty in Arts and Science, Agriculture, Marine Studies, and Nursing).
(Rev. fall 1988)

RETIRING, RETIRED AND EMERITI FACULTY SUBCOMMITTEE
(subcommittee of the Committee on Faculty Welfare and Privileges)

This subcommittee is charged with examining University policy and making recommendations with regard to the welfare and privileges of retiring, retired, and emeriti faculty, and it shall report to and through the Committee on Faculty Welfare and Privileges to the Faculty Senate.

Members of the subcommittee shall be selected by the Committee on Committees and Nominations and shall be confirmed by the Faculty Senate. The subcommittee shall consist of two tenured faculty members, one of whom is a member of the Committee on Faculty Welfare and Privileges and two members who have retired from the faculty of the University. The subcommittee shall select its own chair, but for convenience, the chair of the Committee on Faculty Welfare and Privileges may designate one member as acting chair to call the first meeting of the subcommittee each academic year. Members of the subcommittee shall serve for two year terms; the Committee on Committees is empowered to adjust the initial terms of appointment so that one half of the subcommittee members are replaced each year.
(Rev. 9/82)

RULES, COMMITTEE ON

Subject to the approval of the faculty or its Senate, this committee shall formulate, codify, and review rules and bylaws concerning the function of the Senate and the sessions of the University Faculty, and it shall recompute faculty memberships in the Senate according to the Constitution of the Faculty. This committee shall also keep continuing records and oversight of the body of faculty, Senate actions, and related University regulations, and it may advise upon the bearing thereto of new legislation, including amendments to the Constitution.

This committee shall consist of the Secretary of the Senate, who shall be its chairperson, and four other members chosen from current and past members of the Senate who serve two-year staggered terms. Of these four appointed members, no more than two may be from the same College.
(Rev. 4/6/92; 4/12/99)

STUDENT AND FACULTY HONORS, COMMITTEE ON

This committee shall recommend the policies governing the granting of student honors and shall administer such policies as are adopted by the faculty or its Senate and approved by the Board of Trustees. It may also recommend to the President nominees for faculty honors and for graduate-student honors.

It shall consist of one member from each college, one of whom shall be chairperson; two undergraduate students and one graduate student; an appointee of the President; and a designee of the Director of the University Honors Program.
(Rev. 5/2/83)

STUDENT LIFE, COMMITTEE ON

This committee shall formulate rules and regulations bearing upon the care, control, and government of students, and except where otherwise delegated, upon student extra-course activities. It shall advise the Vice President for Student Life on the implementation of rules and regulations enacted by the faculty or its Senate, and at least once annually shall review and evaluate with him or her these rules and regulations and their implementation. The committee shall generally assist and advise the Vice President for Student Life and be assisted and advised by him or her, meeting with the Vice President upon request and requesting meetings as needed. The committee shall also specifically advise upon student financial aid, student residence halls, student counseling and placement, and student health, and upon policies governing beverage alcohol use and substance abuse; it shall meet with the directors of administrative units responsible for these matters, at the request of the directors or at the discretion of the chairperson of the committee. It shall have general oversight of the policies of the Undergraduate Student Judicial System, as provided for below. It shall further advise upon student publications and make provision for faculty advisors to them. On all issues falling under its jurisdiction, the committee shall initially decide whether a change in the substance or wording of a policy should have the approval of the full Senate, or should only require approval of the committee itself, with the Senate informed of its action. The Senate ultimately may choose to act upon items sent to it as information.
(Rev. fall 1988)

This committee shall consist of two designees of the Vice President for Student Life; one representative of the Office of Graduate Studies, designated by the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies; five faculty members, one of whom shall be chairperson, one of whom shall serve on the Undergraduate Behavior Review Committee, one of whom shall serve on the Graduate Behavior Review Committee, and one of whom shall be appointed to membership on the undergraduate Council on Student Judicial Affairs, who shall have the authority to decide when policy changes contemplated by that Council shall require the approval of the Committee on Student Life; four undergraduate students to be appointed by the Delaware Undergraduate Student Congress, two of whom shall serve on the Undergraduate Behavior Review Committee; and one graduate student appointed by the Committee on Graduate Studies in the absence of a duly constituted Graduate Student Association, who shall also serve on the Graduate Behavior Review Committee.
(Rev. 4/5/93)

UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES, COMMITTEE ON

This committee shall review and consider matters relating to undergraduate education and shall receive, and may stimulate and originate, proposals for its development.

This committee may initiate and shall consider and formulate specific recommendations to the colleges or to the Faculty Senate on undergraduate curricular changes and interdepartmental programs. It shall have the power to act on the alteration, addition or deletion of individual undergraduate courses recommended by college committees which do not involve curricular revision, in each case consulting the deans and department chairpersons concerned, and to delegate this authority to the individual colleges and Office of the University Registrar as it deems appropriate. It shall, further, review the academic standards of the several undergraduate colleges and review and prepare recommendations concerning procedures of undergraduate advisement.
(Rev. fall 1988)

This committee shall have the responsibility for setting policies concerning academic deficiency. This committee shall receive and review for policy consideration from the Undergraduate Records and Certification Committee an annual summary report of its activities. This committee shall recommend, for final determination by the Faculty Senate, the undergraduate educational and academic admission policies, and, in consultation with the Committee on Undergraduate Records and Certification, the policies of academic standing of undergraduates. The committee shall advise the Associate Provost for Admissions and Financial Aid, the Assistant Vice President for Counseling and Student Development, and the University Registrar in implementing these policies.
(Rev. 3/13/89)

This committee shall consist of the University Provost or his or her designee; the Associate Provost for Admissions and Financial Aid or his or her designee; the University Registrar or his or her designee; three faculty members from the College of Arts and Science (if feasible, one from natural sciences and mathematics, one from arts and humanities, and one from social and behavioral sciences) and one faculty member from each other undergraduate college, one of whom shall be chairperson; one representative of the Committee on Graduate Studies; and three undergraduate students.
(Rev. 5/21/90)

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