McMicken College of Arts & SciencesUniversity of Cincinnati

Bylaws

I. Name

The organization for which these bylaws are created is the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences

II. Purpose

The purpose of the bylaws is to constitute a governance structure to conduct the business of the College through its administrative officers, three Councils, committees and meetings of the College faculty. The faculty shall be the primary legislative body of the College exercising governance authority over academic programs and policies allowed by the rules of the University of Cincinnati and the current UC/AAUP collective bargaining agreement. Article 27.2 of the 1989-1992 Agreement provides: "The rules of the Board of Trustees [3361:50-01-03] recognize the faculties of the colleges and other units, vesting in them, subject to the approval of the Board, the power to make their own regulations governing the admission and exclusion of students, the courses of instruction to be offered, grading policy, recommendations for degrees, honors and prizes, other fundamental areas of curriculum, and such other matters as may be within their jurisdiction."

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III. Members

Voting members of the faculty shall be emeritus and AAUP-represented professors, associate professors, assistant professors, and instructors in the College, the President of the University, the Senior Vice President and Provost for Baccalaureate and Graduate Education, the Dean, Associate Deans, Assistant Deans and others of academic or administrative rank as may be elected by the faculty with approval of the Dean [3361:50-01-03].

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IV. Meetings

  • Quarterly meetings of the faculty shall be held regularly no later than the seventh week of the Autumn, Winter and Spring quarters.
  • Special meetings may be called by the President, the Dean or upon request of twenty-five (25) voting members of the College faculty with one week's advance notice.
  • An agenda and supporting documents for each meeting shall be prepared by the respective Chairs of the three Councils and distributed prior to each meeting. Proposals raised at any meeting shall be referred to the agenda of the next meeting unless a two-thirds majority of those present and voting shall determine that the proposal is of such immediate importance as to suspend the rules or that it is a continuation of a matter already before the body and not a new topic.
  • The presiding officer of the meeting shall be the Dean of the College or, in his/her absence, the Dean will designate an Associate Dean of the College or the Chair of the Graduate or Undergraduate Council to preside. The presiding officer shall vote on matters before faculty only in case his/her vote can affect the result.
  • A secretary shall be appointed by the Dean to provide an accurate record of the proceedings of each meeting. This record shall be distributed to the members of the College at least one week in advance of the next meeting for approval or amendment at that meeting.
  • The rules contained in the most recent revised edition of "Robert's Rules of Order" shall govern the faculty of the College in all those cases which are applicable, and in which they are consistent with the bylaws of this faculty. The Dean shall appoint a Parliamentarian whose duty it shall be to ensure that these rules and the provisions of these bylaws are adhered to in the conduct of meetings of the faculty. The Parliamentarian shall serve at the pleasure of the Dean.
  • A quorum of the faculty for the purpose of conducting the business of the College shall be twenty percent (20%) of the voting membership.
  • Upon 2/3 present and voting, an issue before an A&S faculty meeting may be referred to the membership for a vote.
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V. Administrative Officers

The administrative officers of the College shall be the Dean, the administrative staff of the College, Department Heads, and Program Directors. Their terms of service shall be as follows:

A. Dean of the College

  1. Appointment
    • Candidates for deanship shall be nominated to the President of the University by a committee chosen in accord with University Rule 3361:10-6-01. The Provost is authorized to appoint at least 4 members, including a faculty chair, one other faculty member, and 2 students. In addition, the College faculty will elect 3 committee members, one each from the Humanities, the Natural Sciences and the Social Sciences.
    • The Dean normally will be appointed for a five-year term.
    • If favorably reviewed (see 2 below), and if he/she wishes to continue in office, the Dean may be reappointed for a five-year term. Subsequent to review, the Dean may be appointed to additional terms, no one of which shall exceed five years, and each of which will be preceded by review.
    • The length of the term of Dean shall be determined from the effective date of his/her appointment as Dean. Service as Acting Dean is not included in determining the length of term.
  2. Review: In accord with the University Rule 3361:10-6-01, in the penultimate year of appointment, a Dean wishing to serve another term shall be reviewed by the Provost assisted by a five member Faculty Assessment committee elected with representatives from the Humanities, the Natural Sciences and the Social Sciences.

B. Administrative Staff

Administrative staff such as the Associate Dean(s) and Assistant Dean(s) shall be appointed by the Dean of the College and shall serve at his/her pleasure within the guidelines of University Rules governing unclassified positions.

C. Department Heads

  1. Appointment
    1. Department Heads normally will be appointed for a five-year term.
    2. Department Heads may be recommended for additional four-year terms, no one of which shall exceed four years, and each of which is preceded by review.
    3. The length of the term of a Department Head shall be determined from the effective date of appointment. Service as Acting Head shall not be included in determining the length of the term.
  2. Review/Search Committees

    No later than February 1 of the penultimate year of a Department Head's term, or whenever a new Head must be appointed, the Dean shall appoint a committee to review the incumbent and/or to search for a new Head. The Dean may appoint a committee of either seven or of nine members. No cumulative, end of term administrative performance review is mandated for a head who does not seek appointment to an additional term.

    1. For a nine-member committee the department shall elect three, and for a seven-member committee the department shall elect two.
    2. The Dean shall appoint four to a nine member, one or two from the department and two or three from related departments. For a seven-member committee, the Dean shall appoint one from the department and two from related departments.
    3. The search committee shall include at least one non-tenured member from any department which has more than one non-tenured member.
    4. The Dean shall appoint one of the above faculty members from outside the department to chair the committee.
    5. The committee and its Chair will see that the appropriate student group elects one undergraduate and one graduate student from the department to the committee.
  3. Administrative Performance Review
    1. Evaluation Criteria

      Each department shall establish, in a democratic manner and subject to approval of the Dean, written published criteria for evaluating the Head's administrative performance. The Review/Search Committee will prepare recommendations to the department for new or revised criteria to be used in the Head's next term. When establishing criteria, the committee may consult the department's long range plan or mission statement and may conduct a written survey of department faculty and the Dean to establish priorities for leadership, scholarship, management, and advocacy. The Dean will provide the committee with a model questionnaire that might be used to solicit opinions or new or revised evaluation criteria.

    2. Annual Merit Review by the Dean

      The Head will submit annual written activity reports to the Dean highlighting performance satisfying the Evaluation Criteria and noting any revised objectives and departmental needs in the coming year. When awarding a merit pay increase to the Head, the Dean will report the amount and rationale to department faculty.

  4. Application for Reappointment

    An incumbent Head seeking appointment to an additional four-year term shall submit a dossier to the Dean no later than February 1 in the penultimate year of the current term. In a written statement of candidacy prepared for administrative performance review, the Head may evaluate past performance and identify goals, personnel, and program priorities for the next four-year term. The dossier shall also include the Evaluation Criteria previously adopted for the current term, the annual activity reports submitted by the Head since that individual's last review, the department's long range plan and/or mission statement, any report resulting from external review of the department, and other relevant supporting materials.

  5. Review Committee Procedures for Reappointment
    1. The Dean will forward the dossier to the Chairman of the Review Committee no later than February 15. The Committee at its initial meeting shall decide upon its procedure. The process and timetable for administrative performance review must be published to ensure that each faculty member in the unit can contribute. The Dean's office will provide secretarial support to the committee. The committee will keep records of its meeting which should include at least a record of those present, and actions decided upon.
    2. The Committee may not solicit, accept, or rely on unsigned written statements, but may conduct interviews as well as a confidential survey of department faculty using a fixed choice rating format based on previously published evaluation criteria. The Dean will provide the committee with a model questionnaire that might be used to solicit confidential ratings of the incumbent. The Committee may request the Dean to receive and tally confidential survey responses about the incumbent, summarizing the results for addition to the dossier. All information received and considered in making a recommendation will become part of the dossier. All material added to the dossier shall be routinely copied to the incumbent Head at the time the material is added. The incumbent may inspect the dossier and must be given the opportunity to review and respond in writing and in person to any material in or added to the file.
    3. The Review Committee will make a written report to the Dean no later than May 25 explaining the reasons for supporting its recommendation for or against reappointment. The Review Committee will notify the department faculty of its recommendation and, as needed, will propose specific revisions to the Evaluation Criteria to be used as a standard in future reviews.
  6. Search Committee Procedures for a New Head

    If the incumbent is not reappointed, the Dean will either designate the Review Committee as a Search Committee or will appoint a new Search Committee according to the provisions of 2. above. The Search Committee and the Dean will

    1. Draft a job description based on the department's most recently revised and approved evaluation criteria for the Department Head,
    2. determine whether applications are to be solicited from outside the department, and
    3. establish and publish appropriate procedures and deadlines for the search and appointment following relevant provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and Affirmative Action Rules.
    4. Program Directors: Program Directors shall be appointed by the Dean, in consultation with the faculty of the Program, and shall serve at his/her pleasure.
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VI. Councils and Committees

A. Council of Department Heads

  1. The voting members of the Head's Council will include all faculty Department Heads and Directors of Programs composed entirely of faculty unaffiliated with any department. The Dean, Associate Deans and interdepartmental program directors and A&S members of the Faculty Senate will be ex-officio, non-voting members.
  2. The Dean of the College will serve as Chair. In consultation with an Advisory Committee the Dean will prepare and circulate an agenda prior to each meeting.
  3. The Council shall meet regularly at least twice per quarter and in special sessions as shall be requested by the Dean, by one-third vote of the Council's voting members, or by majority vote of the A&S Faculty at its regular or special meetings.
  4. The Dean shall appoint a secretary who will make an accurate record of the Council's proceedings, to be distributed quarterly to the faculty prior to its regular meetings.
  5. The Council shall take deliberative and advisory action making recommendations as appropriate to the Dean and the faculty upon:
    1. Procedures for appointment, review, and search involving Department Heads and the Dean of the College, as described in Article V;
    2. All proposals for the creation of new departments within the college as described in Article VIII; the committee shall report its deliberations to the faculty within one calendar year after receiving such proposals;
    3. Procedures for review and evaluation of existing departments and policies on faculty reappointment, promotion and tenure as described in Articles IX and X;
    4. All other matters referred to the Council by the Dean, by Department Heads or Program Directors, by written petition of any fifteen voting members of the College faculty, or by majority vote of the faculty at its regular or special meetings and by A&S Student Tribunal; the Council shall report such deliberations resulting from faculty petition or vote to the faculty within one calendar year.
  6. Standing Committees
    1. The Governance Advisory Committee will include three members, elected for one-year terms by and from the Head's Council, one each from the Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences, and two members appointed by the Dean. The Committee will nominate faculty for election/appointment to Committees, prepare agenda items for the Heads's Council, and as needed designate faculty replacements for absent Committee members in summer session.
    2. The Budget and Planning Advisory Committee will include six members, elected for one-year terms by and from the Head's Council, two each from the Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences. The Dean will either chair the committee or designate a Chair. The committee will meet as needed to advise the Dean on resource allocation and long-range college planning. The committee will submit an annual written report to the Head's Council.
  7. The Dean shall be empowered to appoint committees to deliberate such matters as he/she or the Council by majority vote deems appropriate; such committees shall report to the full Council within one calendar year and to the faculty within that period plus one month, unless the rules under which the subcommittee is appointed specify otherwise.

B. Council for Graduate Affairs

  1. The voting members will include all department Graduate Studies Directors, and three graduate students selected by the GSA from the Humanities, Natural and Social Sciences. Non-voting ex-officio members will include an A&S Associate Dean, a representative of the University Dean for Graduate Studies and Research, and all A&S faculty members on the University Graduate Council and the University Research Council.
  2. Each May the Council will elect a faculty member to serve for an initial academic year as Vice-Chair and then a second year as Chair. In consultation with the Associate Dean and an Agenda Committee of three members representing the Humanities, Natural and Social Sciences the Chair will prepare and circulate an agenda prior to each meeting.
  3. The Council shall meet twice per quarter and in special sessions with seven days advance notice as requested by the Chair, by one-third of the Council's voting members, or by majority vote of the A&S faculty at its regular or special meetings.
  4. The Associate Dean shall appoint a secretary who will make an accurate record of the Council's proceedings to be distributed to the A&S faculty prior to quarterly meetings.
  5. The Council shall take deliberative and advisory action making recommendations as appropriate concerning graduate education and research in Arts & Sciences to the College faculty, the College Dean, the Provost, and the Vice President for Research. Areas of concern include but are not limited to: recruiting and admission, graduate student fellowships and research support, faculty and department research support, graduate student T.A. orientation and training, graduate research and teaching honors, awards and prizes, degree requirements, administrative organization concerning graduate matters, proposals for new courses and degree programs, policies and procedures on graduate student conduct and grievances, and A&S representation in graduate affairs.
  6. The Council will deliberate and take final action on referrals of new degree programs to the Graduate Council. Proposals rejected by the Council may be appealed to the A&S faculty for possible referral to the Graduate faculty.
  7. The Chair shall be empowered to appoint committees to deliberate such matters as he/she or the Council by majority vote deems appropriate; such committees shall report to the full Council within one calendar year.

C. Council for Undergraduate Affairs

  1. The Undergraduate Council shall comprise the Director of Undergraduate Studies from each department of the College, a representative from each program composed entirely of faculty unaffiliated with any department, and three students chosen by the A&S Tribunal. A College officer designated by the Dean, and representatives from all inter-departmental programs will be ex-officio non-voting members.
  2. Each May the Council will elect a faculty member to serve for an initial academic year as Vice-Chair and then a second year as Chair. In consultation with the Dean's designate and an Agenda Committee of three members representing the Humanities, Natural and Social Sciences the Chair will prepare and circulate an agenda prior to each meeting.
  3. The Council shall meet twice per quarter and in special sessions with seven days advance notice as requested by the Chair, by one-third of the Council's voting members, or by majority vote of the College faculty at its regular or special meetings.
  4. The College officer designated by the Dean shall appoint a secretary who will make an accurate record of the Council's proceedings to be distributed to the A&S faculty prior to quarterly meetings.
  5. The Council shall deliberate and coordinate all matters of advising and student orientation in the College, and shall perform a continuing evaluation of procedures in these areas.
  6. The Council shall take deliberative and advisory action making recommendations as appropriate to the Dean and the faculty upon all proposals for the creation and review of new programs as described in Article VII.
  7. The Chair shall be empowered to appoint committees to deliberate such matters as he/she or the Council by majority vote deems appropriate; such committees shall report to the full Council within one calendar year.
  8. The Council shall have the following committees:
    1. Student Appeals Committee

      A five-member committee on Student Appeals will include one of the Council's faculty members appointed by the Council for a one-year term, two other faculty members elected by the faculty for three-year staggered terms, one student selected by the A&S Tribunal, and an Assistant Dean as chairperson. The committee shall act upon all student petitions concerning degree requirements, probation, suspension and dismissal and shall report its actions to the Council. Committee actions shall be subject to Council reversal or remand for further deliberations. Undergraduate Council decisions on student petitions will be reported to the faculty for information purposes only.

    2. Curriculum Committee

      The Curriculum Committee will have twelve faculty members (six elected by the faculty to staggered three year terms; three nominees to the graduate faculty appointed by the Graduate Council; and three appointed by the Undergraduate Council), one undergraduate student appointed by the A&S Tribunal, and a College Officer designated by the Dean as Chair.

      Faculty members will be elected or appointed so as to represent equally the Humanities, the Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the Natural and Mathematical Sciences. In addition, appointees from the Graduate Council must include at least one member of that Council.

      The Committee shall take deliberative and advisory action upon departmental petitions for new courses; the committee must recommend to the council either approval or denial of such petitions within three calendar months. Council approval of new courses shall be reported to the faculty for information purposes only, whereas Council denials of petitions shall be subject to faculty reversal or remand for further deliberations.

    3. Disciplinary Committee
      1. The committee shall comprise four faculty members elected by the faculty for three-year staggered terms, two faculty appointed by the Council for one-year terms, and an Assistant Dean as Chairperson.
      2. The committee shall advise faculty members or the Dean on all matters concerning academic misconduct brought to its attention by either.
    4. Scholarships and Awards Committee
      1. The committee shall comprise two faculty members elected by the faculty for three-year staggered terms, one faculty member appointed by the Council for a one-year term, and an Assistant Dean as chairperson.
      2. The committee shall solicit from faculty each Spring Quarter nominations for the McKibben Medal and the Eleanor Hicks Award, to be given to the outstanding graduating man and woman, respectively, in the College. These awards are generally presented at the Honors Day Banquet of the University in early May. The committee shall present a report to the faculty at the last regular meeting of the academic year.
      3. The committee shall have executive power to select recipients of College scholarship monies and shall report its actions to the faculty at a regular meeting.
    5. College Grievance Review Committee
      1. The committee shall comprise a "pool" of six faculty members elected by the faculty for three-year staggered terms, and a "pool" of four undergraduate students appointed by the Tribunal.
      2. The Chair shall be appointed by the Dean (or his designate) from the pool of six members. At the end of his/her one-year term as Chair, that member will return to the pool of members to complete his/her elected term.
      3. The Chair shall vote only in the event of a tie.
      4. All committee procedures shall be consistent with the University Student Grievance Procedures.

D. Ad Hoc Committee

The Dean of the College may appoint such ad hoc committees as may be required to conduct the business of the College, whether upon his/her own initiative or as instructed by majority vote of the faculty at its regular or special meetings. Although determination of the composition and membership of such committees shall normally be within the authority of the Dean, specific motions passed by a majority ofthe faculty at its meetings may designate the composition and/or constitution of such committees.

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VII. Initiation and Review of A&S Programs

Programs here are considered to mean a series of studies not housed under any single departmental umbrella and which lead to a Certificate or Baccalaureate Degree.

  1. All proposals for new undergraduate academic programs within the College should provide for a review of the program within an appropriate period of time not to exceed four years from the initiation of the program and again within four years. Thereafter, reviews shall occur within every eight-year period.
  2. Any interested group of faculty or students as well as a department may initiate a request for a new academic program, as follows:
    1. Such a request must be made in writing to the Undergraduate Council. The request proposal should detail the academic worth and need for the program as well as specifics of faculty, staff, facilities, courses, other resources, and budget.
    2. The Undergraduate Council will then appoint an Ad Hoc Committee to study and evaluate the proposal in detail. The responsibility of this Ad Hoc Committee is to conduct a thorough examination of the total academic and financial aspects of the proposed program. The Ad Hoc Committee shall conduct interviews with any interested and knowledgeable persons regarding the merits of the proposed program. Any faculty member may be granted an interview by writing to the Committee.
    3. After receiving the recommendation of the Ad Hoc Committee, the Undergraduate Council can (i) reject the proposal, (ii) present the proposal to the faculty for its possible approval or (iii) return the proposal to the initiating parties with suggestions for its improvement.
    4. After receiving the recommendation of the Ad Hoc Committee, the Undergraduate Council can (i) reject the proposal, (ii) present the proposal to the faculty for its possible approval or (iii) return the proposal to the initiating parties with suggestions for its improvement.
  3. The members of a review committee shall be appointed by the Dean in the Autumn Quarter of the year in which the review shall take place. Some but not all of the members of this review committee should have served on the Ad Hoc Committee mentioned above. The intent is that this committee will constitute a review of the program which is independent of its original proponents. A written report evaluating the program shall be presented to the Dean and to the faculty before the end of the Winter Quarter of the year during which the program is reviewed.
  4. After receiving the committee's report, the faculty shall decide by a simple majority vote either (i) to discontinue the program, (ii) to continue the program, or (iii) to continue the program temporarily, in which case the next review shall be due no later than three years from the time of the faculty decision. This review should be appointed by the Dean in the Autumn Quarter of the year in which the review shall take place. It may include members of the previous committees.
  5. The director(s) of the program to be reviewed shall conduct a self-evaluation of the program and shall prepare a written report summarizing the program to be given to the Dean and the review committee by the end of the Autumn Quarter of the third year of the program.
  6. The members of the review committee shall not be involved in the program under review. Every effort should be made to insure that some of the members of the committee come from the same (or related) academic disciplines as those involved in the program under review, even though this may require recruiting examiners external to the University. The members of the review committee will be appointed by the Dean in consultation with the program under review.
  7. At the time of the adoption of any program, a statement must be filed with the Dean by the Ad Hoc Committee which gives the projections and expectations of the program. This statement should include the expected cost of the program, any additional faculty or graduate assistance required, any new courses required, any library acquisitions needed, the expected number of students in the program, any physical facilities required, any secretarial assistance required, and other items which are appropriate.
  8. The review of the program shall involve a critical analysis of the current state of the program and its effects on faculty, students, staff, etc. as compared to the original projections.
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VIII. Initiation of New Departments

Any interested group of faculty or students, as well as a department, may initiate a request for a new department.

Such a request must be made in writing to the Head's Council. The request proposal should detail the academic worth and need for the department as well as specifics of faculty, staff, facilities, courses, other resources, and budget.

The Head's Council will then appoint an Ad Hoc Committee to study and evaluate the proposal in detail. It will be the responsibility of this Ad Hoc Committee to make a recommendation regarding the academic and financial aspects of the proposed department. The Ad Hoc Committee shall conduct interviews with any interested and knowledgeable persons regarding the merits of the proposed department. Any faculty member may be granted an interview by writing to the Committee.

After receiving the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee the Head's Council can (1) reject the proposal, (2) present the proposal to the faculty for its possible approval or (3) return the proposal to the initiating parties with suggestions for its improvement.

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IX. Review and Evaluation of Existing Department

  1. Each department shall conduct its own internal evaluation, to be updated annually and submitted to the Dean. The department shall include the quality of both research and instructional efforts.
  2. In addition, an on-site external evaluation of each A&S department shall take place at least every eight years, but may be more frequent as determined by the Dean, and the Head's Council. Such external reviews shall not coincide with the review of an existing Department Head, but may, if the department wishes, precede the search for a new Head.
  3. The external review committee shall be composed of no fewer than three members, all members of the discipline under review. The department under review will recommend persons to the Dean for appointment to the review committee. The committee's report shall be due within three months following initiation of the review, with copies going both to the Dean and to the department.
  4. External evaluations should serve to point out notable professional strengths and weaknesses in relation to the resources available; areas where future needs may require strengthening of departmental programs, and areas deserving of increased support. The evaluation should include, but not be restricted to, some assessment of the quality of both research and instructional efforts.
  5. All reviews, both internal and external, shall examine the contribution of the department to an undergraduate liberal education as well as to its own discipline.
  6. Within six months after receiving the report, the Dean and Department Head shall jointly present a written report to the department under review detailing any steps which have or will be taken as a result of the evaluation.
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X. Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure

The conditions required by the current Collective Bargaining Agreement will apply to all recommendations for reappointment or non-reappointment, promotion, tenure, in-grade raises, and all other aspects of "reward" of a faculty member. In special cases, when a faculty member is responsible directly to some authority other than a department, that authority may be construed as that person's "department" for such purposes of such recommendations.

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XI. Promulgation of these Bylaws

The Dean of the College shall distribute copies of these bylaws to all Department Heads and Program Directors at the beginning of each academic year and make them available to all other parties upon request.

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XII. Amendments

Amendments to these bylaws may be requested by the Dean or proposed in writing by any voting member of the faculty at a regularly scheduled meeting of the faculty and shall be voted upon at the next such meeting. Amendments shall be approved by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting. In accord with University Rule 3361:10-5-05 amendments must be approved by the Senior Vice President and Provost before they become effective.

Revised May, 1999

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