CONSTITUTION of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Florida

Transcription

1 CONSTITUTION of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Florida Article 1. Department Structure Section 1. Membership. For the purposes of this Constitution, members of the Department are all those persons who hold a tenured or tenure-track faculty position in the University of Florida with an appointment in the Department of Philosophy or are faculty emeriti of the same. Voting members are limited to those who hold a tenured or tenure-track faculty position. Unqualified use of "members" or "membership" in the Constitution is to be construed as referring solely to voting members. Section 2. Officers and committees. 2(a). Officers. Officers of the Department shall be a Department Chair, an Undergraduate Coordinator, and a Graduate Coordinator. Each officer other than the Chair is appointed by the Chair. When an officer other than the Chair is unable to perform his or her duties, the Chair may appoint an Acting Officer as needed. 2(b). Standing committees. The Department shall maintain at all times the following committees: an Executive Committee, an Undergraduate Studies Committee, a Graduate Studies Committee, and a Curriculum Committee. With the exception of the Executive Committee, members of each committee are appointed by the Chair. All committees act in an advisory capacity to the Chair. 2(c). Ad hoc committees. The Department Chair may appoint ad hoc committees from time to time as needed, the membership, responsibilities, and terms of each being determined by the Chair at the time of appointment. Section 3. Department bylaws and policies. 3(a). Department Bylaws. Procedural rules regulating the internal governance of the Department, such as those pertaining to elections, terms of office, circulation of minutes, and the like, are known as Department Bylaws. Such bylaws shall be distinct from this Constitution. Bylaws are approved and amended by a simple majority vote of the full membership. 3(b). Department Policies. Substantive policies governing the various functions of the Department, such as those pertaining to degree requirements, expectations for courses, guidelines for evaluations of students, criteria for tenure and promotion, and the like, are known as Department Policies. Constitution of the Department of Philosophy, p. 1

2 Department Policies are approved and amended by a simple majority vote of the full membership. Article 2. Officers and Standing Committees Section 1. The Chair. 1(a). Appointment and term. The Chair is appointed by the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in light of the Department's recommendation. The term of the Chair's appointment is determined by the Dean and Chair at the time of appointment. The Executive Committee shall, when there is a search for a Department Chair (including when the current Chair is being considered for a reappointment), consult all constituencies in the Department and make a recommendation to the Dean. 1(b). Responsibilities. The Chair is the chief academic and administrative officer of the Department and serves as a representative of, and spokesperson for, the Department, its faculty, and its students. The Chair also functions as an officer of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 1(c). Acting Chair. In case the appointed Chair becomes unable to serve, the Dean may appoint an Acting Chair. In such cases the Executive Committee shall, as in the case of the end of a planned term, consult all constituencies in the Department and make a recommendation to the Dean. Section 2. The Executive Committee. 2(a). Election and membership. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Chair (as chair of this committee) and two elected members of the Department. The two elected members must both be tenured and at least one must hold the rank of Professor. The election of the two members shall be by secret ballot. 2(b). Term. The elected members of the Executive Committee shall serve a term of 3 years, after which another election shall be held, with or without a change in the Chair. 2(c). Responsibilities. The Executive Committee is charged with all of the following tasks: (i) when there is a search for a Department Chair (including when the current Chair is being considered for a reappointment), consulting all constituencies in the Department and making a recommendation to the Dean; (ii) advising the Chair on budget allocations; (iii) advising the Chair on appointing a tenure and promotion committee as needed; (iv) overseeing sustained performance evaluations; (v) making recommendations as to merit pay; (vi) assisting the Chair with matters arising as a result of queries or requests from the Dean or upper Constitution of the Department of Philosophy, p. 2

3 administration; and (vii) advising the Chair on any other matters on which formal Department policies give insufficient guidance. Section 3. The Undergraduate Coordinator and Committee. 3(a). Responsibilities. The Undergraduate Coordinator serves as the liaison between the undergraduate students, the Department, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The Coordinator is generally charged with the task of administering the Department's undergraduate program and course offerings as well as advising of undergraduates. Except for those tasks that, according to the rules of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, require the authorization specifically of the Undergraduate Coordinator, the Coordinator may delegate various tasks involved in the administration of the undergraduate program to other members of the Undergraduate Committee. 3(b). Ex officio. The Graduate Coordinator and Department Chair are ex officio non-voting members of the Undergraduate Committee. 3(c). Appointment of the Undergraduate Committee. The Undergraduate Coordinator is chair of the Undergraduate Committee, to which the Chair appoints two additional members. Section 4. The Graduate Coordinator and Committee. 4(a). Responsibilities. The Graduate Coordinator serves as the chief officer in charge of administering the Department's graduate program and course offerings. This includes admissions decisions, monitoring the progress of graduate students, assisting PhD students who are seeking employment, assisting MA students who are applying to PhD programs, and like matters. So far as such delegation is in accord with Department Policies, the Graduate Coordinator may delegate various tasks involved in the administration of the graduate program to other members of the Graduate Committee. With regards to decisions about admission into the graduate program, the Graduate Coordinator must consult with the Graduate Committee. Decisions about the removal or retention of graduate students in the program require a vote of the graduate faculty, normally conducted at the Department meeting at the end of the spring semester. 4(b). Ex officio. The Undergraduate Coordinator and Department Chair are ex officio non-voting members of the Graduate Committee. 4(c). Appointment of the Graduate Committee. The Graduate Coordinator is chair of the Graduate Committee, to which the Chair appoints two additional members. Constitution of the Department of Philosophy, p. 3

4 Section 5. The Curriculum Committee. 5(a). Membership. The Curriculum Committee shall consist of the Undergraduate Coordinator, the Graduate Coordinator, and the Chair of the Department. The Undergraduate and Graduate Coordinators are co-chairs of this committee. 5(b). Responsibilities. The Curriculum Committee is responsible for review and development of the curriculum at both undergraduate and graduate levels, including such tasks as recommending new courses to be developed and deciding on which courses to retain. The committee is also responsible for advising the Chair with regard to schedule planning and shall meet with the Chair to discuss the schedules for upcoming semesters prior to the time the initial course schedule is submitted to the University Registrar for that semester. Article 3. Department Meetings Section 1. Regular and special meetings. 1(a). Regular meetings. The Department shall hold a meeting in the first five weeks of the fall semester during which the Chair shall provide a report on all current issues facing the Department. The Department shall hold a meeting no later than one week after, and no sooner than three weeks before, the official end of the spring semester, which meeting shall include the assessment of the standing and progress of current graduate students. 1(b). Special meetings. The Chair can call a special Department meeting at any time, provided appropriate notice is given as per any applicable bylaws. Any member of the department can request a special meeting by speaking to the Chair. The Department must hold a special meeting if one third of the membership makes a written request to the Chair. 1(c). Notice of meetings and agenda. Both regular and special department meetings must be announced in advance. Such notice must be accompanied by a preliminary agenda and a solicitation of new business to be addressed at the meeting, which new business will be included in the actual agenda presented at the meeting. Section 2. Parliamentary procedures. 2(a). Rules of order. The parliamentary authority for all meetings of the Department, both regular and special, and all committee and sub-committee meetings, shall be Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, provided that it is not inconsistent with the laws and regulations of the State of Florida, the University of Florida, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, or other provisions of this Constitution. Constitution of the Department of Philosophy, p. 4

5 Section 3. Quorum and voting procedures. 3(a). Quorum for discussion. For a Department meeting to proceed beyond the presentation of reports by the Chair and/or committees, at least one half of the membership must be present. 3(b). Quorum for action. For the Department to vote during a Department meeting, at least two thirds of the membership must be present, unless the vote is solely to put a matter to a vote outside of the meeting. 3(c). Secret ballots. The Department shall use secret ballots to vote on matters that are required to be determined in such fashion by University and College policies. The Department shall also use a secret ballot when at least two thirds of the membership is present and at least a third of the members present request a secret ballot. Secret ballots are to be distributed and collected by office staff. Article 4. Ratification and Amendment Section 1. Ratification. This constitution shall be ratified upon approval of a three quarters majority of the membership, using a secret ballot, given at least two weeks' consideration after it is presented to the Department. Section 2. Amendment. Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by any voting member of the Department during either the fall or spring semester. Proposed amendments are to be submitted to the Chair at least one month prior to the end of classes; the Chair shall then present the amendment to the Department both by and by providing hard copies in Departmental mailboxes. The Constitution shall be amended upon approval of a two-thirds majority of the membership, using a secret ballot, given at least two weeks' consideration after the proposed amendment is presented to the Department. Any such amendment shall take effect the semester following that in which it was approved. RATIFIED ON DECEMBER 13, 2007 AMENDED FEBRUARY 17, 2016 Constitution of the Department of Philosophy, p. 5