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University of South Florida Tampa Library USF Faculty SenateConstitution and Bylaws of the Faculty
Constitution of the Faculty of the University of South Florida Bylaws to the Constitution of the Faculty of the University of South Florida
Constitution of
the Faculty of the A. Membership Membership in the general faculty of the University of South Florida shall consist of all full-time faculty members with the rank of Lecturer, Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, Assistant Librarian, Associate Librarian, or Librarian. The general faculty acts through the Faculty Senate as its elected representative body. B. Meetings The general faculty of the University of South Florida shall meet at least annually in the fall semester of each academic year. At this annual meeting, the President of the University shall present a general message to the faculty on the state of the University. The general faculty may meet at other times upon the call of the President of the Faculty Senate. A. Membership The Faculty Senate shall be composed of sixty elected members apportioned among and representing the academic colleges and the regional campuses of the University of South Florida in accordance with the apportionment criteria contained in Section B of Article II. In establishing representation, the Faculty Senate may determine that a unit be represented that is not a recognized college. Members of the Faculty Senate shall be elected by the general faculty. Persons elected to the presidency of the Faculty Senate shall remain members of that body for three years following their terms as presidents. When presidents complete their elected terms as senators, they shall continue as ex officio members of the Faculty Senate for three years after the expiration of their terms as presidents, provided that they remain members of the general faculty of the University of South Florida. The faculty chairpersons of the Graduate Council, the Research Council, the Undergraduate Council, the Library Council, the Instructional Technology Council, the Academic Computing Committee, the Bachelor of Independent Studies Committee, the Commencement and Convocation Committee, the Faculty Committee on Student Admissions, the Honors and Awards Council, the Publications Council, and the University Honors Program Committee will be members of the Faculty Senate, ex officio, if not already elected as members. B. Apportionment Annually prior to election, the membership of the Faculty Senate shall be apportioned equitably among the academic colleges and campuses, based on the number of members of the general faculty in each college or the members of the faculties of the campuses. This apportionment shall be reviewed by the Faculty Senate, subject to the approval of the President of the University. Each college, campus, or unit shall have at least one representative. C. Elections 1. Eligibility for election to Senate. Members of the general faculty eligible to be elected to the Faculty Senate shall be full-time members of the general faculty holding the rank of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, Assistant Librarian, Associate Librarian, or Librarian. 2. Eligibility for participation in elections. Each member of the general faculty is eligible to vote in the election of the faculty senators from the academic college/campus/unit of which he/she is a member. If a faculty member has duties in more than one college/campus/unit, the faculty member shall be counted in the college/campus/unit in which the major portion of his/her salary is budgeted. If a faculty member is budgeted for an equal portion in more than one college/campus/unit, the faculty member may choose the college/campus/unit in which to be included. 3. Campuses. The general faculty of the campuses eligible to participate in the election and to be elected to the Faculty Senate as representatives of that unit are those who shall teach or be assigned other duties on the campuses equivalent to more than one-half of their total load at the time of apportionment of the Faculty Senate. 4. Terms. The term of each Senate seat shall be three years, beginning the first day of the fall semester following the annual election. A period of one year must elapse before a member of the faculty may be re-elected to the Faculty Senate. 5. Vacancies. In the event a senator elected to the Faculty Senate resigns or is otherwise unable to serve for a period of more than two semesters during the senator's term of office, the seat held by the senator shall be declared vacant in the manner provided in the Bylaws. An alternate shall be selected, in accordance with the Bylaws, to serve until election of a successor. 6. Absences. If a senator is to be absent for more than one academic semester, an alternate shall be selected in accordance with the Bylaws. The elected senator shall resume his/her seat for the balance of his/her term upon his/her return. 7. Time of Election. An annual election shall be held in Semester II of each year. D. Officers The Faculty Senate shall have a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Sergeant-at-Arms, elected by the members of the body from among the elected senators. The Parliamentarian shall be chosen by the President of the Faculty Senate from among the Senate membership. A. Responsibilities The Faculty Senate shall constitute the principal advisory body to the President of the University and the Provost and has the responsibility to review and make recommendations to them concerning decisions of the University on matters pertaining to the welfare of the University, particularly those of special interest to the academic division of the University. Senators shall report regularly to their constituencies. B. Receiving Reports The Faculty Senate shall receive such reports as are presented to it by the President of the University, Provost, and vice presidents, Senate standing and ad hoc committees, and university-wide committees and councils. The Faculty Senate has the final responsibility to review reports and recommendations from university-wide committees and councils to the President of the University and vice presidents, particularly when these recommendations effect wide-range changes in the academic division of the University. A. Senate Committees 1. Executive Committee The Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate advises the President of the Senate, meets with the President of the Faculty Senate and also the Provost on a regular basis, and assists the President of the Faculty Senate in determining the agenda for Senate meetings. The membership of the Executive Committee is as specified in the Bylaws. 2. Standing Committees There shall be standing committees of the Faculty Senate to expedite the efficient functioning of the Senate and its affairs. Committees and membership selection shall be made in accordance with the Bylaws. 3. Ad Hoc Committees The Faculty Senate may establish ad hoc committees as needed. B. University-Wide Committees and Councils The Faculty Senate is the highest faculty body and the parent body for all university committees and councils and thus serves as the focal point for the committees and councils in faculty governance. 1. Membership The Faculty Senate each year shall nominate candidates for the membership of each university-wide committee. Membership selection from among nominees shall be made in accordance with the Bylaws. 2. Standing Committees and Councils Standing committees and councils of the University and Senate as specified in the Bylaws shall have jurisdiction under the Faculty Senate. The Senate may review and amend, at its discretion, reports and recommendations from these committees and councils. A. The Faculty Senate shall meet in regular session each month during both semesters and as necessary during the summer term. B. The President of the Senate may call a special meeting whenever he deems it necessary and shall call meetings at the request of the Executive Committee, the President of the University, or at the written request of five voting members of the Senate. C. All meetings of the Faculty Senate shall be open to members of the university community. The President of the University, Provost, and vice presidents shall be extended privileges of the floor upon request; other non-members may be granted privileges of the floor upon written request or upon the invitation of the President of the Faculty Senate. D. Minutes of the meetings of the Faculty Senate shall be available to all members of the faculty of the University and to the university community at large. A. Amendments to this Faculty Constitution may be proposed either through written petition from twenty-five members of the general faculty, or through written petition by five faculty senators. B. All amendments to this Constitution must be approved by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of the Faculty Senate present and voting at a meeting with a quorum. Such amendments must be ratified by a majority of the general faculty voting and by the President of the University. The provisions of this Constitution shall not be construed in any manner so as to conflict with the laws of the State of Florida, the policies of the Board of Regents, or contractual agreements between the Board of Regents and bargaining agents. Date of last amendment: 03/28/96 BYLAWS TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FACULTY ARTICLE I. Name Bylaws to the Constitution of the Faculty of the University of South Florida ARTICLE II. Membership A. General Eligibility The Constitution of the Faculty of the University of South Florida specifies those eligible for membership in the Faculty Senate. B. Clinical Faculty Full-time clinical faculty with the rank or title specified in the Constitution shall be considered members of the general faculty as defined. However, for purposes of apportionment of the Faculty Senate, only fifty percent of their number shall be counted toward the total membership of the faculty of their respective college/campus/unit. C. Nomination of Members Nominations for membership on the Faculty Senate shall be made by statement of those faculty members wishing to be placed in nomination. The Secretary of the Senate is responsible for determining the eligibility of such nominees to serve on the Faculty Senate. ARTICLE III. Officers of the Faculty Senate A. Officers Officers of the Senate are those specified in the Constitution. B. Term of Office The term of office of the officers of the Faculty Senate will be one year. The President of the Faculty Senate shall be elected from among those senators serving their last two years in office. The term of office shall begin on the first day of classes of the fall semester following the annual election. C. Conduct of Elections The Secretary of the Faculty Senate will conduct and certify all elections and will recommend apportionment changes in accordance with the election procedures of the Faculty Senate. D. Election of Officers The election of officers shall be held in Semester II of each year in accordance with the election procedures of the Faculty Senate. E. Vacancies Should the President of the Faculty Senate resign that office, the Vice President will be his or her replacement. Should the Vice President, the Secretary, or the Sergeant-at-Arms resign, those individual offices will remain vacant until a new officer can be chosen by the Faculty Senate. The Secretary of the Senate, when informed of a vacancy in one of the offices of the Faculty Senate, shall promptly inform the members of the Faculty Senate of the vacancy. The notice will also inform the members of the Faculty Senate of the date of the regular meeting of the Faculty Senate which the Secretary has chosen as the nominating meeting for this vacancy. After all nominations have been received at this meeting, the election to the office will proceed either by division of the house, by written ballot at this meeting, or by mail ballot, at the discretion of the Secretary. ARTICLE IV. Meetings of the Senate A. Regular Meeting As specified in the Constitution. An agenda shall be sent to each senator at least one week prior to the meeting. B. Special Meetings As specified in the Constitution. Special meetings shall be called only with written notice of the meeting and its agenda sent to members one week prior to the meeting, time permitting. C. Quorum Fifty percent of the membership of the Senate shall constitute a quorum. For purposes of calculating a quorum the size of the body shall exclude unfilled vacancies. During the summer term, the number required for a quorum shall be based upon the number of senators who have a university appointment. The Sergeant-at-Arms shall be responsible for keeping records necessary for such determinations. ARTICLE V. Senate Committees A. Standing Committees of the Senate The following committees shall be chosen exclusively from the membership of the Senate. 1. Committee on Committees The Faculty Senate shall elect a Committee on Committees which will solicit nominations for membership on the standing committees of the Senate and the university-wide committees. The Committee on Committees is composed of one representative from each college/campus/unit. For the purposes of this committee a quorum shall consist of six members. Each representative on the Committee on Committees is elected by the senators of the respective college/campus/unit. 2. Bylaws Committee The Faculty Senate shall elect a Bylaws Committee which will propose to the Senate changes in the Bylaws of the Constitution of the Faculty of the University of South Florida. Three senators shall serve on the Bylaws Committee. B. Elections 1. Members of the Committee on Committees are elected by the senators of each college/campus/unit in the spring semester. The one-year term begins the following fall semester. 2. Members of the Bylaws Committee are nominated from the floor. Voting may be by written ballot, conducted by mail, or during a regular meeting of the Faculty Senate in the spring semester. The one-year term begins the following fall semester. C. Standing Committee Vacancies Should a vacancy occur on the Committee on Committees, the senators from the college/campus/unit in which the vacancy occurs shall designate a replacement. Should a vacancy occur on the Bylaws Committee, or should the Senator-at-Large on the Executive Committee resign, the President of the Faculty Senate will inform the members of the Faculty Senate at the next meeting of the Senate. The Secretary of the Senate will receive nominations for a replacement from the floor of the Senate to fill the vacancy. Voting may take place at the discretion of the Secretary of the Senate. D. Executive Committee 1. Composition The Executive Committee is composed of the President of the Faculty Senate, the Vice President, the immediate past President of the Faculty Senate, the Secretary, the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate, the Chairperson of the Committee on Committees, the Parliamentarian, and one Senator-at-Large. The Senator-at-Large is elected in the spring semester with the term of office beginning in the fall. The faculty chairpersons of the Graduate, Instructional Technology, Library, Research, and Undergraduate Councils shall be members, ex-officio, of the Executive Committee. No member of the Senate Executive Committee (SEC) may hold or represent two offices on the SEC. The following definition of ex-officio was approved by the Faculty Senate on March 17, 1999: An ex-officio member is not elected or appointed to a committee, but becomes a member when elected or appointed to a particular office. When an ex-officio member ceases to hold office, membership on the committee terminates and the ex-officio member is replaced by the successor in the office. An ex-officio member has all the rights, responsibilities, and duties of any other member of the committee, including the right to vote. (Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, second edition, pp. 178-179) 2. Functions The Executive Committee will serve the following functions: a. It will act on behalf of the Senate on matters declared by the President of the Faculty Senate to be of an emergency nature. Any action taken in this respect by the Executive Committee shall be reported in writing by the President of the Faculty Senate to the members of the Faculty Senate at or before the next regular meeting. The Senate shall then review such action. The President of the Faculty Senate will give the members of the Senate advance notice of the emergency meeting of the Executive Committee, if feasible. b. It will serve as an advisory body to the President of the Faculty Senate on any matter which the President of the Faculty Senate brings before it. Meetings of an advisory nature need not be announced or reported to the Faculty Senate either before or after they occur. c. It will determine the agenda items for meetings of the Faculty Senate. d. It will meet on a regular basis, to be determined with the Provost to serve as a faculty advisory body to the Provost. e. It will function as the Academic Budget Advisory Council to the Provost. 3. Meetings The Executive Committee will meet at the discretion of the President of the Faculty Senate who will chair this committee. When calling meetings of the Executive Committee, the President of the Faculty Senate will inform its members whether the meeting is of an emergency or advisory nature. 4. Quorum A quorum for meetings of the Executive Committee shall consist of fifty percent of the members, including at least four elected Senators. E. Academic Division Councils and Committees Academic
Computing Committee, are academic division councils and committees and shall constitute standing committees of the Faculty Senate. The list of academic committees and councils shall be updated as necessary. Bylaws governing these councils and committees shall be Article VIII of the Bylaws to the Constitution. F. Special Committees of the Senate Other committees may be named by the President of the Faculty Senate as necessary and shall be temporary, to stand for the period designated by the President of the Faculty Senate. ARTICLE VI. Senate Vacancies A. Resignation If a senator resigns his/her seat, this seat shall be declared vacant by the President of the Faculty Senate, and shall be filled by a faculty member from the same college/campus/unit. The replacement senator will be selected by the Executive Committee to fill the seat on a temporary basis until the next annual election. B. Absence on Leave If a senator is to be absent from campus for more than one semester, fall or spring, the Executive Committee may appoint a former senator from the same college/campus/unit to fill the vacant seat. The elected senator will resume his/her seat on his/her return. ARTICLE VII. Attendance A. Responsible Officer The Sergeant-at-Arms is responsible for keeping records of attendance at all meetings. B. Excessive Absence A senator who must be absent from a meeting may send an alternate as a replacement. The alternate must be an individual who is eligible for membership in the University of South Florida Faculty Senate. The alternate must be so identified with a note from the elected absentee senator. A senator who has unexcused absences from two regular meetings, without an alternate, in any academic year is presumed to have resigned from the Faculty Senate. The Sergeant-at-Arms shall inform the Senate at the next regular meeting of resignations because of absence. Vacancies created by resignations through non-attendance will be filled as stipulated in Article VI, A of these Bylaws. C. Determination of Attendance Attendance shall be determined by the submission of an attendance slip at the beginning of each Senate meeting. ARTICLE VIII. University-Wide Committees and Councils A. Formation of New University Committees and Councils 1. The formation of new standing university-wide committees and councils is proposed on the Senate floor and is recommended to the President by a majority vote of the Senate. Each standing university-wide committee or council may form ad hoc committees from within its own membership. Requests for ad hoc committee members from the general faculty will be made to the President of the Senate or to the Chairperson of the Committee on Committees. Nominations will be called for during the next regular meeting of the Senate, approved by vote of the senators present and forwarded to the President or his/her representative for appointment. 2. No university-wide committee or council shall be established without Senate approval. 3. Memberships, charges, and functions of university-wide committees and councils should not be changed without Senate approval. 4. University-wide committees and councils shall routinely submit minutes of their meetings to the Faculty Senate President and give reports to the Faculty Senate when requested. B. Nominations to University-Wide Committees and Councils The Committee on Committees will nominate members of the general faculty for each position on the university-wide committees and councils. For purposes of membership on university-wide committees and councils, the definition of "General Faculty" will include all titles listed in Instructional and Non-Instructional faculty sections of the USF Faculty pay plan. These include titles with modifiers like "Research," "Clinical," and "Visiting," etc., and/or titles with the terms "Assistant-In," "Associate-In," etc. Nominations may be made from the floor of the Senate. All such nominees must be approved by a majority vote of all Senators present and voting prior to submission of the list of nominees to the President for appointments ARTICLE IX. Policies Policies of the Senate and of its committees may be recommended to the Senate by any senator or committee at any meeting of the Senate. Such policies shall be adopted by majority vote of those present and voting. Senate committees may adopt temporary policies, consonant with the Constitution and the Bylaws, necessary to the operations of such committees, subject to subsequent approval by the Senate. Changes in policies or amendments to policies shall be proposed and adopted in the same manner. ARTICLE X. Rules of Order Robert's Rules of Order (latest edition) shall govern in all parliamentary practice not otherwise covered by the Constitution, Bylaws, or policies of the Faculty Senate. The President of the Faculty Senate shall appoint a Parliamentarian to render advice as requested. ARTICLE XI. Amendments The Faculty Senate may amend its own Bylaws by the affirmative vote of a majority of Senate members present and voting at a meeting with a quorum, provided the amendment has been introduced at the previous meeting of the Senate.
Date of last amendment: 01/17/01; 09/26/01; 02/20/02
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