MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_01C8AA26.693A3280" This document is a Single File Web Page, also known as a Web Archive file. If you are seeing this message, your browser or editor doesn't support Web Archive files. Please download a browser that supports Web Archive, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer. ------=_NextPart_01C8AA26.693A3280 Content-Location: file:///C:/6579C637/bylaws_fyp_Nov2007.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Department of First-Year Programs

Department of First-Year Programs

University College<= /st1:PlaceType>

Kennesaw State University

BYLAWS

[Adopted November 2007]

 

PREAMBLE=

 

The Department of First-Year Programs is a unit of University College at Kennesaw State University. The Department is an essential part of University College<= /st1:PlaceType>’s interdisciplinary, collegial faculty that focuses on student engagement, scholarship of teaching and learning, professional service and the enhancem= ent of the University’s nationally recognized first-year seminars and learning communities for first-year students.

 

ARTICLE I. Administration

 

  1. Department Chair<= /li>

 

    1. The Chair shall be appointed by the Dean of University College and serves= at the pleasure of the Dean.
    2. The Chair shall provide academic and administrative leadership for the Department and perform duties including, but not limited to, supervis= ing the daily operations of the Department; administering departmental budgets and schedules; overseeing recruitment efforts; hiring full-ti= me, temporary, and support faculty; managing workload; assigning office space; evaluating faculty and staff; monitoring enrollment; presiding over Departmental meetings; representing the Department in College and University affairs including a permanent seat on the Chairs Council; informing the faculty of events affecting the Department or welfare of the faculty; and performing such duties as assigned by the University= or the Dean of University College.
    3. Acting/Interim Chairs will assume all duties and responsibilities of the Department Chair, except as modified by the Dean.
    4. If the Chair or Acting/Interim Chair is incapacitated or unable to administer the affairs of the Department, the Dean will appoint an individual to assume the Chair’s duties.

 

 

  1.  

      1. The coordination of the first-year seminar course will include oversight = of the development of course content, scheduling, selection of textbook = and other required material, mentoring of support faculty, and assessment= of the course’s learning outcomes.
      2. The First-Year Seminar Course Coordinator will also respond to student questions or concerns related to the course.
      3. The Coordinator will be responsible for other duties as assigned by the Department Chair.
      4. The First-Year Seminar Course Coordinator will be appointed by the Chair = in consultation with the Dean of University College.

     

    1.  

        1. The coordination of the learning communities program will include working with other departments to develop discipline-specific communities, reviewing faculty proposals for general-interest communities, working collaboratively with the Department Chair and the First-Year Seminar Course Coordinator to schedule learning communities, planning and supervising the annual faculty development program, and assessing the program’s learning outcomes.
        2. The Learning Communities Coordinator will serve as an Ex-Officio member of General Education Council.
        3. The Coordinator will be responsible for other duties as assigned by the Department Ch= air.
        4. The Learning Communities Coordinator will be appointed by the Chair in consultation with the Dean of University College.

       

      1.  

        ARTICLE II. Committees

         

        Section 1. Standing commit= tees shall be composed of faculty with permanent, full-time appointments and, in= some cases, full-time professional staff members. Standing committees shall meet= at least once each semester, except summer. If appropriate and practical, the committee Chair may conduct a meeting electronically unless there is an objection by a committee member. Committee members will be selected via an election held during the March department meeting each spring. Each committ= ee shall elect its Chair annually at the August department meeting or departme= nt planning retreat.

         

        1. Department Strategic Planning Committee

         

          1. Duties: Responsible for providing input/advice to the Chair about department issues; writing guidelines/policies dealing with workload, teaching l= oad, hiring strategies, overall goals, ideas about new programs and other initiatives that enhance the functioning of the department; ensures t= hat the department strategic plan is aligned with the University College strategic plan and the institution’s strategic plan; and perfor= ms the functions assigned by the Faculty Senate to a “departmental steering/advisory committee” to avoid duplication of effort
          2. Membership: Until such time as the Department of First-Year Programs includes more than 15 full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty members, the Department Strategic Planning Committee will function as a “com= mittee of the whole,” meaning that every full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty member will be a part of the committee. Should t= he number of full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty members exceed 1= 5, or if the faculty choose to disband the “committee of the whole” structure through an annual secret ballot vote, then the membership shall consist of five members of the faculty. When the committee no longer functions as a committee of the whole, three of t= he members must be tenured, while two can be either tenured or tenure-tr= ack.
          3. Chair: The Chair must be a tenured member of the faculty.
          4. Meeting times: As needed but at least once each semester, except summer
          5. Term: 2-year staggered (once the Committee is no longer a “committee = of the whole”)

         

        1. Department Curriculum Committee

         

          1. Duties: Responsible for approving new courses including special topics course= s, substantial revisions to existing courses, and/or deletions of courses listed in the undergraduate catalog housed in the department; reviews= the first-year seminar textbook content for alignment with curriculum elements; reviews first-year seminar textbook supplementary (online) units
          2. Membership: Three members of the faculty
          3. Meeting times: As needed but at least once each semester, except summer
          4. Term: 2-year staggered

         

        1. Department Awards Committee

         

          1. Duties: Announces the call for nominations, collects and processes materials according to nomination guidelines for various Department, College, a= nd University-wide Awards and Recognition, including

        = &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;           i.   &nb= sp;  Distinguished Teaching, Distinguished Scholarship, = and Distinguished Professional Service awards:=   Prepares the nomination materials&n= bsp; for the Department; collects and processes nominations; notifies nominees of nomination; collects nominees’ award portfolio; reviews portfolio according to criteria; forwards portfolios to College Awards Committee;

        = &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;         ii.   &n= bsp;  FYP Professional Development Grants:  Makes recommendations to Department Chair and to the Dean of University College regarding the selection of annu= al FYP Professional Development Grants when the budget allows for said Grants;=

        = &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;       iii.   &= nbsp;  Foundation Prize:&= nbsp; Makes recommendations to the appropriate committee regarding the Foundation Prize nominees

          1. Membership: Three members of the faculty
          2. Meeting times: At least 2-3 times a semester, except summer
          3. Terms: 2-year staggered

         

        1. Department Tenure & Promotion Committee

         

          1. Duties: Evaluates portfolios for tenure, promotion, and 3rd-year reviews; writes letters that go into faculty portfolios; reviews departmental tenure and promotion guidelines; and makes recommendatio= ns to department and Department Chair regarding revisions.
          2. Membership:  Three tenured faculty members elected annually by the tenured and tenured-track faculty of the department. If there are not three tenured faculty in the department,= the department will elect tenured faculty from outside the department to serve on the review committee.  Individuals whose documents are under review do not serve on t= he review committee.  No pe= rson can participate in more than one stage of the review process.
          3. The chair of the Department Tenure and Promotion Committee shall be a fac= ulty member of First-Year Programs.
          4. Meeting times: Meets as necessary, although the majority of meetings are held= in fall semester
          5. Terms: 2-year staggered appointments

         

        1. Common Reader Committee

         

          1. Duties: Develops the annual theme for the common reader program; selects thre= e to five books as finalists for consideration by the department; makes a final recommendation to the Department Chair, First-Year Seminar Cour= se Coordinator, and LC Coordinator; and directs the assessment of the co= mmon reader program. The CRC will also coordinate the development of a test bank for the book selection and provide/coordinate faculty development workshops related to the annual selection.
          2. Membership: Five committee members – 3 full-time faculty members, one stude= nt peer instructor, and the First-Year Seminar Course Coordinator. A representative from the Institute for Global Initiatives should be invited to serve as an ex-officio member.
          3. Meeting times: Meets several times a year, although the majority of the meeti= ngs are held in late fall and early spring
          4. Terms: 2-year staggered

         

        Section 2. Ad Hoc Committees

         

        Ad hoc committees shall be appointed by the Department= Chair for a specific term and purpose. The Department Chair shall notify the facu= lty of the existence of any ad hoc committees. Faculty members may also petition the Department Chair for an ad hoc committee should they feel one is warran= ted. The decision to create and charge the committee will rest with the Chair.

         

        Section 3. Operation of Committees

         

        1. ARTICLE III. Department Meetings

           

          1. ARTICLE IV. Voting

             

            Voting on matters of departmental policy and procedure= s, curriculum changes, academic standards and integrity, academic honors, comm= ittee membership, departmental representation, nominations for College and Univer= sity committee representation, and revisions of the departmental bylaws shall be determined as follows:

             

            Section 1. Eligibility

            1. All full-time members of the faculty are eligible to vote. Temporary full-= time and part-time faculty are not eligible. Staff may vote for positions in which staff are eligible to be elected.
            2. Absent faculty/staff may vote by written proxy.

             

            Section 2. Quorum

            1. A quorum shall consist of two-thirds of those eligible to vote.
            2. Proxies shall not count toward a quorum.

             

            Section 3. Passage of a Motion

            1. A simple majority of those voting shall be required to pass a motion.
            2. A two-thirds majority of those voting shall be required to pass an amendment to the departmental bylaws.

             

            Section 4. Ballots

            1. Secret ballots shall be used for all votes pertaining to the Department Strat= egic Planning Committee, curriculum changes, and departmental policy.
            2. A “show of hands” vote will be utilized for all other decisi= ons unless a member of the faculty or staff requests a secret ballot vote.=

             

            Section 5. Electronic Voting

            1. Voting may be done electronically on a specific issue if approved by a simple majority of the members of a committee or the department. Votes on sensitive issues such as tenure and promotion recommendations should n= ot be taken electronically.
            2. If necessary, when school is not in session and during the summer sessions, a simple majority of all those eligible to vote shall be required to pass a mot= ion. In order to take a vote of the faculty during the summer, which will o= nly be considered when absolutely necessary, all full-time faculty members will be notified electronically of the issue and the date of the vote, which will not occur for at least 10 days after the initial notice. Th= ey will be provided with an opportunity to provide feedback and participa= te in the vote.

             

            ARTICLE V. Changes in the Curriculum

             

            1. The Department Chair or any tenured or tenure-track departmental faculty m= ay propose new course offerings or a new degree program.
            2. Written proposals to modify existing courses shall be reviewed by the departme= ntal Curriculum Committee.
            3. All appropriate documentation and proposal forms should be completed prior= to a review by the departmental Curriculum Committee.

             

            ARTICLE VI. Guidelines for Tenure-Track Faculty Searches

             

            Section 1. Search Committee Designation

             

            1. After discussion with the Department Steering Committee, and in consultation with the Dean of University College, an ad hoc search committee that includes at least three tenured or tenure-track faculty shall be appoi= nted by the Department Chair.
            2. The Department Chair shall appoint a Chair of the search committee and cha= rge the search committee. The committee’s Chair, working in concert = with the departmental Administrative Assistant and Department Chair, will gather applicants’ files, review their completeness, and make th= em accessible to committee members and other faculty.  The committee chair will also ensure that the appropriate paperwork is completed related to the EEO = and other required documentation.
            3. In accordance with University policy, recommendations of the search commi= ttee are advisory to the Department Chair and Dean, who have final authorit= y on hiring decisions. Those recommendations should appear in written form = as a list of finalists’ strengths and weaknesses and an overall ranki= ng of finalists. 

             

            Section 2. Potential Conflicts of Interest

             

            1. Following the closing date, and after initial review of the files of all qualifi= ed applicants, if an appointed committee member discovers that one or more applicants= is a person or persons with whom the member has had a prior close personal relationship or other perceived or possible conflict of interest, s/he should make this known to the committee and the Department Chair and discuss whether it is appropriate for that member to be replaced on the committee, in order to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.=

             

            ARTICLE VII.<= /b> Summer Session Teaching

             

            The following guidelines shall be used to determine pr= iority for teaching summer session.

             

            Section 1. Through written solicitation, the Department Chair shall determine which faculty members wish to teach during summer sessions.

             

            Section 2. The following ranked criteria shall be cons= idered when making teaching assignments during summer sessions.

             

            1. Course demand and faculty specializations
            2. Budget conditions
            3. Preference will be given to full-time, tenure-track faculty
            4. Rank at the University
            5. When additional course selections are available after each faculty member who desires = to teach has received one section, additional assignments shall be made u= sing the criteria listed above.

             

            Section 3. Full-time faculty members who are intereste= d in serving as academic advisors during New Student Orientation sessions will be compensated at a rate agreed upon by the Department Chair and the Dean of University College. (Each advisor earns the same compensation regardless of 10-month salary, rank, or experience.) The same criteria will be used to se= lect advisors as is explained above for summer teaching consideration should the= re be more faculty interested in serving as advisors than the budget allows.

             

            ARTICLE VIII.= Amendment to Bylaws

             

            Amendments to these Bylaws shall be submitted in writi= ng to either the Department Strategic Planning Committee or the Department Chair = and shall be approved by two-thirds majority vote at a faculty meeting at which= a quorum of voting faculty are present.

             

            There will be a review of the Bylaws during a departme= nt meeting each spring semester to ensure effectiveness of the current, approv= ed set.

             

            ARTICLE IX. Relationship to Other Governing Rules and Regulations

             

            Nothing in these Bylaws should be construed to superse= de provisions of the statutes of Kennesaw State University as described in the Faculty Handbook and other materials provided by the Of= fice of the Vice President of Academic Affairs and/or of = University College<= /st1:PlaceType>.

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