Policy 8-5 Rev 16
Date April 9, 2007
Subject: UNIVERSITY REGULATIONS - Chapter V
FACULTIES, COMMITTEES AND COUNCILS
SECTION 1. COMPOSITION AND AUTHORITY OF THE UNIVERSITY FACULTY
The university faculty shall consist of the university president, vice presidents, deans, directors of libraries, professors (including distinguished presidential and university professors), associate professors, assistant professors, instructors, librarians, associate librarians, and assistant librarians. All shall have the full rights of faculty members except that persons holding adjunct, clinical, research, visiting, lecturer, or emeritus appointments shall not have the right to vote. At the discretion of the university president, academic personnel holding non-faculty appointments may be afforded faculty privileges other than the right to vote.
The university faculty shall have authority, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees, to legislate on matters of educational policy, to enact such rules and regulations as it may deem desirable to promote or enforce such policies, and to decide upon curricula and new courses of study involving relations between schools and colleges or departments. The faculty has a right to a meaningful role in the governance of the university including primary responsibility for course content and materials, degree requirements and curriculum; it has a right to participate in decisions relating to the general academic operations of the university including budget decisions and administrative appointments. Substantial alterations in existing operations, i.e., establishment of a branch, extension center, college, professional school, division, institute, department or any new program in instruction, research, or public services, or any new degree, diploma, or certificate, shall not be made without prior approval of the State Board of Regents. Utah Code Ann. 53B-16-102(4) (1994). The legislative power will normally be exercised by the faculty through their representatives in the Academic Senate and the college or area councils, except that the voting members of the university faculty shall have the appellate power to review all actions affecting educational policy.
SECTION 2. COMPOSITION AND AUTHORITY OF THE ACADEMIC SENATE
There shall be an Academic Senate constituted as provided in the Faculty Regulations.
The Academic Senate shall have the power to act for the university faculty
in all matters of educational policy, including requirements for admissions,
degrees, diplomas, certificates, and curricular matters involving relations
between schools and colleges or departments. Within this province the action of
the senate shall be effective without approval, subject to the appellate power
of the university faculty. Matters of educational policy coming before the
Senate for action should, as a matter of course, be evaluated as to any
additional expenses involved (e.g., library support costs for new programs) and
proposed sources of revenue.
The Academic Senate shall also have the following powers:
(1) to receive and consider reports from all faculty committees, councils, departments, divisions, administrative officers, schools, colleges, faculties and libraries and to take appropriate action thereon within the scope of his authority;
(2) to consider matters of professional interest and faculty welfare and make recommendations to the university president and other administrative officers concerned;
(3) to propose to the Board of Trustees amendments or additions to the University Regulations for the government of the university.
In accord with [PPM 9-5] the university president shall inform the Academic Senate of proposed
appointments and promotions of faculty members and shall recommend these
appointments and promotions to the Board of Trustees at its next meeting unless
there is objection to any of these recommendations by a majority of the Senate
quorum. Objections shall be referred to the Executive Committee of the senate
for investigation and the report of the Executive Committee shall be
transmitted by the university president to the Board of Trustees.
The university president shall also inform the Academic Senate of
all resignations. Any faculty member shall have the right to request the review of
any resignation. Each request for such a review must be
referred to the Academic Freedom and Faculty Rights Committee for proceedings a
described in PPM 9-5.5, Sec.6.
The university president may refer to the Senate any matter upon which the
university president feels it would be useful to have the advice of that body.
When such matters pertain to academic freedom or faculty rights, the Senate shall
refer them to the Academic Freedom and Faculty Rights Committee for study and report
back to the Senate and university president. The university president may also
appoint an ad hoc committee of faculty members and others when appropriate to
advise the university president when a question arises concerning the
competence or conduct of a staff or faculty member in a given department.
SECTION 3. COMPOSITION AND AUTHORITY OF UNIVERSITY COMMITTEES
The Academic Senate shall establish an Executive Committee to include the
following voting members: ten faculty members elected annually from the
Senate's elected membership to serve one year, the ASUU president, a graduate
and an undergraduate representative from the student Academic Senators, one of
whom shall be the Student Senate Chair and the other of whom shall be selected
by the Student Senate; and the President of the Academic Senate. The President
of the Academic Senate shall chair the committee but shall vote only when
necessary to prevent an equal division of the committee. The ex officio,
non-voting members will include the university president, the vice president
for academic affairs and the vice president for health sciences or their
designees, the president-elect of the Academic Senate, and the past-president
of the Academic Senate.
The Executive Committee shall screen and review matters for the Academic
Senate and perform other functions as assigned to it by
Regulations or by action of the Academic Senate. (See Faculty
Regulations, Chap. III [PPM 9-31].)
The Executive Committee is empowered to receive confidential committee
reports indicating a serious concern about the systemic operation of a program,
department or college, and to request further supporting information from any
committee so empowered to report. If the Executive Committee concludes that
there is a serious concern about the systemic operation of a program,
department or college, it shall bring this to the attention of the cognizant
vice president and provide supporting information. The cognizant vice president
shall acknowledge receiving the report and in a timely fashion inform the
Executive Committee and the originating committee what steps are being taken to
investigate or resolve the concerns and, subsequently, inform both committees
of the outcome of the investigation and of any resolution achieved.
The Academic Senate shall elect annually members of the following committees from faculty members other than ex officio members of the Senate and the Executive Committee of the Senate: Academic Freedom and Faculty Rights Committee, Academic Policy Advisory Committee, Annuities and Salaries Committee, Faculty Budget and Planning Advisory Committee, Consolidated Hearing Committee, Library Policy Advisory Committee, Personnel and Elections Committee, University RPT Standards Committee, University Diversity Committee, and such other committees determined by the Senate to be needed to serve the interests of the university.
Vacancies in faculty positions on elected committees shall be filled either
by the runner-up from the original elections or by special election by the
Senate. (See Faculty Regulations, Chapter III.) [PPM 9-3]
The university president shall appoint, before the opening of the academic
year, such standing committees as the work of the university may require.
Special committees may be appointed at any time as the university president may
deem wise, which shall report to the faculty, or to the appropriate council, or
to the university president the progress of their work and their
recommendations.
The University President, Administration or Academic Senate will notify the
Personnel and Elections Committee about the creation of any university-wide
standing committees. Upon the creation of a university-wide standing committee,
the Personnel and Elections Committee will review the committee charter and
membership requirements, and shall make any requested nominations.
Committees of the faculty and of the Academic Senate shall act only within
the limits set for them.
SECTION 4. COMPOSITION AND AUTHORITY OF SCHOOL AND COLLEGE FACULTIES
A school or college faculty shall consist of the dean of the school or
college and such members of the staffs of departments pursuing research or
offering a major, a teaching major, or prescribed work in the school or college
as are eligible to membership in the university faculty. If a department serves
more than one school or college, the department chairperson may designate a
staff member to represent the department at meetings of the faculties of
schools or colleges other than that to which the department is assigned for
administrative purposes without abrogating the right of other members of the
department to participate and vote in the meetings of such faculties. The
president shall be an ex officio member of all school and college faculties.
In accord with [PPM 9-4] college or area councils shall be created by the colleges of the university
with compositions defined by the colleges involved, subject to the approval of
the Executive Committee. College or area councils may include councils serving
more than one college where appropriate. Such councils shall have
decision-making authority, as stated in Faculty Regulations, subject to
review by the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate and subject to the
power of the Academic Senate to legislate on matters of general university
concern.
SECTION 5. COMPOSITION AND AUTHORITY OF GRADUATE COUNCIL
The Graduate Council supervises graduate study at the University of Utah. It
is responsible for the review and evaluation of all existing departments and
programs that award graduate and undergraduate degrees and certificates. The
Undergraduate Council participates with the Graduate Council in the review of
undergraduate programs based in departments awarding graduate degrees. The
Graduate Council also reviews and evaluates proposals for new graduate degrees
and certificates; academic administrative units (e.g., departments, divisions);
centers, institutes and bureaus and proposals for name changes or major
revisions of the preceding. It assumes other responsibilities as established by
University or Board of Regents Policy. The administration of professional
degrees may be delegated by the Graduate Council to colleges, schools, or
departments.
The Graduate Council members shall be appointed by the University president
on recommendation of the dean of the Graduate School. Nominations of faculty
members will be made by College Councils for communication by the college dean
to the dean of the Graduate School. Nominations of student members will be made
by ASUU for communication by the ASUU president to the dean of the Graduate
School. Faculty members on the Council shall represent all schools and colleges
offering degrees under the jurisdiction of the Graduate Council. Student
membership shall be limited to three members, two graduate and one
undergraduate, broadly representative of the schools and colleges of the
university.
The Graduate Council shall establish policies and procedures for the
Graduate School, such policies and procedures being subject to review by the
Academic Senate as specified in Faculty Regulations.
SECTION 6. UNDERGRADUATE COUNCIL
The Undergraduate Council consists of one elected faculty representative
from each college offering undergraduate degrees and making a significant
contribution to undergraduate education across the campus (Architecture,
Business, Education, Engineering, Fine Arts, Health, Humanities, Mines &
Earth Science, Nursing, Pharmacy, Science, and Social and Behavioral Science),
a second elected representative from three colleges (Humanities, Science, and
Social and Behavioral Science), one elected representative from the University
Libraries, and an appointed representrative of interdisciplinary programs and
three undergraduate students each representing a different college and
recommended by ASUU, two of which shall come from the Student Senate. Elected
members of the Undergraduate Council shall serve for three-year terms.(1) Ex-officio non-voting members shall come from:
Enrollment Management (Student Affairs), the Academic Outreach and Continuing
Education, Academic Advising, Honors, the Graduate School, University
Professor(s), and administrators in Undergraduate Studies; other ex officio
non-voting members may be added as deemed necessary by the Associate Academic
Vice President for Undergraduate Studies. The Associate Academic Vice President
for Undergraduate Studies or a person so designated by that office shall chair
the Council. The Council shall report directly to the office of the Vice
President for Academic Affairs through the Associate Academic Vice President
for Academic Affairs, and the academic policies and procedures recommended by
the Council shall be subject to approval through the regular governance
process.
The Undergraduate Council is charged with the responsibility: (1) to
coordinate and encourage the development of undergraduate studies across the
University and (2) to oversee all university-wide undergraduate requirements.
The Associate Academic Vice President for Undergraduate Studies and Council
shall have the responsibility of establishing and maintaining a program of
general/liberal education and of other general requirements in cooperation with
the academic departments and colleges. It shall be the responsibility of the
Associate Academic Vice President for Undergraduate Studies to insure quality
in the instruction and in the content of the courses meeting general/liberal
education and other requirements through periodic review of teachers and of
curriculum. All students will undertake work in all of the four areas of
liberal education -- physical and life science, social science, humanities, and
fine arts. To facilitate proposals from the areas, the Associate Academic Vice
President for Undergraduate Studies will appoint representative area
committees. Committees establishing policy and reviewing course proposals for
other general undergraduate requirements (e.g., Diversity, Writing) will report
to the Undergraduate Council for approval. The Council is responsible for
reviewing and evaluating proposals for new undergraduate programs as well as
proposed deletions or significant revisions of undergraduate programs and
degrees by colleges and departments. It assumes other responsibilities as
established by University or Board of Regents policy. In addition, the Council
is responsible for reviewing and evaluating all undergraduate degrees and
programs that are not located in departments with graduate degrees. The
Undergraduate Council also participates with the Graduate Council in the review
and evaluation of undergraduate programs based in departments awarding graduate
degrees (see Policy and Procedures No. 8-5, section
5; and Policy and Procedures No. 9-9, section 1).
SECTION 7. UNIVERSITY OF UTAH LIBRARIES - POLICY STATEMENT FOR THEIR
GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
A. Administrative Units in the University Library System
Marriott Library and its branches are operated under the administrative jurisdiction of the Director of Libraries. The Law and Health Sciences Libraries are autonomous administrative units, are located on the sites of their respective schools and have their own directors, who shall cooperate closely with their faculties in the development and maintenance of their collections and make these available to researchers in related fields. The following regulations pertain essentially to the operations of the Marriott Library.
B. The Marriott Library Collections
The university's collections are to be primarily housed in its central library (the Marriott Library). Departments are enjoined to keep their own collections to immediate research needs and otherwise channel requests for new acquisitions to Marriott Library, in order to avoid costly duplications and make these materials available to a wider audience. The university administration should annually monitor departmental expenditures for library materials.
C. "Area Collections" in Marriott Library
"Area Collections" involving academic units other than Law and Medicine may be eligible for special arrangements in the Marriott Library, if deemed advantageous to the users and still conducive to administrative and fiscal effectiveness. The library administration and staff shall work closely with the Library Policy Advisory Committee, the faculty concerned, as well as student representatives to examine and determine such needs.
D. Departmental or Branch Libraries
A departmental or branch library may be established and maintained with the approval of the vice president for academic affairs and the president. Any request for such approval must be accompanied by an assessment from the Director of Libraries and the Library Policy Advisory Committee. Space assignments shall be made in consultation with the library administration. Any officially approved new library shall be operated as a part of the centrally administered library system. All funds that may be provided for development of library collections, for equipping, or for staffing libraries in the university shall be administered through the various accounts comprising the overall university library budgets.
Any request for the establishment of a centrally administered departmental or branch library shall be supported by documentation showing that additional funding from special sources will be forthcoming, to make sure that the financial resources for maintaining the research collections in the Marriott Library can be kept on a sufficient level.
An approved departmental or branch library must be managed by a professionally trained librarian with adequate support staff.
University library patrons should have access to the use and circulation of branch library materials regardless of departmental affiliation according to policies developed by the library administration and approved by the Library Policy Advisory Committee.
E. Library Policy Advisory Committee (LPAC)
A standing Library Policy Advisory Committee (LPAC) shall be appointed in accordance with the procedures governing other standing committees of the university. Its members shall include a representative from each academic college and shall include study body representatives. The principal function of this committee shall be to advise the directors of the Marriott Library, the Eccles Health Sciences Library, and the S.J. Quinney Law Library on matters of operational policies, the development of existing holdings, and the expansion of existing facilities from a broad, university-wide perspective. It shall also bring before the Academic Senate matters affecting library needs, policy and administration that it deems appropriate for consideration by that body. The directors of each of the three university libraries shall be ex officio, non-voting members of LPAC.
F. The Director of Libraries
The Director of Libraries is an academic officer with the rank of "Librarian" and with the administrative status of a dean. He/she is an ex officio member of the Academic Senate. In accordance with established university procedures relating to the administrative tenure of deans, he/she shall be reviewed at certain intervals by the university administration in consultation with the staff of the central library.
G. Duties of the Director
Among such tasks as may be required to fulfill the responsibilities of his/her office, the Director shall:
1. Administer all funds provided from any source for library acquisitions, binding, personnel, supplies, and equipment.
2. Determine in consultation with the library staff and with the advice of the LPAC and the academic units concerned how the various collections shall be arranged, catalogued and staffed.
3. Present to the university administration the needs of the various collections and shall prepare and submit library budget requests and recommendations, after consultation with the library staff and LPAC.
4. Work closely with LPAC, the office of facilities planning, with architects and academic units in developing plans for expansion, addition or remodeling of the physical plant or the utilization of space in the libraries when changes become necessary.
5. Present for action by LPAC and the vice president for academic affairs such plans for expansion and addition of buildings or other major changes in library operations.
6. Submit to the president, at the close of each fiscal year, a report on the University Libraries, summarizing the year's developments and achievements, outlining special problems as may seem appropriate, and citing the future needs of the library system.
7. Develop, with the advice of the library staff and LPAC, policies governing the day-to-day operation of the library system.
8. Make recommendations with regard to library positions, appointments, transfers, promotions, and terminations, in compliance with existing university regulations and with a view to maintaining a qualified staff for the University Libraries.
9. Represent the university, personally or through a qualified designee, at national, state, and local library conferences, and at inter-library and inter-institutional meetings that may involve the University Libraries.
H. Changes in Instructional and Research Programs Affecting the Library
In order to assure a proper consideration of the library costs and implications of organizational changes in the university or of the establishment of new teaching and research programs that may be contemplated, the Director of Libraries should be consulted with respect to these implications before final recommendations for such changes are made.
I. University Archives
The Director of Libraries has the responsibility and authority as University Archivist to develop and maintain the University Archives. In the interest of assuring the proper preservation of materials pertaining to the history of the university, a copy of each publication issued by the university departments or other units shall be sent by the issuing officer to the University Archives; and no university records, whether committee minutes and reports, departmental files, photographs, architectural drawings, or recordings, shall be permanently discarded without the approval of the University Archivist or a designated representative. Inactive files may be sent to the University Archives, or the Archives Librarian will assist departments in determining what kinds of materials should be preserved for their historical value.
Approved: Academic Senate 4/02/07
Approved: Board of Trustees 4/09/07
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