Faculty governance rests on the assumption that faculty should hold a substantive role in decision-making in several identified areas in the life of the institution.

At Rhodes, we wish to ensure that the work of the faculty is completed effectively and in an environment where shared decision-making is valued. To this end, we affirm that:

1. A shared commitment to the mission of the College informs all decision-making and structures of governance. Governance is informed by maximum collaboration and consultation, respectful and reasoned discussion, trust between administration and faculty, and consistent communication.
2. Governance occurs in multiple venues, must be flexible to accommodate emerging institutional challenges and opportunities, and is accomplished in an institutional culture that balances stability and innovation.

• Areas of responsibility and the roles of everyone involved in governance must be unambiguous. 
•  Structures of governance must be as simple and straightforward as possible and respect the time commitment of all involved.
• Those who participate in the work of governance, either elected or appointed, agree to be held accountable for their work.
• All participation by members of the Faculty in the work of governance is reckoned as service to the College. Normally, faculty members in the first three years of their appointment serve the College through academic advising and service to their department. Beginning in the fourth year of appointment, faculty may serve the College in an additional way through membership on standing committees or task forces. 

Effective Faculty governance depends on a clear delineation of roles and responsibilities. At Rhodes, the work of governance occurs in three areas. These three areas are delineated here, in Section II. Structures of Faculty Governance are outlined in Section III. 

Rhodes College engages in shared governance. Cross-campus ad hoc groups convened by the President and other senior leaders are also a regular practice on our campus. These committees or task forces typically include faculty, students, staff, and administrators.

1. An area where Faculty has clear expertise and decision-making responsibility. This area includes:

• The development and maintenance of the academic program including its content, the academic standards to be met for matriculation and graduation, and the ongoing assessment of the quality of the academic program. The academic program includes the foundations curriculum, majors, minors, certificates, and requirements for awarding of degrees, as well as departments and programs. 
• The standards for tenure and promotion that lead to a recommendation to the administration and the Board of Trustees as to whether a faculty member should be granted tenure and/or promoted and the process by which tenure and promotion decisions can be appealed.
• The oversight of structures of faculty governance.
• The oversight of faculty professional interests that lead to recommendations to the administration and Board of Trustees on issues related to the welfare of the Faculty as a whole.
• The oversight of policy and procedures for faculty development resources including the review of requests and recommendations to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for faculty development grants and sabbaticals.

2. An area where the Faculty share expertise and decision-making responsibility with the administration. This area includes:

• The standards for evaluating teaching, research and service;
• The process by which outstanding students compete for post-graduate scholarships;
• The oversight of academic advising;
• The process to prepare students for successful membership in a community of scholars through an integral and interconnected first-year experience;
• The management of information and resources in technology;
• The policies and procedures to meet admissions and retention goals;
• The policies and procedures related to international education and study abroad;
• The process by which new faculty and administration are recruited and hired;
• Student appeals;
• The process for advancing inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility on campus.
• The process for advancing strategic campus-wide goals (e.g., sustainability, expressive speech, local and global engagement).

3. An area where the Faculty serve in a consultative or advisory role but where primary expertise and decision-making responsibility remain with the administration and/or Board of Trustees. This area includes:

• Faculty-related personnel policies;
• Budget; 
• Long range and strategic planning; 
• Major changes in academic direction, including modifications to the status of existing departments and programs. 
• Athletics; 
• Campus Health and Safety;
• Liaison with administrative units (further specified in Section III);
• Faculty and staff awards.

Substantive Change Policy and Procedure 
Rhodes College

Approved by the President and the Executive Staff on 7.18.2022.

Rhodes College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools – Commission on Colleges (SACS COC) and all potential substantive changes – whether proposed by students, faculty, staff, or Board of Trustees – must be discussed with and reviewed by the SACS COC Accreditation Liaison, who is appointed by the Rhodes College President. It is the responsibility of the SACS COC Accreditation Liaison to ensure that potential substantive changes are reported to, and approved by the SACS COC, prior to implementation.

The purpose of this Policy and Procedures document is to comply with the Substantive Change for Accredited Institutions of the Commission on Colleges, Policy Statement, Institutional Obligations, Item #2, that “Member institutions are required to have a policy and procedure to ensure that all substantive changes are reported to the Commission in a timely fashion” (p. 1).

Compliance

Substantive changes, including those required by federal regulations, include:

• Substantially changing the established mission or objectives of an institution or its programs.
• Changing the legal status, form of control, or ownership of an institution.
• Changing the governance of an institution.
• Merging / consolidating two or more institutions or entities.
• Acquiring another institution or any program or location of another institution.
• Relocating an institution or an off-campus instructional site of an institution (including a branch campus).
• Offering courses or programs at a higher or lower degree level than currently authorized.
• Adding graduate programs at an institution previously offering only undergraduate programs (including degrees, diplomas, certificates, and other for-credit credential).
• Changing the way an institution measures student progress, whether in clock hours or credit-hours; semesters, trimesters, or quarters; or time-based or non–time-based methods or measures.
• Adding a program that is a significant departure from the existing programs, or method of delivery, from those offered when the institution was last evaluated.
• Initiating programs by distance education or correspondence courses.
• Adding an additional method of delivery to a currently offered program.
• Entering into a cooperative academic arrangement.
• Entering into a written arrangement under 34 C.F.R. § 668.5 under which an institution or organization not certified to participate in the title IV Higher Education Act (HEA) programs offers less than 25% (notification) or 25-50% (approval) of one or more of the accredited institution's educational programs.  An agreement offering more than 50% of one or more of an institution’s programs is prohibited by federal regulation.
• Substantially increase or decreasing the number of clock hours or credit hours awarded or competencies demonstrated, or an increase in the level of credential awarded, for successful completion of one or more programs.
• Adding competency-based education programs.
• Adding each competency-based education program by direct assessment.
• Adding programs with completion pathways that recognize and accommodate a student’s prior or existing knowledge or competency.
• Awarding dual or joint academic awards.
• Re-opening a previously closed program or off-campus instructional site.
• Adding a new off-campus instructional site/additional location including a branch campus.
• Adding a permanent location at a site at which an institution is conducting a teach-out program for students of another institution that has ceased operating before all students have completed their program of study.
• Closing an institution, a program, a method of delivery, an off-campus instructional site, or a program at an off-campus instructional site.

Other substantive change requirements, including those required by federal regulations, include:

• An institution is required to notify or secure SACSCOC approval prior to implementing a substantive change.
• An institution is responsible for maintaining compliance at all times with Standard 14.2 (Substantive change) of the Principles of Accreditation and with the Substantive Change Policy and Procedures and related policies, viz.,
  • Advertising and Student Recruitment [PDF];
  • Agreements Involving Joint and Dual Academic Awards [PDF];
  • Credit Hours [PDF];
  • Direct Assessment Competency-based Educational Programs [PDF];
  • Distance and Correspondence Education [PDF];
  • Dual Enrollment [PDF];
  • Merger/Consolidation, Acquisition, Change of Ownership, and Change of Governance, Control, Form, or Legal Status [PDF]; and
  • Seeking Accreditation at a Higher or Lower Degree Level [PDF].
• An institution is required to have a written substantive change policy and procedure. It must be approved through institutional processes and published in institutional documents accessible to those affected. The purpose of the institution’s substantive change policy and procedure is to ensure all substantive changes are reported to SACSCOC in a timely fashion as required by Substantive Change Policy and Procedures. Institutions are responsible for implementing and enforcing their substantive change policy and procedure.

Procedures

General Requirements: General requirements universally apply to most or all types of substantive change. They address obligations and processes by an institution and by SACSCOC. Specific requirements are addressed by substantive change type, organized by institutional changes, off-campus instructional site / additional location changes, and program changes.

Submission deadlines: Substantive change prospectus, application, and notification submission deadlines depend on (1) the type of SACSCOC Board of Trustees review, if required (see also the Board review pathways explained below), and (2) the intended implementation date of the substantive change.

For a substantive change requiring approval by the full Board of Trustees (which meets biannually), to be implemented after the date of the Board meeting, the submission deadlines are

• March 15 for review at the Board’s biannual meeting in June of the same calendar year, and
• September 1 for review at the Board’s biannual meeting in December of the same calendar year.

For a substantive change requiring approval by the Executive Council of the Board of
Trustees (which meets year-round), the submission deadlines are

• January 1 for changes to be implemented July 1 through December 31 of the same calendar year, and
• July 1 for changes to be implemented January 1 through June 30 of the subsequent calendar year.

For a substantive change requiring notification only, it can be submitted any time before implementation. Once the institution has submitted notification, it may implement before receiving a response from SACSCOC. If there are deficiencies or additional information needed about the notification, the institutional liaison will be contacted at the time of review for resolution and before action is taken. This applies to notifications only, not to approvals: changes requiring approval cannot be implemented until approved by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees.

For a substantive change to close a program, site, program at a site, or method of delivery, a teach-out plan should be submitted as soon as possible after the decision is made to close (i.e., stop admitting students).

Identifying and reporting substantive change:
The President is responsible for:

• Submitting substantive change notification letters and associated documentation to the President of the SACS COC and providing a copy of the letters and documentation to the Accreditation Liaison

or

• Designating the Accreditation Liaison as his representative to submit substantive change notification letters and associated documentation to the President of the SACS COC

The President and Vice Presidents are responsible for:

• Informing relevant personnel under their supervision about the existence of the SACS COC Policy on Substantive Change and the need to check with the Accreditation Liaison regarding any and all significant changes in policy to determine if they meet the criteria for a substantive change as defined in the policy
• Consulting with the College’s SACS COC Accreditation Liaison regarding questions about substantive changes within their divisions
• Providing sufficient time to notify the SACS COC prior to the implementation of any changes
• Assisting with the writing of appropriate documentation and notification of substantive changes as needed by the SACS COC

The SACS COC Accreditation Liaison is appointed by the President and is responsible for:

• Staying up to date with the SACS COC Substantive Change Policy Statement
• Serving as the contact person and communication liaison between SACS COC staff and the College regarding substantive change matters
• Meeting with the President and Vice Presidents yearly to review the policy and planned initiatives
• Working with the appropriate Vice President to develop a plan of action and timeline for any substantive change actions requiring approval from the SACS COC
• Preparing substantive change prospectus in collaboration with the appropriate administrators and faculty
• Submitting substantive change notification letters and associated documentation to the President of the SACS COC as requested by the President
• Maintaining a database of substantive changes, initiatives, action plans and their status

Faculty governance occurs in multiple venues and through multiple structures. Two factors are critical in the decision as to what kind of governance structure should be in place:

1. In what area (as defined above) is the work of faculty governance occurring?
2. Is the work being undertaken continuing (recurring annually or cyclically) or is it a time-limited task with a clear completion point? 

1. Continuing work of the Faculty
   1. In the case of continuing work in the area where faculty has clear expertise and decision-making responsibility, present structures include:
      • The Faculty of the College
      • The Academic Department
      • Standing Committees of the Faculty
        • Committee on Committees
        • Educational Program
        • Foundations Curriculum Committee
        • Appeals
        • Development
        • Governance
        • Professional Interests
        • Standards and Standings
        • Tenure and Promotion
   2. In the case of continuing work in the area where the Faculty share expertise and decision-making responsibility with the administration, present structures include:
      • Administrative-Faculty Committee
      • Advising Committee
      • Information and Technology
      • Post-Graduate Scholarships
   3. In the case of continuing work in areas where the Faculty serve in a consultative role but where the primary expertise and decision-making responsibility remain with the administration and/or Board of Trustees, present structures include:
      • Council of Academic Chairs
      • Standing Administrative Committees
        • Budget
        • Faculty-related employment issues
        • Campus Safety
        • Athletics
        • Special Events and Programming
        • Policy Boards (i.e., Sexual Harassment and Assault)
        • Rhodes Planning Cooperative
      • Faculty Liaison appointments to advise specific administrative units (i.e., Board of Trustees, President’s Office, Student Support Services, Student Affairs, Meeman Center for Life Long Learning, Administrative Affairs, Career Services, Disability Services, etc.) 
2. Time-limited tasks of the Faculty with a clear completion point
   • Task Forces of the Faculty to address time-limited tasks related to any area above
   • Faculty liaison appointments to advise on specific issues
   • Personnel Search Committees (administration and faculty)

Faculty committees derive their powers and responsibilities from the Faculty. Committees in general take routine actions without specific faculty approval but with notice to the Faculty through committee minutes. In all more important matters, committees bring recommendations to the Faculty, and a majority of the voting members of every standing committee of the Faculty will be full-time-teaching faculty members. Ex officio members are without vote unless otherwise indicated. Student members are voting members. The standing committees of the Faculty transact most of the business of the Faculty in their specific areas of concern and responsibility. Each faculty committee has four general tasks within its sphere of responsibility:  

1. Faculty committees serve to keep the academic program under continuing scrutiny, minimizing weaknesses and encouraging improvements, by functioning as a forum for ideas and by investigating academic policy.
2. Faculty committees recommend policy to the Faculty by guiding the Faculty through carefully formulated proposals. The Faculty then enacts or rejects that policy.
3. Once the Faculty has approved a policy, faculty committees see that the policy is properly administered, that exceptions are mediated, and that details are tended to. Committees are empowered and encouraged to delegate administrative authority within their bodies so long as the committee retains supervisory and review authority.
4. With the exception of the Tenure and Promotion Committee and the Appeals Committee, each Faculty committee must inform the Faculty of its actions, normally through reports made at faculty meetings. The exceptions for the two stated committees are in regard to confidential matters only; those committees must report to the Faculty regarding other (non-confidential) committee actions.

All standing committees function under the general oversight of the Faculty Governance Committee. Except for at-large members, all committee members are nominated and elected by their division within the faculty. Probationary members of the Faculty are not normally expected to serve on standing committees until after their third year of full-time service. Elections for all at-large members of all faculty standing committees and Faculty Trustees are normally held at the April meeting of the Faculty. Faculty Governance Committee divisional representatives will call divisional elections, and they should be held prior to the April meeting of the Faculty.

Each committee has a Chair and a secretary. The full-time faculty members of each faculty committee for the next Academic Year will meet shortly after the May elections to elect a committee Chair and to consider the committee’s agenda for the next year. When necessary and without special permission of the Faculty, committees may meet or otherwise conduct their business during the summer recess, though all such business must be reported and approved as usual at the stated meeting of the Faculty in August or September. During any such summer work, the committee shall consist of continuing and newly-elected committee members; any member unavailable for the summer may be replaced for that time by an available outgoing former member by vote of the committee. In the rare instance where a member of the faculty needs to resign from a standing committee of the faculty (or an equivalent service activity), written notice is to be sent to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and to the Committee on Committees. 

The Chair calls the committee meetings and carries out all other duties appropriate to the position. Each committee selects its own secretary unless a member of the administrative staff has been assigned to the task. The secretary keeps minutes, distributes minutes to the committee members, and works with the Chair in maintaining communication between the committee and the rest of the College.

Student members of the Faculty committees are appointed by the Rhodes Student Government. Appointees are nominated by the Rhodes Student Government Internal Affairs Committee which will, prior to the nominations, solicit applications from the student body at large to identify interested candidates. The slate of nominations must be approved by the Committee on Faculty Governance, with an eye to diverse student representation. Nominations will be voted upon by the Student Senate for final approval. Student representatives will be accountable to the Rhodes Student Government, and shall, after each meeting of their committee, submit a written report of the meeting to the chair of the Internal Affairs Committee within five days of the meeting. The representative may then be requested to attend the next Student Senate meeting to elaborate upon that report if the Internal Affairs Committee deems that to be appropriate.

No faculty member shall serve simultaneously on more than one of the following committees: Appeals, Tenure and Promotion, and Faculty Professional Interest.

Membership. Four faculty members (preferably one elected by each of the four curriculum divisions, serving 3-year terms. Two of the faculty members must be tenured, and junior faculty are not eligible to serve as chair); ex officio: the Dean of Students for Student Success (voting); the Director of New Student Programs (non-voting); the Registrar (non-voting); Director of Academic and Learning Resources to the committee (voting); an additional faculty member who has just completed his/her first year of advising first-year students will be invited by the committee to serve one year on the committee (non-voting). Student feedback from Rhodes Student Government will be invited in specific instances.

Duties.

• Oversee the academic advising program and work to promote an effective advising system
• Develop and oversee programs and workshops for the ongoing development of advisers and advisees, including:
• Registration workshops
• New advisor development
• Continuing advisor development
• Work to ensure that students are educated on appropriate advising expectations and their role and responsibility in the adviser-advisee relationship
• Serve as the resource on academic advising for all members of the community
• Revise and circulate annually the Advising Handbooks for Faculty and Students
• Develop and recommend guidelines for academic advisers
• Provide faculty interface with appropriate student services groups
• Provide guidance concerning the academic components in Open Rhodes and Welcome Week
• Review faculty petitions for variance from regular first-year advising

Expected Involvement. Meetings are held at the call of the Chair.

Membership. Five faculty members (one elected by each curriculum division, plus one elected at-large, 3-year terms); one student (member of the junior and/or senior classes, elected annually by the Student Senate); ex officio (non-voting): designated representative of the Office of Academic Affairs and Registrar.

Expected Involvement. Biweekly meetings are scheduled throughout the academic year. Ad hoc subcommittees may be established as needed.

Duties.

• Recommend to the Faculty general academic policies.
• Review and approve significant changes to requirements for existing educational programs and degrees, including majors, minors, certificates, credentials, Maymesters and other off-site programming, and master’s degrees.
• Request and review proposals or plans from Academic Affairs and make recommendations regarding the closure or combination of educational programs and degrees, including majors, minors, certificates, credentials, Maymesters, other off-site programming, and master’s degrees.
• Make recommendations to the Faculty about the creation of new educational programs and degrees, including majors, minors, certificates, credentials, Maymesters and other off-site programming, and master’s degrees.
• Review and approve student proposals for self-designed interdisciplinary majors.
• Review Buckman International Curriculum Grants and make recommendations about these grants to the Buckman Center for International Education.
• Report to the Office of Academic Affairs each year about one or more aspects of the educational program beyond the Foundations Curriculum.
  • The committee will consult with the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the council of chairs to determine which aspects of the curriculum it will undertake to review each year
  • Aspects of the educational program to be examined include, but are not limited to:
    • writing instruction
    • oral communication instruction
    • internship programs
    • senior seminars
    • preparing students for graduate and professional study
    • interdisciplinary study
    • study abroad
    • co-curricular and fellowship activities
    • These reviews will be based on information gathered from department and program chairs, from the Registrar’s Office, from the Office of Institutional Research, and from other offices of the College (e.g., career counseling, study abroad) as needed
    • Reviews will include:
      • a descriptive report of how the departments and programs vary in their implementation of these aspects of the curriculum;
      • an assessment of our overall effectiveness in meeting learning outcomes in these areas; and
      • a set of recommendations for continued progress in these areas
      • Oversee the Hill Presidential Initiative Grants.
        • Establish curricular priorities for proposals, based on the assessment work of this committee (described above) and on consultations with the Foundations Curriculum Committee
        • Review applications
        • Recommend to the Office of Academic Affairs grant awards
      • Review Buckman International Curriculum Grants and make recommendations about these grants to the Buckman Center for International Education.

Membership.  Four faculty members (one elected by each of the four academic divisions, 3-year terms); ex-officio (non-voting, except in case of a tie): Associate Dean of Admission or other senior Admission officer, as appointed by the Dean of Admission. One member of the committee will serve as the Admission Faculty Representative to the departmental liaisons.

Duties.

• Recommend to the faculty changes to academic policies for admission to the College.

• Advise the Dean of Admission about academic policies and standards for admission set by the Faculty, as indicated by the College Handbook.*

• Review and report to the faculty current admission and financial aid policy and trends as well as student retention rates.

• Advise and assist the Dean of Admission in coordinating faculty engagement in student recruitment.

Expected Involvement. Meetings are held at the call of the Chair.

*The College Bylaws delegate to the Faculty, through the regular channels described in Article VIII, the responsibility to admit students.

Membership. Five faculty members (one tenured representative elected by each of the four curriculum divisions, plus one tenured at-large member, 3-year terms). An alternate will be appointed by the Faculty Governance Committee in consultation with the chair of the appeals committee when a principal member is unavailable or must abstain for personal reasons or potential conflict of interest. The committee may hear Honor Council appeals with a quorum of 4 people at the discretion of the committee chair. Service on this committee precludes the holding of a seat on the Faculty Professional Interest Committee.

Duties.

• Hear appeals of faculty fourth-year review, tenure and promotion decisions and report their actions and conclusions to the President;
• Hear appeals of dismissal for cause cases and report their actions and conclusions to the President;
• Hear appeals of student Honor Council decisions and report their actions and conclusions to the parties designated in Article IV. Section 5 of the Honor Council Constitution (and to the Faculty, while preserving confidentiality).

Expected Involvement. Meetings are held at the call of the Chair.

Membership. Three tenured faculty members to be recommended by the Faculty Governance Committee, with open nominations accepted from the floor of the faculty, 3-year terms, non-repeatable consecutively. No two members shall be from the same division.  
 
Duties.

1. Conduct both divisional and faculty-at-large elections of committee members to the various standing committees of the faculty and report results to the Office of Academic Affairs, the Faculty Governance Committee, and the faulty-at-large.
2. Nominate personnel for standing faculty committees, with open nominations accepted from the floor.
3. Nominate the presiding officer, the faculty secretary, and the faculty parliamentarian, with open nominations accepted from the floor.
4. Approve a slate of student nominees for standing faculty committees, as submitted by the Rhodes Student Government.
5. Maintain a rotational system for membership on standing faculty committees.

Expected Involvement. Meetings are held at the call of the Chair.

Membership:

Five faculty members, all elected at large. At least 2 must hold tenure, and no more than 2 may represent any academic division. One student member, ex officio (non-voting); a representative of the Office of Academic Affairs, ex officio (non-voting); Director of Student Accessibility Services, ex officio (non-voting). When bringing nominees to the faculty for this committee, the Committee on Committees will seek to build a demographically, ideologically, and intellectually diverse committee, representing the broad range of experience and viewpoint found among the faculty.

Duties:

• Formulate and recommend to the faculty policies and strategies for promoting a diverse and equitable campus environment for all students and faculty. 
• Assist in the implementation of such policies and strategies, the assessment of their impact.
• Advise the Office of Academic Affairs on issues of diversity and equity.
• Liaise with the other faculty committees and with relevant offices of the College on issues of diversity and equity.
• Consult with the Title IX Officer on the College’s compliance with Title IX.
• Create ad hoc groups for specific projects related to the work of the committee.

Membership. Five faculty members (one elected by each of the four curriculum divisions, plus one elected at-large, 3-year terms; two should be tenured); ex officio Associate Dean of Students for Student Academic Support (voting); Director of Academic and Learning Resources; Registrar.

Duties.

• Act on individual requests for substitutions for or waivers of degree requirements;
• Act on individual requests for variation from academic policy;
• Evaluate college-level equivalence requests;
• Recommend policies and guidelines for academic probation, suspension, or leave of absence;
• Consider cases of academic probation, suspension, or leave or absence;
• Exercise oversight of and recommend changes in admissions standards and policy;
• Act on applications for readmission;
• Recommend requirements for eligibility for a degree;
• Recommend guidelines for determining “reasonable progress towards a degree,” including policy on course sequencing, course load limits, and definition of “acceptable academic work”;
• Recommend policies regarding grades, their meaning, and their use in determining grade point averages;
• Recommend policies for degrees with academic achievement and with honors.
• Serve as the Institutional Review Panel in cases involving appeals of awards of the Tennessee Hope Scholarships

Expected Involvement. Meetings are called by the Chair as needed. Ad Hoc subcommittees may be established as needed. 

Membership:

Five faculty members (one from each division, one at-large, at least two tenured); Associate Provost, ex-officio (non-voting); Chief Information Officer, ex-officio (non-voting); Director of Academic Technogies, ex-officio (non voting); Director of Physical Plant, ex-officio (non-voting); Director of Library, ex-officio (non-voting).

Charge:

• Address immediate concerns and current problems with academic space and technology for instructional, scholarly, and creative activities.
• Facilitate long-term planning of technology needs and services for classrooms, lecture halls, and performance spaces.
• Support faculty technology needs.
• Review policies and practices regarding the use of technology in instructional, scholarly, and creative spaces.
• Advise and guide the library regarding instructional, scholarly, and creative resources.
• Liaise with Information Services, Student Life, and other offices as relevant.

Membership. Five faculty members (one tenured faculty member elected by each of the four curriculum divisions and one tenured faculty member elected at-large, with a preference for faculty at the rank of professor, 3-year terms).

Duties.

• Receive recommendations from departments for tenure and promotion;
• Assess departmental recommendations and all other information used in the evaluation of candidates for tenure or promotion;
• Recommend action on each candidate to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and to the President;
• Publish specific procedures and have changes in these procedures affirmed by the Faculty.

Expected Involvement. Meetings are held at the call of the Chair. 

Membership. Five faculty members (one elected by each of the four curriculum divisions plus one elected at-large, 3-year terms); ex officio: a representative of the Office of Academic Affairs.

Duties:

• Oversee the Faculty development programs of the College and review specific proposals for sabbaticals and summer grants;
• Receive and review reports from faculty members who have had sabbaticals or grants;
• Advise the Office of Academic Affairs concerning applications for and administration of Faculty Development Endowment Grants, and other grants in support of faculty development.

Expected Involvement. Meetings are scheduled weekly for about six months of the academic year. Each member of the committee will have a supervisory role related to some segment of the committee’s work. 

Membership. Five tenured faculty members (one elected by each of the four curriculum divisions, one elected at large, 3-year terms); ex officio: Presiding Officer of the Faculty (non-voting except in case of a tie), Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Duties – In relation to the Faculty as a whole:

• Oversee the implementation of faculty actions, including handbook language changes;
• Provide general oversight of all standing committees of the faculty;
• Coordinate the process for faculty consideration and input when broad consultation is requested by the Vice President for Academic Affairs or the President;
• Recommend procedures for administration and collection of student evaluations of instruction;
• Make recommendations to the Faculty concerning the modification, establishment or elimination of standing committees;
• Supervise agenda for faculty meetings, procedures in faculty meetings, and the calling of special faculty meetings;

Duties – In relation to the Office of Academic Affairs:

• Advise the Vice President for Academic Affairs on any major change in academic direction or program;
• Advise the Vice President for Academic Affairs on the modification, addition or deletion of any department or program of instruction;
• Advise the Vice President for Academic Affairs on the overall academic budget;
• Advise the Vice President for Academic Affairs on the assignment, reassignment, addition and deletion of faculty positions; 
• Advise the Vice President for Academic Affairs on campus climate matters;
• Recommend procedures for the administration and collection of student evaluations of instruction.
• Coordinate with the Vice President of Academic Affairs to assure that handbook language changes approved by the faculty are placed on the agenda of the Board of Trustees meetings (when appropriate) and updates to the handbook are completed when approved by the Board of Trustees. 
• Conduct an annual review to ensure that all handbook language changes approved by the faculty and Board of Trustees that academic year are included in the handbook.

Membership. Five faculty members (one elected by each of the four curriculum divisions plus one elected at-large, 3-year terms, non-successive).

Duties.

• Advise the Faculty, on matters affecting the welfare of the Faculty as a whole and specifically on policies relating to conditions of employment, such as faculty remuneration, evaluation, tenure, promotion, and retirement;
• Serve as a watchdog committee for the maintenance of academic freedom, high standards of professional faculty conduct, and high standards of the academic program.
• Monitor the Bias Education Reporting System as it relates to faculty and faculty professional interests.
• Each year choose one member of the committee, preferably with tenure, to serve as a representative on the Campus Climate Team.

Expected Involvement. Meetings are held at the call of the Chair.

Membership. Five faculty members (one elected by each curriculum division, plus one elected at-large, 3-year terms); one student (member of the junior or senior class, elected annually by the Student Senate); a representative of the Office of Academic Affairs, ex officio (non-voting): ex officio (non-voting), Registrar.

Duties.

• Review and approve all new Foundations proposals;
• Review and re-approve, on a regular cycle, all existing Foundations experiences;
• Recommend to the Faculty policies regarding the Foundations Curriculum;
• Assess the Foundations curriculum.

Expected Involvement. Weekly or biweekly meetings are scheduled as necessary throughout the academic year. Ad hoc subcommittees may be established and may meet as needed.