COLUMBIA COLLEGE COUNCIL BYLAWS

7. Non-Departmental Academic Entities : Science Institute, Interactive Multimedia, Early Childhood Education.

8. Graduate-Only Departments: Dance/Movement Therapy, Educational Studies, Interdisciplinary Arts Education.

9. Staff: Any member of the full time staff of Columbia College except those defined as Administrators.

10. Columbia College Faculty Organization (CCFO): the recognized full-time faculty organization.

11. Part Time Faculty Association (P-Fac): the recognized part-time (PT) faculty organization.

12. Chairpersons Council: the recognized organization of Department Chairs.

13. Student Government Association (SGA),Student Organization Council (SOC), and Graduate Student Organization (GSO): the recognized student organizations.

IV. Membership: The membership of the College Council is as follows:

V. Terms of Office

1. The term of office of elected and appointed members of the College Council and its Standing Committees shall be staggered terms of three years unless otherwise provided herein, with no member serving in the same capacity for more than two full consecutive terms of office.

2. After service of two full consecutive terms, a former member of the College Council or a Standing Committee may serve in the same capacity only after that person will have had an absence of two academic years.

3. The term of Student members of the Council shall be one year.

4. New College Council members will take office and begin their work during the June meeting of each year, as provided herein.

5. A faculty member of the Executive Committee whose status changes from Faculty to Chair or Chair to Faculty shall continue as a member of the Executive Committee for the remainder of the term.

6. Time spent in service as an elected alternate shall not apply toward these term limitations.

VI. Executive Committee

1. The Executive Committee shall act on behalf of the College Council between meetings. The authority of the Executive Committee derives from the College Council. Actions of the Executive Committee are revocable by a vote of 2/3 of the College Council.

2. The Executive Committee shall consist of five Faculty members, two Chairs and two Administrators. In addition, the immediate past Chairperson of the Council shall serve on the Executive Committee as a non-voting member for one year.

3. No member shall serve in a voting capacity on the Executive Committee for more than four consecutive years.

4. The Executive Committee shall be elected annually by the College Council, by secret ballot, at the June meeting, following the agenda item New Business. The election shall be conducted by the current College Council Chairperson.

5. The Council will immediately then elect from the nine members of the Executive Committee a Chairperson, a Vice Chairperson and a Secretary. The election shall be by secret ballot. The Executive Committee and the other Officers shall take office immediately.

6. The Executive Committee shall inform the Council concerning all referrals of policy recommendations.

7. The Executive Committee shall publish the minutes of its meetings on the Internet no later than seven calendar days after they are approved by the committee.

8. All meetings of the Executive Committee shall be open meetings with the right to conduct closed meetings reserved to a majority vote when deemed necessary. All meetings of the Executive Committee shall be publicized throughout the college no less than seven calendar days prior.

9. The Executive Committee may appoint a Parliamentarian with an indeterminate term of office (Ex-Officio without vote).

VII. Officers Responsibilities and Terms of Officers

1. Officers' Responsibilities

a. The Chairperson shall call and preside at meetings of the College Council and the Executive Committee. It shall be the sole prerogative of the Chair of Council to designate a surrogate to preside, in the event of the absence of both Chair and Vice Chair.

a. The Vice Chairperson shall, in the absence of the Chairperson, preside at meetings of the Council and the Executive Committee.

b. The Secretary shall be responsible for the distribution of the agenda, conducting the roll call and verifying voting rights of members of the Council, recording election results, and for producing the minutes of the Council and the Executive Committee.

2. Officers' Terms of Office.

a. Officers are elected for a one year term and may serve a subsequent term of one year. No member may serve as an officer for more than two consecutive years.

b. Faculty members serving as the Chairperson or Secretary shall receive at least one course reduction in their teaching loads during each semester of service.

VIII. Members' Responsibilities and Terms of Officers

1. Elections: Council elections shall be scheduled for the convenience of the Council by a majority vote of the Council in active session. The College Council will establish Standing Rules for election procedures, and will recognize duly elected representatives from the following constituencies.

a. Departmental Faculty Representation: One representative shall be elected from each undergraduate Department and Graduate-Only Department. The election shall be by secret ballot. The faculty member with the second-highest number of votes shall be designated as the alternate. Chairs shall not vote in departmental elections.

b. Non-Departmental Academic Programs Representation: The CCFO shall elect one representative, with an alternate, from among the Faculty members in Non-Departmental Academic Programs. The election shall be held by secret ballot.

c. At-Large Faculty Representation: The CCFO shall elect two At-Large Faculty representatives, with alternates. The election shall be held by secret ballot.

d. Part-time Faculty Representation: P-Fac shall select four Part-Time Faculty representatives, with alternates.

e. Chairs Representation: The Chairs Council shall elect four Chairs, three from different Schools and the fourth from a department with a graduate program, with alternates. The election shall be held by secret ballot.

f. Undergraduate Student Representation: SGA and SOC shall each elect one undergraduate student, with alternates, each with a term of one year.

g. Graduate Student Representation: SGA shall elect one graduate student and an alternate, with a term of one year.

Staff Representation: Each year, one Staff member shall be elected to College Council, and one Staff member shall be elected to a Standing Committee as provided in Article XV, each for a term of three years. Of these six elected Staff positions, no more than one at any given time may be held by a Staff member with the title of Director. No two Staff representatives may be from the same Department.

The Staff election process will be administered by the Columbia College Human Resources Department. Nominations for each position shall be solicited by March 15 of each year, and submitted in writing no later than April 1. There should be at least two nominations for each position. No Staff member with the title of Director, and no Staff member from the same Department as another seated Staff representative, will be eligible as a nominee if they are ineligible for election as provided in the previous paragraph.

Election for each seat shall be by secret ballot among Staff members, with ballots submitted for counting by April 15. The count shall be completed and the results forwarded to the Secretary of the College Council by April 18, or the first working day thereafter. For each position, the person receiving the most votes shall be elected and the person with the second most votes shall be designated as the alternate; except that if two Staff members from the same department, or with the title of Director, should be among the four persons receiving the most votes, the member(s) with fewer votes shall be removed from the list of nominees.

2. College Council Membership Vacancies:

In the case of a Council position vacancy for any reason, the duly elected alternate for that position shall qualify as a full member of the Council.

The Secretary shall notify the alternate and shall give simultaneous notice to the members of the Council of the change and the reason for it.

1. CCFO Election Results:

In the event that CCFO election results in committee membership do not meet appropriate representation requirements, the designated administrator for that committee will be responsible for assuring balance through appointment.

IX. Jurisdiction

As a deliberative and recommending body, the College Council shall have the following responsibilities:

1. Except as hereinafter provided for, responsible for advice and recommendationsregarding college-wide undergraduate and graduate academic policies including admissions policy, retention, graduation policy, honors and awards, the grading system, transfer policy, probation, policy matters regarding student life and activities, course equivalency and registration, revision of the academic calendar, the introduction and termination of degree programs, specialized institutes and academic departments, and other academic matters.

2. General authority to study and make recommendations within the college community on all matters it deems consistent with its purpose.

3. General authority to address compelling local, state and national educational issues.

4. General authority to draw up rules and regulations for its own operation.

X. Limitations

1. All management rights and functions, unless clearly and expressly abridged by those policies of the College Council that have been duly approved by the Board of Trustees, shall remain vested exclusively in the Board of Trustees.

2. Nothing contained in the bylaws of the Council or in the approved policies of the Council shall be deemed to supersede, violate or prevent administrative officersand employees from engaging in their official duties.

3. The Council shall not consider any policy or rule concerning wages and conditions of employment.

4. The Council recognizes the primary responsibility of the facultyin areas of instruction, including departmental curriculum development and monitoring the departmental curriculum, and its sole prerogative in the assignment of academic grades, the academic certification of students, and the recommendation of candidates for degrees. The faculty are the experts in their disciplines, and as such are the primary decision makers in matters of departmental structure.

5. The Council recognizes the authority of departmentsto establish academic policies that are consistent with college-wide policies.

6. The Council recognizes the Graduate Policy Council (GPC) as the governing body of the School of Graduate and Continuing Education in establishing graduate policies consistent with college-wide policies.

7. The Council recognizes the Columbia College Faculty Organization (CCFO)in the appropriate exercise of its authority.

8. The Council recognizes the Part Time Faculty Association (P-Fac) in the appropriate exercise of its authority.

9. The Council recognizes the Chairpersons Council in the appropriate exercise of its authority.

10. The Council recognizes the Student Government Association and the Student Organization Council in the appropriate exercise of their authority to elect members to Council and Council committees.

XI. Meetings:

1. Regular meetings shall be held once a monthduring the academic year, from October to June. The first annual meeting for newly elected officers and members will be the June meeting. Council meetings will take place on the first Friday of the month, except for the first Fall Council meeting, which will take place on Friday of the second week of October so that committees may meet and organize beforehand. No meeting will be scheduled in February. The Executive Committee may, at its discretion, postpone or cancel a meeting of the College Council.

2. Special meetingsmay be called by the following:

a. The President of the College

b. The Chair of the College Council

c. Written petition by 2/3 of the faculty members of the Council

d. Written petition by 1/3 of the whole Council membership

e. 2/3 vote of the whole Council membership while meeting in a regular session.

3. A special meeting of the Council shall occur within fifteen (15) working days from the date on which the petition is submitted or the Council vote has occurred and been certified by the Secretary of the Council.

4. Failureof a College Council member to attend three consecutive meetings without a written excuse to the Secretary will be deemed to constitute resignation from that position. Council members shall be responsible for notifying his/her alternate in case of a necessary absence. It is the alternate’s obligation to notify the Secretary of Council upon attendance for voting purposes.

5. All meetings of the Council and its Standing Committees shall be open meetings with the right to conduct closed meetings reserved to a majority vote when deemed necessary.

XII. Quorum

A majority of the membershipshall constitute a quorum.

XIII. Order of Business

Matters shall be taken up in the following order at regular meetings:

1. Call to order
2. Minutes of previous meetings.
3. Reports of Administrative Officers
4. Reports of Chairpersons of Standing Committees
5. Old Business
6. New Business
7. Recess
8. Open Forum
9. Adjourn

XIV. Agenda

1. Council minutes shall be posted on the College Council website no later than one week prior to the next meeting.

2. All matters requiring action shall be submitted to the Chair of the Council at least fourteen calendar days before a College Council meeting. The Executive Committee shall be consulted by the Chairperson in every case in establishing the agenda for meetings of the Council. All agenda items shall be approved by a majority vote of the Executive Committee. The agenda shall be distributed to the members so as to arrive at least seventy-two hours before a meeting.

3. New programs or majors submitted for consideration to the Council shall be submitted to all members of the Council at least seven days prior to the Council meeting. This requirement notwithstanding, all such proposals will be presented at one meeting but shall not be acted upon until the next meeting following submission.

4. An item may be added to the agenda at a meeting of the Council by a majority vote of the members present and voting.

5. The agenda for special meetings shall be restricted to the item or items for which the meeting was called.

XV. Committees of the College Council and Composition

1. The Standing Committees of the College Council are as follows:

Academic Affairs Committee

This committee oversees all undergraduate college-wide academic policies and their effect on academic standards, regulations, and quality, and their consistency with the mission of the college. In addition, it reviews all college requirements, undergraduate academic goals, and degree programs and requirements, and considers new academic programs. It reviews and recommends all college and liberal arts requirements.

Composition: 5 FT faculty elected by CCFO, at least one from each school, 1 FT faculty appointed by Provost, 1 PT faculty selected by p-Fac, 3 chairs, one from each undergraduate school, elected by the Chairs Council, Director of Library, Provost (non-voting). Total: 12

Teaching and Learning Committee

This committee recommends to Academic Affairs programs to improve teaching and learning. It serves as the advisory council for the Center for Teaching Excellence. It also conducts the process, and makes a recommendation to the Provost, for the Excellence in Teaching Award(s).

Composition: 3 elected FT faculty, one from each undergraduate school, 1 appointed FT faculty, 2 PT faculty selected by PFAC, 1 elected department chair, Director of Center for Instructional Technology (non-voting), Director of Center for Teaching Excellence (non-voting). Total 9

Evaluation Committee

This committee is concerned with policies and procedures for evaluation of both full-time and part-time faculty and Chairs, and all issues relating to faculty and chair excellence and assessment standards.

Composition: 3 elected FT faculty, one of whom must teach graduate level, 2 PT faculty selected by PFAC, 2 department chairs, administrator (non-voting) appointed by the Provost. Total 8

Sabbatical Committee

The purpose of this committee is to review sabbatical applications each semester, meet with the applicants to discuss the proposed project and purpose, and recommend to the Provost support for those applications that are consistent with the Sabbatical Leave Policy. Sabbatical policy issues are referred to Academic Affairs and the GPC.

Composition: 4 elected tenured FT faculty, one from each school, 1 FT tenured faculty appointed by Provost, 2 tenured department chairs, administrator (non-voting) appointed by the Provost. Total 8

Faculty Development

The purpose of this reporting committee is to initiate and encourage faculty development, and review faculty development award applications, and recommend to the Provost funding of projects that best meet program guidelines. Policy issues are referred to Academic Affairs and the GPC.

Composition: 4 elected FT faculty, one from each school, 1 FT faculty appointed by Provost, 2 department chairs, administrator (non-voting) appointed by the Provost. Total 8

Budget and Priorities Committee

This committee primarily offers counsel in establishing priorities and strategies that are congruent with the mission and strategic plans of the college. It also participates in the development of goals, objectives and strategies used in the annual budget recommendations developed by the administration before submission to the Board of Trustees. Budget proposals for new graduate and undergraduate majors and programs must be reviewed by this committee.

Composition: 4 FT tenured faculty (from different schools) elected by CCFO, 1 tenured faculty appointed by VP Finance, 1 elected staff, 2 tenured Department Chairs elected by Chairs’ Council, Executive Vice President,Vice President Finance (non-voting). Total: 10.

Student Affairs Committee

This committee participates in the formulation of all policies concerning students and student life, including residence hall policies, but excluding academic matters.

Composition: 4 FT faculty elected by CCFO, 1 from each school, 2 FT faculty appointed by the VP of Student Affairs, 1 Chair elected by Chairs Council, 1 elected staff, 3 students, one each elected by SGA, SOC, and GSO, VP Student Affairs, (non-voting). Total: 12

Faculty Handbook Committee

This committee annually reviews the Faculty Handbook, and recommends revisions reflecting new or changed policies, procedures and structures in the college, in consultation with appropriate committees and officers of the college. They assure distribution of updated pages to all faculty members.

Composition: 2 CCFO officers, 2 FT faculty elected by CCFO, 2 Chairs elected by the Chairs’ Council, administrator (non-voting) appointed by the Provost. Total: 7

Bylaws Committee

This committee annually reviews the Bylaws of the Columbia College Council, and makes recommendations for changes to the Council.

Composition: 2 faculty and 1 Chair nominated by the Executive Committee from among the current Council members and elected by the Council. Total: 3

Strategic Planning

This committee considers and comments on the Strategic Plans of the college, including any new strategic plans set forth by ad hoc committees or developed by the administration, before submission to the Board of Trustees. The Committee formulates recommendations regarding the feasibility, significance, and congruence with the mission of the college of such plans, as well as making suggestions for prioritizing the implementation of such plans. The chairperson of Strategic Planning must serve on any ad hoc strategic planning committee.

Composition: 4 FT faculty, one from each school, elected by CCFO, 1 FT faculty appointed by Provost, 1 PT faculty selected by PFAC, 2 chairs elected by the Chairs' Council, 1 elected staff, 1 Dean selected by the Provost, Executive Vice President, Associate Vice President for Planning and Research, (non-voting). Total: 12

Educational Issues Committee

This committee addresses local, state and national educational issues, and makes recommendations to the Council for consideration on such matters.

Composition: Selected by the Executive Committee of the Council from volunteers who are students, faculty, chairs, staff and administrators. Members of other standing committees may serve on this committee.

School Curriculum Committees

These committees review and recommend the approval of courses and curricula for proposed new majors and minors. They monitor duplication of course content and variance of credit assignments, and collect updated course syllabi. All proposals for new majors and new programs must be forwarded to the Academic Affairs Committee, or the GPC as appropriate. Each School Curriculum Committee must refer policy issues of all-college concern to the Academic Affairs Committee and the GPC.

Composition: 1 representative from each department in the school, with an equal number of faculty members and department chairs or, in cases of schools with an uneven number of departments, a +1 faculty majority. School Deans shall develop a system of staggered rotating 2-year terms, with alternative faculty and chairs from each department. Total: varies by School

2. Committee Organization

a. All committees will refer policy recommendations to the Executive Committee of the Council for Council consideration or committee referral.

b. No committee of the College Council shall have more than one representative from the same Department.

c. No faculty member shall serve on more than one Standing Committee at a time, nor shall anyone serve on committees with conflicting interests, determined by the Executive Committee of the Council and reported to the Council at its next meeting. However, any faculty member may serve on the Educational Issues Committee in addition to another Standing Committee.

d. Each Committee of the College Council shall have its first meeting in June. This first meeting shall be known as the committee’s Transitional Meeting. This meeting shall be scheduled by the Committee chairperson of the academic year ending, who will notify all continuing and incoming members of the Committee. The agenda of the Transitional Meeting shall include, but not be limited to, electing a chairperson and setting meeting dates for the coming year.

e. Standing committees shall be chaired by faculty members or department chairpersons. If a committee chair becomes vacant, the Committee will elect a chairperson at its next meeting.

f. All committees shall publish the minutes of their meetings on the Internet no later than seven calendar days after they are approved by the committee.

g. All meetings of the Standing Committees shall be publicized throughout the college no less than seven calendar days prior.

h. Members of new committees that become operational during the course of any academic year shall serve for the remainder of that period in addition to the prescribed term.

XVI. Graduate Policy Council

1. The Graduate Policy Council establishes and supervises standards for the operation of graduate curriculum, makes all policy regarding graduate programs, recommends new graduate programs and makes all policy recommendations to the College Council for approval and recommendation to the President.

2. All program initiatives must be sent to the Budget and Priorities Committee for recommendation prior to submission to the College Council.

3. The Graduate Policy Council shall consist of the Dean of the Graduate School, directors/chairs of each of the graduate programs, and one graduate faculty member from each program or department.

4. Graduate faculty members shall be elected by the graduate faculty of the respective departments or programs.

5. In those graduate programs that do not have full time graduate faculty members, a part time graduate faculty member may be elected.

6. The chair of the Graduate Policy Council shall be elected by the members of that committee.

7. The Graduate Policy Council will make available records of its proceedings on a regular basis to the College Council.

a. The Graduate Policy Council shall publish the minutes of their meetings on the Internet no later than seven calendar days after they are approved by the committee

b. All meetings of the Graduate Policy Council shall be open meetings with the right to conduct closed meetings reserved to a majority vote when deemed necessary. All meetings of the Graduate Policy Council shall be publicized throughout the college no less than seven calendar days prior.

8. Policy recommendations of this Council will be referred to the College Council for action and shall be acted upon as follows:

a. When a recommendation of this Council comes to the College Council it may be approved by a majority vote.

b. If rejected by the College Council it will be returned to the Graduate Policy Council and then, consequently, to the Budget and Priorities Committee of the Council with College Council recommendations, if any.

c. The Graduate Policy Council has the right to resubmit policy recommendations to the College Council for reconsideration.

XVI. Amendments to the Bylaws

The substance of any proposed amendment of the College Council’s bylaws shall be provided in writing at least 30 calendar days before Council deliberations. The bylaws may, upon this proper notice, be amended by a two-thirds vote of Council members present and voting.

XVII. Implementation of Council Recommendations

1. College Council recommendations shall be forwarded simultaneously to the President, appropriate administrators, and the college community within three (3) working days of a Council meeting. Any recommendation of the Council, unless designated in writing as “not accepted” by the President, shall be considered accepted within fifteen (15) working days. Any recommendation of the Council designated as “not accepted” by the President shall be returned to the Council Chair with the President’s comments. The President shall forward all accepted recommendations to the Council Chair as confirmation of acceptance. The recommendation shall be forwarded, if necessary, to the Board of Trustees for consideration in a timely manner, or to the appropriate College office for action.

2. A recommendation of the Council which is not accepted by the President within fifteen (15) working days may be carried forward in the following ways:

a. A petitionsigned by at least 35 faculty members may request that the Council reconsider the recommendation for approval at the next meeting;

b. A 2/3 vote of the Council may reaffirm the recommendation, and forward it to the President for reconsideration.

3. In exceptional circumstances, the President may defer his decision to submit a recommendation of the Council to the Board of Trustees for ten additional working days, and notify the Council of such a decision.

XVIII. Parliamentary Procedure

1. Robert’s Rules of Order will govern the conduct of meetings of the Columbia College Council.

2. The Council shall create such standing rules of procedure as it sees fit.

XIX. Transition Provisions

1. These bylaws shall be effective immediately upon their acceptance by a two-thirds vote of Council members present and voting at its June, 2003 meeting, except as provided below.

2. All duly elected members of College Council and Standing Committees, as of June 13, 2003, will have the opportunity to complete their current term.

3. During a transition period, the College Council may be out of compliance with elements of Article IV (Membership) and Article XV (Committees Composition). The College Council Bylaws Committee will make recommendations to the Executive Committee on procedures to reconcile and expedite full compliance.

4. As a means of assuring the requirement of staggered terms for Committee members, the following procedure will be followed at the June 2004 College Council meeting.

a. Elected and appointed names shall be placed in a receptacle and drawn.

b. Keeping in mind that continuing elected committee members have the opportunity to complete his/her term, the first one-third so selected will serve a three-year term.

c. The next one-third will serve a two-year term.

d. The remainder shall serve a one-year term.

5. Specifically, Articles I, II, III, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XVI, XVII and XVIII will be in effect immediately as provided in Section 1 of this Article.

6. The following provisions of Article IV will be in effect beginning with the October 2003 College Council meeting:

a. P-fac President will be seated.

b. Representatives from Non-Departmental Academic Entities will be seated.

c. The amended list of six Administrators will be seated.

7. The following provisions of Article XV will be in effect immediately as provided in Section 1 of this Article.

a. Descriptions of committee responsibilities will take effect.

b. Provisions relating to Faculty Handbook Committee, Bylaws Committee and Educational Issues Committee will take effect.

c. The All-College Curriculum Committee will be disbanded, and Committee memberships will transfer to the individual School Curriculum Committees.

d. Article XV, Section 2 (Committee Organization) will take effect.

8. This article (Article XIX – Transition Provisions) will expire and be removed from this document at the College Council meeting at which the Executive Committee recommends that its provisions have been accomplished, with a two-thirds vote of Council members present and voting.