Oakland University Senate
2nd Meeting
Wednesday, October 25, 1972
3:15 p.m.
128-130 Oakland Center
AGENDA
Submitted by Frederick S. Obear, for the Steering Committee.
A. New Business
1. Recommendation from the Steering Committee (Mr. Obear). Procedural Motion, eligible for final vote.
THAT THE UNIVERSITY SENATE APPROVE THE REPLACEMENTS AND REAPPOINTMENTS TO STANDING COMMITTEES SHOWN ON THE ATTACHED LIST.
Note: Two lists are provided. The Constitutional Committee listing is for informational purposes only; no action is required of this body. The Standing Committee listing is a full membership list. Only those persons designated with an "'N" or ''R" (new and reappointment) require Senate approval. The Senate Constitution requires that regular committee chairpersonships be filled by Senate members. In the interest of continuity within the Teaching and Learning Committee, the Steering Committee recommends that Professor Braunstein serve as acting chairman of this committee for the remainder of the academic year.
2. Amendment to the Constitution of the College of Arts and Sciences concerning selection of the dean. First reading (Reuben Torch).
Comment: The following motion relates to the method used to appoint the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The current constitutional requirement is:
Article I, Sec.v, para. 2. The Dean shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees, upon recommendation of the President. Before recommending appointment, the President and the Provost shall consult all department chairmen of the College. The President and the Provost may review the Dean's appointment with all department chairmen at any time they deem necessary, but they must review the Dean's appointment at least every five years with the department chairmen.
THAT ARTICLE I, SECT. v, para. 2, OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES BE REPLACED WITH PARAGRAPHS 2, 3, AND 4 BELOW: THAT SECTION vi BELOW REPLACE CURRENT SECTION vi ; THAT CURRENT SECTION vi BE RENUMBERED SECTION viii; AND THAT SECTION vii BELOW BE ADDED TO THE CONSTITUTION.
2. The Dean shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees upon recommendation of the Provost and the President, following the procedures of Article I (vi).
3. The Provost may review the Dean's appointment at any time he deems necessary, but the review must be conducted at least once every five years. The procedures for the review are given in Article I (vii).
4. In unusual situations where there is not enough time to complete the procedures in Article I (vi) before the incumbent Dean leaves the office, the Provost, following consultation with the Executive Committee and all department chairmen, shall appoint an Acting Dean. The term of office of an Acting Dean shall not exceed one year, renewable. During the tenure of the Acting Dean, the procedures of Article I (vi ) shall be in effect.
vi. Before appointment of a new Dean to the College of Arts and Sciences there shall be a Search Committee established.
1. The Search Committee shall consist of one faculty member from each of the four instructional groupings (at least two of whom shall be tenured), a non-tenured faculty member at large, and a faculty member from outside the College of Arts and Sciences.
a. The Executive Committee of the College of Arts and Sciences shall nominate two faculty members from each instructional grouping and two non-tenured faculty members at large. Additional nominees, for any of these five positions, can be added to the ballot by petition from twelve faculty members. The election shall be conducted by the Elections Committee with all members of the Assembly of the College of Arts and Sciences eligible to vote for their choice in each of the five categories.
b. The faculty members from outside the College shall be selected by the Provost with the approval of the Executive Committee of the College of Arts and Sciences.
c. The Search Committee shall elect its own chairman.
2. The Search Committee shall be responsible for soliciting nominees, assessing their qualifications, arranging for interviews and recommending to the Provost the person to be appointed Dean. The Committee shall determine its own procedures of operation. These procedures must include consultation with all department chairmen before a recommendation is made to the Provost. The Provost can veto the nomination, in which case the Search Committee prepares a new recommendation. When the Provost and the Search Committee agree on a candidate for appointment as Dean, the name will be submitted to the Assembly for a secret referendum conducted by the Elections Committee of the Assembly. If more than fifty percent of the Assembly vote against the appointment, a new candidate must be considered. Otherwise the Provost can either proceed with the appointment of the candidate or request further recommendations from the Search Committee.
vii. When reviewing the incumbent Dean's appointment, the Provost (or his delegate) shall be assisted by a panel of three faculty from Arts and Sciences.
1. The faculty members of the review panel, including at least one non-tenured member, shall be elected by the Assembly. The Executive Committee of the College shall nominate a slate of six candidates, including at least two non-tenured members of the faculty of the College. Additional nominations may be made by a petition signed by twelve members of the Assembly.
2. The review shall be conducted in two stages: (a) a survey of opinion solicited by the panel through individual and group interviews, and (b) a referendum.
a. The Provost and the review panel shall function as an interviewing team to discuss the Dean's reappointment with a widely representative sample of individuals and groups. They shall meet with the assembled department chairman and inner college heads, with the Assembly Executive Committee, and with all other groups they deem necessary or which seek an interview. In addition, they will conduct private interviews with as wide a range of individuals as possible, including tenured and non-tenured members of every department and inner college. The panel will also inform the University that it will be available for interviews with all individual or groups who seek them, and that it will read any signed, written communications which are presented to it concerning the Dean's reappointment.
b. After the review panel has conducted its interviews and assembled all information it deems necessary, it will submit a recommendation to the Provost. If the recommendation is a positive one, the Provost must submit it to an Assembly referendum and consider the results. However, even if both the recommendation and the referendum are positive, he may choose not to reappoint the Dean. If the recommendation of the review panel is negative, he may submit it for referendum at his discretion, and the Dean may be reappointed if not opposed by a majority of the Assembly. However, in no instance shall a Dean be reappointed if more than 50% of the Assembly oppose the reappointment.
c. The complete review procedures, including the referendum, must be carried on during a regular fall or winter term, and at least six weeks must be set aside for the process.
d. In the event the Dean is not reappointed, the search procedures specified in Article I (vi) shall be put into operation.
3. Amendment to the Constitution of the College of Arts and Sciences concerning appointment of department chairpersons. First reading. (Reuben Torch).
a. THAT PARAGRAPHS vi.l.c AND vi.l.d OF ARTICLE I (OR PARAGRAPH viii.I.c AND viii.I.d IF THE AMENDMENT UNDER 2 ABOVE IS APPROVED) BE REPLACED WITH THE FOLLOWING WORDING:
c. Before recommending appointment or reappointment of a chairman, the Dean must follow the procedures specified in the bylaws.
d. In unusual circumstances the Dean may appoint an executive officer over a department, after consultation with the Executive Committee of the College of Arts and Sciences, the President, the Provost and with all department chairmen.
Comment: Section l.vi (December 12, 1968) of the Arts and Sciences Constitution reads:
vi. Departments and other instructional-administrative units may be proposed by the Dean to the Chancellor and the Provost with the advice of the Executive Committee and the Assembly.
1. Departments of instruction are entrusted with instruction in one of the academic disciplines.
a. The Chairman is the principal academic and administrative officer of the department.
b. He is appointed by the Board of Trustees, upon recommendation of the Chancellor, the Provost, and the Dean, for a three-year term, which term may be renewable. An Acting Chairman may be appointed for a one-year term, which term may be renewable.
c. Before recommending appointment or reappointment of a Chairman or an Acting Chairman, the Dean must consult with all tenured members in the department and such other persons as he deems necessary. In departments with less than five tenured faculty , the five highest ranking members of the department must be consulted.
d. In unusual circumstances, the Dean may appoint an Executive Officer over a department, after consultation with the Chancellor and the Provost and with all department chairmen in the College.
If this amendment takes effect, the Assembly of the College of Arts and Sciences has adopted the following bylaws to be concurrently effective:
BYLAWS CONCERNING THE APPOINTMENT OF DEPARTMENT CHAIRMEN:
1. Before appointment of a new department chairman there shall be an ad hoc Search Committee established.
a. The membership stipulation for an ad hoc Search Committee will be determined by the Dean, -with the advice of the Executive Committee. In all oases, a majority of the Committee will be tenured faculty members from the department and at least one shall be non-tenured. A majority of the Committee shall be tenured. There shall be at least one faculty member from outside the department. The chairman of the Committee shall be a faculty member in the department.
b. The faculty members from the department are to be elected by the department. Faculty members from outside the department will be appointed by the Dean with the advice of the Executive Committee and approval of the department.
c. The Search Committee shall elect its own chairman.
d. The ad hoc Search Committee shall be responsible for soliciting nominees assessing their qualifications, arranging for interviews and recommending to the Dean the person to be appointed department chairman. The Committee shall determine its own procedures of operation. The Dean can veto any nomination, in which case the Search Committee prepares a new recommendation men the Dean and the Search Committee agree on a candidate for appointment as department chairman, the name will be submitted to the department for a secret referendum conducted by the Search Committee. If more than 50% of the department votes against the appointment, a new candidate must be considered. Otherwise the Dean can either proceed with the appointment of we candidate or request further recommendation from the Search Committee.
2. When reviewing an incumbent chairman's appointment, the Dean shall be assisted in the review by a three-member review panel, consisting of two tenured and one non-tenured faculty member.
a. The faculty members shall be elected by a secret ballot of all members of the department faculty and teaching staff.
b. The Dean and the review panel shall interview all mergers of the department, and they shall solicit student opinion by means most appropriate for that particular department, mere the department is too large for the Dean to see all members personally, he shall interview at least two members from every rank and mil confer with the review panel about other interviews they have conducted.
c. After conferring with the review panel, the Dean will submit the question of reappointment to a referendum of the entire departmental teaching staff, and the results will be tallied by the review panel and submitted to the Dean. If more than y of the departmental teaching staff opposes reappointment, the chairman may not be reappointed. Otherwise, the Dean may regard the vote as advisory and reappoint or not at his discretion.
d. If the chairman is not reappointed, search procedures will be initiated as described in bylaw 1.
FWO:B:er
10-18-72