Constitution

The governance of King's College is the responsibility of the entire academic community with special roles for the Board of Directors, the administration, the faculty, and the student body as well as other interested members of the community at large. Any particular governance instrument must, therefore, take into consideration the larger context of that broad responsibility and must be considered as a basis for the kind of cooperation that will allow the College to follow its established mission and to achieve its goals.

The Constitution of Faculty Governance provides an instrument for faculty participation in the governance of the College, not only so that the faculty may have a voice in the decisions that affect it and its welfare, but more particularly so that its expertise, experience, and wisdom may contribute to the goals and mission of the College. The primary responsibility of the faculty and of its agent, the Council, is the effective service of such goals and mission.

The present Constitution does not describe with any completeness the roles played by the Board of Directors, the administration, and the student body in the governance of the institution, and it presumes that those elected or appointed to positions on the Council and its committees have the obligation to foster the kind of cooperative effort that will lead to the continued development of the College in the pursuit of its mission and goals. This Constitution is adopted with the understanding that appropriate consultation among the various affected parties should take place at the earliest stages of development of a particular proposal. It is adopted with the understanding, also, that even where the faculty or the Council have primary responsibility for action or judgment, they will not fail to invite the participation of administration and student representatives or fail to listen to their views. Effective governance, of course, requires that these parties, too, share with the faculty and the Council appropriate information, give timely response to their inquiries, and respect their special competence. Regardless of which party initiates a proposal or has responsibility for its closure, it is anticipated that all affected parties shall participate in a spirit of authentic collegial cooperation in which their distinct, respective contributions are committed to advance rather than impede the effort to achieve what is best for the institution.

The President sees to it that the standards and procedures in effect within the College conform to the policies established by the Board and to the standards of sound academic practice. In carrying out this charge he, and his administration, must depend upon the cooperative effort of the faculty and the Council as well as their timely response to his request for advice in those matters in which it is his obligation to take the initiative.

It is also a matter of concern that the student body find proper hearing where their welfare is involved. It is important not only that they be heard but that their appropriate right of initiative also be recognized by the faculty and the administration and that special care be given to the redress of their grievances whether in matters related directly to the academic life or in those broader matters closely related to their life at King's College. If the procedures and governance instruments presently in place are not sufficient to assure this, appropriate procedures and instruments should be adopted.

Finally, the authority and responsibility of the Board of Directors is in no way limited by this Constitution. The obligation to act as final determiner of the mission of the College and final judge of the means appropriate to achieving its goals remains with the Board, although always in a context in which this authority and this responsibility are shared with and, in part, delegated to other parties within the College community.

The structures established by this document shall be the King's College Faculty Governance. They shall serve as the agencies of the faculty in submitting to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the President, and the Board their recommendations on policies regarding academic, professional, and curricular matters. The Faculty Meeting shall, through its committees and organizations of the faculty (e.g., Faculty Council, advisory boards, committees, etc.), and in cooperation with appropriate administrative offices, assist in the implementation of policy decisions. Faculty Governance operates with approval of the Board of Directors, which has final authority over all its decisions. On any issue that directly involves another constituency of the college (e.g., students, staff, administration), the faculty, through its governance and committees, shall make every effort to invite and consult representatives of those constituencies during its deliberative processes.

Certain structures, such as Schools and Departments, serve specific functions concerning academic programs, majors and the CORE curriculum, which are described elsewhere. They have no defined role in faculty governance here.

The Faculty Meeting is an assembly of the faculty as a whole, and serves as a convenient forum through which the faculty communicates its concerns and recommendations to the various institutions and offices of the College, and in turn is informed by these institutions and offices, concerning academic and other important matters.

While this Constitution and the organizations it establishes presuppose that the academic training and professional experience of the faculty give it and its agencies primary competence to address academic and professional questions, few decisions do not have influence on and are not influenced by broad institutional considerations (e.g., questions relating to the goals and mission of the College, legal or financial questions, etc.).
Thus the Faculty Meeting and its committees base their policy recommendations on academic or professional grounds and recognize the authority of the Board of Directors and its agents, and the President of the College. The Board and the President exercise this authority when broad institutional considerations dictate. Ordinarily, they should inform the Faculty Meeting of the rationale for their decisions based on broad institutional considerations.

A. Regular Faculty Meetings shall be scheduled at least once per semester. A tentative agenda established by the Faculty Council shall be distributed to each full-time faculty member at least three days before each meeting.

B. Dates of the regular Faculty Meetings shall be established and published by the Faculty Council Chair at the beginning of the school year. The Faculty Council Chair shall be empowered to schedule additional sessions whenever the need arises.

C. Although attendance should be a mandatory obligation of each faculty member, a quorum shall be defined as 40% of all full-time faculty members holding at least the rank of Instructor.

D. If a quorum is not established, the Faculty Council Chair may constitute those present as a Committee of the Whole.

E. Part-time faculty may attend and participate in the deliberations of the Faculty Meeting but shall not have a vote.

F. The Faculty Council Chair shall appoint a faculty member as Secretary for each meeting, whose duty is to provide Minutes for general distribution to the faculty after approval by the Faculty Council.

G. The Faculty Council Chair shall request a report to the faculty from the various College and Administrative bodies as the need arises.

H. The Faculty Meeting shall create whatever ad hoc committees it deems essential.

I. A petition by twenty (20) faculty members, a majority vote by those present at the meeting itself, a majority vote of a division meeting, or a request by a member of the Faculty Council may place an item on the agenda.

J. The Faculty Meeting may ask for a revision of a policy decision by the Faculty Council with a majority vote by those present at the Faculty Meeting. Then full-time faculty members shall vote on the issue by ballot, to be completed within one week after the Faculty Meeting. A super majority of that ballot, defined as 60% of votes cast, shall confirm the revision.

K. A majority vote by those present at the Faculty Meeting can obligate the Faculty Council to deal with specific issues or to solicit a response from the Administration.

The faculty and the Administration share the responsibility to formulate and to implement the academic policy of the College. To assure that this may be done in a most effective way, the Faculty Council, as agent for the faculty as a whole, shall assume the faculty's responsibility of formulating policy recommendations in academic and professional areas. The Faculty Council shall serve as a committee on committees and shall strive to insure competent faculty service on the various committees of the College and to insure an equitable distribution of committee work among faculty members. The Faculty Council through the various committees shall consult fully in its deliberations with the appropriate programs, offices, and departments, particularly in those academic and professional matters substantively affecting them or in which they have responsibility and expertise.

The Faculty Council shall be called to its initial meeting by the Chair-elect at the earliest convenient time. The Council may decide on its bylaws and Rules of Procedures, meeting times, quorums, etc. The Faculty Council should normally meet biweekly and these meetings shall be open to the College community. The Faculty Council may call special or executive meetings. Although the Faculty Council normally decides its own agenda, a petition signed by twenty (20) faculty members, a letter to the Chair signed by the President of the College, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, or the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, a majority vote of the Faculty Meeting, or a majority vote of a Division can call a special meeting or can require inclusion of a topic on its agenda.

The Faculty Council Chair is the chief elected representative of the faculty. The Faculty Council Chair-elect shall assist the Faculty Council Chair and serve in his/her place in any capacity or function when necessary or requested by the Faculty Council Chair or Faculty Council. The Faculty Council Chair shall preside at the Faculty Meeting, in which capacity he/she shall report the activity of the Council and shall fulfill all the responsibilities of that office. In his/her capacity as Chair of the Faculty Council, the Chair shall call and preside at all regular and special meetings of the Faculty Council and accept responsibility for publication of its acts. The Faculty Council Chair and the Faculty Council Chair-elect shall serve as the liaison between the Faculty Meeting and the President, the Vice President for Academic Affairs and other members of the Administration. As such they should be regularly consulted on all issues that pertain to the faculty. The Faculty Council Chair shall serve as an ex-officio member of the College's Institutional Planning and Resource Committee (IPARC). He/she shall, in conjunction with the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, ensure that the Faculty Handbook is both regularly revised to reflect decisions by Administration and faculty and distributed to faculty members. The Chair shall perform all other functions normally expected of a presiding officer. The Faculty Council Chair and Chair-elect shall serve as resources and support for faculty.

Each year the Faculty votes for Faculty Council Chair-elect, who serves one year as Chair-elect, and the following year as Chair. Candidates shall be eligible for reelection.

No later than February 1 of each academic year the Faculty Council Chair will consult with the VPAA and the AVPAA concerning the Faculty Council's agenda and appropriate adjustments in faculty workload or benefits for the Chair and Chair-elect of Faculty Council.

In February of each school year the Faculty Council Chair shall solicit nominations for the position of Faculty Council Chair-elect, and Chairs-elect of the Curriculum and Teaching and the Academic and Professional Affairs Committees. The faculty shall have five (5) school days to submit nominations. A candidate shall be a full-time member of the faculty who shall be in at least the fifth year of service at the College, consent to the nomination, and receive the endorsement of seven (7) full-time faculty members. The Chair and Chair-elect may not be elected from the same Division.

One school day after nominations have been completed the Faculty Council Chair shall prepare and distribute a ballot for the election. The Faculty shall have five (5) school days to return their ballots. A plurality of the votes cast shall be sufficient for elections.

The Faculty Council Chair shall select two members from Faculty Council who are not candidates for positions on the ballots to serve as an Election Committee. The Election Committee will count the ballots after the conclusion of the election and announce the winners to the faculty.

Faculty Council shall consist of eleven (11) voting members and one (1) advisory member, as follows:

b. The Chairs and Chairs-elect of the Academic and Professional Affairs Committee and the Curriculum and Teaching Committee (4 members).

c. Four (4) Divisional Representatives, one from each Division, elected according to Article IV, section A.

e. The Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty or another member of the Administration appointed by the President, serving as an advisory member.

Faculty Council shall have the power to formulate and propose policy recommendations on academic (e.g., admissions policies, curriculum, degree requirements, the academic calendar, academic departments and divisions, the library, etc.) and professional (e.g., promotion, tenure, academic freedom, sabbatical leave, leaves of absence, etc.) matters.

The Faculty Council may delegate the task of investigation and deliberation to an appropriate Standing or Other Committee of the Faculty Meeting, an ad hoc committee, or the Faculty Meeting as a whole.
After a delegated committee shall have come to a resolution of an issue, it shall submit that resolution in writing to the Faculty Council for deliberation and implementation. The Faculty Council shall communicate its policy recommendations to the faculty.

Policy recommendations adopted by the delegated committees through the Faculty Council are submitted by the Faculty Council Chair to the President of the College. He shall, within one month or another mutually agreed upon specified time, either:
a) approve the recommendation, thereby making it part of the public policy of the College;
b) suggest alterations to Faculty Council;
c) forward the recommendation to the Board of Directors for its consideration;
d) veto the recommendation;
e) or advise the Faculty Council of the need for a reasonable extension of time to reach a decision.

If the President rejects the recommendation of Faculty Council, Council may appeal, by a two-thirds vote, the President’s decision to the Board.

The Faculty Council Chair shall organize and supervise elections to be held every March. Two weeks before election the Faculty Council Chair shall solicit nominees, but anyone may be nominated up to the actual vote. Except as provided in Article III, Section C, nominees must be full-time members of the faculty who shall be in at least the second year of service at the College. All positions are open for reelection. All elections are held by acclamation of a single candidate or secret ballot if two or more candidates seek election for a position. In any election, a plurality of votes cast is sufficient for election. Should an election result in a tie, a coin toss shall determine the winner.

Should the Faculty Council Chair or the Chairs of A&P, C&T or Faculty Benefits be unable to fulfill the functions of the office (due to resignation, illness, etc.) as determined by Faculty Council, the Chair-elect shall assume the position of Chair for the remainder of that year's term, remaining as Chair for the second year of his/her elected term. Then Faculty Council shall conduct a special election to choose another full-time member of the faculty to serve out only the remainder of the Chair-elect's term in that year (although that person may run for Chair-elect at the regularly scheduled election). Should a Chair-elect be unable to fulfill the functions of the office (due to resignation, illness, etc.) as determined by Faculty Council, it shall conduct a special election which shall choose another full-time member of the faculty to assume the Chair-elect's regular term as Chair-elect then Chair

In the case of vacancies on committees (due to illness, resignation, etc.) the Faculty Council Chair shall either call for an election or appoint a replacement to fill the term that as near as possible fits eligibility criteria.

For the purposes of nomination and representation to various Faculty Committees, the faculty shall be divided into two representative modalities: Divisional and At-large Representatives.

The four Divisions serve as meeting and voting groups. They are based on departmental or program membership, as follows:

A-Natural Sciences	B-Social Sciences	C-Humanities	D-Business
Biology	Economics	English	Accounting and Finance
Chemistry and Physics	Education	Foreign Languages and Literatures	Business and Management
Environmental Program	History	Mass Communications	Health Care Administration
Mathematics	Library	Philosophy
Physician Assistant	Political Science	Theatre and Fine Arts / Speech
Sports Medicine	Psychology	Theology
	Sociology and Criminal Justice
	Computer Science and Computers and Information Systems

The Administration, in consultation with Faculty Council, determines the membership of Divisions and may alter them if necessary to maintain a reasonable numeric and academic balance among the groups, especially whenever a department is created or eliminated. Such alterations need not require formal amendment of this Constitution.

At-large representatives are voted on by all full-time faculty. For the Curriculum and Teaching and Academic and Professional Affairs Committees, the entire faculty shall elect two representatives of the rank of professor or clinical/technical professor, one of the rank of associate professor or associate clinical/technical professor, and one of the rank of assistant professor or assistant clinical/technical professor.

For faculty-wide elections, the Faculty Council Chair shall solicit nominations and prepare the ballots. The Faculty Council Chair shall select two members from Curriculum and Teaching and/or Academic and Professional Affairs who are not candidates for the positions on the ballots being counted to serve as an Election Committee. The Election Committee will count the ballots after the conclusion of the election and announce the winners to the faculty.

Division Meetings shall be scheduled at least once per semester. Dates of the regular Division meetings shall be announced by the Divisional representatives on Faculty Council at the beginning of each semester. The Faculty Council Chair shall be empowered to schedule additional sessions whenever the need arises. Members of a Division can call for an additional Division Meeting when 40% of the members request a meeting in a written petition to the convener. A tentative agenda established by the elected representatives to Faculty Council shall be distributed at least three days before each meeting. The meeting will be convened and chaired by the division's Faculty Council representative or a delegated divisional representative to C&T or A&P. Administrators and staff may address the Division.

Division meetings provide an opportunity for faculty to receive pertinent information, especially from elected delegates, to discuss College and curricular issues, frame resolutions, propose issues for the Faculty Meeting or Faculty Council, and to conduct elections. For purposes of voting, a quorum will be defined as 40% of all full-time faculty members in the Division holding at least the rank of instructor. When a quorum exists, a majority vote of a Division meeting may place an item on the agenda for the Faculty Meeting or a Faculty Council meeting. A majority vote consists of 50% plus one.

The Faculty Meeting and the Administration share the responsibility to formulate and to implement the public academic policy of the College. The Faculty Council through the various committees shall ensure full deliberations with the appropriate programs, offices, and departments, particularly in those academic and professional matters substantively affecting them or in which they have responsibility and expertise.

No member of the faculty shall normally serve on more than one Standing Committee, except the Chairs and Chairs-elect.

Any member of the faculty or Administration whose department or office is affected by the actions of a Standing Committee or any appropriate representative of the student body shall have the right to propose subjects for a Committee's consideration and shall have the right to speak at that Committee's meeting while it considers a subject affecting his/her department, office, or legitimate interests. Standing Committees shall consider those matters referred to them by the Faculty Council, the Faculty Meeting and/or Divisions.

The Committee shall consist of ten (10) voting members and one (1) advisory member selected as follows:

a) Each year the Faculty votes for the Academic and Professional Affairs Committee Chair-elect, who serves one year as Chair-elect, and the following year as Chair. The Chair and Chair-elect may not be elected from the same Division. Candidates shall be eligible for reelection. The Chair-elect shall assist the Chair and serve in his/her place in any capacity or function when necessary or requested by the Committee.

No later than February 1 of each academic year the Faculty Council Chair will consult with the VPAA and the AVPAA concerning the Academic and Professional Affairs Committee’s agenda and appropriate adjustments in faculty workload or benefits for the Committee’s Chair and Chair-elect.

b) One (1) representative from each of the Divisions of the faculty as described in Article IV, Section A.

c) Four (4) representatives elected at large as described in Article IV, Section B.

d) The Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty or another member of the Administration appointed by the President, serving as an advisory member.

The Committee is convened and chaired by the Chair or the Chair-elect acting in his or her place.

This Committee has the responsibility to study and suggest policies in all areas of general academic concern and professional questions such as academic freedom, policies about sabbatical leaves or leaves of absence, general policies on promotion and tenure, academic calendar, faculty organization and governance, institutional resources, etc. It shall apply established public policy on professional conduct to individual cases brought to its attention and make recommendations to appropriate administrative officers.

The Procedural Review Committee is dormant until activated because of an appeal submitted in writing to the Chair of the Procedural Review Committee. The Procedural Review Committee shall consist of four faculty members drawn from the Academic and Professional Affairs Committee, and three appointed by the Faculty Council Chair. None of the members may be in the same department as the appellant or on a Tenure and Promotion or Senior Promotion Committee with which the appeal is connected. Otherwise it shall operate according to the guidelines in the current Faculty Handbook. A faculty member may notify the Committee in writing that in his or her judgment specific changes in the Faculty Handbook since initial appointment are adverse to them. If the Committee concurs, such changes will not be considered in that case.

The Academic Grievance Board is dormant until activated because a student submits a grievance according to the guidelines in the current Faculty Handbook. The faculty representation to the Academic Grievance Board shall consist of two faculty members elected by and from the Academic and Professional Affairs Committee, neither of whom may be in the same Department or CORE Project Team as the faculty member against whom the student has a grievance. Otherwise it shall operate according to the guidelines in the current Faculty Handbook.

The Summer Research Grant Committee shall operate according to the guidelines in the current Faculty Handbook. Four faculty representatives shall be elected by and from the Academic and Professional Affairs Committee. When possible, these representatives should be tenured or promoted. No current applicants for a summer stipend may be members.
Normally, no member of A & P should serve on more than one A & P subcommittee per year.

The Committee shall consist of ten (10) voting members and two (2) advisory members selected as follows:

a) Each year the Faculty votes for the Curriculum and Teaching Committee Chair-elect, who serves one year as Chair-elect, and the following year as Chair. The Chair and Chair-elect may not be elected from the same Division. Candidates shall be eligible for reelection. The Chair-elect shall assist the Chair and serve in his/her place in any capacity or function when necessary or requested by the Committee.
No later than February 1 of each academic year the Faculty Council Chair will consult with the VPAA and the AVPAA concerning the Curriculum and Teaching Committee’s agenda and appropriate adjustments in faculty workload or benefits for the Committee’s Chair and Chair-elect.

b) One representative from each of the Divisions of the faculty as described in Article IV, Section A.

d) One administrator, appointed by the President of the College, and one student, appointed by Student Government as advisory members to the Committee. These members shall have all the privileges of membership except the right to vote.

The Committee is convened and chaired by the Chair or the Chair-elect acting in his or her place. This Committee is charged to suggest curricular policies and to assist in the implementation of established policies in such areas as approving and reviewing courses in the CORE Curriculum, changing and supervising the CORE Curriculum, maintaining the quality and coherence of the CORE Curriculum, adding or deleting all academic programs (majors, minors, concentrations, certificates, etc.), developing and evaluating experimental teaching methods and experimental academic programs, aligning admissions policies and degree requirements, and serving as liaison to the library

On a bi-annual rotation, the Chair shall invite the CORE Project Team Leaders to meet with the Committee.

The approval of new requirements for major curricula shall be the primary responsibility of the department offering the course. Department chairs should submit notice of any such changes to the Committee. Approval requires notification to C&T and approval of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The Committee on Senior Promotion is composed of eight (8) tenured Professors, two from each Division and no more than one from any department, plus two (2) Professional Specialists if needed. Divisional representatives are as described in Article IV, Section A, for two-year staggered, overlapping terms. In the event that a Division cannot provide an eligible candidate, that representative to the Committee on Senior Promotion will be elected by the faculty from the Professors of the faculty at large by ballot under the supervision of the Faculty Council Chair. If a Professional Specialist applies for promotion to Clinical or Technical Professor, two Clinical or Technical Professors (if available), elected by the faculty at large will serve on the Committee for that year. These representatives shall enjoy all the privileges and responsibilities of that Committee in deliberating, voting and writing reports on the Professional Specialist candidates, but shall take no part in Committee actions regarding other candidates. If no Clinical or Technical Professor is available to serve on the Committee, the Committee shall meet with the chair of the candidate’s department. The purpose of this meeting is to clarify the applicant’s job description and the expectations for the position. The chair is not an advocate for the applicant, and will not participate in the Committee’s deliberations.

In accordance with the published public policies of the College this Committee will make recommendations based on academic and professional considerations for the granting of promotion to the rank of Professor. It shall provide the President with the reasons for its recommendations as specified in the “Procedural Guidelines for the Promotion & Tenure and Senior Promotion Committees” in the Faculty Handbook.

3. Role of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty

Before the Committee evaluates any of the candidates, it shall meet with the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty to discuss the standards of performance expected for senior promotion. Though the Vice President for Academic Affairs will not serve as a member of this Committee, he/she shall provide it with all documents necessary for its work and make available copies of all official correspondence between the applicant and the College. The Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty may be called by the Committee to provide information and advice. The President of the College should consider the Academic Vice President's recommendations on Promotion along with but separately from those of this Committee.

A candidate for promotion shall be informed of the Committee's recommendation before the President reaches his decision. The candidate may appeal a negative recommendation according to the guidelines of the Procedural Review Committee.

The Committee on Tenure and Promotion shall be composed of eight tenured faculty members elected by the faculty. The membership of the Committee shall be composed of:

a) Four professors who are members of the Committee on Senior Promotion, one from each Division of the College, to be elected annually by and from that committee no later than October 1 to a one-year term. A member of the Committee on Senior Promotion shall not serve on the Committee on Tenure and Promotion if another member of his/her same department is already serving on that committee.

b) Four Associate Professors are to represent each of the Divisions as described in Article IV, Section A. Two candidates are to be elected each year to staggered, overlapping two-year terms of office.

c) If a Professional Specialist has applied for promotion to Associate Clinical or Technical Professor and there is no Professional Specialist on the Committee, the faculty shall elect two full-time Professional Specialists of the rank of associate or above to serve on the Committee for that year. Those representatives shall enjoy all the privileges and responsibilities of that Committee regarding recommendations of promotion in deliberating, voting and writing reports on the Professional Specialist candidates, but shall take no part in Committee actions regarding other candidates.

d) Both the Tenure and Promotion Committee and the Senior Promotion Committee shall elect their own committee chairs.

In accordance with the published public policies of the College this Committee shall make recommendations based on academic and professional considerations for the granting of tenure and for all promotions except to the rank of Professor. It shall provide the President with the reasons for its recommendations as specified in the “Procedural Guidelines for the Promotion & Tenure and Senior Promotion Committees” in the Faculty Handbook.

3. Role of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty

Before the Committee evaluates any of the candidates, it shall meet with the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty to discuss the standards of performance expected for tenure and promotion. Though the Vice President for Academic Affairs will not serve as a member of this Committee he/she shall provide it with all necessary documents for its work and make available copies of all official correspondence between the applicant and the College. The Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty may be called by the Committee to provide information and advice. The President of the College should consider the recommendations of the Vice President for Academic Affairs on tenure and promotion along with but separately from those of this Committee.

A candidate for tenure or promotion shall be informed of the Committee's recommendation before the President reaches his decision. The candidate may appeal a negative recommendation according to the guidelines of the Procedural Review Committee.

The Committee shall consist of six (6) voting members and one (1) advisory member selected as follows:

a) Each year the Faculty votes for the Faculty Benefits Committee Chair-elect, who serves one year as Chair-elect, and the following year as Chair. The Chair and Chair-elect may not be elected from the same Division. Candidates shall be eligible for reelection. The Chair-elect shall assist the Chair, and serve in his/her place in any capacity or function when necessary or requested by the committee.

b) One representative from each of the four Divisions of the Faculty as described in Article IV, Section A. They shall serve staggered two-year terms, with elections from Divisions A and B alternating with elections from Divisions C and D.

c) One administrator appointed by the President of the College. This member shall have all the privileges of membership except the right to vote.

The Faculty Benefits Committee reviews annual faculty benefits programs (e.g., personnel policies, salary scales, merit pay, market supplements, health insurance, retirement, life and disability insurance, government related insurance programs, education benefits for spouses and dependent children) and makes recommendations for change. The Committee consults with the faculty and the Faculty Council to gain input and support for proposed changes, and meets with the President and/or other administrators to review budgetary data, enrollment projections, and other matters impacting the benefits program.

To remain properly informed, the Faculty Benefits Chair shall serve on the College’s Institutional Planning and Resource Committee (IPARC). The Chair-elect shall attend in the Chair’s absence.

The Committee shall, as informed by proposals and consultation with other faculty and the Faculty Council, make suggestions to the President for improvements in current benefits or the addition of such other benefits as from time to time are considered useful and possible. Before the Administration makes any changes to current benefits, it should, if possible, consult with the Committee, which may share and discuss the information at the next Faculty Meeting.

The Committee’s recommendations, as endorsed by the Faculty Meeting or Faculty Council, shall be given serious consideration before the determination of the final draft of the budget. The response of the Administration to these recommendations shall be reported to the Chair of the Faculty Benefits Committee, who shall report this response to the Faculty Council and the Faculty Meeting.

The Faculty Benefits Committee shall continue to function during the spring semester by conducting a retrospective evaluation of the recently finalized budget and by securing data relevant to the prospective agenda for the following year's Faculty Benefits Committee.

The Committee shall have the right to meet without the presence of the administrative member in certain instances when professional matters are considered. This determination will be made by the Faculty Council Chair on an issue by issue basis when making topic assignments or upon the request of the Committee Chair.

The Faculty Meeting may establish ad hoc committees to investigate and suggest policy recommendations. These ad hoc committees should be given a clear charge, will normally be limited in their scope and duration, and be responsible to the Faculty Meeting. Membership of such committees will be determined by the Faculty Meeting or the Faculty Council Chair if the Faculty Meeting so designates.

When administrative officers or student groups seek sustained faculty participation in the performance of the functions of their office or group, they should petition the Faculty Council through its Chair or Chair-elect to secure such participation. The Faculty Council should seek to keep the number and membership of these auxiliary groups as small as possible and should seek to distribute this work equitably among the members of the faculty. Normally no member of the faculty should serve on more than one advisory board at a time.

Especially important is communication between and among all the vested interests of the College. As new committees and structures are created, whether by the Faculty Meeting or Faculty Council, the Administration, or others, every effort should be made to ensure that the purposes, activities and resolutions of such committees are coordinated with and communicated to faculty governance structures in this Constitution.

Assessment: During the third year after the ratification of this Constitution, the Academic and Professional Affairs Committee shall conduct a review of faculty governance. It shall present its findings and any recommendations for improvements, including amendments, to the Faculty Council, which shall in turn inform the Faculty Meeting. The Academic and Professional Affairs Committee will conduct similar reviews every five years thereafter.

1. When two-thirds of the Faculty Council approve an amendment, it will be forwarded to the Faculty Meeting. It shall require the approval of a majority of the faculty members participating in a written ballot to send a proposed amendment to the President or Board of Directors.

2. An amendment signed by 20 percent of the full-time faculty members and approved by two-thirds of the faculty participating in a written ballot shall send a proposed amendment to the President or Board of Directors.

This Constitution shall be ratified with the approval of two-thirds of the full-time faculty participating in a written ballot and the subsequent approval of the Board of Directors.

This Constitution shall replace in its entirety the Constitution of the King's College Faculty Council and the By-Laws of the King's College Faculty Meeting preceding it. In the transition to the new representative structures, initial elections and terms shall be organized by the outgoing Faculty Council Chair and Faculty Council, so as to meet the description as soon as feasible (such as one-year terms for the newly structured Chairs).

Principle of Continuity: Policy positions affecting academic and professional matters already approved by the All College Senate or Faculty Council and accepted by either the President or the Board and policy positions accepted in official King's College publications (e.g., the College Catalog, Faculty Handbook, etc.) not directly altered by the ratification of this document shall continue in force; nor shall they be changed, nor new positions adopted without appropriate consultation of the Faculty Council and the President or Board.

To the extent this Constitution amends, modifies or conflicts with the terms of: (i) any College policy; (ii) the Faculty Handbook; and/or (iii) the College Catalog, the language in the College’s policies, the Faculty Handbook and the College Catalog shall prevail, and to that end, this Constitution is not intended to amend, modify or alter the terms and conditions of the College’s policies, the Faculty Handbook and/or the College Catalog.

URL: http://departments.kings.edu/facultygovern/constitution.html
Last Revision: 19 February 2007.

Constitution of Faculty Governance at King’s College