CLAS Manual of Procedure

The purpose of the CLAS Manual of Procedure is to provide faculty and staff with procedures and general information about the College. It contains references to college and university policies for the governance of the academic unit.

Preface

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) at the University of Iowa advances scholarly and creative endeavors through the study of all aspects of human experience and behavior, as well as the properties and behavior of the world around us. The CLAS Manual of Procedure (MOP) supports that mission by clarifying the responsibilities of leadership and governance bodies in the College. The MOP strives to ensure that all members of CLAS have a shared understanding of the decision-making processes in the College by outlining the organization of the College, relationships among governance bodies, and paths of communication across the College in the interest of collectively supporting our mission—the pursuit of excellence in research, teaching, and service.

The goal of the MOP is twofold:

Deﬁne and regularize structure and operating procedures, and

Deﬁne and distribute responsibility.

In pursuit of these purposes and within the framework of state and federal law and the University’s Policy Manual, and subject to the authority of the Iowa State Board of Regents, the following Manual of Procedure has been formulated. This edition of the Manual of Procedure of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is a revision ratiﬁed by a ballot of the Faculty on February 11, 2025 and approved by the University President and the Provost on February 12, 2025. The ﬁrst edition of this Manual was adopted by the Faculty on December 7, 1949, and approved by the President on February 11, 1950.

Subsequent editions appeared in 1960, 1969, 1983, 1986, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2025.

Hyperlinks are provided in this Manual of Procedure for informational purposes; materials referenced therein are defined outside the scope of this MOP.

Details regarding policies of the College can be found on the CLAS Policies and Procedures website.

Article I – The Faculty

Article II – The Staff

Article III – Administration of the College

Article IV – Elected CLAS Governance Bodies

Article V – Collegiate Elections

Article VI – The Executive Committee

Article VII – The Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee

Article VIII – The Graduate Educational Policy Committee

Article IX – Faculty Assembly

Article X – Selection of a Dean of the College

Article XI – Self-Study Committee for a Review of the College

Article XII – Revision and Amendement

Article I – The Faculty

Section I.1. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Faculty

The “Faculty” of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, often referred to as “CLAS,” shall consist of the tenure‐track faculty at the ranks of assistant professor, associate professor (with or without tenure), and professor (with tenure) in the College. The Faculty also includes clinical-track faculty at the ranks of assistant professor, associate professor, and professor, and instructional‐track faculty at the ranks of assistant professor of instruction/practice, associate professor of instruction/practice, and professor of instruction/practice. The Faculty does not include faculty with visiting, adjunct, or instructor appointments.

Section I.2. The Voting Faculty

Members of the Faculty who hold regular appointments of 50 percent or more in the College are deﬁned as the “Voting Faculty” and shall have the right to vote on or consent to any matter on which action by the Faculty is taken or required. The Dean and Associate Deans of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences shall be included among the voting faculty only when a full faculty vote is called.

Section I.3. Faculty Governance of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

The Dean will consult with or ask CLAS shared governance bodies to make advisory recommendations concerning curriculum, collegiate or departmental structure, budget, faculty welfare, and a variety of policies and procedures. Members of the Faculty participate in the shared governance of the College primarily as elected representatives to the Executive Committee, Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee, Graduate Educational Policy Committee, and Faculty Assembly. Aside from participation through representation on the elected committees, Faculty may participate directly as outlined in Section I.4.

It is expected that all meetings at the College level will follow Robert’s Rules of Order.

Section I.4. Meetings of the Faculty

The Dean shall invite members of the Faculty to attend an annual faculty meeting, which shall be held every year with the Dean presiding. The Dean shall set the agenda for this meeting.

In addition to the annual faculty meeting, the entire Faculty of the College may be called to a special session by the Dean, by the Executive Committee after consultation with the Dean, by the Faculty Assembly, by the University’s Faculty Senate, by the Provost, by the President of the University, or by petition of ten percent of the Voting Faculty.

The chair of Faculty Assembly shall preside over special sessions of the entire Faculty in collaboration with the entity that called the meeting, and the secretary of the Faculty Assembly shall serve as the secretary. Twenty percent of the Voting Faculty, as deﬁned in Section I.2, shall constitute a quorum. A quorum is required to conduct oﬃcial business in special sessions of the entire Faculty.

Article II – The Staff

Section II.1. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Staff

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences “Staff” is composed of staff members who are non‐ organized Professional and Scientiﬁc and Merit Exempt personnel holding a regular appointment of 50 percent or more within the College. Members of the CLAS Staff have the right to vote on or consent to matters on which action by the Staff is taken or required. Staff are represented through CLAS Staff Council and are governed by the CLAS Staff Council Bylaws.

Article III – Administration of the College

Section III.1. The Dean

The Dean shall possess the powers and exercise the duties that are vested in that oﬃce by the Iowa State Board of Regents, the President of the University, the Provost, and the Faculty of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, each acting within its lawful authority. The Dean also shall exercise the powers and perform the duties speciﬁcally designated by this Manual.

Among the powers and duties of the Dean are the following:

To provide educational leadership and set high standards for the College’s instructional and research programs.

To promote the academic quality and welfare of the College’s faculty, through the authorization of new faculty positions, the diversiﬁcation of the faculty, oversight of faculty development and review, and recommendations to the Provost concerning faculty reappointment, promotion, and tenure.

To represent the College in its relations with central administration and with other colleges and units within the University and to advocate for the resources necessary to fulﬁll the College’s mission.

To direct the College’s strategic planning processes, developing a vision for the College’s future, setting priorities among highly desirable objectives, and allocating resources to those with the highest priorities.

To review and assess the quality of the College’s units and programs, their effectiveness in clarifying, developing, and achieving their stated missions, and their role in embracing and furthering the College’s mission; and to use these assessments as the basis for budget decisions and decisions affecting the units’ instructional programs.

To promote and maintain dialogue within the College concerning policies and resources, in regular consultation with the departmental executive oﬃcers of the College.

To exercise control over the internal budget of the College, allocating and reallocating Faculty and Staff lines, graduate teaching assistantships, and other resources.

To facilitate collegiate self‐governance by chairing the College’s Executive Committee and appointing departmental executive oﬃcers for the College’s units.

To determine and oversee collegiate administrative structure and activities, including the Associate Deanships and the Staff.

To oversee and promote external fundraising and the acquisition of grants and contracts in support of the College’s instructional and research programs.

The Dean or Dean’s designee shall establish ad hoc committees and task forces as deemed necessary to further the College’s operations or mission.

Section III.2. Associate Deans and Assistant Deans

The Dean may delegate some powers and duties of the Dean to Associate Deans and Assistant Deans. When an appointment of an Associate Dean or an Assistant Dean is to be made, the Dean shall advertise the opening within the College, follow collegiate search processes, and shall consult the Executive Committee concerning the candidates to be under consideration.

After such consultation, the Dean shall make a recommendation to the Provost.

Section III.3. Departments and Schools

Members of the Faculty holding appointments in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences hold those appointments in the duly constituted Departments and Schools of the College. Each such unit shall have a current departmental manual of procedure, approved by the Dean.

Section III.4. Departmental Executive Oﬃcers

Departments and Schools are led by Departmental Executive Oﬃcers (DEOs) who provide leadership and strategic direction to the department in collaboration with faculty governance structures and serve as a bridge between the dean’s oﬃce and departmental staff and faculty.

The DEO provides vision and leadership for the department, working both with the faculty and with the Dean’s Office to fulfill the department’s teaching and research mission. The DEO ensures that the department focuses its energies and resources on progress toward academic goals and priorities. The DEO is accountable both to the department and to the College in attending to the deadlines of everyday administrative tasks, dealing with personnel issues, and ensuring that faculty and staff cooperate in the work of the department.

The DEO’s chief duties are to oversee the processes of faculty appointment, mentoring, review, and promotion, consistent with current College and University policies; develop the curriculum; direct the work of the department’s teaching assistants and staff; and manage the budget. Under procedures established by the unit, these administrative duties may be delegated to associate chairs, executive committees, or other specialized officers or faculty committees established for the governance of the unit.

The Oﬃce of the Dean values the voice of faculty and staff in the process of selecting a new DEO and will engage in the DEO selection process for the appointment of DEOs. The DEO position is an at-will administrative appointment and serves at the discretion of the Dean; however, the expected duration of a DEO appointment is ﬁve years.

Article IV – Elected CLAS Governance Bodies

Section IV.1. Elected Faculty Governance Bodies

The College shall have Faculty shared governance bodies consisting of three elected committees (the Executive Committee, the Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee, and the Graduate Educational Policy Committee), and an elected general representative body (the Faculty Assembly). Collectively, these four advisory Faculty groups may be referred to as the CLAS “governance bodies.” The members of these governance bodies shall be chosen according to the provisions speciﬁcally designated in this Manual (see Article V).

Although College Associate Deans can serve ex oﬃcio in collegiate shared governance, they are not eligible to be elected to any collegiate committee or Faculty Assembly while serving in that capacity. Similarly, currently serving Associate Deans may not be elected to any CLAS departmental committees, or vote on departmental matters of signiﬁcant substance, such as Promotion & Tenure.

Section IV.2. Staff Governance

The College shall have an elected committee composed of CLAS staff, which shall be called the “CLAS Staff Council” of the University of Iowa. The CLAS Staff Council is governed by the Staff Council Bylaws.

To ensure a structured and transparent governance process, the CLAS Staff Council has delineated speciﬁc guidelines for its operations. All components not explicitly detailed in the MOP shall be dictated by the bylaws of the CLAS Staff Council. These include, but are not limited to, meeting requirements of the Staff Council, duties of ex oﬃcio members, procedures for nominations and the selection of CLAS Staff Council Representatives, protocol for ﬁlling vacancies during the operational year, and elections. This approach ensures a consistent and standardized method of operation, and fosters trust and clarity among all CLAS staff members.

Section IV.3. Faculty Governance Terms of Oﬃce

The terms of the members of the Faculty elected governance bodies shall be three years. Elections shall take place each spring academic semester. One may not succeed oneself on any elected committee, except when ﬁlling a vacancy for not more than one year. Newly elected members shall take oﬃce beginning July 1 immediately following their election.

Section IV.4. Faculty Committee Oﬃcers

The Dean or the Dean’s designee shall chair the Executive Committee, the Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee, and the Graduate Educational Policy Committee. Each of these committees shall choose one person among its members to serve as a member of the Faculty Assembly Agenda Planning Committee. Leadership of the Faculty Assembly shall be as deﬁned in Section IX.3.

Section IV.5. Faculty Committee Meetings

Each elected committee shall establish a regular meeting schedule. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once a year without the Dean and the Associate Deans and shall choose one of its elected members to preside at such meetings. At least once a year, the chair of the Faculty Assembly (or the chair’s designee) shall be invited to meet with the Executive Committee.

Section IV.6. Collegiate Faculty Votes

The Faculty (Article I) has a determinative vote only on amendments to the MOP and revisions of the MOP. All other Faculty votes are advisory to the Dean, unless superseded by the University of Iowa Policy Manual.

Section IV.7. Minutes and Reports

Each elected committee and the Faculty Assembly shall take and approve minutes of their meetings, to be made available to all members of the Faculty after approval. Each ad hoc committee or task force shall report in writing to the Dean or Dean’s designee upon completion of its assigned scope of work. A permanent ﬁle of all such reports shall be kept by the Oﬃce of the Dean.

Section IV.8. Vacancies

Continuity of service is crucial for effective governance. A vacancy in an elected governance body shall be ﬁlled for the remainder of the term, or for only the period of absence in the case of leave, by the candidate who was not elected but obtained the next largest number of votes within the corresponding Electoral Voting Group, as deﬁned below in Section V.2. If no such candidate is available to ﬁll a vacant position on an elected committee or on the Faculty Assembly, the Dean shall consult with Executive Committee to ﬁll the vacancy for the remainder of the term or period of absence. If the period(s) of absence over the three-year term exceeds one semester, the replacement will be for the remainder of the term.

Article V – Collegiate Elections

Section V.1. Voting Units

The “Faculty Voting Units” are each individual school or department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Section V.2. Electoral Voting Groups

The College values representation from across scholarly disciplines. For the purpose of elections, the Voting Faculty Units, as described in Section V.1, shall be divided into four Electoral Voting Groups. The Electoral Voting Groups include representatives from Faculty Voting Units in the Arts, Humanities, Natural and Mathematical Sciences, and Social Sciences.

Section V.3. Faculty Nomination Eligibility

The Oﬃce of the Dean shall maintain a record of members of the Faculty. Each fall semester, the Oﬃce of the Dean shall prepare a list of the Voting Faculty for use during that academic year. The list shall be annotated to indicate nomination eligibility, according to the provisions below:

Faculty who hold an administrative role in the Oﬃce of the Dean or who have held an administrative role as a Dean or Associate Dean in the past ﬁve years are not eligible to serve on faculty governance bodies. Faculty currently serving in other university administrative roles will be evaluated by the Oﬃce of the Dean and Executive Committee for potential conﬂict of interest.
Elected Governance Committees
- Faculty may serve on only one elected committee (including CLAS seats on Graduate Council; Section V.3.4) at a time.
- A Voting Unit may only be represented by one faculty member on the Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee and the Graduate Educational Policy Committee. (A Voting Unit may be represented on the Executive Committee by two faculty members only if the two faculty members are representing different faculty tracks.)
Faculty Assembly
- Except for those excluded by Section V.3.1 above, all Voting Faculty are eligible to serve on the Faculty Assembly, including those currently serving as Departmental Executive Oﬃcers (DEOs).
CLAS Seats on Graduate Council
- Tenure-track members of the College’s graduate faculty are eligible for election to the College’s seats on the Graduate Council, in accordance with the Graduate College Manual of Rules and Regulations.

Section V.4. Nominations

Nominations are conducted by a secret ballot that is managed by an independent entity outside of CLAS that maintains confidentiality from the Office of the Dean. Measures will be taken to ensure that only eligible Voting Faculty vote, that each eligible voter votes only once, that individual votes remain anonymous, and that the vote totals reported are accurate and complete. The voting period shall remain open for at least two weeks. For each vacant position on the Executive Committee, the Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee, and the Graduate Educational Policy Committee, as well as for each vacant at-large elected seat of the Faculty Assembly, the Voting Faculty shall nominate three eligible faculty members from within their own Electoral Voting Group.

The eligible faculty members who receive the highest number of nominating votes in their respective Electoral Voting Group shall be notiﬁed by the Dean prior to the finalization of the ballots for the election of the faculty governance bodies. Unless a candidate declines the nomination in writing to the Dean, that candidate will be on the ballot for the designated position. If a candidate declines nomination, that place on the election ballot shall be ﬁlled by the person who receives the next highest number of nominating votes in the Electoral Voting Group and accepts candidacy. A faculty member may not accept nomination for more than one of the elected committees (Executive Committee, Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee, Graduate Educational Policy Committee, CLAS seats on Graduate Council) in any given election. If nominated for more than one, the Faculty member shall select the committee for which they wish to stand for election and shall be replaced as a nominee for the other committee(s) by the person receiving the next highest number of nominating votes in their Electoral Voting Group. In case of a tie, the nominee shall be determined by lot.

Section V.5. Faculty Election

Following completion of the nominating process, an election will be conducted by secret ballot for the elected CLAS faculty governance bodies, again by an independent entity outside of CLAS, to elect members of the CLAS faculty governance bodies (and CLAS seats on Graduate Council) from among the selected nominees. Measures will be taken to ensure that only eligible Voting Faculty vote, that each eligible voter votes only once, and that the individual votes remain anonymous. The election shall remain open for voting for at least two weeks.

Each member of the voting Faculty may vote for one, two, or three candidates for each open position on the Executive Committee, the Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee, and the Graduate Educational Policy Committee, as well as the Faculty Assembly’s at-large seats. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes for each position shall be declared elected. In case of a tie, the choice shall be determined by lot. (See the Graduate College Manual of Rules and Regulations, Section XVI.F, for election procedures governing the election of collegiate representatives to the Graduate Council.)

Article VI – The Executive Committee

Section VI.1. Membership

The Executive Committee, often referred to as the “EC,” shall be composed of: the Dean; eight members elected by the Faculty of the Electoral Voting Groups (two tenured faculty from each of the four Electoral Voting Groups), one elected instructional or clinical Faculty at the rank of instructional/clinical full professor representing this sector of the professoriate, rather than any particular department; and each of the College’s Associate Deans, who shall be designated ex oﬃcio non‐voting members.

The EC represents the Faculty and provides guidance regarding the College’s research, teaching, and service missions. Accordingly, it is important that its elected members have experiences that reﬂect all three missions. Thus, only Voting Faculty at the ranks of tenured associate professor, tenured professor, or instructional/clinical full professor shall be eligible for election to the Executive Committee.

Section VI.2. Duties

The duties of the committee shall be as follows:

To confer, provide recommendations, and advise the Dean in the formulation of collegiate administrative decisions and judgments. Ordinarily, the Dean shall confer with the committee on at least the following:
- Departmental reviews and major departmental problems between reviews.
- General policy governing the review of departmental executive oﬃcers.
- Establishment of or change in positions in the Oﬃce of the Dean.
- Collegiate Review (see Policy Manual 28.2).
- Major items of budget policy that fall within the Dean’s jurisdiction.
- Major changes in collegiate organization and administrative policy.
- Allocation of Faculty positions.
To confer with the Dean on matters of policy regarding the professional welfare of all Faculty, Staff, and Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
To review the standing and reputation of the College and its individual departments and units and to make recommendations for improvement.
To advise on all existing Faculty rules and regulations.
To act on proposals for the establishment or dissolution of programs or departments.
To consult with the Provost when a new Dean is to be appointed and assist by ascertaining and communicating Faculty attitudes regarding the candidate(s) under consideration.
To consult with the Provost when an interim or acting Dean is to be appointed. The Committee may nominate candidates from among the College’s tenured full professors and advise on the candidates’ qualiﬁcations.
To conduct such other business as may be assigned to it, except that it shall not assume or be asked to assume authority on any matter delegated elsewhere. The committee shall advise the Dean regarding the referral of problems and responsibilities to an appropriate committee, or for the potential creation of a task force or working group when such matters are not within the scope of any existing committee.

Section VI.3. Meetings

The meeting agendas shall be set by the Dean and include items put forward by committee members.

Article VII – The Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee

Section VII.1. Membership

The Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee, often referred to as the “UEPCC,” shall be composed of: the Dean or an Associate Dean designated by the Dean; nine members elected from and by the Voting Faculty (two from each of the four Electoral Voting Groups, and one irrespective of their Electoral Voting Group (subject to the disciplinary eligibility restrictions of Section V.3.2)); and an undergraduate student whose primary program of study is in CLAS, appointed by the Dean or the Dean’s designated Associate Dean and who shall be designated an ex oﬃcio voting member.

Only Voting Faculty at the ranks of tenured associate professor, tenured professor, clinical associate professor, clinical professor, associate professor of instruction/practice, and professor of instruction/practice shall be eligible to serve on the Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee.

No more than one instructional- or clinical‐track faculty member shall represent each Electoral Voting Group. The term of the appointed undergraduate student member shall be one year, with the possibility of reappointment for an additional year.

Any member of the committee may place an item on the agenda. The Dean or designated Associate Dean votes only in the case of a tie.

Section VII.2. Duties

The duties of the committee shall be as follows:

Section VII.3. UEPCC Subcommittee: The General Education Curriculum Committee

The General Education Curriculum Committee, often referred to as “GECC,” shall be composed of at least six Faculty members representing all four Electoral Voting Groups, and at least one undergraduate CLAS student. The GECC also may include faculty from other colleges that use the CLAS General Education program and/or academic Staff.

All members of the committee shall be appointed by the Chair of the Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee. Faculty appointees shall have terms of three years. Student appointees shall have terms of one academic year.

The principal duties of the committee are as follows:

To review and make recommendations to the Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee regarding courses that should be approved for General Education status.
To periodically assess courses in each area of the General Education program.
To develop, periodically review, and suggest necessary modiﬁcations to the student learning outcomes in each area of the General Education program and to the comprehensive student learning outcomes for the program as a whole.
To develop, periodically review, and suggest necessary modiﬁcations of the procedures for course approval and review.
To undertake special review tasks as requested by the Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee.
To advise the Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee on possible improvements to the General Education program.

Article VIII – The Graduate Educational Policy Committee

Section VIII.1. Membership

The Graduate Educational Policy Committee, often referred to as the “GEPC,” shall be composed of the Dean or an Associate Dean designated by the Dean; six elected Faculty members (one from each of the four Electoral Voting Groups, and two irrespective of their Electoral Voting Group (subject to the disciplinary eligibility restrictions of Section V.3.2)); and a graduate student, appointed by the Dean or designated Associate Dean, who shall be designated a voting member. The graduate student committee member shall be appointed for a term of one academic year based on nominations from one or more student groups and organizations.

Only Voting Faculty at the ranks of tenured associate professor and tenured professor shall be eligible to serve on the Graduate Educational Policy Committee. One Faculty member representative shall be elected from each of the four Electoral Voting Groups: The Arts, the Humanities, the Natural and Mathematical Sciences, and the Social Sciences. Two Faculty members shall be elected by the Voting Faculty At Large, from any Electoral Voting Group. There may be no more than two Faculty members from any one Electoral Voting Group.

Any member of the committee may place an item on the agenda. The Dean or designated Associate Dean votes only in the case of a tie.

Section VIII.2. Duties

The duties of the committee shall be as follows:

To advise and provide recommendations to the Dean and Associate Deans for formulating policies and procedures related to the graduate programs administered by collegiate units, including matters relating to curriculum, teaching, and graduate student professional development.
To advise and provide recommendations to the Dean and Associate Deans related to the creation or dissolution of graduate-level degree and certiﬁcate programs administered by CLAS or in which CLAS participates as an interdisciplinary partner.
To advise and provide recommendations to the Dean and Associate Deans, collegiate
departments, the Oﬃce of Admissions, the Graduate College, and other University oﬃces regarding admissions standards to graduate programs administered by CLAS.
To advise and provide recommendations to the Dean and Associate Deans regarding special CLAS initiatives supporting graduate student and postdoctoral scholar education and professional development.
To advise and provide recommendations to the Dean and Associate Deans regarding graduate program oversight and the awarding of competitive CLAS fellowships and assistantships.
To advise and provide recommendations to the Dean and Associate Deans regarding upholding standards of time to degree, completion rates, outcomes, and career placement for the CLAS graduate degree and certiﬁcate programs.

Article IX – Faculty Assembly

Section IX.1. Membership

Membership of the Faculty Assembly, often referred to as “FA,” shall be distributed in proportion to the number of Voting Faculty in each of the Electoral Voting Groups (Section V.2) and shall consist of both Unit Representatives and At-Large members. The number of each type of member and their proportional distribution shall be determined as follows:

Each Faculty Voting Unit (as deﬁned in Section V.1) shall select one member of the Voting Faculty with a primary appointment in that unit to serve as Unit Representative based upon departmental procedures. If a Unit Representative resigns or is unavailable, an alternate member shall be identiﬁed to serve out the term or serve for the period of absence. In Voting Units with 25 or more Voting Faculty, the Voting Unit shall select an additional member of the Voting Faculty with a primary appointment in the unit to serve as a second Unit Representative based upon departmental procedures.
There will be 12 elected At-Large members representing the four Electoral Voting Groups of CLAS, serving staggered three-year terms. The number of these elected At-Large members from each Voting Group shall ensure that the Faculty Assembly membership is proportional to the percentage of faculty holding primary appointments in that Electoral Voting Group (Section I.1). Faculty numbers, and the proportional distribution of Faculty within Electoral Voting Groups, will be based upon the Provost’s annual headcount census of faculty in years when elections for At-Large members are to be held.
To ensure proportional representation as the composition of the College changes, the Executive Committee will update the distribution of Faculty Assembly members in any year that restructuring occurs in the College, and review and update the distribution at least once every three years.

If a Unit Representative is unable to attend a Faculty Assembly meeting, it is the responsibility of that Unit Representative’s Voting Unit DEO to notify the Faculty Assembly oﬃcers and provide the name of the alternate for that meeting.

A Faculty member may represent only one Voting Unit and may be selected as a Unit Representative only from the Voting Unit in which they hold their primary appointment. The election of At-Large members shall precede the selection of Unit Representatives to ensure that no member is selected by their Voting Unit’s departmental procedures in the same year that they are elected for At-Large membership.

Section IX.2. Powers and Duties

Faculty Assembly is a representative and deliberative shared-governance body within CLAS, with a role analogous to that of the Faculty Senate for the University (Policy Manual I.2.8(1)). In accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, the Faculty Assembly may consider, deliberate, take a position, and make recommendations, as appropriate, on any matters affecting the academic and professional concerns of the collegiate faculty.

Specifically, the Faculty Assembly has the following powers and duties:

Advise and offer recommendations to the Oﬃce of the Dean on matters that impact CLAS faculty, including:
- Faculty welfare
- Policies and curriculum
- College climate and related concerns
- Other concerns brought forward by Faculty.
Solicit input from constituents regarding matters to be discussed in the Faculty Assembly, thereby ensuring participation of CLAS faculty in collegiate shared governance.
Identify topics for further discussion by other elected collegiate governance committees.
Advise and offer recommendations on revisions of and amendments to the MOP prior to an Executive Committee vote (Section XII.1).
Propose amendments to the MOP (Section XII.1).
Discuss and make recommendations on matters referred to Faculty Assembly by the Dean, or any of the elected committees of the college. Proposals on the Faculty Assembly agenda from collegiate elected committees come to the Assembly as motions made and seconded; such motions may be discussed and debated by the Assembly prior to taking a vote (in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order).

Section IX.3. Oﬃcers

The officers of the Faculty Assembly are the chair, the past chair, the vice chair, and the secretary. They become members ex-officio of the Assembly. Their terms are for one year and begin at the adjournment of the Assembly’s annual organizational meeting, held toward the end of each spring semester. At this organizational meeting, the Assembly elects a vice chair and a secretary, and the previous vice chair becomes chair at the end of the meeting. No individual may hold any two of these offices simultaneously.

Candidates who expressly agree to serve may be nominated from the floor at the organizational meeting. Near the start of each spring semester, the chair, the vice chair, and the Dean each choose a Liberal Arts and Sciences faculty member at the rank of Associate or above to serve on a three-person nominating committee. The nominating committee acts to ensure that there will be at least one candidate nominated for each open office. The committee’s recommendations come to the floor as nominations already made and seconded. Only faculty who have served on Faculty Assembly for at least one year at some prior time are eligible to be nominated and serve as an officer of Faculty Assembly.

The vice chair presides over the Faculty Assembly when the chair is unavailable; the secretary when the vice chair is unavailable; the past chair when the chair, vice chair, and secretary are unavailable; and a Faculty Assembly member selected by the chair when all of these officers are unavailable. The Provost may also call meetings of the Faculty Assembly and preside at them.

If the office of vice chair or secretary becomes vacant, the chair may call an election to fill the office at the next regularly-scheduled FA meeting, provided that at least ten days' notice of the election has been given to FA membership. Otherwise, an election is held at the beginning of the following term.

If the office of chair becomes vacant, the vice chair presides for the remainder of that term and continues as chair for the next term. If there is no vice chair at the time the office of the chair becomes vacant, the Dean convenes a special meeting of FA within fourteen days to elect a chair to serve the rest of the vacated term. The person elected chair then is eligible for election as chair for the next term. Otherwise, no person may be elected as an officer in the year after serving as chair.

The chair may appoint ad hoc committees to help with aspects of the Assembly’s work.

Section IX.4. Meeting Procedure

The Faculty Assembly officers meet with the Agenda Planning Committee to prepare agenda items to bring to the Assembly. The Faculty Assembly Agenda Planning Committee consists of all Faculty Assembly oﬃcers, one representative from the Executive Committee, one representative from the Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee, and one representative from the Graduate Educational Policy Committee.

The chair prepares and sends an agenda to each Faculty Assembly member and the Dean at least one week before each scheduled Faculty Assembly meeting. Any Voting Faculty member may also propose items for the next agenda. The Faculty Assembly Agenda Planning Committee may invite the Dean or a representative of the Dean’s office to address matters of interest at any FA meeting.

A majority of the Faculty Assembly members constitute a quorum, with meetings to be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order. A quorum is required for any meeting business, including voting, to occur. Meetings are open, and Liberal Arts and Sciences Faculty who are not members may address the Faculty Assembly with the permission of its presiding officer. At least two regular meetings shall be held each semester.

Additional meetings may be called by the chair, the Faculty Assembly, the Dean, the Executive Committee after consultation with the Dean, the Provost, or by petition from at least ten members of the Faculty Assembly. If a question of procedure arises, it shall be resolved by the Faculty Assembly oﬃcers according to this Manual and standard Robert’s Rules of Order parliamentary rules.

Article X – Selection of a Dean of the College

Section X.1. Selection of a Dean

When a vacancy occurs in the Deanship of the College, the Provost may appoint an interim Dean prior to conducting a search for a new Dean. When searching for a Dean, the Provost may meet with the Executive Committee and other CLAS faculty governance bodies. The Oﬃce of the Provost shall establish a process for selecting a Dean.

Article XI – Self-Study Committee for a Review of the College

Section XI.1. Collegiate Self‐Study Committee

When the University initiates a review of the College, an ad hoc committee shall be created to prepare the College’s self‐study. The ad hoc committee shall be chaired by the Dean and shall include the Associate Deans of the College as ex oﬃcio members without voting privileges. The Dean, in consultation with the Executive Committee, shall appoint to the ad hoc committee eight members of the collegiate Faculty with all four Voting Groups equally represented. The ad hoc committee shall prepare the self‐study according to the University’s published guidelines as stated in Section 28.2 of the Policy Manual. The ad hoc committee must present the ﬁnal self-study document to the Faculty Assembly and CLAS Staff Council for comment. Faculty Assembly and CLAS Staff Council may review and submit comments in writing to be appended to the self-study. The Executive Committee votes to provide ﬁnal approval of the self-study before it is transmitted to the Oﬃce of the Provost.

Article XII – Revision and Amendement

Section XII.1. Procedures for Amendment and Revision of the Manual of Procedure

The Executive Committee shall, of its own accord, initiate, consider, and undertake any necessary amendments or revisions of this Manual at least once every seven years. An amendment is deﬁned as changes made to only one article of the Manual, whereas a revision includes changes to more than one article. The Oﬃce of the Dean or another collegiate-elected governance body may introduce proposed Manual amendments or revisions to the Executive Committee at any time, which it shall consider. If the Executive Committee determines that any of the proposed Manual amendments and/or revisions are necessary, the changes shall be brought to the Faculty Assembly for discussion prior to an Executive Committee vote. Once approved by the Executive Committee, proposed Manual amendments and/or revisions are transmitted to the Faculty of the College for ratiﬁcation. Ratiﬁcation requires a three‐ﬁfths majority of those Faculty voting on it and the approval of the Provost. The President of the University shall be provided the ratiﬁed and approved revised Manual for approval or veto; if, in any event, the University President does not veto any portion of the revised Manual within 60 days of receipt, the revision(s) shall take effect.

Amendments to the Manual may be introduced at any regular or special meeting of the Faculty or at any regular or special meeting of the Faculty Assembly. If three-fifths of the Faculty Assembly membership so direct, the amendment(s) shall be transmitted to the Faculty at least 10 days in advance of the scheduled vote, which is to be conducted by secret ballot as described in Article V. Ratification requires three‐fifths majority of those Faculty voting on it and the approval of the Provost. The President of the University shall be provided the ratified and approved revised Manual for approval or veto; if, in any event, if the University President does not veto any portion of the revised Manual within 60 days of receipt, the amendment(s) shall take effect.