ARTICLE 2: THE FACULTY COUNCIL

2-1. Legislative power vested in Council. The legislative powers of the General Faculty shall be vested in a Faculty Council.

2-2. Members. (a) The Council shall consist of two groups of members, ex officio and elected.

(b) The ex officio members shall be: the chancellor, the provost and vice provosts, the vice chancellors, the dean of the General College and the College of Arts and Sciences, the dean of the Graduate School, the chair of the faculty, the secretary of the faculty, members of the Executive Committee of the Faculty Council and delegates to the Faculty Assembly who are not otherwise elected or ex officio members of the Council, and the chairs of standing committees of the faculty.

(d) The elected members of the Council shall be chosen by and from the electoral divisions defined in subsection (e), on the basis of one representative for each thirty-seven members of the voting faculty, or major fraction thereof, assigned to the respective divisions. In divisions entitled to two or more representatives, members shall be chosen on the basis of proportional representation of (1) professors, associate and assistant professors with permanent tenure, and librarians, and (2) all other ranks. If there are too few members of the voting faculty in either category to qualify for at least one representative, the two categories shall be combined. Representation is determined by the composition of the electoral division at the beginning of the fall semester of the academic year in which the election is held. [Amended April 28, 2000. Link to previous version.]

(e) The electoral divisions are:

The Division of Fine Arts of the College of Arts and Sciences;
The Division of Humanities of the College of Arts and Sciences,
The Division of Basic and Applied Natural Sciences of the College of Arts and Sciences and The Institute of Marine Sciences;
The Division of Social Sciences of the College of Arts and Sciences;
The University Libraries;
The School of Information and Library Science;
The Kenan-Flagler School of Business;
The School of Education;
The School of Journalism and Mass Communication;
The School of Law;
The School of Social Work;
The Institute of Government;
The School of Medicine;
The School of Dentistry;
The School of Nursing;
The School of Pharmacy; and
The School of Public Health.

[Amended 1/15/99. Link to previous version.]

(f) Departments and other units initiating faculty appointments that are not assigned to an electoral division by subsection (e) shall be assigned to an appropriate division by the secretary of the faculty.

(g) In 1985 and every five years thereafter, the Committee on University Government shall adjust the apportionment factor so that the number of elected members of the Council is as near seventy as practicable. Such an adjustment shall be deemed an amendment of subsection (d) and shall be reported promptly to the secretary of the faculty and by him or her to the General Faculty.

(h) The Committee on University Government, with the approval of the chancellor, may amend the provisions of this section to adjust details of the pattern of elective and ex officio membership herein established whenever required by changes in the organization of the University.

2-3. Terms. Elected members of the Council shall serve for terms of three years and shall not be eligible for election more than twice in any period of seven years. Nominations and elections shall be held in the spring semester in each academic year and the term of office shall begin on July 1. A members term of office shall not be affected by his or her promotion during the term or by reapportionment of the Council before expiration of the term.

2-4. Nomination and election. (a) Nominations for election to the Faculty Council shall be the responsibility of the Nominating Committee. Other names may be added to the ballot by written nomination submitted to the secretary of the faculty by ten percent or more of the faculty members of the division for which the nomination is made.

(b) The Nominating Committee shall establish divisional nominating committees within each electoral division of the Faculty Council. These committees shall recommend nominees for the Faculty Council. Each committee shall recommend at least two nominees for each vacancy within its electoral division unless the number of vacancies makes that impractical. The divisional committees normally shall be drawn from the retiring members of the Faculty Council and each shall be as widely representative of the departments in its electoral division as possible. Service on a divisional nominating committee shall be for one year.

(b) Members representing electoral divisions shall be chosen by members of the voting faculty whose primary appointments are in schools or departments assigned to that electoral division. Ballots containing the nominations shall be distributed to the appropriate division by the secretary of the faculty. Elections shall be determined by a plurality of the votes cast.

(d) The secretary of the faculty shall fill vacancies for the remainder of unexpired terms from the list of those voted on in the two most recent elections for that division in the order of the highest number of votes received. If all such persons decline appointment or are no longer eligible for election or there is an insufficient number, the Executive Committee of the Faculty Council shall fill the vacancy for the remainder of the unexpired term. Council members taking leave for not longer than one year may be temporarily replaced during such leave in like manner. Council members taking leave for longer than one year shall be deemed to have resigned from the Council.

[Amended 1/15/99. Link to previous versions.]

2-5. Organization. Pursuant to Section 502(D)(2) of The Code of the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina, the chancellor has the right to preside over the deliberations of the Faculty Council. The chair of the faculty shall preside upon the request of the chancellor. The secretary of the faculty shall be secretary of the Council ex officio. The presence of a majority of the elected members shall be necessary for a quorum. The Council may adopt bylaws to govern its proceedings.

2-6. Meetings. The Council shall meet regularly each month from September through April. Special meetings may be called by the chancellor, or, in his or her absence, by the chair of the faculty, and shall be called upon the written request of ten members of the Council. It shall be the duty of all members to attend all regular and special meetings of the Council, save for good cause. If any voting member is absent for two successive regular meetings without cause, the Council may declare his or her membership vacant.

2-7. Voting. All elected members, the chair of the faculty, and ex officio members serving by virtue of membership on the Executive Committee of the Faculty Council shall have the right to vote. Ex officio members shall have the right to make motions and otherwise participate in the Councils deliberations, but shall not vote. The presiding officer shall vote only in case of a tie.

2-8. Powers. (a) The Council shall exercise the legislative powers of the General Faculty:

To determine the educational policies of the University and the rules and regulations under which administrators and faculty will conduct the educational activities of the University;
To prescribe the requirements for admissions, programs of study, and the award of academic degrees by the University in the context of the basic educational policies of the University and the special competencies of the faculties of particular colleges and schools;
To recommend persons for honorary degrees and special awards; and
To advise the chancellor and other officers of administration and the student body in matters of student conduct and discipline, and to approve any rules and regulations governing student conduct that affect academic standards of performance.

(b) The Council shall also have power, concurrently with the General Faculty:

To provide for such standing and special committees as the Council may deem necessary or useful for the effective and expeditious conduct of its business;
To act upon reports from and to make recommendations to the General Faculty, faculty committees, colleges, schools, institutes, and other units of the University;
To request information and reports from and to give advice to the chancellor and other officers of administration with respect to any matter affecting the life of the University; and
To discuss and resolve upon matters relating to the life of the University.

2-9. Minutes. Summaries of the actions of the Council shall be sent promptly to every member of the General Faculty.

2-10. Executive Committee of the Faculty Council. (a) The Executive Committee of the Faculty Council shall consist of the chair of the faculty, the secretary of the faculty, and twelve voting members of the General Faculty elected by the Faculty Council for renewable three-year terms. The term of office shall begin on July 1. A member who has served two successive full three-year terms is ineligible for election to the succeeding term. [Subsection (a) amended 1/15/99. Link to previous versions.]

(b) The Advisory Committee shall nominate candidates for open seats in the ratio of no fewer than three to two. Other names may be added to the ballot by written nomination submitted to the secretary of the faculty by seven or more Faculty Council members. Nominations and elections shall be held in the spring semester in each academic year. Vacancies shall be filled in the manner provided for vacancies in the Faculty Council [ 2-4(d)] except that the Advisory Committee shall act instead of the Nominating Committee.

(d) For the purposes of 4-1 of this Code, the Executive Committee shall be deemed a committee of the Faculty Council and not a standing committee of the General Faculty.

(e) The Executive Committee shall have the following powers and duties:

To exercise the consultative powers delegated to the Faculty Council by sections 2-8(b)(3) and 2-8(b)(4), above, subject to such restrictions or instructions as the Council may from time to time establish;
When prompt action is required, to exercise the legislative powers delegated to the Faculty Council by sections 2-8(a)(1) and 2-8(a)(4), above, subject to confirmation by the Council at its next regular meeting;
To serve as an advisory committee to the chair of the faculty;
To represent the Faculty Council and the General Faculty in advising the University administration with respect to issues, such as planning the setting of University priorities, that the committee deems important to the Universitys mission;
To work with the various officers and groups within the University toward the realization of goals set in actions of the Faculty Council; and
To report to the Council at regular intervals, including reporting annually on the status of the implementation of resolutions of the Faculty Council.

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