ARTICLE 4: STANDING COMMITTEES
4-1. Organizational principles. The existing standing committees of the faculty and new committees shall be organized as nearly as practicable in accordance with the following principles:
- No committee shall consist of more than seven members, unless authorized by the chancellor and Advisory Committee;
- Members shall serve for staggered terms of three years each and, on elective committees, a member who has served a full three-year term is ineligible for election to the succeeding term;
- When a committee is created by faculty action, its functions shall be specifically stated in the motion or resolution;
- When a committee is created by administrative action, its functions shall be specifically stated in a written communication to the faculty;
- Before any new special or standing committee is created, consideration shall be given to the question whether one of the existing committees could effectively undertake the assignment;
- Necessary aid and assistance shall be provided to expedite the work of the committees of the faculty; and
- Service on all standing committees shall begin on July 1 following election or appointment and end on June 30 of the appropriate year.
[Paragraph 2. amended
4-2. The Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall consist
of all faculty members retiring from the elective faculty committees (Advisory,
Athletics, Educational Policy, Faculty Grievance, Faculty Hearings, Financial
Exigency and Program Change, and Honorary Degrees and Special Awards). The
Executive Committee of the Faculty Council may appoint up to five additional
members. Service shall be for one year. The chair and secretary of the faculty
shall serve as ex officio, non-voting members. The secretary of the faculty
shall convene the Nominating Committee each year and shall serve as secretary
of the committee. [Amended
4-3. Procedure for electing standing committees. (a) Each spring the Nominating Committee shall provide the secretary of the faculty with three nominees for each vacancy on each elective committee. Additional nominees may be added to the ballot by written nomination of ten or more faculty members submitted to the secretary of the faculty.
(b) Ballots shall be distributed by the secretary of the faculty and those nominees receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared elected.
(c) In the event of a tie the secretary shall determine election by lot.
(d) Interim vacancies shall be filled by the secretary from the list of those voted on in the most two recent elections in the order of the highest number of votes receive unless all such persons decline apointment, or are ineligible, or there is an insufficient number, in which case the vacancy shall be filled by appointment of the chair of the faculty for the remainder of the unexpired term.
[Subsection (d) amended
4-4. Procedure for selecting appointed standing committees. The
Nominating Committee may act in an advisory capacity to the chancellor and the
chair of the faculty, as they deem appropriate, in the appointment of standing
and special committees. [Amended
4-5. Advisory Committee. (a) The Advisory Committee shall consist of nine elected members, the chair of the faculty, the secretary of the faculty, and the chair of the Committee on Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure.
(b) The committee shall be advisory to the chancellor in any matter deemed important by the chancellor or the committee, and particularly with respect to:
(1) proposed amendments to the trustee policies and procedures governing academic tenure;
(2) academic program planning and assessment;
(3) appointment of vice chancellors, deans, and other senior administrators; and
(4) recommendations for corrective action
(i) pursuant to a report of the Faculty Hearings Committee with respect to a decision not to reappoint a probationary-term faculty member, or
(ii) pursuant to a report of the Faculty Grievance Committee with respect to a decision not to promote to a higher rank a person holding permanent tenure at the rank of associate professor or assistant professor.”
No faculty member shall serve simultaneously as an elected member of the Advisory Committee and the Executive Committee of the Faculty Council, the Committee on Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure, the Faculty Hearings Committee, or the Faculty Grievance Committee.
(c) It shall elect a chair for a term of one year. The secretary of the faculty shall serve as secretary of the committee.
(d) It shall hold regular meetings once each month, at such time and place as may be fixed by the committee and the chancellor. The presiding officer shall be the chancellor, or, in his or her absence, the chair of the Advisory Committee. Special meetings may be called by the chancellor or the chair of the Advisory Committee. Notice of a special meeting called by the chair shall be given to the chancellor. Whoever calls the special meeting shall preside.
[Amended
4-5.1. Committee on
Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure. (a) The Committee on Appointments,
Promotions, and Tenure is composed of twelve members of the faculty holding
permanent tenure at the rank of professor. Four members shall hold primary
appointments within the
(b)
The committee is advisory to the provost in any faculty personnel matter deemed
important by the provost or the committee, and particularly with respect to:
(1) appointments, reappointments, and promotions that have the effect of conferring permanent tenure;
(2) promotions to a higher rank of persons holding permanent tenure at the rank of associate professor or assistant professor;
(3) appointments to distinguished professorships that are not restricted by the terms of the endowment to a particular school or department; and
(4) review of school and departmental statements of criteria for appointment, promotion, and tenure.
[Added 2/7/03, effective 7/1/03. General Faculty Resolution 2003-3 provides that in order to implement a system of staggered terms, the secretary of the faculty shall assign one-year, two-year, and three-year terms to members elected in 2003 in the order of the number of votes received.]
4-6. Educational Policy Committee. (a) The committee is concerned with those matters of educational policy and its implementation which have significant impact upon graduate and undergraduate instruction within the Division of Academic Affairs, and as to which the Faculty Council possesses legislative powers by delegation from the General Faculty under Article II of the Code. The committees function is advisory to the Faculty Council in respect of such matters. The committee exercises its advisory function by:
- routinely taking on reference from the Faculty Council any matter lying within its range of concern which has been formally presented to the Council for study or for action, and on which the Council desires to have substantial committee study prior to undertaking formal consideration;
- from time to time taking on reference from the Faculty Council any specific proposal which has come through the normal administrative channels for approval by the Council (such as adding or dropping academic programs) and on which the Council desires further review and advice prior to taking final action;
- acting as a council of advice for the university registrar in administering faculty regulations concerning student records and transcripts, registration, class and examination schedules, grading systems, grade reports, academic deficiencies, probation, and readmission;
- setting general policy on the kind of catalogs to be issued, their content, and their design; and
- originating studies of particular matters lying within its range of concern by requesting authority from the Faculty Council to make such studies, conducting the studies if authorized, and reporting the results of the studies to the Council.
(b) The committee is composed of nine members elected by the Faculty for staggered three-year terms, one undergraduate student appointed by the chair of the faculty for a one-year term on recommendation of the president of the Student Body, and one graduate or professional student appointed by the chair of the faculty for a one-year term on recommendation of the president of the Graduate and Professional Student Federation. Eight members shall be elected by the Division of Academic Affairs voting at large. Of these, two members shall hold primary appointments in the Social Sciences Division of the College of Arts and Sciences, one in one of the professional schools or other academic units in the Division of Academic Affairs (other than the College of Arts and Sciences), two in the Humanities Division of the College of Arts and Sciences, two in the Basic and Applied Natural Sciences Division of the College of Arts and Sciences or the Institute of Marine Sciences, and one in the Fine Arts Division of the College of Arts and Sciences. One member shall be elected by the Division of Health Affairs voting at large and shall hold a primary appointment in one of the professional schools or other academic units of that Division. The committee shall elect its own chair at the first meeting after July 1 of each year.
(c) In considering any matter referred to it and prior to its report to the Faculty Council, the committee shall provide reasonable opportunity for comment upon the matter by members of the faculty and of the student body.
4-7. Faculty Athletics Committee. (a) The Faculty Athletics Committee is concerned with informing the faculty and advising the chancellor on any aspect of athletics, including, but not limited to, the academic experience for varsity athletes, athletic opportunities for members of the University community, and the general conduct and operation of the Universitys athletic program. The committee will report on its activities at least once each academic year to the Faculty Council.
(b) The committee shall consist of ten members to be elected by the faculty for five-year, staggered terms, two new members being elected each year. In addition to the considerations established by 1-8, the Nominating Committee should attempt to assure that units that teach undergraduates are substantially represented on the Faculty Athletics Committee.
(c) The voting delegate to the Atlantic Coast Conference, if not otherwise an elected member of the Faculty Athletics Committee, shall be a voting ex officio member of the committee. The total committee may thus number either ten or eleven members.
(d) The committee shall choose its chair from among its membership.
4-8. Faculty Grievance Committee. (a) The Faculty Grievance Committee shall consist of ten elected members. At all times three of the members shall have been professors when elected, three shall have been associate professors, three shall have been assistant professors, and one shall have held a fixed-term appointment. A members promotion in rank during a term of office shall not terminate his or her membership. The term of office shall be three years. One professor, one associate professor, and one assistant professor shall be elected each year. One person holding a fixed-term appointment shall be elected in 1997 and every third year thereafter.
(b) The committee is authorized to hear, mediate, and advise with respect to the adjustment of grievances of all persons designated as members of the Faculty by the Trustee Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure and those librarians who are members of the General Faculty. The power of the committee is solely to hear representations by the persons directly involved in grievances, to mediate voluntary adjustment by the parties, and to advise adjustment by the administration when appropriate. Advice for adjustment in favor of an aggrieved faculty member may be given to the chancellor only after the dean, department chair, or other administrative official most directly empowered to adjust it has been given similar advice and has not acted upon it within a reasonable time.
(c) As to members of the General Faculty, grievances within the committees jurisdiction include matters directly related to a faculty members employment status and institutional relationships within the University, except for those within the jurisdiction of the Faculty Hearings Committee or arising from the termination of an administrative appointment.
(d) As to graduate students or others who have teaching duties, grievances within the committees jurisdiction include only those which meet all four of the following conditions: (1) they arose in connection with the grievants teaching duties, (2) they raise a question of academic freedom, (3) the dean or chair with immediate responsibility for the grievant has no authority to fashion an appropriate remedy, and (4) there is no other appropriate grievance procedure.
(e) No grievance may be considered except on the basis of a prior written statement of its nature by the aggrieved faculty member, and until determination is made that an unsuccessful attempt has been made by the faculty member to resolve it with the administrative official most directly concerned.
(f) The committee shall elect its own chair. It may act as a whole or, by designation of the chair, in panels of two or more, for the consideration of particular grievances. It may promulgate rules of procedure for its operations. When promulgated, these rules shall constitute the exclusive formal procedures for the adjustment of faculty grievances herein described. No formal appeal procedure shall be provided.
4-9. Faculty Hearings Committee. The committee is composed of five faculty members holding permanent tenure when elected, serving five-year terms. The committee performs functions assigned to it in the Trustee Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure. [Amended 10/20/00; link to previous version]
4-10. Financial Exigency and Program Change Committee. (a) The committee shall consist of twelve elected members, six from the Division of Academic Affairs and six from the Division of Health Affairs, each of whom shall hold a tenured or probationary term appointment when elected. The term of office shall be five years, and members may not be immediately re-elected to office. The committee shall elect its own chair to serve a one-year term, and the chair may be re-elected to successive terms as chair.
(b) The committee discharges the functions provided in Section 6 of the Trustee Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure, in accordance with the following procedures:
- In considering the chancellors preliminary statement (Trustee Policies, Section 6.c) the committee shall request advice in the form of a written report from the chair and faculty of each department which in the judgment of the committee might be directly affected by the adoption of any option potentially involving terminations of faculty employment which is described in the chancellors statement. The committee may request advice on any matter deemed by the committee to be relevant to the problem presented by the chancellors statement, but in any event shall require response directly to the following points: (i) in the case of financial exigency, whether other options than any affecting the particular department would better serve the interests of the University, and how, if any option directly affecting a particular department were to be implemented, a sound and balanced educational program might be maintained by the department without any, or a minimum of, terminations of faculty employment; (ii) in the case of program change, whether on balance it is justified, and how, if it is to be effected, this may be accomplished without any, or a minimum of, terminations of faculty employment.
- In considering the chancellors proposal for specific action (Trustee Policies, Section 6.f), the committee shall request advice in the form of a written report from the faculty and chair of each department identified in the proposal as a unit to be directly affected by the proposed action. The committee may request advice on any matter deemed by the committee to be relevant to its consideration of the proposed action, but in any event shall require advice as to the propriety and efficacy of the criteria proposed by the chancellor for determining individual faculty members for termination.
- In requesting advice at either stage, the committee shall specify a time for submission of written reports which allows not less than seven days between receipt of such reports and the time for submission of the committees report to the chancellor.
- For the purposes of this section ( 4-10), the terms termination, financial exigency, and program change have the meanings given them by Section 6.a of the Trustee Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure; the word department is used to include departments, schools, and any other unit of the University which initiates appointments and other personnel actions affecting faculty members; and the word chair is used to include the chief administrative officer of each such unit.
4-11. Honorary Degrees and Special Awards Committee. The committee consists of six members elected by the voting faculty to staggered three-year terms. The secretary of the faculty is a member of the committee ex officio. The committee considers nominations from the faculty for (1) Honorary Degrees, awarded at Commencement each May; (2) Distinguished Alumnus and Alumna Awards, presented each University Day, 12 October; (3) the Thomas Jefferson Award; and (4) the O. Max Gardner Award. Nominees for Honorary Degrees and Distinguished Alumnus and Alumna Awards are recommended for approval to the Faculty Council and the Board of Trustees. The chancellor presents the nominee for the Gardner Award to the Board of Governors.
4-12. Faculty Assembly Delegation. The delegation of the General Faculty to the Faculty Assembly of the University of North Carolina is composed of the chair of the faculty and four members elected by the voting faculty for staggered three-year terms. The chair of the faculty shall chair the delegation, ex officio. The Committee on University Government may amend the provisions of this paragraph with respect to the number of members of the delegation when required by a change in the number of members of the Faculty Assembly apportioned to the University. Such amendments shall be reported promptly to the secretary of the faculty and by him or her to the General Faculty.
4-13. Buildings and Grounds Committee. The committee is appointed by the chancellor. It advises the chancellor on plans for the long-range physical development of the campus, the siting and exterior design of new and renovated buildings, major landscaping changes, the selection of architects, the location of monuments and memorials, and such other matters as the chancellor may refer to it.
4-14. [Reserved]. Repealed April 28, 2000. Link to previous version.
4-15. Faculty Welfare Committee. The committee is appointed by the chancellor. It works for and reports on the improvement of faculty working conditions, including salaries and benefits.
4-16. Faculty Committee on Research. The committee consists of nine members appointed by the chancellor for staggered and renewable three-year terms. The committee advises the chancellor, other officers of administration, and the Faculty Council on matters of University policy and its implementation that have significant impact upon research.
4-17. Scholarships, Awards, and Student Aid Committee. The committee is appointed by the chancellor. It establishes policy for scholarship and student aid funds, monitors the operations of the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid, and advises the chancellor on matters regarding scholarships and other forms of student aid.
4-18. Committee on Community and Diversity. The committee is responsible for fostering community and promoting pluralism in the university by encouraging social interaction, mutual acceptance, and respect among various groups on campus. The committee is especially attentive to matters generated by discrimination on the basis of age, disability, religion, socio-economic status, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation. The committee is appointed by the chancellor and will include five faculty members and two students.
4-19. Faculty Committee on University Government. (a) The committee shall consist of seven members appointed by the chancellor, serving for staggered and renewable terms of three years each. The secretary of the faculty will serve as an ex officio member.
(b) The committee shall be especially concerned with the continuing development, adaptation, and interpretation of The Faculty Code of University Government. Subject to the powers of the Universitys Board of Governors and president, and of the Board of Trustees and the chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Code represents legislation enacted by the faculty regarding forms of internal organization and procedures at this institution which are deemed necessary for its fair and effective operation.
(c) The committee should periodically review the existing Code and solicit suggestions for its improvement, and should recommend appropriate amendments in the Code for consideration and vote of the General Faculty. As provided under Article I of the Code, it should consider and report on other proposals to amend the Code and shall also periodically make appropriate adjustments of the elective representatives in the Faculty Council. The committee may also consider and report on special questions of University governance which may be referred to it by the chancellor or members of the faculty. The committee shall be especially concerned with maintaining internal forms and procedures of academic administration which reflect principles of democracy and equity, vision and adaptability, and quality and responsibility, toward achieving the intellectual aims of the University.
4-20. Agenda Committee. There shall be a Committee on Agenda of the Council, whose primary responsibility shall be to program the work of the Council. This shall not preclude the initiation of proposals from the floor. The Committee on Agenda shall consist of the chair of the faculty, as chair, and of five elected members of the Council, each representing a separate electoral division of the Faculty, to be appointed by the chair annually at the April meeting of the Council, to serve for the next academic year.
4-21. Committee on Black Faculty and Students. The committee is appointed by the chair of the faculty. It addresses recruitment procedures and the ongoing concerns of black faculty members and students.
4-22. Status of Women Committee. The committee is appointed by the chair of the faculty. It addresses ongoing concerns of women faculty members, identifies obstacles to achievement and maintenance of equality in the representation and status of women on the faculty, and proposes steps for overcoming those obstacles.
4-23. Committee on Instructional Personnel. (a) The committee shall consist of the deans of all the undergraduate, graduate, and professional colleges and schools (except those in the Division of Health Affairs), the director of the Institute of Government, and the chairs of the divisions in the College of Arts and Sciences. The committee may add such consultants and delegate such authority to sub-committees as it deems necessary. The provost shall serve as chair of the committee.
(b) The committee shall review the recommendations of the chairs of the respective departments and of the deans of all the undergraduate, graduate, and professional colleges and schools (except those in the Division of Health Affairs) with respect to additions, promotions, and advancements in personnel and with respect to courses of instruction. It shall review, improve, and implement the educational and research program of the University. The arrangement of the University calendar shall come within its purview, and such other matters as the chancellor shall from time to time refer to it.
4-24. Advisory Committee on Undergraduate Admissions. (a) The Advisory Committee on Undergraduate Admissions shall consist of the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences or the dean’s designee as chair; the associate dean for academic advising in the College of Arts and Sciences; and two other academic deans from outside the College of Arts and Sciences and seven faculty members engaged in undergraduate instruction, all appointed by the provost. At least five of these faculty members shall hold primary appointments in the College of Arts and Sciences. The university registrar, the director of undergraduate admissions, and the vice chancellor for student affairs shall be ex officio, non-voting members of the committee. The committee shall meet at least once each semester or more on call of the chair. The chair shall call a meeting whenever requested by the director of undergraduate admissions.
(b) The committee shall serve in an advisory capacity to the director of undergraduate admissions. In particular, it shall address the design and application of admissions policy, recommend guidelines for special talent and exceptional admissions, and monitor and respond to the national college admissions environment.
[Amended January 17, 2003. Link to previous version.]
§ 4-25. University Committee on Copyright. (a) The committee is appointed by the chancellor. It shall consist of (i) faculty members, who shall constitute a majority of the members, (ii) one or more graduate students, serving one-year renewable terms, and (iii) members from campus units, such as the campus libraries and the Office of Technology Development, that are involved in intellectual property matters.
(b) The committee represents to the chancellor and the University community the concerns of faculty and other users and creators of scholarly information. The committee's functions include:
- monitoring trends in such areas as institutional or consortial copyright use policies, changes in copyright ownership models, and guidelines for fair use of information in all formats;
- identifying areas in which policy development is needed and recommending to the chancellor new or revised institutional policies and guidelines;
- cooperating with the administration to propose and monitor the application of University policies and guidelines regarding ownership and use of copyrighted or licensed scholarly works; and
- assisting in identifying educational needs of the faculty and others related to compliance with copyright policies and guidelines, and advising on appropriate ways to address those needs.
[Added by amendment adopted 1/15/99.]
§ 4-26. Faculty Information Technology Advisory Committee. The committee is appointed by the chair of the faculty. It shall consist of (i) faculty members, who shall constitute a majority of the members; and (ii) one or more students, serving one-year renewable terms. The committee represents to the chancellor and the University community the concerns of faculty and others with regard to information technology. The committee's functions include:
- considering issues pertaining to the use of information technology in teaching and learning, research, and other professional activities in the University; and
- advising University officers and offices of administration on faculty needs and interests relating to information technology.
[Added by amendment adopted 1/15/99.]
