MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY

OPERATING PAPER OF THE FACULTY

OF THE

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Mission of the College

The mission of the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences at Mississippi State University (hereafter referred to as the Faculty) is to provide a sound basis in the arts and sciences for all activities of the University.

This operating paper is an internal document addressing faculty governance within the College of Arts and Sciences. The scope of the Faculty's interests is understood to include all issues of educational and academic policy, including faculty and staff status, curriculum, degree requirements, administrative and budget review, program development, facilities and other related concerns within the College of Arts and Sciences.

The Faculty reserves to itself all rights, privileges, and responsibilities associated with the establishment of policies within the College subject to the regulations of the University, The Principles for Governance of the University and the policies and procedures of The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning. The Faculty's responsibilities in policy making and assessment are exercised through the Faculty Senate and the Office of the Dean. The Office of the Dean is charged with administration of College affairs and representation of the College within University structures.

Article I. Membership

The University Faculty included in the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences shall consist of all members of the corps of instruction within the College of Arts and Sciences having the rank of Instructor or higher (or equivalent rank) whose principal academic appointment is to a department or unit in the College and a part of all of whose current work is in the College.

Article II. General Faculty Responsibilities and Rights

A. The Faculty is responsible for the educational affairs of the College, subject to the regulations of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, the Principles for Governance of the University and the regulations of the University.

B. The Faculty has the responsibility and authority to consider matters of general interest to the College and to make recommendations thereupon.

C. Individual members, including the Dean, have the right to propose Senate agenda items to the Senate Executive Committee or, (through a Senate representative) to introduce new business to a Senate meeting.

D. The Faculty responsibilities include:

1. to provide for the establishment of curricula and courses within the College;

2. to recommend educational and academic policies of admissions to the College;

3. to determine the requirements for degrees within the College;

4. to recommend educational and academic policies relating to the administration of university services (e.g., the library, computer center, the tv center, telecommunications, the printing department, etc.);

5. to recommend regulations governing College procedures;

6. to determine the duties which it will delegate to the Senate:

7. to review the actions of the College;

8. to participate in the selection, evaluation, and recommendation for retention of administrators of the College;

9. to make recommendations for the conduct of formal exercises and public functions held under the auspices of the College;

10. to recommend policies (but not personnel decisions) governing appointments, promotions, tenure, dismissals, and salaries within the College.

11. to recommend the form of governance for the College.

Article III. Faculty Senate

A. The mission of the Faculty Senate of the College of Arts and Sciences at Mississippi State University is to assure the Faculty full voice and participation in effecting policy for administration of the College through a representative governance structure. The Senate is a advisory body; it is not an administrative unit. Its authority derives from the Faculty; its actions are subject to Dean and faculty review. In practice, the Dean is the voice of the Faculty to the university in general and to its upper administration. (See Article IV.) Among the principal objectives of the Senate are:

1. To energize and facilitate the growth of intellectual interest and activity among and within the Faculty.

2. To provide a forum thorough which the "mind of the Faculty" as related to College policies, issues, and activities may be ascertained and through which appropriate recommendations may be implemented.

3. To provide a structure through which ideas and actions may be organized and put forward in appropriate and deliberate form on behalf of the Faculty.

4. To work with the office of the Dean of the College to organize and maintain Faculty Committees.

B. The College Senate shall consist of:

1. One representative elected from each of the academic departments of the College (currently Aerospace Studies; Art; Biological Sciences; Chemistry; Communication; English; Foreign Languages; Geosciences; History; Mathematics & Statistics; Military Science; Philosophy & Religion; Physics & Astronomy; Political Science; Psychology; Sociology, Anthropology & Social Work).

2. The Dean of Arts & Sciences, the Associate Dean of Arts & Sciences for Student and Academic Affairs, and the Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences for Business and Research. These Senators shall serve during their term in the administrative appointment.

3. The Dean may appoint a maximum of six additional Senators to increase Senate balance and/or insure representation of faculty groups. The initiative for these additional appointments must come from the groups seeking representation.

4. Senators shall serve terms of two years. No individual may be elected or appointed to serve in the Senate for more than two consecutive terms. This rule shall be waived in the case of a Senator chosen President Elect in a final year of eligibility; such a Senator shall serve until the expiration of the term as President.

5. Representatives shall have been members of the Faculty for at least one year. Because of the usual brevity of tours of duty for faculty in the Departments of Aerospace Studies and Military Science, these faculty members shall be exempted from meeting this requirement.

C. Procedure for election of Senators shall be:

1. Senators must hold full-time appointments at MSU and be members of the Arts & Sciences Faculty (see Article I and III.B.5).

2. Each academic department shall elect its departmental representative prior to November 1. Departmental elections shall be by secret ballot, and must continue until a candidate gains the support of a majority of the eligible voting members of the Department. Departments shall notify the Secretary of the Senate of the individual so elected by that date. All members as defined in Article I.A. are eligible to vote. The Secretary of the Senate will publish to the faculty the names of the elected departmental Senators.

3. At the request of faculty groups, the Dean may appoint additional Senators according to provisions in Article III.B.3. The Dean will notify the Secretary of the Senate and the Faculty of the individuals appointed within 30 days of the request.

4. Terms of office for departmental Senators shall begin on January 1 following election, except that in instances where the seat of such a Senator is vacated, the Secretary of the Senate shall direct the department in question to conduct a special election to fill the remainder of the term as soon as possible after the vacancy occurs. Individuals elected in such special elections shall take their seats as soon as the Secretary of the Senate certifies the outcome of the election. If an appointed senator vacates, the Dean may make a new appointment upon request from a faculty group.

D. Operations of the Faculty Senate.

1. The College Senate shall normally meet at least monthly during the academic year. The Senate year begins January 1. A Senator with three consecutive absences unexcused by the Executive Committee shall be replaced by a special election, if an elected Senator, or by new appointment, if an appointed Senator.

2. A quorum in the College Senate shall consist of a simple majority of the entire membership. The Senate shall establish and may amend its rules of procedure by a majority vote, provided that a motion to change the rules of procedure is distributed to the entire Faculty at least two weeks prior to its consideration. Such changes are subject to full Faculty ratification. In matters not regulated by this document or by the Senate's rules of procedure, the most recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall be the parliamentary authority.

3. All Senate action will require a positive vote of at least two-fifths of the entire Senate membership or a majority vote of those present, whichever is larger.

4. The officers of the College Senate shall consist of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, and a President Elect (the President Elect may be the current Vice-President or the Secretary or any other member of the Senate.) Election of these officers shall be by the members of the Senate. A majority of the entire Senate membership shall be required for election. The election of officers shall occur at the first regular meeting of the Senate year, or, in the event of a vacancy, no later than the second meeting following the vacancy. The officers will serve for one year, beginning with the first meeting of the Senate year. Any Senator chosen President Elect in the final year of term eligibility shall have an automatic extension of one year of eligibility. The President Elect succeeds automatically to the Presidency on January 1 and conducts the election of other officers, including a new President Elect, in the first meeting of the year (i.e. January). In the event that the President Elect cannot succeed to the Presidency, all officers will be chosen at that first meeting.

5. The President of the Senate shall vacate the seat as Senator for the term of Presidency and a replacement shall be selected according to the provisions in Article III.C.4 for the duration of the President's term in the office of President. The President will be expected to act as a representative of the College and not of an electing constituency.

E. Senate Executive Committee. The elected officers of the College Senate, including the President Elect, shall constitute the Senate Executive Committee. The President of the Senate shall conduct the meetings of the Senate Executive Committee. The President shall also preside over all Faculty meetings. The Executive Committee shall have the following responsibilities and authority:

1. to receive communications (from faculty members, the Dean or other interested parties) concerning matters to be put on the agenda of the Senate;

2. to establish and distribute the agenda at least one week before each Senate meeting, except that any representative at a meeting of the Senate may introduce a motion to consider matters not on the agenda;

3. to prepare and distribute minutes of each meeting within one week of the meeting;

4. to nominate to the Senate, members for any Senate Committee;

5. to appoint chairs of such Senate Committees;

6. to refer appropriate matters to Senate Committees;

7. to call special meetings of the Senate;

8. to recommend the creation of additional committees to the Senate;

9. to discharge any other responsibility or exercise any other authority assigned to the Executive Committee by the Senate.

Article IV. Dean of the College

A. If a simple majority of the entire Faculty register a vote of no confidence in the Dean, an immediate and thorough administrative review shall be requested of the Provost (regardless of how recently the last review occurred) with a view to improve that officer's effectiveness. One year after the review, a vote of confidence shall be taken. If 3/4ths of the entire Faculty vote no confidence at that time, the Provost will be requested to initiate the replacement of the Dean.

B. The Dean and the Senate shall, in conjunction, gather and maintain a master file of College Policies.

Article V. Council of Department Heads

The Council shall consist of Department Heads, Directors, Associate Deans, and the President of the Faculty Senate. Normally, it shall meet monthly to advise the Dean on matters of concern to the College. In addition, it shall meet once a semester in joint session with the College Senate. The Council of Department Heads is an administrative, not a policy-making, body.

Article VI. Departments

A. The departmental faculty shall have jurisdiction over matters concerning departmental educational policies insofar as these do not conflict with the rules and regulations of the College, the University, or the Board of Trustees of the State Institutions of Higher Learning.

B. Departments shall meet at least once a month during the fall and spring semesters. Minutes of departmental meetings shall be taken, circulated to all departmental faculty, and maintained in a file. Other procedures governing departmental meetings shall be determined by the individual departments.

Article VII. Meetings of the Faculty

A. The Faculty shall meet at least once per semester during the academic year at times fixed by the Dean in consultation with the College Senate. Special meetings of the Faculty may be called by the Dean, by the Faculty Senate, or by petition of at least twenty members of the full-time Faculty representing at least three departments; such petitions are to be presented to the Secretary of the Faculty Senate.

B. The President of the College Senate shall chair the Faculty meetings. The Secretary of the College Senate shall also serve as Secretary of the Faculty and shall keep and distribute the minutes of the meetings. The Dean shall report accomplishments and problems to the Faculty, and will make suggestions for reviews of policies.

C. No quorum is required for initiation of discussion at Faculty meetings. However, for Faculty action a quorum shall be set at 50% plus one of the entire eligible voting membership of the Faculty. To pass an action in a Faculty meeting a positive vote of two fifths of the entire faculty or a majority of those present, whichever is larger, is required. If an "action quorum" is not present, all votes on policy shall be by mail or e-mail ballot according to the procedures in Article VIII.B.3. The Faculty shall abide by its own rules of procedure, but in cases where it has adopted no explicit rules or where applicability or interpretation of rules is in doubt, the most recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall govern.

D. The agenda of the meeting of the Faculty shall be established by the College Senate after consultation with the Dean and shall be circulated at least one week before the meeting. Any member of the Faculty may move that the Faculty consider a question not on the agenda. If the motion is seconded, a majority of the members present will determine whether to take the matter up immediately or at a subsequent Faculty meeting.

Article VIII. Voting Procedures

A. Elections

Elections to College committees shall be conducted by the Senate in cooperation with the Dean's Office. In practice, the Office of the Dean will organize and implement the mechanics of elections and the President of the Senate will act as the Senate's representative in the election process. Elections may be conducted by mail ballot or e-mail ballot. E-mail ballots must show the name of the sender. Mail ballots are to be returned to the Dean's Office unsigned, but in signed envelopes. Counting procedure shall preserve the secrecy of the ballots. Deadlines provided for herein may be suspended in unusual circumstances by the President of the Senate upon consultation with the Dean.

B. Resolutions on College Policy

1. Resolutions on College policy may be put to a Faculty vote by: (a) the Dean after discussion with the Senate, (b) the College Senate after discussion with the Dean, (c) a majority vote at any duly called Faculty meeting whether or not an "action quorum" as described in Article VII.C. is present; (d) a petition signed by at least 15% of the Faculty representing at least four departments. Resolutions duly initiated are put to Faculty vote as described in Article VII.C.

2. In the case of votes taken in a duly called Faculty meeting where an "action quorum" is present (see Article VII.C), a resolution shall be considered passed by a simple majority of the votes cast as long as that majority represents at least two fifths of the entire eligible voting membership of the Faculty.

3. In the case of mail or e-mail ballots (see Article VII.C), ballots shall, when possible, be sent to faculty members at least two weeks before ballots are due in the Dean's Office. The ballots shall be accompanied by a statement of the resolution and any explanatory material considered appropriate by the Dean, Senate, and/or initiating Faculty.

4. In the case of voting by ballots (see Article VII.C), a resolution shall be considered passed by a simple majority of votes cast.

Article IX. Structure of College Administrative Committees

A. College Administrative Committees are standing, ad hoc committees required by the College for its routine operation. These are to be distinguished from Senate Committees, which are required to investigate and make recommendations concerning College policies. Senate Committees may appeal to the Administrative Committees for data and recommendations concerning policy changes.

B. The membership of all College Committees shall reflect the diversity of disciplines within the College as appropriate for the mission of the Committee. For Senate Committees normal terms shall be for a period of two years, each member eligible for reappointment at the discretion of the Executive Committee. In making appointments, the Executive Committee shall be guided by the need for service from experienced faculty. Should a committee member go on sabbatical or other University approved leave, a duly appointed replacement shall serve only for the duration of said committee member's period of approved leave.

C. College Administrative Committees shall be free to take up matters within their jurisdiction on their own initiative. All Administrative Committees shall report committee actions to the Dean with copies to the College Senate.

D. College Administrative Committees shall include the following existing committees in the College. The method of selecting members of these existing committees shall be determined by the Dean and the Senate consistent with established University policy and University Governance Principles.

1. The Committee on Courses and Curricula

2. The College Committee on Tenure and Promotion

3. The Academic Excellence Committee

4. The Scholarship Committee

E. The Senate may create special committees to consider matters outside the usual jurisdiction of the standing committees.

Article X. Procedures for Adopting and Amending the Operating Paper

A. The Operating Paper of the Faculty shall be adopted by a majority of those members of the faculty voting by a mail or e-mail ballot, provided that the proposed Operating Paper has been circulated to the Faculty at least two weeks prior to the deadline for the return of the ballots. When adopted, the Operating Paper shall go into effect immediately.

B. Amendments to the Faculty Operating Paper may be proposed by any member of the Faculty; such motions require a second. A proposed amendment shall be submitted in writing to the President of the Faculty Senate who shall provide members with copies by including it verbatim on the agenda of the next regularly scheduled meeting or special meeting of the Faculty. Following discussion of the proposed amendment and upon a vote of a majority of those present, it shall be presented to the Faculty for a vote.

C. Amendments to the Faculty Operating Paper shall be adopted by a two-thirds majority of the Faculty members voting, according to the procedures governing voting as outlined in Article VIII, above.

D. A review of the College Faculty Operating Paper shall be conducted by the Faculty every third year.