Consultation with Faculty Advisory Bodies
Consultation with Faculty Advisory Bodies
This document is intended to be shared with faculty and academic administrators and outlines University Policies/Practices, CBA contractual provisions, and best practices to aid the University community in ensuring effective leadership, faculty governance, and change management.
Please note that this document is limited in scope to faculty consultation within departments, schools, colleges, and regional campuses. University Policy, particularly the Faculty Senate Charter (2-05) and the Faculty Senate Bylaws (2-06) delineate the role of the Faculty Senate.
Key principles:
Faculty Governance is a vital part of effective leadership and decision-making within Academic Affairs that emphasizes transparency, communicates respect, and builds trust.
Consultation with faculty bodies prior to making a decision is a vital part of Faculty Governance.
Authority:
The Department/School Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC), College Advisory Committee (CAC), or Regional Campus Faculty Council (FC) is the primary advisory and recommendatory body to the Department Chair [School Director / College Dean / Regional Campus Dean] on those academic matters which are central to the department's [schools / colleges / regional campus] academic mission (TT CBA, Article VI, sections 3.B, 4.A, 4.B, and 6.B.1).
The TT CBA includes a non-exhaustive list of such academic matters (see Article VI, section 3.B). Of particular relevance to the Transformation 2028 initiative are:
- Allocation or re-allocation of faculty positions and academic staff positions including new and vacant positions.
- Program development, restructuring, and/or discontinuance.
- Department-level planning and budget priorities, including review of requests for new funding; and allocation of discretionary resources.
- Issues related to teaching assignments and class schedules including appropriate application of workload equivalencies.
The relevant administrator should conclude that consultation is not required only in cases where the course of action under consideration will have no impact (either positive or negative) on the academic mission of the department, school, college, or regional campus. The administrator does not have to make this decision alone, as best practice is to discuss this with the appropriate Dean, and/or the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs.
As the primary advisory and recommendatory bodies, the FAC/CAC/FC should meet regularly and provide explicit advice and recommendations to the chair, director, or dean.
[See below for more details concerning the consultation process.]
In addition to the faculty advisory body, each academic unit and each college with dependent departments/schools will have one or more Curricular Committees that must be consulted concerning all matters of curricular and course offerings (see TT CBA, Article VI, sections 3.C and 4.C).
The Curricular Committees oversight includes curricular requirements and specifications such as pedagogically sound enrollment maximums and minimums for individual course sections taught in various modalities (traditional, asynchronous online, synchronous online, hybrid, Zoom room) and for sections taught with the assistance of a GA.
An academic unit's curricular authority and oversight responsibility for its course offerings extends to the right to review individual course offerings being delivered for the first time in new or modified formats or time frames for conformity with the unit's established curricular expectations and purposes for the course. Likewise, review and approval of instructors afforded distance education instructional opportunities (development or teaching) will follow the units established standards, expectations, and review processes (TT CBA, Article XXI, Section 3.A).
At the Regional Campuses-system level, the Regional Campuses Faculty Advisory Council (RCFAC) shall be involved in an advisory and recommendatory role with respect to academic matters involving all Regional Campuses (see TT CBA, Article VI, Section 6.B.2).
At the University Level, the Provost Advisory Council (PAC) shall act as a consultative advisory committee to the provost on matters central to the Universitys academic mission (TT CBA, Article VI, Section 5.C). There is also a Non-Tenure Track Provost Advisory Council (NPAC) that shall be advised on topics of University-level significance which concern FTNTT faculty members (FTNTT CBA, Article VI, Section 5.C).
Consultation Process:
Consultation is required under the CBA and aligns with the historic values of 蹤獲扦. The goal is for the administrative decision to be made after specific recommendations of the faculty body.
A meeting of the appropriate faculty advisory body should be scheduled at a mutually convenient time and a clear agenda should be disseminated in advance. The agenda should make clear the specific matters on which consultation is being sought. Whenever possible, relevant data/information should be given to the advisory body members at least 24 hours before the meeting.
It is important that a quorum of voting members of the body (i.e., 50%+1) are present at any meeting at which consultation is sought.
- Note that, with the exception of the relevant administrator, who is an ex-officio, non-voting member of the advisory body, all members of a faculty advisory body are voting members.
- With respect to department/school FACs, campus FCs, CACs of colleges without dependent departments or schools, and all academic unit curricular committees, in all cases, tenure-track Faculty members of the department [school / campus / college] shall constitute a majority of the members of the [faculty advisory body] (TT CBA, Article VI, Sections 3.B, 3.C, 4.B, and 6.B.1).
Unless otherwise specified in the academic unit, college, or campus handbook, all meetings of faculty advisory bodies should follow the broad outlines of Roberts Rules of Order.
Consultation begins with a clear presentation by the administrator (or designated resource person) of the matter on which the body is being consulted and of the various possible courses of action with respect to that matter. Where the administrator is leaning toward a specific course of action, the rationale for that course of action (and against the alternatives) should also be presented.
In some cases, the administrator will approach the consultation without any proposed course of action in mind. In such cases, the administrator should indicate that the possible courses of action are wide open and invite suggestions from members of the body. Whenever possible, members of the body should be allowed to brainstorm for at least one week before a meeting at which a specific recommendation is sought is called.
The members of the body should have ample opportunity to ask questions, to express concerns about the course of action (if any) proposed by the administrator, and to float alternatives. Importantly, appropriate consultation requires a vote by the body on a clearly worded motion expressing a specific recommendation on the matter.
Motions and votes on specific recommendations from the body:
Although the relevant administrator can (and often will) request a specific motion, the administrator is not empowered to formally make or second any motions.
The faculty members of the body are not obliged to make the specific motion (if any) requested by the administrator. Any voting member of the advisory body can make any motion at any time. If a motion receives a second, there must be additional discussion and a vote on the motion unless it is withdrawn by the person making the motion. (The administrator is not empowered to quash a motion that has received a second.) If the motion does not receive a second, it is deemed withdrawn.
If the faculty body declines to vote on the specific course of action proposed by the administrator (or if the vote is to reject that proposal), the faculty body should entertain a motion on a specific recommendation with respect to the matter on which it has been consulted. Refusal to make any recommendation is dereliction of the contractual duty of the body.
During the discussion on a motion, members can suggest rewordings/clarifications of the motion. If the suggestions are accepted by the members who originally made and seconded the motion, the reworded motion replaces the original motion.
When discussion of the motion has concluded, a vote is called. Immediately prior to the vote, the specific wording of the motion should be reiterated. Normally, voting is via voice vote. (Note that Roberts Rules of Order do not allow for abstentions on a voice vote.) However, any member can call for a secret ballot and such a request should be honored.
In some cases, a vote may be conducted electronically either via email or a survey instrument. However, even in these cases, the vote must be on a specific motion made and seconded by voting members of the body and should be taken only after an appropriate period for discussion has been observed. It is important to note that there are instances where the faculty and the administrator are experiencing external time constraints. As a best practice, the administrator should indicate if a significant time constraint or deadline is a factor to consider. Similarly, as a best practice, faculty should work collaboratively with the administrator to meet the communicated deadline.
It is understood that (with very few exceptions specified in the TT CBA), a motion that receives a majority vote of the body is advisory to the relevant administrator. While the administrator is not bound by the bodys recommendation, the administrator should give the recommendation appropriate weight before rendering a decision on the matter.
In all cases, the administrator will notify the faculty body of the administrators decision with respect to the matter on which the body was consulted. When the administrator does not take the bodys recommendation, the administrator will explain in writing the rationale for not doing so. In making written recommendations or reports to a higher academic officer on such matters, the [administrator] will indicate the substance of pertinent [faculty advisory body] advice (TT CBA, Article VI, Section 3.D).
Minutes:
It is important that the minutes of the meeting be taken and approved by the body at a subsequent meeting. Minutes should include a list of those present, a summary of the items discussed, and the specific wording of any/all motions made. With respect to each motion, the minutes should record who made the motion and who provided the second as well as the vote tally on the motion.
If the relevant administrator does not accept a recommendation approved by the body, the administrators written rational for not accepting it should be recorded in the minutes of a subsequent meeting.
In the rare instance in which a faculty body refuses to vote on a specific recommendation on a matter on which it has been consulted, the minutes should reflect such refusal.
Recognizing that the FAC is acting in a representative capacity for the Faculty of the department, it is expected that the FAC will communicate with the department Faculty concerning matters on which it has been consulted through the timely distribution of minutes of its meetings and other appropriate means (TT CBA, Article VI, Section 3.B).