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F07-4

At its meeting of December 10, 2007, the Academic Senate passed the following Policy Recommendation presented by Senator Backer for the Organization and Government Committee.

POLICY RECOMMENDATION

DEFINITION OF MAJORITY VOTE REGARDING SELECTION AND REVIEW

OF DEPARTMENT CHAIRS

Amends S90-4

WHEREAS, the selection of a department chair is the most important collective decision of department faculty; and

WHEREAS,   the existing language of S90-4 has, on occasion, caused considerably more debate and discussion than is necessary; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the first sentence of S90-4, Section 3.” RECOMMENDATION” be struck and replaced with “Every four years the department faculty shall identify one or more nominees for department chair by secret ballot vote following the procedures outlined in F02-4 and shall recommend the nominee(s) receiving a majority of the votes cast by faculty to the President via the College Dean.”

Workload Impact: None.

Financial Impact: None.

Rationale: The amendment is intended to bring the language in S90-4 regarding election of department chairs into congruence with that found in F02-4 and, by explicitly defining majority (after Robert’s “basic rule”), should make clear when a majority vote has been achieved.

S90-4 SELECTION AND REVIEW OF DEPARTMENT CHAIRS (TEACHING FACULTY); APPOINTMENT

1. APPOINTMENT. The President appoints and removes the department chair in consultation with the school dean and department faculty. The term of the appointment is normally four years.

2. REVIEW. Normally, the semester preceding the balloting, tenured and probationary department faculty shall elect from its ranks a peer review committee to evaluate the chair's performance (15.2). The review committee, in consultation with the school dean, will determine the procedures and scope of the review, and shall report in writing its general findings to the school dean who will discuss the findings with the chair and will report in general to the department faculty.

At any time, department faculty may request a formal review of the department chair by submitting to the dean a petition signed by 50% of the department electorate.

3. RECOMMENDATION. Every four years the department faculty shall identify one or more nominees for department chair by secret ballot vote following the procedures outlined in F02-4. Except in rare instances and for compelling reasons, the President shall appoint a person so recommended by department faculty.

Special circumstances (such as the need for an external search, questions of procedure or eligibility, failure to reach a majority vote, or selection of an interim chair) shall be resolved by cooperative efforts of department faculty, school dean, Academic Vice President, and President.

4. Designation of an interim or acting chair requires a nomination by department vote, unless the period of service is less than a semester or only between semesters.

5. REAPPOINTMENT. In order to serve one or more subsequent terms, the chair must proceed through the regular secret ballot vote, recommendation, and the review process.

6. CONFIDENTIALITY. The review committee, school dean, and officers of the University shall hold in confidence data received by the review committee, its report, and accompanying materials.

ACTION BY UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT:  Approved by President Don Kassing on

                                                                                                December 13, 2007.