Faculty Meeting
UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT MACHIAS
SECTION: ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE & RELATIONSHIPS SECTION II
DATE: 85, 90, 00, 05
SUBJECT: Faculty Meeting
FACULTY MEETING
The Faculty Meeting acts as a committee of the whole to carry on the faculty’s business: considering academic matters, hearing and considering the reports and proposals of the faculty committees, making recommendation thereon to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the President, hearing and considering reports and business brought to it by the administration, staff, and students. The Faculty Meeting is convened typically four times a semester at regularly scheduled times. Meetings are chaired by the Faculty President, (or the Vice President in the absence of the Faculty President). Election of the Faculty President and Vice President will be held at the first Faculty Meeting of spring semester.
Meetings
1) Meetings will last no longer than two hours, unless an extension of time is requested by majority vote. (No new agenda items may be considered after the two-hour limit.) If agenda items are not completed, they will be postponed until:
a) the next scheduled meeting, or
b) a special meeting. (See #2)
2) Special meetings may be called by:
a) any seven Faculty members acting jointly;
b) the Faculty President or Vice President should the Faculty President be absent;
c) the University President.
In the event of a special meeting, transactions would be limited to the business for which the meeting was called. Electronic meetings will be considered as special meetings and will be governed by the rules of special meetings, except where noted.
3) Meetings will be scheduled by the end of one academic year for the following school year by the President of the Faculty and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The meetings will be scheduled on a consistent day of the week and time of day throughout the academic year. When possible, special meetings will be scheduled in the same time slot. Electronic meetings will not require advanced notice for scheduling.
4) Attendance at Faculty Meetings shall be a priority responsibility for each Faculty member. Members may designate a proxy in writing. The proxy should be made known to the Faculty President when the meeting begins.
5) Faculty Meetings are open to attendance by all members of the university community. Others may be invited by the President of the Faculty.
FACULTY MEETING PROCEDURES
All faculty meetings and special meetings will be governed by the following procedures:
1) Agenda:
a) An electronic copy of the agenda and the minutes of the previous meeting shall be distributed to all members at least two working days prior to each meeting. In the case of a special meeting, time
may not allow a two-day notification of the agenda. Under these conditions, agendas will be distributed as early as possible. Minutes of a special meeting shall be distributed before and approved at the
next regularly scheduled meeting.
b) Formation of the agenda shall be the responsibility of the Faculty President. Items may be placed on agendas for regular meetings by the President, by any committee of the Faculty, or by any two members of the Faculty.
2) Quorum:
A quorum shall consist of 50% of all eligible voting faculty members (as defined below) for both regular meetings and special meetings.
3) Executive Session:
The faculty may move into executive session by a majority vote on a motion to go into executive session which must include the reason for such session. Only voting members of the faculty will be admitted to such executive sessions, and no formal action may be taken while in such sessions.
4) Process:
Meetings shall be conducted under Roberts Rules of Order except when adopted rules of the Faculty take precedence. In the absence of the President and Vice President, the senior faculty member present in terms of UMM service will serve as a Chair pro tempore.
Voting on motions shall normally be via voice or by show of hands, but any member may require a secret vote upon any motion without a second.
5) Reporting:
Recommendations pertaining to academic matters resulting from Faculty deliberation shall be forwarded in writing to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for consideration. This officer will, in turn, convey a written response to the Faculty President. Recommendations pertaining to matters other than academic shall be forwarded in writing to the appropriate University Officer for consideration and response.
FACULTY COMPOSITION AND VOTING ELIGIBILITY
The Faculty shall be composed as follows:
1) Voting faculty members are those persons appointed by the University President to tenured, tenure-track or regular part-time teaching positions. These persons may have assignments in addition to teaching such as research and/or Division Chair. Voting faculty members also include persons who have teaching included in their full-time position if they teach at least nine credit hours per year. The UMM President’s Office shall maintain the official list of voting faculty members.
2) The University President and Vice President for Academic Affairs shall be non-voting members of the faculty.
3) The Registrar shall be a non-voting member of the faculty.
FACULTY OFFICERS
Faculty Officers shall include a Faculty President and Faculty Vice President as described
in ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES & RELATIONSHIPS SECTION II – Faculty
President and Vice President Roles.