Faculty Bylaws | Faculty & Staff | Monmouth University

The Monmouth University Board of Trustees recognizes the Faculty of Monmouth University as its officers of instruction and authorizes the Faculty to carry out the educational mission of Monmouth University within the limits of fiscal responsibility, statutory law, and the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees.

Article I – Membership

The Faculty of Monmouth University shall consist only of Professors, Professor-Librarians, Associate Professors, Associate Professor Librarians, Assistant Professors, Assistant Professor-Librarians, and fulltime non-tenure track faculty and Department Chairs (See Voting Rights: III.D.7.a,b)
The definition of Faculty membership in these Bylaws may differ from the definition used in the Agreement between Monmouth University and the Faculty Association of Monmouth University or any other bargaining unit in force.

Article II – Authority and Function of the Faculty

As authorized by the Monmouth University Board of Trustees, the Faculty shall legislate policies in the following areas:
1. Standards for admission, registration, and retention of students
2. Programs, curricula, and outcomes
3. Requirements for earned degrees
4. Standards for instruction
5. Standards for college-funded research and professional development
6. Professional responsibility
7. Standards for academic freedom
8. Qualifications for Faculty rank and tenure
The legislation of the Faculty shall be officially submitted by the Faculty Council Chair to the Provost & Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and the President of the University, who shall have up to thirty days to review it. The President may approve, request modification of, or veto the legislation in a message to the Faculty.
1. Approval. If the President approves the entire legislation as presented, the President may elect to inform the Faculty in writing prior to the expiration of the review period. Failure to communicate with Faculty within the thirty-day period shall constitute approval of the legislation.
  - Approved legislation shall become University policy and shall be implemented by the appropriate administrative office or department.
2. Request for Modification. If the President desires modification that does not substantially alter the intent of the original legislation, the President shall request in writing, within the thirty-day review period and through the Secretary of the Faculty, that the appropriate Faculty committee consider the adoption of such modification. The President’s written request for modification shall remove the legislation from the thirty-day review period. The appropriate committee shall review the request and shall make recommendation to the Faculty for action. If the action of the Faculty is to support the original legislation in its entirety, then the legislation is transmitted to the President for either approval or veto. Otherwise, the legislation is transmitted to the President as new legislation.
3. Veto. If the President vetoes the entire legislation, the President shall send, within thirty days, a message to the Faculty stating reasons for the veto.
  - In case of veto, the legislation may be reconsidered by the Faculty. Upon a two-thirds vote of the entire voting Faculty reaffirming the legislation, the Secretary of the Faculty shall direct a communication to the President requesting permission for two Faculty representatives to meet with the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees. At that time, the Faculty representatives shall present arguments for the legislation, and the President shall present arguments against it. The Board shall transmit its decision, with rationale, to the Secretary of the Faculty, within four months. If the Board approves the legislation, it shall become University policy.
The Faculty shall have the authority to create committees to investigate and to recommend action on problems in both the academic and non-academic areas that concern the integrity and reputation of Monmouth University.
The Faculty may function in an advisory capacity on matters concerning the budget, non-curricular student affairs, publications, public relations, and community service.

Article III – Meetings of the Faculty

Regular and Special Meetings
1. Regular meetings of the Faculty shall be held on the first Wednesday of October, December, February, March, and April. Faculty may break into executive session, during which all full-time administrators are excused.
2. Special meetings of the Faculty may be called by the President, the Provost, or, when authorized by the Faculty, the Chair of Faculty Council. The Chair of Faculty Council shall call such a meeting upon receipt of a petition signed by a least twenty percent of the Faculty or upon majority vote of Faculty Council. Special meetings shall consider only items on the published agenda.
3. In the spirit of shared governance, agendas for faculty meetings will be set together between the Executive Committee of the Faculty Council and the Provost.
Officers
1. Officers of the Faculty include the President of the University and the Provost, who hold faculty rank; the Secretary and the Parliamentarian who are elected by the Faculty; and the Chair of Faculty Council, who is elected by the Faculty Council.
2. The Provost will invite the Chair of the Faculty Council to preside over the faculty meetings. In their absence, the Vice-Chair of the Faculty Council shall preside.
3. The Secretary shall:
  1. record minutes of the Full Faculty meetings.
  2. at least two weeks prior to the next Full Faculty meeting, submit the meeting minutes to the Faculty Council Executive Committee for review.
  3. at least two weeks prior to the next Full Faculty meeting, submit the approved minutes to the Provost’s Office Administrative Assistant, serving in the role of Coordinator to Faculty Council, who will then distribute copies of the approved minutes to the Provost & Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and post the minutes on the Faculty Council portal. An archived copy of the Faculty Council Annual Report will be available in the University Library.
  4. correspond on behalf of the faculty as directed by the Provost & Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs or Faculty Council Chair.
4. The Parliamentarian shall advise upon all matters of procedure in faculty meetings.
Election of Secretary and Parliamentarian

A Secretary and a Parliamentarian shall be elected annually at the October meeting of the Faculty.
Procedures of Meetings of the Faculty
1. Agenda
  1. Notices and agendas of regular Faculty meetings shall be distributed one week in advance by the Chair of the Faculty Council.
  2. The order of the agenda shall be:
    1. Approval of Minutes
    2. Old Business
    3. New Business
    4. Reports
    5. Announcements
    6. Other Discussion as Appropriate
      
      Note: At the October meeting, the first item on the agenda will be the election of the Secretary and Parliamentarian.
  3. All legislative items on the agenda originating in the Faculty Council shall include a record of the vote taken by the Council.
2. Legislation
  
  Copies of proposed legislation shall be distributed to members of the Faculty and Administration prior to or at the same time as the distribution of the notices for the meeting.
3. Reports
  
  Copies of all substantive reports to be presented shall be distributed to members of the Faculty and Administration to reach them no later than the Monday prior to the meeting.
4. Attendance
  1. Faculty members are expected to attend all meetings of the Faculty.
  2. Administrative officers who do not hold Faculty rank and students may attend by invitation from the President, the Provost, or the Chair of the Faculty Council when business relevant to their concerns is on the agenda.
5. Quorum
  
  One-third of the voting membership of the Faculty constitutes a quorum.
6. Conduct
  
  The meetings of the Faculty shall be conducted according to “Robert’s Rules of Order” as they define parliamentary procedure, except as otherwise specified in these Bylaws.
7. Voting
  1. Faculty members, as listed in Article I.A., shall have the right to vote on all business conducted by the Faculty.
  2. Only administrative officers holding faculty rank shall have the right to vote on all business conducted by the Faculty.
8. Minutes
  
  The Secretary shall record the minutes of all Faculty meetings (cf. Article III. B.3. a).
Electronic Meetings
1. In-person meetings will remain the usual method for conducting business with electronic meetings held as determined by the Chair of the Faculty Council and Provost.
2. When meetings of the Full Faculty are to be conducted electronically, they shall be through use of Internet meeting services designated by the University. These electronic meetings of the Full Faculty shall be subject to the same procedures as stated in Article III.D with additional rules for electronic meetings. Any such rules adopted by the Faculty shall supersede any conflicting rules in the parliamentary authority, but may not otherwise conflict with or alter any rule or decision of the Faculty. A vote conducted through the designated Internet meeting service shall be deemed a ballot vote, fulfilling any requirement in the bylaws or rules that a vote be conducted by ballot.

Article IV – School Meetings

Meetings of the Faculty of the Schools shall be held on the first Wednesday of November.
1. The Dean of the School shall preside over School Meetings.
2. The Dean of the School will develop the agenda for the meeting in consultation with the Department Chairs.

Article V – The Faculty Council

Membership of the Faculty Council
1. The Faculty Council shall have the following members:
  1. Councilors shall be elected by the faculty to represent the Schools as follows: Two from the School of Business, two from the School of Science, six from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (three councilors from Area I and three councilors from Area II), one from the Library, and one each from every other school. School representatives shall be elected by the faculty of their respective schools.
  2. One councilor from each school shall be elected from the faculty at large.
2. All Councilors shall be elected for staggered two-year terms. All shall be members of the full-time Faculty with a minimum service of two years at Monmouth University. A councilor from the faculty at large must be tenured at the time of election.
  
  The term of a Councilor will end June 30. During any circumstances when Faculty Council is required to conduct business or hold meetings in July or August, the term will begin at that point. However, newly elected Faculty Council members will attend the second half of the May meeting immediately prior to starting their term in order to vote for officers for the following year.
3. One member of the Faculty Association of Monmouth University shall be a non-voting member of the Faculty Council. The current president of the Faculty Association shall select this person from the FAMCO Executive Board. This person will serve for the entirety of their term on the Faculty Association Executive Board. The FAMCO representative to Faculty Council may not be someone who is also serving as a regularly elected member of Faculty Council during their appointment.
  
  One member of Faculty Council will be selected to serve on the Faculty Association of Monmouth University (FAMCO) Executive Board as a non-voting member. Faculty Council representative to FAMCO will be elected following the same procedures as those for electing Faculty Council Officers (as stated in Article V.D.). Faculty Council members currently serving on the FAMCO Executive Board are not eligible to serve as Faculty Council representative to FAMCO.
Elections of the Faculty Council
1. Councilors as prescribed in Article V.A.1 representing the Schools and Library, and the Members at Large shall be elected in March.
2. The Governance Secretary shall solicit nominations via email at least four months prior to expiration of current members’ terms.
3. If the voting for the final place(s) in any election results in a tie, there shall be a special run-off election within one week.
4. The results of annual elections shall be recorded in the Faculty Council minutes.
5. Vacancies
  
  Vacancies shall be filled by those receiving successively the highest number of votes in the previous election, subject to the provisions of Article V.A.1.
  1. Councilors who are unable to continue their Council membership (either temporarily or permanently) shall inform the Council Chair.
  2. Unless information to the contrary is sent to the Council Chair, Councilors who have missed two consecutive meetings automatically relinquish their seats on the Council.
Responsibilities of the Faculty Council
1. To develop and review, regularly, the academic policies and programs in order to maintain academic excellence and relevance.
2. To consider, for presentation to the Faculty, reports and proposals from the standing committees of the Faculty, and create ad hoc committees of the Faculty Council.
3. To initiate and present proposed legislation to the Faculty.
4. To call special meetings of the Faculty.
5. To act in behalf of the Faculty if there is insufficient time for a meeting of the Faculty, as determined by the Chair of the Faculty Council, or if the Faculty is unable to act by reason of lack of a quorum. Such action must be confirmed or revoked at the next regular Faculty meeting.
Officers of the Faculty Council
1. The officers of the Faculty Council are Chair, Vice-Chair, Executive Secretary, and Governance Secretary. Although Chairs, as regular members of Faculty Council, can serve in the capacities of the governance and executive secretaries, they are not eligible to run for the two remaining positions of the Faculty Council Chair and ViceChair. These officers constitute the Executive Committee of the Faculty Council.
  1. Chair and Vice-Chair of Faculty Council must be tenured Associate or Full Professor with at least one year of Faculty Council service. This requirement should only be suspended under extraordinary circumstances (e.g., there are no eligible tenured candidates or none who have served for a year).
  2. While tenure is preferable for the remaining positions, all other Executive Committee posts may be held by any full-time, tenuretrack faculty member who has served at least one year on Faculty Council.
  3. Consecutive service is not necessary for eligibility of any position (i.e., the nominee may have served on Faculty Council in the past even if not currently a member). All faculty members (except for first time newly elected members) can be nominated for the Executive Committee. Although Chairs, as regular members of Faculty Council, can serve in the capacities of the governance and executive secretaries, they are not eligible to run for the two remaining positions of the Faculty Council Chair and Vice-Chair.
  4. Nominations for Executive Committee positions should be submitted to the current Executive Secretary ten days prior to the May meeting.
  5. Nominated members should promptly submit a brief CV and/or brief letter of interest to the current Executive Secretary, and the names of nominees, along with the submitted letters and CV’s will be forwarded to new and returning Council members within at least one week of nominations.
  6. The current Faculty Council Chair will run the election for the new Chair, unless that person is also a nominee, in which case the Vice-Chair will conduct the election. The newly elected Chair will run subsequent elections.
  7. All Faculty Council members, whether new or returning, are eligible to participate in the nomination/election of the Executive Committee nominees.
2. The officers are elected annually at the May meeting of the body by simple majority vote of returning and incoming members.
3. The duties of the Chair are:
  1. To conduct the business of each meeting as prescribed by the agenda, and in accordance with the latest edition of “Robert’s Rules of Order”.
  2. To appoint ad hoc committees.
  3. To sign all official written communications from the Faculty Council and to keep the Faculty Council informed of all correspondence.
  4. To prepare the agenda for each Faculty Council meeting.
  5. To prepare the agenda for regular Faculty meetings.
  6. To call special meetings of the Faculty Council.
4. The duties of the Vice-Chair are:
  1. To act for the Chair when the latter is unable to assume the duties.
  2. To conduct an orientation for new Council members.
  3. To assume special responsibilities assigned by the Chair.
5. The duties of the Executive Secretary are:
  1. To distribute the agenda for each Faculty Council meeting to Councilors and academic administrators.
  2. To distribute the agenda for each Faculty meeting to all Faculty members and academic administrators.
  3. To conduct the general correspondence of the Faculty Council as directed by the Chair.
  4. To prepare copies of documents needed for Faculty Council meetings, including minutes of the previous meeting.
6. The duties of the Governance Secretary are:
  1. To conduct electronic election of Faculty Council and its standing committees.
  2. To work with the office of Planning and Decision and Support to conduct an annual evaluation of the effectiveness of faculty governance at Monmouth University.
  3. To maintain and post updated committee membership lists to the Faculty Council website.
  4. To update Bylaws document annually, after the June Board of Trustees Meeting.
  5. To maintain and distribute updated committee membership lists.
Regular and Special Meetings
1. Regular meetings of the Faculty Council shall be held on the second Wednesday of November, December, February, April and May, and on the fourth Friday of September, October, January, February, March, and April, except when the prescribed meeting day falls on an official holiday.
2. Special meetings of the Faculty Council may be called by the Chair of the Faculty Council.
Procedure of Meetings
1. Agenda.
  1. Notices and Agenda of regular Faculty Council meetings shall be distributed at least seven days in advance by the Executive Secretary.
  2. The order of the agenda shall be:
    1. Approval of Minutes
    2. Old Business
    3. New Business IV. Reports
    4. Announcements
    5. Other Discussion as Appropriate
2. Copies of committee reports proposing legislation shall be distributed to Councilors prior to or at the same time as notices for the meeting, and shall be presented as New Business.
3. Administrative officers may request to attend a Council meeting in order to recommend legislation, present a report, or to speak for or against proposed legislation.
4. Quorum. Two-thirds of the Council membership shall constitute a quorum for special meetings. One-half of the Council membership shall constitute a quorum for regular meetings. However, if the membership present at a regular meeting is at least one-half but less than two-thirds of the Council membership, two-thirds of the present members voting affirmatively are required to pass legislation. As per Robert’s Rules of Order, the chair may always vote if the vote affects the outcome.
5. Minutes. A University secretary shall record the minutes of all Faculty Council meetings.
6. Conduct. The meetings of the Faculty Council shall be conducted according to “Robert’s Rules of Order” as they define parliamentary procedure, except as otherwise specified in these Bylaws.
Electronic Voting: In the event, Faculty Council must vote on legislation outside of a meeting, the Faculty Council Chair may call for an electronic vote, which will be administered by the Governance Secretary. This vote should be carried out in the same manner through which elections are held or via email. The Chair will present the legislation to Faculty Council via email with an option for discussion. Upon opening the voting period, the Governance Secretary will inform Faculty Council of the method to vote and indicate the time the ballot will close, providing adequate time for Faculty Council to see the notification and cast a ballot. The quorum will be automatic, since all members will have access to the ballot, and any ballots not cast will be consider abstentions when conducted during contract months. During the extraordinary circumstance when Faculty Council is required to vote in July or August, quorum will have to be met through the number of votes cast.
Electronic Meetings
1. In-person meetings will remain the usual method for conducting business with electronic meetings held as determined by the Chair of the Faculty Council and Provost.
2. When required, meetings of the Faculty Council shall be conducted electronically, they shall be through use of Internet meeting services designated by the University. These electronic meetings of the Faculty Council shall be subject to same procedures as stated in Article V.F with additional rules for electronic meetings. Any such rules adopted by the Faculty shall supersede any conflicting rules in the parliamentary authority, but may not otherwise conflict with or alter any rule or decision of the Faculty. A vote conducted through the designated Internet meeting service shall be deemed a ballot vote, fulfilling any requirement in the bylaws or rules that a vote be conducted by ballot.

Article VI – Standing Committees of the Faculty

The Standing Committees of the Faculty shall be responsible for monitoring the integrity of all academic areas of the University as outlined in Article II.A. and for preparing proposals for legislation which recommend new policies or procedures, or the modification of policies and procedures as they relate to the academic affairs of Monmouth University. Inherent in the declaration of Faculty responsibility for the conduct of academic affairs is the belief that all Faculty members should stand for election, periodically, so as to participate in the governance of the University. All Standing Committees will include 2 year terms UNLESS otherwise noted in the committee membership.

A. Organization

Membership of the Standing Committees will be made up of the voting faculty, and appropriate members of the administration, as specified.
In general, for the purpose of elections, members of the Library Faculty shall be considered to be within the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Each Committee, unless otherwise stated will have a Chair and Vice or Co-Chair. Committee Chairs should be faculty members elected from the faculty members serving on the committee; Chairs and Co-Chairs will be elected by secret ballot of the members, at the first meeting of each academic year. Vice Chairs will be selected by the Chair. Vice Chairs and Co-Chairs will take on the responsibilities of the Chair if the Chair is no longer able to do so. Although Department Chairs may serve on Standing Committees, they should not serve as Committee Chairs, Vice or Co-chairs unless there are no other eligible faculty available to serve.
Committee Chairs will meet with the Executive Committee of the Faculty Council in November and April. Committee Chairs will submit annual reports to the Faculty Council portal by June 1 of each year.
Committee Chairs will submit to the Faculty Council by the last day of classes each semester, or earlier, a list of changes in policy or procedure proposed by the committee. Instructions for proposing bylaws changes can be found on the Faculty Council portal.
Voting and Quorum: Two-thirds of the committee membership shall constitute a quorum for special meetings. One-half of the committee membership shall constitute a quorum for regular meetings; if the bylaws do not stipulate regular meetings, then all meetings will be considered “regular.” However, if the membership present at a regular meeting is at least one-half but less than two-thirds of the committee membership, two-thirds of the present members voting affirmatively are required to pass a legislation proposal. As per Robert’s Rules of Order, the chair may always vote if the vote affects the outcome. Chairs will record the number of votes (yes/no/abstain). Since many standing committees do not meet in person to conduct business, when voting electronically, they will follow the same rules as stated for Faculty Council.

B. Standing Committees

Academic Assessment (and Standards) Committee

To provide oversight, identify needs, develop recommendations and policies regarding institution-wide assessment of student learning in order to strengthen the university and enhance its accountability. To improve teaching and recommend initial, continuing or permanent funding for current and proposed assessment activities.

Responsibilities:

Develop and maintain expertise in outcomes assessment;
Research best practices in academic assessment;
Develop concise academic assessment plan with special attention given to mission, pedagogical, and fiscal accountability.
Recommend changes in academic assessment processes;
Review the usefulness of academic assessment strategies, reporting strategies and feedback processes;
Ensure that assessment data are used to inform decision-making at all levels.
Develop and implement policies for dissemination and reporting of assessment data.
Serve to interpret, review, and integrate assessment activities and their results; and to coordinate these activities across academic programs, student support service and other campus units such as but not limited to GEOC.
Solicit proposals from faculty and award funds for initiatives to improve assessment.
Advise faculty, department, and schools on assessment procedures and methods.
Provide support and guidance to departments undergoing their external program review (as part of the program review cycle for programs without specialized accreditation)

Membership: Committee members appointed by Faculty Council: Voting Members: One faculty member from each school except Humanities and Social Sciences, which will have one member from Area I (Humanities) and one from Area II (Social Sciences). In addition, there will be one member from the Library, as well as chairs or designees from GEOC, the USC and
the GSC.

Non-Voting Members: Director of Assessment (ex-officio); Vice Provost for Planning and Decision Support (ex-officio); One undergraduate student appointed by the SGA for one year term; One graduate student appointed by the GSC for a one-year term.

Enrollment Committee of Faculty Council

The Enrollment Committee of the Faculty Council will be responsible for the formulation of policy and oversight of procedural implementation relating to the minimal standards for admission and satisfactory progress toward a degree awarded by Monmouth University. The Committee will review enrollment, retention, and financial-aid incentives and trends, proposing modification to policy and procedures in light of those trends. The Chair or designee will serve on the Enrollment Planning Committee.

Membership:

Vice President for Enrollment Management (ex-officio, nonvoting)
Director of Admissions (ex-officio, non-voting)
Director of Financial Aid (ex-officio, non-voting)
One faculty member from each School appointed by Faculty Council on a three-year, rotating basis.

General Education Oversight Committee

The committee will be responsible for oversight of the general education curriculum and its assessment. The committee will receive, review, and act upon annual outcomes assessment reports on the particular areas of the general education program from the General Education Area Committees. The committee will set general education equivalencies standards for undergraduate transfer courses. The committee will also monitor trends in the best practice of general education and recommend improvements to the university’s curriculum accordingly.

Membership: Eight elected faculty members, one at large member, one each from the Schools of Business, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences Areas Area I, Humanities and Social Sciences Area II, Science, Nursing and Health Studies, and Social Work. One appointed: member:a member of the Writing Committee (designated by the Writing Committee). Three non-voting ex officio members: the Director of Transfer Student Services and Undeclared Services, the Director of Assessment, and a representative of the office designated by the Provost to support GEOC. The term for elected members is three years, with one-third of the committee changing each year. Annually, the voting members will elect one of the elected members to chair the committee.

General Education Oversight Area Committees

The GEOC Area Committees serve two important functions, (a) evaluating and endorsing undergraduate courses for general education credit, and (b) supporting assessment of general education courses. There are seven GEOC Area Committees:

Area Committee I: English Composition and Literature. This committee is responsible for general education course approvals in English Composition (EN 101 and EN 102) and Literature (LIT). This committee will coordinate with GEOC and faculty who teach these courses to agree upon which curricular outcome or outcomes they will review each semester. The committee will submit written assessment reports on regular basis as specified by GEOC’s currently approved Learning Outcomes Assessment Plan.

Area Committee II: Social Sciences, History, and Aesthetics. This committee is responsible for general education course approvals in Social Sciences (SS.SV), History (HS.SV), and Aesthetics (AT). This committee will coordinate with GEOC and faculty who teach these courses to agree upon which curricular outcome or outcomes they will review each semester. The committee will submit written assessment reports on regular basis as specified by GEOC’s currently approved Learning Outcomes Assessment Plan.

Area Committee III: Cultural Diversity, Global Understanding, and Foreign Languages. This committee is responsible for general education course approvals in Cultural Diversity (CD), Global Understanding (GU), and Foreign Languages. This committee will coordinate with GEOC and faculty who teach these courses to agree upon which curricular outcome or outcomes they will review each semester. The committee will submit written assessment reports on regular basis as specified by GEOC’s currently approved Learning Outcomes Assessment Plan.

Area Committee IV: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Human Experience. This committee is responsible for general education course approvals in Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Human Experience (IPHE). This committee will coordinate with the IPHE Committee, the IPHE Faculty Coordinator, GEOC, and faculty who teach these courses to agree upon which curricular outcome or outcomes they will review each semester. The committee will submit written assessment reports on regular basis as specified by GEOC’s currently approved Learning Outcomes Assessment Plan.

Area Committee V: Science and Mathematics. This committee is responsible for general education course approvals in the Natural Sciences (NS) and Mathematics. This committee will coordinate with GEOC and faculty who teach these courses to agree upon which curricular outcome or outcomes they will review each semester. The committee will submit written assessment reports on regular basis as specified by GEOC’s currently approved Learning Outcomes Assessment Plan.

Area Committee VI: Reasoned Oral Discourse and Technological Literacy.

This committee is responsible for general education course approvals in Reasoned Oral Discourse (RD) and Technological Literacy (TL). This committee will coordinate with GEOC and faculty who teach these courses to agree upon which curricular outcome or outcomes they will review each semester. The committee will submit written assessment reports on regular basis as specified by GEOC’s currently approved Learning Outcomes Assessment Plan.

Area Committee VII: Experiential Education. This committee is responsible for general education course approvals in Experiential Education (EX). It will assess how well students in the various majors are meeting it, and will work, as necessary, with the appropriate academic schools and department to make changes in Experiential Education requirements and policy. The committee will coordinate with GEOC and faculty who teach these courses to agree upon which curricular outcome or outcomes they will review each semester. The committee will submit written assessment reports on regular basis as specified by GEOC’s currently approved Learning Outcomes Assessment Plan. The Chair will sign off on student approvals to take Ex-Ed options (internships, Cooperative Education, Study Abroad, etc.)

The Writing Committee will review and approve courses in the Writing Intensive area.

Membership: Each Area Committee will have three or four members, with one member being an elected member of GEOC, who will serve as chair of the Area Committee. The chair of GEOC will assign the Area Committees to the elected members of GEOC. The GEOC elected members will appoint members from the faculty who will serve as specialists or, in some cases, non-specialists to serve on the area committees. In Area IV, one specialist with prior experience teaching IPHE courses and one non-specialist who has not previously taught an IPHE course. In Area VII, there will not be a distinction between specialist and non-specialist members. The term of appointees is two years, with half of the appointed members changing each year.

Global Education Committee (GEC)

The Standing Committee on Global Education works collaboratively with the Global Education Office (GEO) to advance the University’s global mission and achieve global academic goals within the Strategic Plan. The Committee focuses on Education Abroad, including study, internship, and service-learning programming taking place outside of the United States. The Committee provides guidelines and policies to support this programming, including and not limited to the integrity of the academic content, the method of delivery of this content, and academic support available at global partner institutions.

The Committee will review and provide consultation on potential academic partnerships with international institutions as well as participate in the initial review of proposals submitted by faculty to lead short-term faculty led, and full semester study abroad programs sponsored by the University. The Committee will also work collaboratively with the Global Education Office to review assessment data related to Global Education as well as site visit reports submitted by faculty members engaged in the Global Education Office’s regular cycle of program review as part of its effort to provide continuing and constructive academic oversight of the University’s Global Education programs.

Membership:

Seven full-time members with at least four tenured and at least two untenured faculty members knowledgeable and experienced in global education area, with no more than two faculty members from any school. Appointments are for three years and will be staggered so that no more than two members’ terms will expire in the same year. Terms begin in September. Faculty members are chosen by the Faculty Council. The Governance Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Faculty Council will solicit nominations for new members from the full-time faculty at least four months prior to the expiration of the serving members’ terms. Members also include the Vice Provost for Global Education (ex officio-voting member), Associate Vice Provost for Global Education (ex-officio-non-voting member), and Vice President for Student Life and Leadership Engagement or his/her designee (ex-officio non-voting member).

Graduate Studies Committee

The committee will recommend and implement policies and monitor approved standards and learning outcomes for all

graduate academic programs and courses, including; evaluate proposals to establish new or eliminate existing academic programs and recommend action to the Faculty on such proposals; review and rule on all requests for new courses, course changes, and modifications of existing programs; and recommend graduate faculty appointment, as described in “Graduate Faculty Criteria and Appointment”.

Graduate Studies Committee members with faculty status as identified in

Article 1.A. shall have the right to vote on all business conducted by the Graduate Studies Committee. Recommendations for appointment and reappointment of Graduate Faculty Status will be voted on by GSC members with faculty status as identified in Article 1.A. Deans, having reviewed and provided written feedback on nominations prior to the vote, will be exempt from the recommendation vote. The GSC Chair (as established in Article VI.3), will forward the committee’s recommendation to the Office of the Provost, per the Faculty Agreement.

A Graduate Academic Standards and Review Subcommittee, appointed by the Graduate Studies Committee, shall be responsible for the interpretation and implementation of approved graduate standards, after receiving input from the Program Directors or department, for academic honors, warning, probation, dismissal and appeals. The subcommittee will report back to the Graduate Studies Committee at least once per semester.

Membership:

Provost
Deans of the Schools
Faculty Director of Graduate Studies
Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Student Services (non-voting)
Faculty Director of Global Education (non-voting)
University Librarian (non-voting)
The program director or a designated representative from each graduate degree program. The Committee may appoint additional members to represent heavily enrolled graduate programs
Registrar’s office appointee(s) (non-voting)
Other administrators may attend meetings by invitation, or when otherwise appropriate, but without vote

Grants and Sabbaticals Committee

The Committee will receive requests for sabbatical leaves, summer faculty fellowship awards, and monetary grants in support of scholarly research or other forms of creative endeavor suitable to an academic community, and make recommendations to the Provost. It will receive from faculty members request for funds to reimburse them for authorized expenditures incurred while participating in scholarly activities.

Membership: Membership as outlined in the FAMCO- Monmouth University agreement.

Information Technology Committee

This committee will develop and recommend general strategies, policies and procedures and monitor standards for the use of technology in all academic areas such as online course delivery, scholarship and research, support, and the use of technology in work performed by faculty for departments and schools. The committee will also monitor and coordinate faculty needs with regards to technology use and recommend appropriate action as necessary. Membership on the committee will be comprised of elected faculty and student members and non-voting members as described below. When necessary, elected school representatives are charged with convening and chairing their schools’ technology committees. Members should be generally knowledgeable about technology and technology related issues in academic areas. The committee may also constitute sub-committees with non- voting members to address specific issues in academic technology affairs as appropriate.

Membership:

Voting Faculty Members, 2-year appointments:
- One faculty member from each school, except for SHSS which will have one from Area I and one from Area II
- One faculty representative from the Monmouth University Library
Voting Student Members, 1-year appointments:
- Undergraduate student: Chair of Student Government Association’s Academic Affairs Committee
- Graduate student: solicited by the committee with the help from the Office of Graduate Student Services.
Non-voting Members:
- Coordinator/Director of Information Technology Program
- Associate Vice President for Information Support (or designate)

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

This committee is designed to assist researchers and institutional administrators with their duty to protect the rights and welfare of nonhuman vertebrate animals in accordance with principles regarding animal care and use as stated in the Animal Welfare Act and the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and in accordance with the following authorities, the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Public Health Service (PHS). The IACUC will function according to the guidelines of the IACUC Policies and Procedures document. The IACUC is responsible for: reviewing the institution’s program for humane care and use of vertebrate animals and inspecting all of the institution’s animal facilities; developing and administering an Animal Use Protocol Application; reviewing and approving, requiring modification to or withholding approval of proposed activities related to the care and use of animals; preparing reports to be submitted to the Provost, Faculty Council, and officials of sponsoring Federal agencies upon request; inspecting all of the institution’s animal facilities; reviewing concerns involving the care and use of animals at the institution; suspending activities that it determines are not being conducted in accordance with applicable provisions; and making recommendations to the Provost regarding any aspect of the institution’s animal program, facilities or personnel training.

Membership: Membership as outlined in the Standard Operating Procedures Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

This committee will assist researchers and institutional administrators with their duty to protect the rights and welfare of human research participants. The committee is responsible for providing initial and continuing review of nonexempt research; ascertaining acceptability of proposed research in terms of University policies and procedures; documenting that reviews are conducted according to University policy; providing assistance and information to investigators engaged in all research involving human participants; developing policy, procedures, information, and instructions regarding human participants research; adjudicating differences and reviewing problems arising in research involving human participants; ensuring compliance with externally mandated policies and regulations; reporting to the appropriate institutional officials and, for research governed by Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations, to the Secretary of HHS, any serious or continuing noncompliance by investigators with the requirements and determinations of the IRB.

Membership: Membership as outlined in the Standard Operating Procedures Human Research Protection Program/Institutional Review Board.

IPHE (Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Human Experience) Committee

The committee, a standing appointed committee of the Faculty Council, will evaluate and approve IPHE classes. IPHE classes will have interdisciplinary at their core, integrating knowledge from disciplines that may have different methodologies and conceptual views of an issue or problem. Membership on the committee will be comprised of five (5) faculty members as described below:

Faculty Coordinator for administration and quality control of Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Human Experience.
Four at-large faculty members will be appointed to two-year terms by Faculty Council. The four at-large faculty appointments will reflect the diversity of the University community. On annual basis IPHE Committee will elect a Chair who will assume the title of IPHE Program Director.

Faculty Council Legislation: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Human Experience (ISP) course approval process:

The Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Human Experience (IPHE)

Committee will serve as the initial approving body for new “Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Human Experience” (ISP) courses. Faculty members proposing new ISP courses should submit a class syllabi, a master syllabus, and a bibliography to the IPHE Committee. Faculty members proposing a course should also provide some statement of their interest and understanding of the topic with an emphasis on their background or preparation in the discipline outside their major field of expertise. This committee is responsible for ensuring that each discipline is responsibly presented and treated appropriately in this course. The committee has the purview to seek clarification from appropriate departments if needed. The course must be designated as ISP by GEOC (Area I Committee) certifying that the course meets the appropriate learning outcomes. The course must then be approved by the Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Courses then require final approval by the Undergraduate Studies Committee.

Approval Process for New IPHE Courses:

IPHE Committee approval;
ISP course designation by the GEOC Area I Committee (signature of GEOC Chair);
School approval (signature of the Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences); and
Undergraduate Studies Committee (USC) approval.

Modifying Approved ISP Courses:

The IPHE Committee will assist faculty with modifying the current ISP courses to fulfill the new IPHE requirements, and will consider them for ISP approval. The modified courses will then need to have the formal approval of GEOC (Area I Committee). Once the approval is given, the IPHE Committee will notify the registrar of the change in designation.

School Personnel Committees

This committee will receive and review all pertinent documents regarding School faculty members who are actively seeking continuance, tenure eligibility, tenure or promotion in rank; make recommendations to the Provost and the University Qualifications Committee; and notify the candidates of the nature of their recommendations.

Membership: Membership as outlined in the FAMCO- Monmouth University agreement.

Undergraduate Academic Standards and Review Committee

This committee will interpret and implement approved undergraduate standards for academic honors, probation, dismissal, readmission, and amnesty; monitor academic profiles; determine exceptions to academic standards; provide regular reports to the Undergraduate Studies Committee; and recommend policy.

Membership:

Deans of the Schools, or designee
Dean of the Honors School, or designee
Associate Vice Provost of the Center for Student Success, or designee
Vice President for Student Services, or designee
Registrar
One Faculty member from each School, elected by the Faculty

Undergraduate Studies Committee

This committee will recommend and implement policies and monitor approved standards and learning outcomes for all undergraduate academic programs and courses, including the writing proficiency and experiential learning requirements; evaluate proposals to establish new or eliminate existing academic programs and recommend action to the Faculty on such proposals; review and rule on all requests for new courses, course changes, and modifications of existing programs. Subcommittees shall be appointed as needed.

Membership: Department Chairs, School Deans, the University Librarian and the Provost. Designees may be sent by any of these members. In cases where both a member and member designee are present, only one vote may be cast for each membership category.

University Discipline Committee

The University Discipline Committee was established to help address violations of the University Code of Conduct and charges of academic dishonesty on campus. This Committee works to develop and recommend policies, procedures, and standards in matters of academic conduct; hear and judge all cases of students who appear before it on charges of academic dishonesty, and make recommendations to the Provost. Faculty members will predominantly serve as voting members on the Judicial

Hearing Panel regarding violations of the Student Code of Conduct, on a rotating basis throughout the semester. Faculty members who serve as chairs of their departments will recuse themselves from cases that involve students or faculty from their department.

Membership: Senior administrator from Student Services or designee, one faculty member from each school elected by the faculty of their respective schools, and two members at large elected by the faculty on a three year rotating basis, and a student representative appointed by the Student Government Association.

University Qualifications Committee

This committee will receive and review all pertinent documents regarding faculty members who are actively seeking continuance, tenure eligibility, tenure, or promotion in rank; send recommendations to the Provost; and notify the candidates of the nature of their recommendations.

Membership: Membership as outlined in the FAMCO- Monmouth University agreement.

Writing Committee

The Writing Committee will provide oversight of the Writing learning objective of the general education curriculum, including but not limited to the Writing-Intensive requirement.

The Committee will collaborate with Writing Services to provide resources and support for faculty integrating writing into their courses, including ongoing faculty-development workshops and will make itself available to develop workshops.

The Committee will review syllabi for general education courses that include writing as a learning objective, and will work with faculty and departments to support successful implementation. The Committee will engage in an ongoing review of the Writing learning objectives, and will recommend changes as appropriate to promote success in student writing University-wide.

Membership:

From the Administration (all non-voting):

The Writing Services Director, and the Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

From the Faculty (all voting):

The Director of First Year Composition and the Associate Director of First Year Composition. The faculty of their respective schools will each elect one faculty representative. In addition, there will be one representative from the library that will be elected by library faculty, and the full faculty will elect a director of a graduate program. Finally, the entire faculty will vote for one at-large faculty representative.

From the Student Body (non-voting):

The members of the writing committee will select one student of the university from among the student tutors of writing services. A majority vote of the members of the committee will be required to approve this student.

Article VII – University-wide Committees

Proposals for ad hoc or advisory committees on which Faculty members would serve should be communicated to the Governance Committee prior to their creation. The purpose, membership, and expected duration of such committees shall be included in the proposal. The committees may be established by administrative officers. When such committees are dissolved, the Governance Committee shall be notified.

Article VIII – Promotion and Tenure

Policy. It is the policy of Monmouth University to promote deserving Faculty to higher rank and to grant tenure to those full-time Faculty members of professional and librarian rank who have completed a prescribed period of meritorious service to the University.
Conditions. The conditions for the grant of promotion and tenure are specified in the Agreement between Monmouth University and the Faculty Association of Monmouth University. In the event that an Agreement becomes inoperative for any reason, the provisions relating to promotion and tenure in that Agreement will remain in force.

Article IX – Faculty Non-Reappointment, Suspension, or Dismissal

The conditions for Faculty non-reappointment, suspension, or dismissal are specified in the Agreement between Monmouth University and the Faculty Association of Monmouth University. In the event that an Agreement becomes inoperative for any reason, the provisions relating to non- reappointment, suspension, or dismissal in the last Agreement will remain in force.

Article X – Faculty Reduction Because of Financial Exigency

The conditions and procedures governing reduction because of financial exigency are specified in the Agreement between Monmouth University and the Faculty Association of Monmouth University. In the event that an Agreement becomes inoperative for any reason, the provisions relating to reduction because of financial exigency in the last Agreement will remain in force.

Article XI – Amendment

The Bylaws may be amended according to the following procedures:
1. Proposed amendments must be presented to the Faculty Council at least twenty-one days prior to the Faculty meeting at which action is to be taken.
2. The Faculty Council shall review all proposed amendments and forward them to the Faculty with recommendations for action.
  1. In the event that the title of administrators serving on Standing Committees change, the Faculty Council has the right to approve the title change in the bylaws with approval by the President, and written notice to the Board in advance of their next regularly scheduled meeting. If Faculty Council believes that the change in administrative representative creates a conflict of interest or a change in the role of the administrator in the function of the standing committee, Faculty Council shall forward changes to the Faculty with recommendations for action.
3. The Chair of the Faculty Council shall distribute the proposed amendments to the Faculty at least seven days prior to the Faculty meeting at which action is expected to be taken.
4. To be adopted, amendments must receive a two-thirds affirmative vote of the Faculty present and the subsequent approval of the President.
Copies of amended Bylaws shall be distributed to all Faculty and Academic Administrators by the Chair of the Faculty Council.

Updated November 2024 by William Schreiber.