Faculty Organization And By-Laws

Preamble

These by-laws and all amendments shall constitute the rules and regulations governing the conduct and procedures of the faculty of the College of Charleston in the performance of its duties. They establish the Faculty Senate as the primary legislative body of the faculty.

Article I. Membership in the College Faculty

Section 1. Regular Faculty

The faculty members of the College of Charleston are those individuals whose obligation in the institution is both the dissemination and expansion of academic knowledge of an accepted academic nature. At the College of Charleston the following individuals are considered regular faculty members: (1) those full-time¹tenured, tenure-track, Instructor, and Senior Instructor employees of the institution who normally teach at least three contact hours²of college credit courses or the equivalent in assigned academic research in their academic fields each semester; (2) full-time professional librarians; and (3) ex-officio, the President of the College, the Provost, the Dean of the Graduate School, the Academic Deans, the Dean of the Honors College, and all administrative officers of the College with academic rank.³These members of the faculty have voting rights at meetings of the College faculty.

(Rev. May 2009)

Section 2. Non-Tenure-Track Faculty and Administrators Without Academic Rank

Non-tenure-track faculty (including full- and part-time visiting and adjunct faculty, lecturers, laboratory teaching associates, and graduate assistants) and administrative officers of the College without academic rank shall have floor privileges without voting rights at College faculty meetings.

Article II. College Faculty Meetings

Section 1. Ordinary Faculty Meetings

Ordinary meetings of the College faculty may be called by the Speaker of the Faculty. Ordinary faculty meetings may be called for such purposes as the distribution of information, discussion of a topic or topics relevant to the College faculty, hearing a presentation, and asking questions of the President of the College or other administrative officers of the College. An ordinary meeting of the College faculty is not a deliberative assembly, and faculty at such meetings have no legislative or review authority.

(Rev. May 2009)

Section 2. Extraordinary Faculty Meetings

A. Extraordinary meetings of the College faculty may be called by the President of the College, or the Speaker of the Faculty, or a petition to the Speaker of the Faculty by fifty faculty members. At such extraordinary meetings the College faculty may review any Faculty Senate action.
B. Senate actions may be amended or vetoed by a simple majority vote of those members of the regular College faculty (as defined in Art. I) present at such extraordinary meetings of the College faculty, provided there is a quorum present.
C. The College faculty has legislative authority (i.e., may legislate and recommend to the President on matters normally under the purview of the Faculty Senate) only in case it acts in an extraordinary meeting of the College faculty called by a petition to the Speaker of the Faculty by 50 regular College faculty (as defined in Art. 1) on a specific issue included in the agenda for that meeting and distributed at least one week prior to the date of the meeting.
D. A quorum at extraordinary College faculty meetings shall be a simple majority of regular College faculty members.
E. Extraordinary meetings of the College faculty must be called in writing at least one week prior to the date of the meeting. A written agenda for each meeting will be distributed to all faculty at least one week prior to the meeting. The requirement of one week advance notice may be waived by the Speaker of the Faculty (or the Speaker’s designee) in case of emergency.
F. The current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of extraordinary meetings of the College faculty.
G. The Faculty Secretary shall perform as secretary for all meetings of the College faculty.
H. Whenever the Speaker of the Faculty determines that exceptional circumstances exist that would prevent the full faculty from meeting in person, the Speaker may designate that an extraordinary meeting of the faculty will be an electronic (virtual) meeting in which participation will be carried out remotely and in which the verification of a quorum will occur electronically.

(Ins. Sept. 2021) (Rev. May 2009)

Section 3. Presiding Officer

The Speaker of the Faculty shall preside at all ordinary and extraordinary meetings of the faculty. If unable to be present, the Speaker shall designate an alternate Speaker for that meeting from among the members of the regular faculty of the College. (Rev. Aug. 2018)

Article III. Officers

Section 1. Speaker of the Faculty

A. The Speaker of the Faculty must meet the eligibility requirements of Faculty Senators as specified in Article IV, Section 2B.1.
B. The Committee on Nominations and Elections shall announce nominees for this office no later than February 1.
C. The Committee on Nominations and Elections shall conduct an election for this office no later than February 15. The electorate shall be all regular members of the College faculty (as defined in Article I) as of the date of the election. Election to the office of Speaker of the Faculty requires a simple majority of votes cast in the election. If no candidate obtains a majority on the first ballot, run-off elections will be held. Each run-off slate will exclude half of the candidates from the previous balloting, the half receiving the fewest number of votes on the previous balloting being excluded. Any tie is decided by lot.
D. The term of office for the Speaker of the Faculty shall be one year, beginning July 1. No speaker may serve more than three consecutive terms. (Rev. Oct. 2011)
E. In the event of a vacancy in the Speakership, a special election will be conducted by the Committee on Nominations and Elections to fill the vacancy. At least one week prior to the election, the Committee on Nominations and Elections will present a slate of nominees; the special election shall be conducted in the manner prescribed above for regular election of the Speaker.
F. The Speaker of the Faculty shall attend and give reports to meetings of the College Board of Trustees.
G. The Speaker shall be allowed to attend and participate without vote in meetings of all Senate and College standing and ad hoc committees, with the exception of the Faculty Hearing Committee, the Faculty Mediation Committee, and the Advisory Committee on Tenure, Promotion and Third-Year Review of faculty. The Speaker may not be elected or appointed to formal membership on any Senate or College committee.
H. The Speaker of the Faculty will receive a supplementary stipend amounting to two-ninths of their salary, and will have a one-half-time reduction in teaching load each year. (Rev. Aug. 2018)
I. Duties:
1. The Speaker will preside at all College faculty and Faculty Senate meetings. The Speaker may participate in the debate and general proceedings of the faculty and Senate except when presiding.
2. The Speaker has full voting privileges at College faculty meetings. The Speaker has voting privileges in the Senate only in cases in which the Senators’ votes have been evenly divided.
3. In general, the Speaker will represent the faculty to the administration of the College. The Speaker will attend administrative staff meetings and such other meetings as designated by the President.
4. The Speaker will consult with officers of the administration on their own initiative and will inform and advise the faculty and the Senate regarding matters of College government that are of concern to the faculty. (Rev. Aug. 2018)
5. The Speaker will receive requests from the College administration to form ad hoc Faculty Senate and College committees to deal with matters not within the purview of any standing committees (Article V), and will take steps to establish such committees (Article V, Section 4).
6. The Speaker shall appoint a Parliamentarian to the Faculty, who shall serve at the pleasure of the Speaker. The Parliamentarian shall advise the Speaker or other presiding officer, and the faculty and Senate, concerning parliamentary procedure. The Parliamentarian shall perform other duties normally associated with such an office. If the Parliamentarian is unable or unavailable to perform those duties during a meeting of the Faculty Senate, the Speaker may appoint an Acting Parliamentarian to the Faculty until such time as the Parliamentarian shall return to service.
7. The Speaker will advise the President and the President’s staff on matters concerning the faculty. (Rev. Aug. 2018)
8. The Speaker will receive from the Provost and administrators designated by the President any:
  - a. Trustee By-Law changes; State Human Resources Regulations and state and College personnel policies and procedures (new or changed) that affect those for whose use the Manual is intended;
  - b. Administrative Memoranda affecting those for whose use the Manual is intended;
  - c. Administrative policies or procedures affecting those for whose use the Manual is intended;
  - d. Changes in these faculty By-Laws enacted according to the procedures specified in Article VI; and
  - e. Other changes in policies and procedures approved by the Faculty Senate.
    The Speaker of the Faculty will review changes to insure accuracy of text and will refer duly approved changes as appropriate to the Committee on the By-Laws and Faculty/Administration Manual for insertion into the By-Laws and the Manual.
9. The Speaker of the Faculty shall, with the help of the Faculty Senate Secretariat, publish and distribute a faculty newsletter at least three times each semester and once during the summer months.
10. The Speaker of the Faculty shall supervise the Secretariat of the Faculty Senate and manage its budget.

Section 2. Faculty Secretary

A. The Faculty Secretary must meet the eligibility requirements of Faculty Senators as specified in Article IV, Section 2B.1.
B. The Committee on Nominations and Elections shall announce nominees for this office no later than February 1.
C. The Committee on Nominations and Elections shall conduct an election for this office no later than February 15. The election procedure will be the same as the procedure described in Article III, Section 1C for the Speaker of the Faculty.
D. The term of office for the Faculty Secretary shall be one year, beginning July 1. No Faculty Secretary may serve more than three consecutive terms. (Rev. Oct. 2011)
E. The Faculty Secretary is a non-voting ex-officio member of the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Secretary has full voting privileges at College Faculty meetings. The Faculty Secretary may not be elected or appointed to formal membership on any Senate or College committee.
F. The Faculty Secretary will have a one course reduction in teaching load each semester.
G. Duties: The Faculty Secretary acts as secretary for all meetings of the College faculty and of the Faculty Senate. With the assistance of the Secretariat, this officer distributes College and Senate meeting agendas prepare and distributes to all faculty members detailed minutes of College Faculty and Faculty Senate meetings. The Faculty Secretary performs other duties normally associated with the office, including maintenance of the Faculty Senate roster on the Faculty Senate website and/or in some other medium or media as designated by the Faculty Senate.(Rev. April 2007; 2023)

Article IV. Faculty Senate

Section 1. Functions

A. The Faculty Senate is the primary legislative body of the College of Charleston faculty. The Senate may make recommendations on any matter under its purview to the President of the College. Except where otherwise specified in the By-Laws of the College Board of Trustees, the President shall have the power of veto over any action by the Senate. The veto shall be communicated in writing to the Senate, with reasons, within thirty days after receipt by the President. By a two-thirds vote, the Senate may appeal any action thus vetoed, through the Speaker of the Faculty, to the College Board of Trustees.
B. The Faculty Senate shall be concerned with all matters relating to academic programs, the curriculum, admissions and continuation standards, the grading system, degree and certificate requirements, and the utilization of the intellectual resources of the College. The Faculty Senate shall have the right and obligation to initiate needed institutional and academic studies, either directly or through appropriate committees.
C. The Faculty Senate may request meetings with the College Board of Trustees to discuss matters of mutual concern. Senators shall receive minutes of all meetings of the College Board of Trustees.
D. The Faculty Senate may establish and instruct such committees, standing and ad hoc, as may be necessary for the performance of its functions and elect or provide for the members of the committees in accordance with these by-laws.
E. At one Faculty Senate meeting early in the first semester and at one meeting late in the second semester, the Faculty Senate shall hear reports from and have the opportunity to question the President of the College and the Provost. Any written reports provided to the Faculty Senate by the President or the Provost shall be distributed by the Faculty Senate Secretariat to all faculty members.(Ins. May 2009)
F. The Faculty Senate is authorized by the College faculty to approve all degree candidates for graduation.
G. The specific duties of the Faculty Senate shall also include, but not be limited to, recommendations to the President concerning any of the following:
- Plans and policies to strengthen the educational programs and academic organization of the College;
- The College budget;
- Plans for the physical and educational development of the College;
- Plans for the athletic programs of the College;
- Academic freedom of members of the College faculty;
- Academic responsibilities of members of the College faculty;
- The general welfare of the College community;
- Policies concerning the College’s relations with its supporting community;
- Policies concerning the College’s relations with outside agencies; and
- Rules and procedures of the College concerning the conduct of its members.

Section 2. Composition and Election

A. Composition.

There shall be 50 Regular Faculty Senators (as defined in Article IV, Section 2.D.1), apportioned by the percentage of regular faculty [as defined in Article I, Section 1, (1) and (2), and excluding all those qualifying as ex officio regular faculty members under provision (3)] in each school (the library shall be considered a school for this purpose) and 3 Adjunct Faculty Senators with voting privileges. There shall be one Faculty Senator elected by each academic department, with the remainder of a school’s senators elected at-large by the faculty in that school. If a school should have more departments than its apportioned senators, then all of that school’s senators shall be elected at-large by the faculty in that school. (Ins. Dec. 2009) The Adjunct Faculty Senators shall represent at least two different schools (including the library) and three different departments.
(Rev. Aug. 2015, Aug. 2016)

B. Eligibility

A Faculty Senator must be a full‐time tenured, tenure‐track, Instructor, or Senior Instructor employee of the College who has completed at least three years of service at the College, and who normally teaches at least three contact hours per semester or the equivalent in assigned research or who is a full‐time professional librarian. Without regard to teaching load, Department Chairs, Assistant Department Chairs, and Associate Department Chairs who otherwise would be members of the regular faculty are eligible to serve as Faculty Senators. (App. April 2005) Administrative officers, the Dean of the Graduate School, the Academic Deans, the Dean of the Honors College, Associate Deans, and Assistant Deans are not eligible to serve as Faculty Senators. Faculty members on leave, teaching away from the Charleston campuses, or for other reasons unable to attend Senate meetings regularly, are not eligible to serve as Faculty Senators. (Rev. May 2009, Dec. 2011)
An Adjunct Faculty Senator must have been employed as an adjunct faculty [as defined in administrative Section III.A.2.b (4)] instructor of record at least twice in the preceding three academic years prior to election as an Adjunct Faculty Senator and must be currently employed as an adjunct faculty (as defined above) at the time of service as an Adjunct Faculty Senator. Election to the position of an Adjunct Faculty Senator or service as an Adjunct Faculty Senator is entirely voluntary, does not guarantee or in any way affect departmental hiring of adjunct faculty, nor shall it affect rate of pay or determination of hours of service for adjuncts. Concurrently serving Adjunct Faculty Senators must represent at least two different schools and three different departments. (Ins. Aug. 2015; Rev. Sept. 2019)

C. The President of the College, the Provost, a student representing the College of Charleston Student Government Association, a student representing the College of Charleston Graduate Student Association, and the Faculty Secretary are non-voting ex-officio members of the Faculty Senate. (Rev. Sept. 2019)

D. Election

Without regard to teaching load, all and only regular faculty members as defined in Art. I, Sect. 1, excluding all those qualifying as ex officio regular faculty members under provision (3), are eligible to vote in elections for Faculty Senators. (Rev. Aug. 2015)
Only adjunct faculty [as defined in administrative Section III.A.2.b(4)] who are also currently listed as instructor of record for at least one course are eligible to vote in elections for Adjunct Faculty Senators. (Ins. Aug. 2015; Rev. Sept. 2019)
No later than February 15, vacancies from the group of at-large Faculty Senators will be filled by means of an election conducted among the eligible faculty of each school (as defined in Section 1 above) through ballot. By February 1, any and all regular faculty of a school may forward nominations or self-nominations to the Committee on Nominations and Elections for the at-large Faculty Senators in that school. The candidates receiving the most votes cast in these elections shall be elected to the at-large seats allocated to each school. Any tie shall be decided by lot. (Rev. Dec. 2009; Aug. 2015)
No later than March 15, each of the academic departments and Library will elect its Faculty Senator(s) from among its eligible members (as defined in Section 2B above). (Rev. Dec. 2009; Rev. Aug. 2015)
No later than April 15, the three Adjunct Faculty Senators shall be elected by the adjunct faculty in a manner consistent with the representation described in Section 2B above. (Ins. Aug. 2015)
The Committee on Nominations and Elections shall oversee all Senate elections. (Rev. Dec. 2009; Rev. Aug. 2015)
All elections for at-large Faculty Senators and Adjunct Faculty Senators shall be conducted by secret ballot. Upon the receipt of a vote, the Committee on Nominations and Elections shall ensure that the vote was cast by an eligible voter. In case of a tie vote, the election is decided by lot. (Rev. Dec. 2009; Aug. 2015)

E. Terms of Office

The term of office for Faculty Senators shall be two years; terms begin the day after spring commencement. A Senator shall be eligible for re-election to one additional consecutive term, following which one year must pass before they are again eligible. For purposes of eligibility, a partial term of service of one year or more shall be counted as a full term. Additionally, in order to maintain continuous service by departmental senators, any department with no eligible members may petition the Committee on Nominations and Elections for an exception at any time. One half of the Senators are elected each year. (Rev. Apr. 2010; Aug. 2015; Aug. 2016; Aug. 2018)
Adjunct Faculty Senators shall be elected to fill a vacancy that spans an entire academic year, commencing in August at the beginning of the period of contracted employment as an adjunct faculty member. An elected Adjunct Faculty Senator can only serve during times of active employment as an instructor of record, so their status as an Adjunct Faculty Senator lapses at the conclusion each contract period but is automatically renewed at the start of the ensuing contract period within the academic year. Service in any combination of semesters over a four-year service period requires that a full calendar year must pass before that adjunct faculty member is again eligible to serve as an Adjunct Faculty Senator. Additionally, in order to maintain continuous adjunct representation at the senate, the Office of the Provost or the Speaker of the Faculty may petition the Committee on Nominations and Elections for a special election to fill a vacated Adjunct Faculty Senator seat. (Ins. Aug. 2015; Rev. Aug. 2018)
Any Faculty Senator or Adjunct Faculty Senator may be recalled from their position as the result of a special election initiated by a recall petition to the Speaker of the Faculty signed by 25% of that position’s electorate as defined in Article IV, Section 2D. In the special election the Senator shall be recalled if at least 75% of those eligible to vote for the position have cast a ballot, and if a simple majority of those voting has voted in favor of recall. (Rev. Aug. 2015; Aug. 2018)
Vacancies due to resignation, non-employment of Adjunct Faculty Senators, recall or any other reason may be filled by a special election by the appropriate electorate. Senators elected in such special elections will serve out the term of the Senators they replace. If an at-large Faculty Senator needs to be replaced, the faculty of that school shall elect the replacement by ballot. No Senator, including replacement Faculty Senators and Adjunct Faculty Senators, shall serve for more than four consecutive years. (Rev. Jan. 2007, Apr. 2007; Ins. Apr. 2007; Rev. Dec. 2009; Rev. Aug. 2015)
Reapportionment
1. Every three years, beginning in the fall semester of 2015, the Committee on Nominations and Elections shall request from the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs the current number of full-time tenured, tenure-track, Instructor, or Senior Instructor employees in each School, based on the October report to the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. Based on those numbers, the Committee on Nominations and Elections shall use the Huntington-Hill methods of apportionment to determine and report, at the January meeting of the Faculty Senate, the allocation of Faculty Senators for each School to be effective at the start of the next fall semester. In the event that a School loses more at-large Faculty Senate seats than it is slated to elect in the spring elections then the at-large senator who has the lowest seniority in terms of service will be removed first; if two or more at-large senators have the same seniority in terms of service, the order of removal shall be based on lowest number of votes when elected; in the event of a tie, removal is to be decided by lot. For each reapportionment, the Faculty Senate Secretariat shall record the allocation of Faculty Senators, and the basis of that allocation (number of regular faculty by department and school). (Ins. Aug. 2016)
2. If a new school is created at any point in the three-year cycle, then the Committee on Nominations and Elections will execute the reapportionment process in the fall of the following academic year. The timeline of the next regularly scheduled reapportionment will remain unchanged by this midterm reapportionment. (Ins. Jan. 2023)

Section 3. Offices

A. Speaker of the Faculty Pro Tempore

The Speaker of the Faculty Pro Tempore is a Senator elected by the Senate at its first meeting of the academic year. Adjunct Faculty Senators may not be elected Speaker of the Faculty Pro Tempore. This officer presides at Senate meetings and performs other duties in the temporary absence of the Speaker of the Faculty; they preside when the Speaker is participating in Senate debate. While presiding, the Speaker Pro Tempore has voting privileges only when the other Senators’ votes are evenly divided. The term of office is one year (one year as Speaker Pro Tem; the Speaker Pro Tem is a Senator, and the term of office as Senator is two years), and no Speaker Pro Tem may serve more than four consecutive one-year terms as Speaker Pro Tem. (Rev. Aug. 2015; Aug. 2018)

B. Secretariat

The Faculty Senate shall have a secretariat: adequate office space, office support (supplies and equipment), and secretarial and clerical support. The Secretariat shall assist the Speaker of the Faculty, the Faculty Secretary, and Senate and College committees in carrying out their duties. The Secretariat shall be the repository for records of the College faculty, of the Faculty Senate, and of Senate and College committees. There shall be a line item in the College budget supporting the Secretariat.

Section 4. Meetings of the Faculty Senate

A. The Faculty Senate normally shall meet the first Tuesday of each month during the academic year at 5:00 p.m. at a place announced to the College community.

B. Special Senate meetings may be called by the President of the College, by the Speaker of the Faculty, by a simple majority vote of the Senate, or by petition to the Speaker of the Faculty of a simple majority of the Senate. Special Senate meetings must be called in writing at least three working days prior to the date of the meeting. The requirement of three working days notice may be waived in case of emergency.

C. The Speaker of the Faculty shall preside at all regular and special meetings of the Faculty Senate. In the absence of the Speaker, the Speaker of the Faculty Pro Tempore shall preside.

D. The current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order will govern the conduct of all meetings of the Faculty Senate.

E. A quorum shall be constituted by a simple majority of the elected membership of the Faculty Senate.

F. All meetings of the Faculty Senate shall be open, with the provision that the Senate may, by two-thirds vote, restrict a session to regular College faculty and Adjunct Faculty Senators only, subject to state and federal law. Space will always be provided for all College faculty present and wishing to attend. (Rev. Aug. 2015)

G. Only senators have voting privileges.

H. Agendas for all regular and special Faculty Senate meetings shall be distributed to all members of the College Faculty at least one week prior to each meeting. In exceptional cases, the Speaker of the Faculty may modify the agenda in order that the Senate may address concerns in a timely fashion.

I. Members of the College faculty who are not senators have floor but not voting privileges at Senate meetings.

J. The order of business for each regular Senate meeting shall include the opportunity for expression of faculty constituents’ general concerns (i.e., concerns not directed toward specific agenda items). Any members of the College faculty may at this time present matters that they wish to bring before the Senate and may question senators about matters before the Senate. The Speaker of the Faculty must provide at least fifteen minutes per meeting for all such expression of constituents’ general concerns.

K. The agenda for each regular Senate meeting shall include reports by the President of the College and the Provost or their designees about actions taken on Senate recommendations and about all matters of concern to the Senate. In addition, the Speaker of the Faculty and the Senate may request timely administrative reports on matters of concern to the Senate.

L. The order of business for regular meetings of the Faculty Senate shall be as follows, subject to change by the Speaker of the Faculty as per Article IV, Section 4H or by a simple majority vote of the Senate:

Call to order
Approval of the minutes of previous meeting
Announcements and information
Reports
- a . College and Senate Committees
- b. President and Provost
Old business
New business
Constituent’s general concerns
Adjournment

M. The Faculty Secretary shall keep detailed minutes of Senate meetings, including attendance and absence of senators and ex-officio Senate members, as well as records of any roll call votes. Minutes will be distributed to all faculty members within two weeks after each meeting.

N. Whenever the Speaker of the Faculty determines that exceptional circumstances exist that would prevent the Faculty Senate from meeting in-person, the Speaker may designate that a regular or special meeting of the Senate will be an electronic (virtual) meeting in which participation will be carried out remotely and in which the verification of a quorum will occur electronically. (Ins. Sept. 2021)

Article V. Committees

Section 1. General Regulations

A. No faculty member may serve on more than two standing committees.

B. Members of committees (Including alternates) serve for a term of one year and may be re-elected up to four times. Commencing with the first year of service, consecutive or intermittent service on a committee during a five-year period will require a lapse of three years before a member is eligible to serve again on that committee. Any three-year lapse resets the eligibility for another five-year period. Terms begin on August 15. Adjunct faculty committee members shall be elected to fill a vacancy that spans an entire academic year, commencing in August at the beginning of the period of contracted employment as an adjunct faculty member. An elected adjunct faculty committee member can only serve during times of active employment as an instructor of record, so their status as an adjunct faculty committee member lapses at the conclusion of each contract period but is automatically renewed at the start of the ensuing contract period in the academic year. Service in any combination of semesters over a three-year service period requires that a full calendar year must pass before that adjunct faculty member is again eligible to serve on a committee. (Rev. Aug. 1999; Aug. 2015; Aug. 2017; Aug. 2018)

C. The Faculty Secretary shall publish and distribute to all faculty members and the Provost a complete list of committees upon election of the committees.

D. Within ten days after the election of new committees, the Chairs of the outgoing committees shall call meetings of the new committees. Each new committee shall elect a Chair and a secretary and report these names to the Faculty Secretary. Adjunct faculty may not be elected as a chair or secretary of a faculty committee. Any remaining business of any committee that can be completed by August 15 will be completed by the outgoing committee. On completion of its business and no later than August 15, all records will be transferred to the new committee. (Rev. Aug. 2015)

E. Each committee shall meet and prepare for distribution to the faculty a written report at least once each semester. The Committee on Nominations and Elections and the Faculty Hearing Committee are exempt from this requirement.

F. The Student Government Association will select the student for each student position on designated committees unless the committee’s composition description specifies otherwise. These student representatives shall have full voice and vote. The Faculty Secretary shall include the names of student representatives in the published list of committee members. (Rev. 2023)

G. A simple majority of the committee membership shall constitute a quorum.

H. Meetings of committees shall be called by the Chairs of the committees or by 50% of the members of the committees. Whenever the committee chair determines that exceptional circumstances exist that would prevent the committee from meeting in-person, the chair, or a simple majority of the committee membership, may designate that a meeting of the committee will be an electronic (virtual) meeting in which participation will be carried out remotely and in which the verification of a quorum will occur electronically. (Rev. Sept. 2021)

I. Senate committees deal with general College and faculty concerns and long-range planning issues, while College committees deal with regular, specific matters of College and faculty business. This division of responsibilities will be maintained in the formation of ad-hoc Senate and College committees (see Article V, Section 4).

J. Senate and College committees report to the Faculty Senate. In addition, the Faculty Research and Development Committee reports to the Provost and the Advisory Committee on Tenure, Promotion and Third-Year Review reports to the President.

K. For the remainder of Article V, references to the terms “faculty” or “faculty member” specifically mean all and only regular faculty members, as defined in Article I, Section 1, excluding all those qualifying as ex-officio regular faculty members under provision (3). (Rev. Aug. 2014)

Section 2. Standing Senate Committees

A. Members of standing Senate committees are nominated by the Committee on Nominations and Elections at least 15 days prior to the April Senate meeting and are elected by the Senate during the April Senate meeting. At least one member of standing Senate Committees must be a Senator. (Rev. April 2013)

B. The following standing Senate committees are established:

Academic Planning Committee
- a. Composition: Seven faculty members and one student. The Provost (or Provost’s designee) and Registrar (or Registrar’s designee) are non-voting ex-officio members. (Rev April 2013)
- b. Duties: To consider and recommend long-range academic programs and goals for the College. To this end, the committee shall gather information from such administrators, academic schools and departments, committees, program directors, and other individuals as are advocating new programs and goals, and it shall gather such budgetary information as would be necessary to evaluate the economic feasibility of such new programs and goals. In this work the Academic Planning Committee shall work closely with the Budget Committee. The committee shall also review and respond to plans brought to the committee by the Provost concerning the termination of programs, and shall gather such information as would be necessary to evaluate the impact of program termination upon the College’s academic mission. The Chair of the Academic Planning Committee or their representative shall attend meetings of the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees. (Rev. May 2009, Jan. 2011; Aug. 2018)
Budget Committee
- a. Composition: Seven faculty members. The Provost and the College Budget Director are non-voting ex-officio members of the Budget Committee.
- b. Duties: To review College policies relating to long-range financial planning, budget preparation and the allocation of funds within budget categories, and to recommend policy changes. To review in particular the projected costs of proposals for new College programs and initiatives, and to inform the Senate, before these proposals are put to a vote, of the Committee’s evaluation of their potential budgetary impact. To review and make recommendations concerning the potential budgetary impact of proposals for the termination of programs brought to the committee by the Provost. To review each annual College budget. The Chair of the Budget Committee or their representative shall attend meetings of the Budget Committee of the Board of Trustees. (Rev. Nov. 2010; Aug. 2018)
Committee on the By-Laws and the Faculty/Administration Manual
- a. Composition: Three faculty members. Ex-officio members are the Speaker of the Faculty, the Faculty Secretary, and the Provost (or Provost’s designee). The College of Charleston General Counsel (or designee) is a non-voting, ex-officio member. (Rev. April 2007, April 2013)
- b. Duties:
  1. To review any motions to amend the Faculty By-Laws and report to the Faculty Senate;
  2. To propose changes for the improvement of these documents and to forward the recommended changes to the administration and/or the Faculty Senate as appropriate;
  3. To incorporate any revisions to or interpretations of either document in new editions of the documents; and
  4. To make non-substantive changes to the Faculty By-Laws to correct unintended grammatical and spelling errors, address minor problems of stylistic consistency, and correct inaccurate administrative titles. Such a non-substantive change shall not constitute an amendment to or repeal of the Faculty By-Laws. Such changes shall be made only when unanimously approved by the Committee. Notice in writing shall be given to the Faculty Senate within 60 calendar days of such changes being approved by the Committee. Such changes shall be repealed if an appropriate motion to amend something previously adopted is approved by a simple majority of the Committee, the Faculty Senate, or the College Faculty. (Ins. April 2007; Rev. May 2009)

Section 3. Standing College Committees

A. Members of standing College committees are nominated by March 15 by the Committee on Nominations and Elections and are elected by members of the regular College faculty (as defined in Art. I, Sect 1) in a manner to be determined by the Committee on Nominations and Elections and consistent with all applicable requirements of the Faculty By-laws. Adjunct faculty representation on selected committees is limited to adjunct faculty [as defined in administrative Section III.A.2.b(4)] who are listed as instructor of record for at least one course at the time of the election and during the time of service as a committee member. Adjunct faculty committee members are to be elected by the adjunct faculty [as defined in administrative Section III.A.2.b(4)] who are listed as instructor of record for at least one course at the time of election, in a manner to be determined by the Committee on Nominations and Elections and consistent with all applicable requirements of the Faculty By-Laws. Participation by adjunct faculty on committee service is entirely voluntary, does not guarantee or in any way affect departmental, school or College hiring of adjunct faculty, nor shall it affect rate of pay or determination of hours of service for adjuncts.
(Rev., Ins. Apr. 2007; Rev. May 2009; Rev. Aug. 2015; Sept. 2019)

B. The following standing College committees are established:

Committee on Nominations and Elections
- a. Composition: Seven members of the faculty as defined in Article I Section 1 who have completed at least three years of service at the College.
- b. Election: Nominations may be made by faculty either at the April Senate meeting or by submission in writing to the Speaker at least one week prior to the April election of the Committee on Nominations and Elections. As is the case with all committees, the new committee begins its work August 15 (Article V, Section 1D). (Rev. April 2007; Rev. April 2010)
- c. Duties:
  1. To nominate for the offices of Speaker of the Faculty and Faculty Secretary and for membership on all standing and ad-hoc committees of the Faculty Senate and of the College (Rev. Dec. 2009);
  2. To fill all vacancies through nomination or appointment which may occur on any committee;
  3. To present to Senators, in writing, its slate of candidates for standing Senate committees at least 15 days prior to the April Senate meeting;
  4. To present to members of the faculty, in writing, its slate of candidates for standing College committees and sixteen faculty for the College Honor Board by March 15 (Rev. Dec. 2009);
  5. To present to members of the faculty, in writing, its slate of candidates for the offices of Speaker of the Faculty and Faculty Secretary by February 1;
  6. Conduct elections for at-large school senators (verifying Senate apportionment and candidate and voter eligibility; constructing, distributing, collecting and validating ballots, and certifying results.) (Rev. Dec. 2009)
- d. Additional Nominations: Faculty members deciding to make additional nomination(s) for Speaker of the Faculty, Faculty Secretary, or committee membership may circulate such nomination(s) to the Elections Committee and to the Senate or faculty as appropriate in writing at least one week prior to the date of the election. (Rev. Aug. 1999)
Committee on Graduate Education
- a. Composition: Seven regular faculty members, at least three of whom are also members of the Graduate Faculty. The Dean of the Graduate School, the University Registrar, the Provost, and the Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, or their designees, are non-voting ex-officio members.
- b. Duties:
  1. To review or create recommendations and suggestions concerning graduate education policy, such as programs’ student admissions policies and program review policies;
  2. To review proposed changes in graduate programs and courses and, via the Graduate Council, to forward approvals to the Faculty Senate;
  3. To provide faculty review for credit-bearing graduate level education programming of an academic nature that is not applicable to any College of Charleston graduate degree or certificate, such as the non-catalog offerings of the Office of Professional Development in Education;
  4. To plan or review faculty development programs related to graduate education;
  5. To review and make recommendations concerning proposals for the termination of graduate programs brought to the committee by the Provost.
Committee on Continuing Education
- a. Composition: Five regular faculty members, the Registrar, the Provost, and the Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, or their designees, are non-voting ex-officio members.
- b. Duties:
  1. To review or create recommendations and suggestions concerning policy for non-credit continuing education;
  2. To review non-credit continuing education offerings and advise the College of Charleston units relative thereto;
  3. To assist in planning and review of faculty development programs related to continuing education;
  4. To review and make recommendations concerning evaluation of non-credit continuing education offerings.
Faculty Welfare Committee
- a. Composition: Eight faculty members and one adjunct faculty member. (Rev. Aug. 2015)
- b. Duties: The committee shall concern itself with all College policies that affect the welfare of the faculty at large, such as:
  1. employment and working conditions;
  2. tenure and promotion policies;
  3. work loads;
  4. summer and evening school employment;
  5. sabbatical leave;
  6. leaves of absence;
  7. fringe benefits, including: state retirement; health insurance, to include medical and dental benefits; life insurance; annuities, to include state and/or privately sponsored programs; Social Security benefits; all other programs of a like nature.
- The committee shall also report to the Senate annually on current and pending legislation, regulations, and programs related to faculty welfare, including fringe benefits. The committee shall gather statistics and report to the faculty annually regarding such benefits at other state institutions and peer institutions. (Rev. Apr. 2005)
Committee on the Library
- a. Composition: Seven faculty members. The Dean of Libraries is an ex-officio non-voting member of this committee.
- b. Duties:
  1. To review annually the status of the library and statistics on the number of volumes, circulations, and expenditures;
  2. To receive from the faculty, or from any school or department, recommendations or suggestions that may aid in library development, promote efficient services, and encourage increased use of the library;
  3. To advise the Dean of Libraries on basic policy for the operation of the library insofar as such policy affects the use of the library;
  4. To advise the Dean of Libraries on the allotment of funds for the acquisition of library materials.
Committee on Student Affairs and Athletics
- a. Composition: Five regular faculty members, one student member, and whenever possible, an additional member who is a student-athlete. The Executive Vice President for Student Affairs, the Director of Athletics, and the Faculty Athletics Representative are non-voting ex-officio members. (Rev. 2023)
- b. Duties:
  1. To consult with and make recommendations to student organizations, the faculty and administration in matters related to the cultural, social and physical well-being of the students;
  2. To review student petitions and to make recommendations to the Faculty Senate and/or administration;
  3. To advise the Faculty Senate and administration concerning the relation between academic and athletic interests of the College;
  4. To recommend to the President and the Faculty Senate matters concerning athletics policies of the College relating to new programs, schedules and athletic scholarships.
  5. The Chair of the Committee on Student Affairs and Athletics, or their representative, shall attend meetings of the Student Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees. (Rev. Aug. 2018)
Committee on Academic Standards, Admissions and Financial Aid
- a. Composition: Seven faculty members and one student.
- b. Duties:
  1. To rule on student petitions concerning academic matters.
  2. To rule on queries from the faculty and administration on matters relating to interpretation or application of academic standards.
  3. To recommend to the Faculty Senate standards for admissions, continuation and graduation; and to monitor actions of administrators to ensure that such standards as may be approved by the Senate are enforced.
  4. To make recommendations for scholarships and to review policies for financial assistance.
Advisory Committee on Tenure, Promotion and Third-Year Review
- a. Composition:
  1. Five tenured faculty members. Five tenured alternates will also be elected. The Provost will serve as an ex-officio non-voting member of the committee.
  2. No faculty member holding either a full-time administrative or part-time administrative position that is connected with the tenure and promotion process, or serving as Dean or Department Chair, may serve on this committee.
  3. No faculty member undergoing promotion review may serve on this committee during the academic year of that review. (Rev. Aug. 2014; Corrected Jan. 2015)
  4. No member of this committee may participate on any school or departmental evaluation panel for tenure and promotion except those conducted in their school or department. (Rev. Aug. 2018)
  5. No member of this committee may participate in a review involving a faculty member of their department. (Rev. Aug. 2018)
  6. Upon disqualification of a member or members from a review, the Chair of the committee shall complete its composition by drawing lots from among the alternates.
- b. Duties:
  1. To review each school and departmental recommendation involving tenure and promotion, and to review any third-year evaluation upon the request of the faculty member under consideration or a member of the school or departmental panel.
  2. In the course of its review, to determine whether the school or department has duly considered the standards, criteria and evidence established by the College, the school, and the department in evaluating the candidate, and to determine whether the school or department has followed the procedures established by the College for evaluating the candidate.
  3. To make a recommendation in writing to the President regarding tenure, promotion or reappointment. The written recommendation of the committee shall be determined by a recorded vote of its members.
Curriculum Committee
- a. Composition: Nine faculty members and one student. The Provost is a non-voting ex-officio member. The Registrar is an ex-officio member.
- b. Duties:
  1. To consider and forward to the Faculty Senate its recommendations on all courses, programs, and changes in the undergraduate curriculum. No changes in the curriculum shall be presented to the Faculty Senate without the committee’s action. Any decision of the committee can be appealed to the Faculty Senate.
  2. To review and make recommendations with regard to degree requirements.
  3. To advise officers of the administration on questions of interpretation which may be referred to the committee.
  4. To review and make recommendations concerning proposals for the termination of programs brought to the committee by the Provost. (Rev. Nov. 2010)
Faculty Advisory Committee to the President
- a. Composition: The chair, or a designated member, from each of the Academic Planning Committee, Budget Committee, Faculty Welfare Committee, Committee on General Education, Committee on Assessment of Institutional Effectiveness, and Faculty Compensation Committees, together with six additional faculty members, at least one of whom shall be an adjunct faculty member. (Rev. Aug. 2015, Aug. 2017)
- b. Duties:
  1. To meet regularly to advise the President of faculty opinions concerning all issues and matters at the College that the committee considers of importance to the faculty and to the institution.
  2. To receive from the President requests for advice and counsel regarding matters that do not fall within the purview of the Faculty Senate or of any other standing Senate or College committee, or may call for action by the President.
  3. To receive from individual faculty, schools, departments, the Faculty Senate, other committees, or other faculty organizations, matters to be discussed with the President that do not fall within the purview of the Faculty Senate or of any other standing committee or that may call for action by the President. The committee will report in writing to the person or group making inquiry what recommendations have been made and what actions have been taken by the President regarding the matter submitted.
  4. To advise the President relative to the selection of a commencement speaker.
  5. To make recommendations to the President regarding the award of honorary degrees in recognition of exceptional achievement and/or distinction in scholarship, public service, or contribution to the College. Nomination of candidates for honorary degrees may also be made by anyone by submitting to the President in written form the accomplishments of the nominee.
  6. With the help of the Senate Secretariat, written minutes of the committee’s meetings will be distributed promptly to the faculty.
Faculty Mediation Committee
- a. Composition:
  1. Five faculty members, three with tenure and two without tenure. In addition, four alternate members, two with tenure and two without tenure. Each member of the committee and each alternate must have served at least three full years at the College of Charleston. Early each Fall term, committee members will undergo mediation training sessions relevant to committee responsibilities, conducted by one or more skilled mediation trainers. It will be the committee chair’s responsibility to ensure that a suitable trainer or trainers are identified and that mediation trainings are scheduled. (Rev. Sept. 2019)
  2. Any member of the committee who is involved in any way with a dispute before the committee will be disqualified and replaced by the appropriate alternate with the same tenure status. The parties to the dispute shall have the right to challenge the impartiality of any member.
- b. Duties:
  1. To hear from any faculty member disputes related to interpersonal conflicts, departmental issues, and other matters not involving discrimination in compensation, promotion or work assignments, dismissal of faculty, dismissal prior to the end of an employment contract term, alleged violations of academic freedom or due process, or other matters which are in the purview of the Faculty Hearing Committee.
  2. To investigate a dispute when required for purposes of mediation.
  3. To mediate the dispute.
  4. To refer to the appropriate authority any unresolved disputes.
- c. Mediation Procedure:
  1. Any faculty member with a dispute should first report it to their Department Chair. (Rev. Aug. 2018)
  2. If a faculty member is not satisfied with the settlement provided by the Department Chair, or if the Department Chair is directly related to the dispute, the faculty member should consult with their Dean. If the dispute remains unresolved, the faculty member should request in a letter to the chair of the Mediation Committee an interview with the Committee. The letter should state the nature of the dispute.
  3. On receipt of such a written request, the committee Chair will convene the committee to interview the faculty member within ten days (normally excluding Christmas, other state holidays, Spring holidays, and from the day after spring Commencement through August 15). The committee may also conduct follow-up interviews with other parties to the dispute.
  4. If in the judgment of the committee the faculty member’s dispute falls within its purview, the committee shall attempt to resolve the matter through mediation or other appropriate action.
  5. Disputes unresolved by the Mediation Committee will be referred by the committee Chair to the appropriate authority.
  6. The committee shall supply a faculty member who has brought a dispute before the committee with a written statement of the results of the process. When appropriate, the written statement will also be provided to other parties in the dispute. (Rev. 2024)
Faculty Hearing Committee
- a. Composition: Twelve tenured faculty members, at least six of whom shall hold the rank of Professor. Each September the Committee Chair will divide the Hearing Committee pool into two panels of six members each, including at least three at the rank of Professor, with one of those three designated as a panel alternate. Panels are to be constructed with an eye to broad disciplinary distribution, and submitted by the Chair to the Committee as a whole for majority approval. Each panel will determine its own chair at that time. If a case emerges over the course of the academic year, one of the panels will be assigned randomly to that first case, and the remaining panel to any second case. Any additional cases will be heard by the panels in alternating fashion. The position of panel alternate will rotate among the three Professors on each panel. In the event of conflicts of interest emerging in the two panels, members will be swapped as needed, by the Committee Chair, subject to majority approval by the Committee as a whole. (Rev. Aug. 2018)
  Each Hearing Committee member will normally serve two consecutive academic years. Committee assignments shall be staggered as determined by the Committee on Nominations and Elections. Early each Fall term, committee members will undergo training sessions relevant to Hearing Committee responsibilities, conducted by past committee members or others with relevant expertise. It will be the Committee Chair’s responsibility to organize the training sessions. (Ins. Aug. 2018)
- b. Duties:
  1. To hear the cases of tenured faculty members against whom the College has made formal, written allegations of a nature that, if substantiated, could lead to their dismissal for cause.
  2. To hear cases of non-tenured faculty members against whom the College has made formal, written allegations of a nature that, if substantiated, could lead to their dismissal during the course of a contract year.
  3. To hear cases involving alleged discrimination in denial of tenure, dismissal at the end of the contract term, promotion, compensation, or work assignment.
  4. To hear cases involving alleged violation of academic freedom.
  5. To hear cases involving alleged violation of due process.
  6. To hear election appeals.
  7. To hear other matters referred by the President to the Committee where a due process hearing is necessary. (Rev. Aug. 2018)
- Grievance Procedure: On receipt of a written request, the Committee Chair will convene the Committee in accordance with procedures outlined in the Faculty/Administration Manual, administrative Section X.I, the section laying out the procedures governing “Grievances Before the Faculty Hearing Committee.” In addition to the procedures set forth in X.I, the Committee will also follow pertinent policies located in administrative Section IV, Conduct of Faculty and Administrators; Section V, Terms and Records of Faculty and Unclassified Administrators; Section VI, Evaluation of Faculty; and Section VII, Faculty Discipline, Misconduct, and Termination. (Rev. Aug. 2018)
Faculty Research and Development Committee
- a. Composition: Nine faculty members. The Provost, or a representative selected by the Provost, shall serve as ex-officio member without a vote.
- b. Duties:
  1. To support and encourage faculty research, professional advancement, and development at the College.
  2. To secure College-wide recognition of faculty research of particularly high quality. This includes recommendation to the President of a faculty member to receive the Distinguished Research Award presented annually at Commencement.
  3. To initiate or comment to the Provost on recommendations dealing with specific policies, procedures and other matters that relate to faculty research and development.
  4. To advise the Provost concerning College programs supporting faculty research and development; to announce such programs and invite faculty to apply for support; to recommend to the Provost awards to be made.
  5. To advise the Provost, when requested, concerning proposals from faculty members for special research and development projects requiring College support (e.g., American Council on Education Fellowships, sabbatical leaves in years when funding does not permit granting of all those requests).
  6. To serve as the patent and copyright advisory body for the College and when requested to hear individual cases involving ownership of materials subject to copyright or inventions entitled to a patent.
- c. Members of the Faculty Research and Development Committee are not eligible to apply to the Committee for grants from funds under its jurisdiction. They may, however, apply directly to the Provost for support of their research and/or professional development.
Honors College Committee
- a. Composition: Seven regular faculty members with no more than two representatives per Academic School. At least four faculty shall be teaching in the Honors College or have taught in the Honors College in the previous academic year. The committee should additionally have two student representatives (one junior and one senior) chosen by the Honors College Committee. The expectation is that faculty committee members will serve a two-year term; student member terms are one year and they are eligible for re-election. The Dean of the Honors College (or the Dean’s designee) is an ex-officio non-voting member of this committee; the dean may also invite other Honors faculty and staff to participate as ex-officio non-voting members. (Rev. 2023)
- b. Duties:
  1. To review student applications for admission into the Honors College.
  2. To review faculty course proposals and select Honors College courses.
  3. To review and apply policy concerning the Honors College curriculum, admission and retention standards, and course selection procedures.
  4. To review and make recommendations on written requests from students, faculty members, schools, or departments for exceptions from Honors College regulations and requirements.
  5. To review information from the Dean of the Honors College concerning Honors College admissions, retention, curriculum, and other matters pertaining to the Honors College. (Rev. May 2009; Aug. 2016)
Committee on Assessment of Institutional Effectiveness
- a. Composition: Seven faculty members. In addition, the following are ex-officio non-voting members: the Provost or their designee and the Senior Vice President for Institutional Research. (Rev. Aug. 2018; Jan. 2023)
- b. Duties:
  1. To advise the College administration on compliance with the requirements of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education’s Guidelines for Institutional Effectiveness, and on basic policies related to assessment.
  2. To review the College’s Plan for Institutional Effectiveness and make recommendations for revisions as necessary.
  3. To review or initiate policy issues related to assessment of institutional effectiveness.
Post-Tenure Review Committee
- a. Composition:
  1. Five tenured faculty members. Five tenured alternates will also be elected.
  2. No faculty member holding either a full-time administrative or part-time administrative position that is connected with the post-tenure review process, or serving as Department Chair, may serve on this committee.
  3. No faculty member undergoing post-tenure review may serve on this committee during the academic year of that review. (Rev. Aug. 2014; Corrected Jan. 2015)
  4. No member of this committee may participate in any school or departmental evaluation panel for post-tenure review except those conducted in their school or department. (Rev. Aug. 2018)
  5. No member of this committee may participate in a post-tenure review involving a faculty member of their department. (Rev. Aug. 2018)
  6. Upon disqualification of a member or members from a post-tenure review, the Chair of the committee shall complete its composition by drawing lots from among the alternates. (Rev. Oct. 2000)
- b. Duties:
  1. To conduct all institutional-level post-tenure reviews (excluding promotions) that fall during its term of office.
Faculty Compensation Committee
- a. Composition: Seven faculty members and one adjunct faculty member. In addition, the Provost (or the Provost’s designee) is a non-voting ex officio member. (Rev. Nov. 2010; Rev. Aug. 2015)
- b. Duties
  1. To review and recommend changes as needed to College policies concerning faculty compensation;
  2. To review and recommend changes as needed to College policies concerning adjunct faculty compensation;
  3. To conduct or recommend faculty salary and/or compensation studies and report the results to the faculty; these studies may be internal and/or external; they may address such issues as internal equity, appropriate entry-level salaries, salary compression, and comparisons with peer institutions;
  4. To recommend measures taken in response to findings of any faculty salary and/or compensation studies;
  5. To advise the administration concerning the development and implementation of any special compensation enhancement program (programs which go beyond any regular annual salary increases);
  6. To monitor the effects of any special compensation enhancement programs, recommend modifications as necessary in the implementation of long-term programs, and report to the faculty the results of such programs;
  7. To review and recommend adjustments as needed to College policies concerning salary increases for the awarding of tenure, promotion, and post-tenure review ratings of "superior." (Approved April 2005)
Committee on General Education
- a. Composition: Seven regular faculty, with no more that two representatives per Academic School. At least four faculty members shall be teaching general education courses or have taught general education courses in the previous academic year. The Committee shall have one student member. Committee members shall serve a term of one year and may, if re-elected, serve as many as three consecutive terms. The Director of Assessment (or other administrator designated by the Provost) is an ex officio, non-voting member. (Rev. 2023)
- b. Duties:
  1. To monitor and review the General Education Program and to initiate and/or review all General Education Program revision proposals and/or changes prior to their consideration by the Faculty Senate;
  2. Whenever required by current General Education Program policies, to review proposals from departments and programs requesting that individual courses and/or sequences be counted for General Education credit, and to forward the committee’s recommendations to the Faculty Senate;
  3. To initiate actions, devise procedures, and make recommendations to the Provost and to the Faculty Senate on any and all aspects of General Education Program administration and program features;
  4. To consult with the Faculty Committee for Assessment of Institutional Effectiveness, and with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, when they conduct periodic assessment of the General Education Program;
  5. To promote and explain the goals of the General Education Program to the relevant audiences;
  6. To recommend that courses already fulfilling General Education program requirements be modified or that certain courses or course sequences previously fulfilling General Education Program requirements no longer be permitted to do so.
- c. Course approval procedures:
  1. The Committee shall use a public process of review when considering proposals for courses to count for General Education credit.
  2. The Committee shall be responsible for publishing the approval criteria for each requirement, as well as proposal forms and instructions that may be used by any department or program. The department or program proposing the course is responsible for supplying evidence that the course fulfills the criteria that the Senate has approved for a particular requirement.
  3. The Committee shall maintain a regular schedule of meetings and shall publish an agenda of course proposals scheduled for consideration. The agenda and copies of scheduled course proposals shall be available to all faculty at least one week in advance of the meeting. Meetings shall be open to all faculty unless the Committee has entered into executive session. Meetings may also include conversations between the Committee and other invited guests with expertise in a discipline, department, or program relevant to a particular course proposal.
  4. The Committee shall forward all recommendations to the Faculty Senate.
  5. In consultation with the Faculty Secretariat, the Committee shall maintain an archive of all materials submitted to it.
  6. Requirements for a public process of course proposal review shall not interfere with the right of the Committee to enter into executive session.
- d. Appeals: No changes in the General Education Program shall be presented to the Faculty Senate without the Committee’s action. Any decision of the Committee on General Education can be appealed to the Faculty Senate.
- c. Effective on the date on which this committee is established, no change to the General Education Program shall be approved without consideration by this committee.
Advisory Committee on First-Year Experience
- a. Composition: Seven regular faculty members with no more than two representatives per Academic School. At least four faculty members shall be teaching First-Year Experience (FYE) courses or have taught FYE courses in the previous academic year. The committee shall have one student member. The Assistant Vice President for New Student Programs (or other administrator designated by the Provost), the Dean of Students (or other administrator designated by the Dean of Students), and the Director of the First-Year Experience program are ex officio, non-voting members. (Rev. 2023)
- b. Duties:
  1. In consultation with the relevant administrators, to support and advise the First-Year Experience program on all matters relevant to the program, including program development, budget requests, and other issues germane to program support;
  2. In consultation with the Director of the First-Year Experience program, to review and assess the First-Year Experience program and to make non-binding recommendations for revisions to the program;
  3. To request and review proposals for First-Year Experience courses (sections of FYSM 101 and Learning Communities); and
  4. To assist the Director of the First-Year Experience program in recruiting students for First-Year Experience courses and to recruit and plan the training for new First-Year Experience faculty and peer facilitators for Learning Communities. (Rev. Sept. 2021)
Adjunct Oversight Committee
- a. Composition: Five faculty members, including one each from the Faculty Welfare Committee and the Faculty Compensation Committee, together with three elected faculty members, two of whom are regular faculty, and one of whom is an adjunct faculty member (as described in Article V, section 1.B). In addition, an ex-officio non-voting sixth member will be designated by the Provost.
- b. Duties:
  1. Receive and analyze reports: from the Office of Institutional Research on the number of adjuncts employed by the College, the number of credit hours delivered by adjunct faculty, adjunct faculty members’ rank and status (part-time or full-time), and adjunct faculty compensation; and from the Provost’s office on College policies for adjunct faculty.
  2. Solicit additional information on adjunct practices in use in schools, departments, and programs. To obtain this information, the committee may analyze published documents (e.g., department websites or handbooks), interview deans and chairs, conduct surveys of adjunct faculty, and/or do additional research.
  3. Receive and response to information from the Provost’s office and/or senior leadership regarding future plans for the College that will affect the College’s reliance on adjunct faculty or compensation of adjunct faculty.
  4. Regularly report to the Faculty Senate, Provost, and adjunct faculty on the College’s adjunct policies and practices; make recommendations to the Faculty Senate and appropriate committees regarding compensation, working conditions, ongoing professional development, and collegiality for adjunct faculty. With the assistance of the Faculty Secretariat, maintain a permanent record of each year’s minutes and annual reports.
  5. Meet twice each semester, or more frequently, at the committee’s discretion.
Committee on Multicultural Understanding and Global Citizenship
- a. Composition: Seven regular faculty members, with no more that two representatives per academic school. At least four members shall be teaching Multicultural Understanding and Global Citizenship (MUGC) courses or have taught MUGC courses in the previous academic year. All seven faculty members should be MUGC certified. The committee shall additionally have one voting student selected by the Student Government Association. The Provost (or their designee) shall serve as a voting ex officio nonvoting member and the Director of the MUGC should server as a voting ex officio member. There shall be an additional non/voting ex officio member selected by...
- b. Duties:
  In consultation with the relevant administrators, to support and advise the Multicultural Understanding and Global Citizenship Initiative on all matters relevant to the initiative, including course development, budget requests, and other issues germane to program support.
  In consultation with the Director of the Multicultural Understanding and Global Citizenship Initiative, to review and assess courses in the Multicultural Understanding and Global Citizenship and to make recommendations for revisions to the program and extension beyond MUGC-approved courses.
  To request and review proposals for Multicultural Understanding and Global Citizenship approved courses.
  To assist the Director of the Multicultural Understanding and Global Citizenship Initiative in recruiting, planning, and implementing the training for Multicultural Understanding and Global Citizenship approved courses.
- c. Course approval procedures:
  The Committee shall use a public process of review when considering proposals for approval as meeting Multicultural Understanding and Global Citizenship criteria.
  The Committee shall be responsible for publishing the approval criteria for each requirement, as well as proposal for and instructions that may be used by any department or program. The department or program proposing the course is responsible for supplying evidence that the course fulfills the criteria established by the Committee.
  The Committee shall maintain a regular schedule of meetings and shall publish an agenda of course proposals scheduled for consideration. The agenda and copies of scheduled shall be available to all faculty at least one week in advance of the meeting. Meetings shall be open to all faculty unless the Committee has entered into executive session. Meetings may also include conversations between the Committee and other invited guests with expertise in a discipline, department, or program relevant to a particular course proposal.
  The Committee shall forward all recommendations to the Faculty Senate.
  Requirements for a public process of course proposal review shall not interfere with the right of the Committee to enter into executive session.
- d. Appeals: No changes in the Multicultural Understanding and Global Citizenship Program shall be presented to the Faculty Senate without the Committee’s action. Any decision of the Committee on Multicultural Understanding and Global Citizenship can be appealed to the Faculty Senate.
- e. Effective on the date on which the committee is established, no change to the Multicultural Understanding and Global Citizenship Program shall be approved without consideration by this committee. (Rev. 2025)

Section 4. Ad Hoc Committees

A. Ad hoc committees may be formed as necessary to address matters not falling within the purview of standing Senate or College committees. Ad hoc committees may be established by formal action of the Faculty Senate or initiated by the College administration.

B. After Senate approval of the formation of an ad hoc committee, or after receiving a request from the administration via the Speaker to form an ad hoc committee, the Committee on Nominations and Elections nominates members for the committee, which is elected by the Senate.

Article VI. Meetings Held Electronically

Except as otherwise provided in these bylaws, meetings of the Faculty, the Faculty Senate, or a committee that are to be conducted electronically through the use of an Internet meeting service will support anonymous voting and will support visible displays identifying those participating, identifying those seeking recognition to speak, showing (or permitting the retrieval of) the text of pending motions, and showing the results of votes. These electronic meetings shall be subject to all rules adopted by these bylaws or standing rules to govern them, which may include any reasonable limitations on, and requirements for the members’ participation. Any such rules incorporated into these bylaws or standing rules shall supersede any conflicting rules in the parliamentary authority, but may not otherwise conflict with or alter any rule or decision of the Faculty, Faculty Senate, or their committees. An anonymous 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. (Ins. Sept. 2021)

Article VII. Amending Procedures

Section 1. Senate Option for Amendment Introduction

Motions for amendment or repeal of these by-laws may be made in writing at any meeting of the Faculty Senate. Unless made initially by the Committee on the By-Laws and the Faculty/Administration Manual, the motion shall be referred to the Committee on the By-Laws and the Faculty/Administration Manual. The committee shall report to the Senate its recommendations on the motion originating elsewhere and any amendments at the next Senate meeting. Motions made by the Committee on the By-Laws and the Faculty/Administration Manual can be considered at the Senate meeting at which they are introduced. Motions to amend or repeal these by-laws require a two-thirds vote in the Senate for approval. Approved motions must then be ratified by a simple majority of regular faculty members voting by electronic ballot on the motion. (Rev. Jan. 2007; April 2013)

Section 2. Extraordinary Meeting Option for Amendment Introduction

Motions for amendment or repeal of these by-laws may be made in writing at any extraordinary meeting of the College faculty. The motion shall be referred to the Committee on the By-Laws and the Faculty/Administration Manual. The committee shall report to the faculty its recommendation on the motion and any amendments at a second extraordinary faculty meeting called by the Speaker of the Faculty to consider the motion. The faculty will then vote on the motion to amend or repeal the by-laws. It shall be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the membership voting, provided a quorum is present. (Rev. May 2009)

Standing Rules Of The Faculty Of The College Of Charleston

A. Officers of the faculty and Faculty Senate shall prepare and distribute to the faculty one week in advance of any faculty or Faculty Senate meeting a packet of materials to consist of the following items:

The printed agenda for the meeting;
Announcements to be made at the meeting;
Committee reports;
Motions to be made at the meeting, together with explanatory material, issues considered, and rationale for the motion.

B. All business coming to a deciding vote of the faculty or the Faculty Senate shall be placed before the faculty or Senate in writing at least one week prior to the faculty or Senate meeting. Business not so announced may be discussed or referred to committee, but neither adopted nor rejected.

C. Faculty members shall identify themselves when recognized by the presiding officer to speak to an issue at all College faculty and Senate meetings.

D. Speeches at College Faculty and Faculty Senate meetings may not exceed five minutes.

E. Ex-officio members of the faculty have full floor privileges at faculty meetings, including the right to make motions. However, ex-officio members of the Faculty Senate do not have motion privileges at Faculty Senate meetings. (Ins. Sept. 2019)

F. Meetings of the College faculty and Faculty Senate shall be held in a place conducive to full and free debate.

G. Conduct of Electronic Meetings

If the Speaker has determined that meetings of the Faculty or the Faculty Senate are to be conducted electronically, the faculty Secretary shall distribute at least one week prior to the first such meeting a set of guidelines clarifying how the parliamentary authority will apply to the conduct of electronic meetings. Nothing in those guidelines may conflict with anything else in these by-laws or other standing rules. (Ins. Sept. 2021)

H. Media coverage of College faculty and Faculty Senate meetings shall adhere to the following guidelines:

Attendance at College faculty and Faculty Senate meetings will be first cleared through the Office of Marketing and Communications.
The media will set up equipment prior to the faculty or Faculty Senate meeting.
The media will be restricted to a set location determined by the Speaker of the Faculty and the Office of Marketing and Communications.
Camera lights will not be allowed during the proceedings.

I. Smoking cigarettes, cigars and pipes is prohibited at all official working sessions of the faculty to include College faculty, Faculty Senate, department, school and committee meetings.

^{1 For the purpose only of interpreting Art. I., Sect 1, a “full-time” employee of the College of Charleston}^{shall be defined as an employee receiving a salary and fringe benefits from the College in return for 40}^{hours or more of labor per regular work week. Any employee holding a title customarily associated with}^{regular faculty membership is presumed to be a full-time employee unless the Provost stipulates in writing}^{that the employee in question has part-time status. The determination of full-time status is not linked to the}^{type or nature of the work assignment for each individual faculty member.}

^{2 When they are full-time tenured and tenure-track employees of the institution, full-time Instructor and Senior Instructor employees, or full-time professional librarians, Department Chairs, Assistant Department Chairs, Associate Department Chairs, Assistant Deans, and Associate Deans are defined as employees normally teaching at least three contact hours of college credit courses in each semester.}

^{3 An “administrative officer” shall be defined as any College of Charleston employee with a position title using the words “President” or “Provost.” In addition, the Provost may stipulate in writing that any College employee with academic rank is an administrative officer if that employee (a) has a position title using the word “Director” and (b) normally teaches fewer than three contact hours of college credit courses or the equivalent in assigned academic research in their academic field each semester. (Rev. Aug. 2018)}