Statement On Changes To The Faculty/Administration Manual

This cover letter summarizes the procedures for changing the Faculty/Administration Manual (FAM). The Faculty/Administration Manual brings together in one place policies, procedures, and statements that relate to faculty members and academic administrators at the College of Charleston. Three different types of documents are included in the FAM, and a different procedure is used to make changes to each section. In all cases, the Senate Committee on the By‐Laws and the Faculty/ Administration Manual (By‐Laws Committee) maintains the FAM and incorporates all changes. Each year a revised version of the FAM is posted by the Provost by August 15. Changes made to the FAM in the course of the year are reflected in a log that is maintained and publicly posted by the By‐Laws Committee with the assistance of the Faculty Secretariat.

By‐Laws of the Faculty. The By‐Laws of the Faculty establish the faculty governance structure at the College. Article VI of the By‐Laws sets out the formal procedure for amendments. Amendments may be introduced through the Faculty Senate and then ratified by vote of the faculty, or may be brought to the faculty directly at an extraordinary meeting of the faculty and ratified by vote.

Faculty Policies. Many policies concerning the appointment, evaluation, conduct and duties of faculty members and unclassified administrators in the Academic Affairs Division have the status of college‐wide policies. Official copies of these policies are housed in section 7 of the College of Charleston Policy Website (http://policy.cofc.edu) and are included in the FAM for convenience of reference. A formal procedure for amending these policies is set out on the Policy Website. All changes to these policies must be directed through the Provost to the President. Changes may be initiated by the Provost. Requests from the faculty to change these policies must be brought to the Senate for consideration. Only changes approved by vote of the Senate or by vote of the faculty in an extraordinary meeting will be officially sponsored by the Speaker of the Faculty. The Speaker of the Faculty must formally submit these changes to the Provost for consideration. The Speaker of the Faculty will inform the Faculty By‐Laws Committee of all changes that have been approved by the President. The Faculty By‐Laws Committee is charged with maintaining the FAM to reflect all changes in official policies.

Miscellaneous Material. The FAM includes materials describing the history of the College of Charleston, the administrative organization, and other matters that are not part of the By‐Laws of the Faculty and are not official policies of the College of Charleston. Changes to these materials may be made by the Provost, normally after consulting with appropriate faculty committees and seeking the advice of the Faculty Senate. The faculty, through a committee and/or by vote of the Faculty Senate, may recommend to the Provost changes to these materials. The Faculty By‐Laws Committee is charged with maintaining the FAM to reflect all changes to these miscellaneous materials.

Statement of Principles about Changes to the FAM. The By‐Laws of the Faculty can be changed only by vote of the faculty. The Provost has the authority to act alone to recommend to the President changes to Faculty Policies and to make changes to the Miscellaneous Materials. The Provost normally will seek the advice of appropriate groups of the faculty before changes are made. The Provost will inform the faculty of any change made to material included in the FAM. The Faculty By‐Laws Committee is charged with maintaining the FAM to reflect all changes.

(Drafted and Approved by the Committee on the Bylaws and the Faculty/Administration Manual, Mar. 16, 2011)

(Approved by the Provost, Mar. 25, 2011)