Bylaws, Department of Political Science

1. The number of student representatives shall be 20 percent of the departmental faculty as determined by provisions A and B.

 

2. Student representatives shall be elected by their peers or, if such elections cannot be held, appointed by the Advisory Committee.

 

3. Student representatives shall not be allowed to vote on any personnel matters (i.e., matters involving promotion and tenure, merit salary determination, or graduate teaching assistantship appointments.) Student representatives will also be asked to remove themselves from any forum involving faculty evaluations of particular students.

1. Appointment. Upon recommendation of the Department and in accordance with the College Procedures for the Selection and Appointment of Chairpersons and Article X of the Faculty Senate Rules and Regulations, the Chairperson shall be appointed by the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for a term of office as designated by the Dean, including such teaching responsibilities as may be agreed upon with the Dean.

 

2. Responsibilities and Authority: The Chairperson shall be responsible for the administration and operation of the Department. His/her specific authority and responsibilities shall include, but are not limited to, the following:

a. Provides oversight and leadership for all unit activities and presides over departmental meetings; executes College and University policy in the unit effectively

b. Administers the undergraduate and graduate academic programs of the unit, including the appointment of all other administrative officers of the Department in consultation with the Advisory Committee.

c. the appointment of chairs and members of standing and ad hoc committees when such appointments are not provided for in the Bylaws, or when such appointments are needed because of vacancies;

d. the establishment of equitable distribution of teaching loads among faculty members in accordance with Article III, Section 1, of these Bylaws;

e. the scheduling of teaching assignments both on and off campus in accordance with policies established by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the department.

f. Supervises and reviews the unit’s faculty and professional, academic, and University support staff.;

g. Reviews and modifies [, in consultation with the unit’s Advisory Committee and affiliated faculty,] the long-range planning for the unit.

h. establishment and supervision of enrollment procedures;

i. Develops long-term planning for future leadership by cultivating/mentoring future faculty members; appointment of new faculty, in accordance with procedures specified in Article I, Section 3, Paragraph D2 of the Bylaws and upon recommendation of the Department;

j. the appointment of Teaching Assistants in accordance with procedures specified in Article IV of the Bylaws and upon consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Studies Committee;

k. Oversees all internal budgetary, administrative, and personnel matters, including the appointment of Instructors; Represents the unit and reports to CLAS, and represents the unit to other University entities.

l. the allocation of merit salary increases, in accordance with procedures specified in Article III, Section 5 of the Bylaws and in consultation with the Advisory Committee;

m. Seeks enhancement of all unit resources by actively seeking external funding; Develops and enhances research and educational relationships between the unit and other units across the College and University, as well as with agencies outside the University, governmental, public, or private.

n. selection of the Harris Fellowship recipient (on advice of the Graduate Studies Director and the consent of the Graduate Studies Committee.)

1. Appointment. The Chairperson, in consultation with the Advisory Committee, but at his/her discretion, will appoint a member of the departmental faculty to serve as Associate Chairperson. Such appointment is for one year and may be renewed.

 

2. Responsibilities. The Associate Chairperson shall perform the duties of the Chairperson in the event of illness or absence and shall perform those specific duties and assignments received from the Chairperson.

 

1. Appointment. The Chairperson, in consultation with the Advisory Committee, but at his/her discretion, appoints a Director of Graduate Studies. Such appointment is for one year and may be renewed.

 

2. Responsibilities. The Director of Graduate Studies shall:

a. administer the M.A. and Ph.D. programs of the Department, including advising, admission and placement;

b. chair the Graduate Studies Committee;

c. serve as the departmental faculty representative on the Graduate Council;

d. select (with the consent of the Graduate Studies Committee) recipients of political science graduate scholarships, nominate candidates for Fellowships (in consultation with the Graduate Studies Committee), and recommend to the Graduate Studies Committee and the Chair of the Department candidates for teaching assistant and assistant instructor positions;

e. serve on the Curriculum Committee.

1. Appointment. The Chairperson, in consultation with the Advisory Committee, but at his/her discretion, appoints a Director of Undergraduate Studies. Such appointment is for one year and may be renewed.

 

2. Responsibilities. The Director of Undergraduate Studies shall:

 

a. oversee and administer the undergraduate program of the Department with the advice and consent of the Undergraduate Studies Committee of which he/she is the Chairperson;

b. in consultation with the Chairperson and the Undergraduate Committee select undergraduate scholarship and award winners;

c. serve as the advisor for Pi Sigma Alpha and the Pi Sigma Alpha banquet coordinator;

d. serve on the Curriculum Committee.

 

1. Appointment. The Chairperson, in consultation with the Advisory Committee, but at his/her discretion, appoints the Parliamentarian. Such appointment is for one year and may be renewed.

 

2. Responsibilities. The Parliamentarian shall:

a. provide upon request an interpretation of the Bylaws and/or Robert's Rules of Order;

b. introduce a point of order when he/she believes that a Bylaw or rule is being violated;

c. maintain responsibility for the Bylaws, ensuring that amendments to them are properly recorded and made known to members of the Department.

1. Membership. At the earliest possible meeting in each spring semester, voting members of the department will nominate candidates for the Advisory Committee. The voting members of the department will then elect by approval voting four faculty representatives to the Advisory Committee for one year terms. The Chairperson of the Department chairs the Advisory Committee, ex officio.

 

2. Duties

a. The general duties of the Advisory Committee shall be to assist the Chairperson of the Department in identifying and evaluating courses of action with respect to any question the Chairperson or a committee member wishes to place on the Committee's agenda, and to represent the departmental faculty and students by conveying to the Chairperson matters of concern deemed appropriate for his or her consideration.

b. The Advisory Committee also serves as an appeals panel for student grievances not resolved by the Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committees, as per Article V, Section 1.C.

c. The Advisory Committee shall serve as the committee to evaluate annual professional performance of faculty members each year . The procedures for making merit salary decisions and the criteria to be applied for such decisions are specified in Article III, Section 5 of the Bylaws.

d. The Advisory Committee shall serve as the committee to provide the required departmental assessments of the research, teaching and service records of applicants for sabbatical leave, as per the requirements of the Provost’s office.

1. Membership

 

a. Membership for Promotion to Associate Professor with Tenure. When there is to be at least one individual to be considered for promotion to the Associate Professor rank with tenure in the following academic year, voting members of the department will, at the earliest possible meeting in each spring semester, elect by approval voting four members of this committee, each of whom must at the time of election be tenured Associate or Full Professors.

b. Membership for Promotion to Full Professor. When there is to be at least one individual to be considered for promotion to the rank of Full Professor in the following academic year, voting members of the department will, at the earliest possible meeting in each spring semester, elect by approval voting three members of this committee, each of whom must at the time of election be tenured, Full Professors.

2. Duties

a. The Promotion and Tenure Committees review and recommend to the eligible members of the Department whether or not candidates for promotion and/or tenure should be favorably or unfavorably reported to the College and University promotion and tenure review committees. For decision-making on promotion to Associate Professor with tenure, eligible members are all tenured faculty at the rank of Associate Professor or above; for decision-making on promotion to Full Professor, eligible members are all tenured faculty at the rank of Full Professor.

b. The Promotion and Tenure Committees shall evaluate records of candidates for promotion and tenure to assess their performances in the areas of teaching, research, and service. The criteria applied in all reviews and evaluations shall be those promulgated in the Department’s Promotion and Tenure Procedures, by the College’s Statement on Promotion and Tenure, and University Promotion and Tenure Guidelines.

(1) The Promotion and Tenure Committees shall present their findings at special meetings of the Department called for this purpose by the Chairperson of the Department and including only eligible faculty for decision-making. The Committees shall present formal recommendations on promotion and/or tenure at these meetings which shall include ratings of each candidate for teaching, research and service. The rating in each area shall be reported as the committee members' anonymous evaluations based on the University rating system of Exceptional, 9-10; Very Good, 7-8; Good, 5-6; Adequate, 3-4; Poor, 1-2.

 

(2) After discussion and possible amendment of the Committee's findings and recommendations, those present at such a special meeting shall vote to accept or reject the recommendations. The vote shall be by secret ballot and a simple majority shall prevail. If the vote results in rejection of the Committee's recommendations, the Committee is to be instructed on how to proceed by those attending the meeting.

 

(3) The Promotion and Tenure Committees shall prepare formal recommendations to the College and University, based on the Department vote and any instructions received. The Departmental Chairperson shall be responsible for the timely submission of the recommendation.

c. Progress Toward Tenure Review. The Promotion and Tenure Committee conducts the formal Progress Toward Tenure Review of untenured faculty members in their third year in accordance with College and university guidelines (see Article III, Section 7).

1. Membership: The Graduate Studies Committee is composed of three faculty members in addition to the Director of Graduate Studies. Three members shall be elected from the Department of Political Science by approval voting at the earliest possible meeting in each spring semester for the following academic year, beginning July 1. One graduate student will also be elected to the committee at the beginning of the fall term at a meeting of the graduate students called for this purpose. The Director of Graduate Studies chairs the committee, ex officio.

 

2. Duties:

a. The Graduate Studies Committee advises the Director of Graduate Studies and supervises the administration of the Department's graduate program in accordance with the rules and procedures specified in the Ph.D. PROGRAM IN POLITICAL SCIENCE and GUIDELINES FOR GRADUATE STUDY IN THE M.A. PROGRAM IN POLITICAL SCIENCE. The committee makes policy recommendations to the Department regarding the graduate program, makes decisions to admit students to the M.A. and Ph.D. programs, considers petitions from M.A. and Ph.D. students regarding departmental requirements, and monitors the progress of these students. The Graduate Studies Committee also serves as a hearing panel for graduate student grievances, in accordance with Article V, Section 1.B.

b. The Graduate Studies Committee shall, along with the Chair of the Department, select Teaching Assistants and Assistant Instructors. The Graduate Studies Committee shall advise the Chairperson on the criteria for, allocation of, and selection of Teaching Assistants and Assistant Instructors, in accordance with Article IV of the bylaws.

c. The Graduate Studies Committee shall have the discretion to recommend to the Chair of the Department that proposed courses for any given semester that seem to be inconsistent with a coherent graduate curriculum as defined by the department be denied. This discretion shall apply only to course offerings at the graduate level. Graduate Committee recommendations are not binding on the Chair, and they may be appealed to the Advisory Committee by faculty members affected.

d. As each subfield proposes courses to be offered at the graduate level in the department, the graduate studies committee shall be responsible for overseeing the scheduling of such courses to forestall scheduling conflicts that would prevent graduate students from pursuing a reasonable plan of studies.

1. Membership:

a.At the earliest possible meeting in each spring semester, voting members of the department will select by approval voting

one or more Recruitment Committees, depending upon the recruiting positions expected to be authorized by the dean. Ordinarily there will be three faculty members on each such committee. A student representative to each Recruitment Committee will be selected at the beginning of the fall term at a meeting of interested graduate students called for that purpose. The Departmental Chairperson appoints the chairpersons of the Recruitment Committees and sits on the committees, ex officio. On each Recruitment Committee, there must be at least one faculty member from the subfields in which new faculty are sought. If the recruiting positions actually authorized differ from those expected, causing the need for changes in composition of one or more of the Recruitment Committees, those changes will be made by a process of faculty voting in a special election to approve or disapprove changes proposed by the Department Chair, in consultation with the Advisory Committee.

b. Outside Faculty Member: Given the University and College goal of strengthening cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary networks, the Dean’s Office require the service of an outside faculty member on every search committee. Please consult with the Associate Dean for Administrative Affairs about the selection and invitation of this individual.

2. Duties:

a. The Recruitment Committee in conjunction with the Department Chairperson shall be responsible for all aspects of securing new, permanent faculty appointments including: the attaining of necessary clearances from College, University, and Human Resources Management officials, advertising all vacancies, screening and corresponding with all applicants, selecting candidates for telephone or Skype preliminary interviews, hosting candidates to be interviewed on-campus, and making recommendations of appointment to the department.

b. The Search. A search committee should be appointed in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the Department of Human Resources Management’s, Recruitment Guidelines Handbook.

 

The search committee chair shall attend the Hiring for Excellence (HfE) training to receive an overview of the HfE program from the Associate Dean for Administrative Affairs, the Brass ring recruitment software from representatives from HRM and the Shared Service Center (SSC), and diversity information from the Office of Diversity and Institutional Opportunity & Access (IOA). The Hiring for Excellence search process involves five steps.

 

These five steps are:

 

Step One: Build a High Quality and Diverse Applicant Pool

Step Two: Agree on the Key Professional Qualities and Skills for Success as a Faculty Member

Step Three: Select Interview Questions Step Four: Conduct Telephone Interviews

Step Five: Review Telephone Interview Data

When a search has reached the initial review of application stage, the SSC will provide the search committee chair with a pre-populated spreadsheet containing the names of all the candidates. Prior to conducting telephone interviews, the search committee chair provides both the Dean’s Office and the SSC with an updated spreadsheet denoting who will be given telephone interviews and who are no longer being considered. The chair will also rank the individuals being given phone interviews both pre and post telephone calls.

 

After the telephone calls are complete, the search chair will provide the Dean’s Office with the updated ranking and the names of the three (or more) candidates they wish to bring to campus for interviews. NOTE: The Dean’s Office pays for three on-campus visits. The unit pays for any additional visits. Once the College Dean's Office approves the candidates during the "Post- telephone call" stage, the unit can then proceed to invite candidates for on- campus interviews.

c. Determination of interviewees. At least one week prior to the department meeting at which interviewees will be chosen, the Recruitment Committee will provide both a “long list” of all candidates meeting required qualifications as well as a “short list” of the candidates that the committee deems to be best for the position. At the department meeting, the faculty will select a slate of three interviewees using a two-stage process:

 

Stage #1: The initial slate of three interviewees will consist of the top three vote-getters in an approval vote. The roster of candidates to be considered in the approval vote will include the “short list” suggested by the committee; in addition, any candidate appearing on the long list of qualified candidates produced by the committee can be considered in the initial approval vote, providing that: (1a) a member of the faculty notifies the rest of the faculty at least 48 hours before the meeting about the intent to make such a motion and (1b) that the motion to include the candidate is seconded and approved by a simple majority of the faculty. Any vote to add candidates to the short list will precede the approval vote.

 

Stage #2: After the approval vote is concluded, there will be a second stage in which any voting member of the faculty may propose to replace one of the three interviewees with another candidate from those candidates receiving a majority of approval votes. If there is a second, the motion will be put to a majority vote.

After the interviewees have been determined, a ranking of alternates may be created – i.e., candidates who will be invited for an interview if one or more of the 3 selected interviewees is not available for interview.

 

Beginning with the ranking from the initial approval vote, the faculty may make and vote on motions to interchange the rankings of two candidates in order to determine who the alternate(s) will be. Such motions will be decided by majority vote.

The Interview. The search committee shall refer to the screening section in the Human Resources Management’s, Recruitment Guidelines Handbook. Candidates invited for an interview should be scheduled for half-hour meetings with the Associate Dean for Administrative Affairs. The Dean of the College and the Office of the Provost, or their designees, must interview all candidates at the rank of Associate or Full Professor. The University Committee on Distinguished Professorships must also interview candidates for the rank of Distinguished Professor.

 

d. Determination of job offer. After candidate visits are completed, the departmental faculty will meet to decide who will be hired. If in a preliminary approval vote, no more than two candidates are acceptable to a majority, then their priority ordering for receiving a job offer will be by majority vote. If three candidates are acceptable, then their priority ordering for receiving the offer will be determined by rank-order voting [also known as The Borda Count: each voter ranks the candidates from 1 (best) to 3 (worst) and the ranking is produced by summing the scores of all voters.]

 

e. The Offer. At the conclusion of the interview process, the unit should forward a recommendation for a verbal offer to the Associate Dean for Administrative Affairs. Once the unit has been given authorization to make an offer of appointment, the chairperson may then make informal contact with the candidate and let him/her know about the conditions of the appointment.

1. Membership. This committee is an ex officio group consisting of the Director of Undergraduate Studies who chairs the committee, and two members of the faculty elected by the faculty by approval voting at the earliest possible meeting in each spring semester. The Director of Undergraduate Studies selects two undergraduate student representatives.

 

2. Duties. The Undergraduate Studies Committee monitors the Department's undergraduate major program, maintains communication contacts with undergraduate majors, and makes recommendations to the Department for program changes. The Undergraduate Studies Committee also serves as a hearing panel for undergraduate student grievances in accordance with Article V, Section 1.B.

1. Membership. The Curriculum Committee is an ex officio group consisting of the Chair, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

 

2. Duties. The Curriculum Committee reviews the course requests of each faculty member and the curricular recommendations submitted by each subfield. It ensures that departmental curricular needs are met.