Faculty Affairs Committee (FAC)

The Faculty Affairs Committee (FAC) shall be composed of one professor, one associate professor, and one assistant professor, all members having equal voting privileges. If a program is not represented in the initial membership, a representative of any rank will be elected from that program's faculty.

The FAC shall serve six purposes: a.) advise the Chairperson on critical matters of Departmental policy; b.) monitor faculty tenure, reappointment and promotion issues; c.) search for new faculty; d.) adjudicate and hear appeals and grievances against student peers, faculty or administration; e.) administrate Faculty awards, fellowships, distinctions, sabbaticals, etc.; and f.) review Bylaws.

Advise Chairperson
The FAC shall advise the Chairperson on departmental affairs when it is not feasible to consult with the entire faculty. Any decisions made in such consultations should be reported to the full faculty, unless they are of a confidential nature.

Tenure, Promotion, and Faculty Search
The FAC shall monitor activities and issues related to tenure and promotion of faculty.
When a new faculty appointment is required, the FAC will create a Faculty Search Sub-committee to conduct the search. The sub-committee duties include:

1. prepare a position description and announcement in consultation with the Department Chairperson for approval of the Faculty,
2. aggressively seek and search for the most qualified people for the position,
3. actively support the Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity requirements of the University,
4. follow and abide by the employment guidelines and regulations of the University,
5. receive, process, evaluate and respond to all position applications in a timely and confidential manner,
6. recommend a short list of candidates to the Departmental Chairperson for Faculty consideration.

Faculty Search
The FAC will prepare a position description and announcement in consultation with the Department Chairperson and program director(s) for approval of the Faculty, When a new faculty appointment is required, the FAC will create a Faculty Search committee to conduct the search. The committee duties include:

1. aggressively seek and search for the most qualified people for the position,
2. actively support the Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity requirements of the University,
3. follow and abide by the employment guidelines and regulations of the University,
4. receive, process, evaluate and respond to all position applications in a timely and confidential manner,
5. recommend a short list of candidates to the Departmental Chairperson for Faculty consideration.
6. at the end of the search activities, the search committee reports the recommendations and views of the faculty to the department chair.

The Chair of the Department meets with the committee at their initial meeting to instruct them in the research goals and policies. After that, the Chair withdraws from the search process and awaits the Committee report.

Appeals and Grievances
The FAC is charged with investigating appeals from students who feel they have received prejudiced or capricious treatment and recommending appropriate action to the Departmental Chairperson. The rules, procedures and standards for the review of academic appeals cases are contained in the Appendix Chapter III of the Departmental Bylaws.

Administrate Faculty Awards
The FAC shall organize and coordinate faculty and departmental awards, honors or other distinctions. This includes notifying the faculty of available awards, selection criteria and nominating procedures; soliciting faculty input regarding appropriate candidates; and recommending nominations to the full faculty for approval.

Faculty Development Leave
The FAC shall review and make recommendations on Faculty Development Leave to the Departmental Chairperson according to the procedures established in the Appendix of these Bylaws, Section VI. Faculty Development Leave.

Review Bylaws
The FAC shall periodically review the Departmental Bylaws, keeping them consistent and current with changes in governance at the University, College and Departmental levels. The FAC shall make recommendations to the Faculty for changes to the Bylaws.