3.7.5
The institution publishes policies on the responsibility and authority of faculty in academic and governance matters. (Faculty role in governance)
Compliance Judgment
X In compliance Partially compliant Non-compliant
Narrative
The Strategic Plan adopted in Fall 2012 emphasizes the importance of faculty in stating, “Francis Marion University’s future success depends upon the cooperation and cohesion of the faculty, staff, administration and students in collectively addressing needs and supporting its mission” [1].
Several sections of the Faculty Handbook 2016 state the roles of faculty and their responsibility to uphold the university’s academic and governance standards. The faculty is actively involved in curriculum planning, Faculty Senate, university-wide committees, as well as school and department level committees. The faculty handbook is posted online and is updated annually to ensure accurate and current policies. Table 1 in the Faculty Handbook 2016 provides an overview of the administration and faculty’s roles in the governance process [2].
Specifically, Article 1 of the Faculty Handbook 2016 states:
The faculty shall be responsible for University policy related to admission standards; curriculum; degree and certificate requirements; class attendance; conduct of the classroom; academic freedom; faculty tenure, promotion, and grievance procedures; and all matters pertaining to the conduct of faculty affairs [3].
The handbook also refers to faculty responsibility to make recommendations regarding “financial and physical resources of the university, student life, athletic programs, and the general welfare of the university” [4]. This section further empowers the faculty to establish standing and ad hoc committees to carry out its responsibilities. The faculty also has the prerogative to “request reports from committees, receive reports from the Faculty Senate, ratify, return or reject proposals from the Faculty Senate; resolve itself into a committee of the whole to consider modifications to a specific proposal from the Faculty Senate; and approve candidates for graduation” [5].
The faculty handbook also specifies the officers of the faculty, who bridge the administration and the Faculty Senate, who is the main decision making body for the faculty. The officers of the Faculty include the Chair of the Faculty, the Vice Chair of the Faculty, and the Secretary of the Faculty. Their duties and responsibilities are outlined in the Faculty Handbook 2016 [6]. They are also officers of the Faculty Senate and members of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee meets “with the President and Provost at least twice each fall and spring semester and with other officers of the administration as needed during the academic year” [7]. The Executive Committee reports back to the Faculty Senate and General Faculty on these meetings.
Faculty Senate
Article II in Faculty Handbook 2016 describes the role and membership of the Faculty Senate, whose responsibilities include “planning and guidance of the educational programs of the University and policies concerning the well-being and security of the faculty” [8].
The agenda and minutes of all Faculty Senate meetings are available online [9] and distributed via email to the faculty. Faculty Senate has scheduled meetings, which occur monthly from September to April.
University Committees
Section 5 of Article II in Faculty Handbook 2016 further designates 16 standing faculty committees, empowered to make policies regarding academic matters and submit specific proposals to the Faculty Senate [10]. After review and approval, the Faculty Senate sends proposals to the General Faculty for final approval [11].
The bylaws specify the membership and duties of each standing committee. These 16 committees are most integral to the faculty’s responsibility for academic and governance matters. Their duties and appropriate documentation can be found in the table below, which is taken from the Faculty Handbook 2016 [12].
| Committee | Description |
|---|---|
| Academic Affairs | Duties: Advises the Faculty Senate on all undergraduate curriculum matters and reviews guidelines and makes recommendations when appropriate for the general education program |
| Membership: fourteen tenured faculty members composed of- six elected from and by the faculty of the University | |
| Academic Freedom and Tenure Grievance | Duties: Makes recommendations to the Provost concerning the distribution of REAL grant funds to the Faculty in a way that will provide students and Faculty with experiential learning opportunities, hears accreditation report updates from programs on campus undergoing department or school accreditation and make appropriate recommendations to those reports, hears SACSCOC updates and make appropriate recommendations to the team, and ensures that the University’s Strategic Plan reflects relevant accreditation information and rating |
| Membership: four faculty members, one from each school or college, elected by the faculty; the Dean or Dean’s representative from each school or college; the chair of Institutional Effectiveness; one member appointed by the President; one member appointed by the Chair of the Faculty; the SACS-COC liaison and REAL Grant coordinator are ex-officio | |
| Accreditation | Duties: Makes recommendations to the Provost concerning the distribution of REAL grant funds to the Faculty in a way that will provide students and Faculty with experiential learning opportunities, hears accreditation report updates from programs on campus undergoing department or school accreditation and make appropriate recommendations to those reports, hears SACSCOC updates and make appropriate recommendations to the team, and ensures that the University’s Strategic Plan reflects relevant accreditation information and rating |
| Membership: four faculty members, one from each school or college, elected by the faculty; the Dean or Dean’s representative from each school or college; the chair of Institutional Effectiveness; one member appointed by the President; one member appointed by the Chair of the Faculty; the SACS-COC liaison and REAL Grant coordinator are ex-officio | |
| Admission, Advising, and Retention | Duties: Reviews petitions filed by applicants who have failed to meet admissions criteria and grants waivers for good causes, reviews petitions for readmission from students who have been dismissed from the University and grants waivers for good causes, and recommends policies to the Academic Affairs Committee concerning admission, the Advanced Placement program, and recruitment, advising and retention of students |
| Membership: five faculty members elected from the faculty; Associate Provost for Enrollment Management; Director of Admissions; Coordinator for Orientation and Provisional Programs; Registrar; a representative from the Financial Assistance Office serves without vote | |
| Budget Review and Planning | Duties: Reviews and makes recommendations regarding the University’s budget |
| Membership: three faculty members elected at large; Chair of the Faculty; the President, who chairs; Provost; Vice President for Business Affairs; Vice President for Administration | |
| Distinguished Professor Selection | Duties: Addresses matters and recommends policies dealing with the well-being and security of FMU faculty members, makes recommendations and develop policies concerning tenure and promotion policies and procedures, makes recommendations concerning long-range institutional planning, names recipients of annual awards, chooses the faculty member who will serve as the University’s nominee for any award other than Distinguished Professor |
| Membership: four students, preferably one from each school and college; all Distinguished Professors under contract with the University; Provost chairs the committee without vote | |
| Faculty Grievance | Duties: Hears faculty grievance cases not considered by the Academic Freedom and Tenure Grievance Committee |
| Membership: five tenure members elected from the faculty | |
| Faculty Life | Duties: Addresses matters and recommends policies dealing with the well-being and security of FMU faculty members, makes recommendations and develop policies concerning tenure and promotion policies and procedures, makes recommendations concerning long-range institutional planning, names recipients of annual awards, chooses the faculty member who will serve as the University’s nominee for any award other than Distinguished Professor |
| Membership: nine members with one elected from each of the following categories: Humanities, Science and Mathematics, Social Sciences and Psychology, Fine Arts and Mass Communications, School of Business, School of Education, School of Health Sciences, Library, At-Large | |
| Honors Program | Duties: Oversees the curriculum and policies for the Honors Program |
| Membership: three members elected from faculty; Director of the FMU Honors Program and a representative elected from and by the Academic Affairs Committee | |
| Grade Appeals | Duties: Reviews student grade appeals that were not resolved on the level of the academic unity, and determines if the instructor acted in an arbitrary or capricious manner, the instructor’s grading policy violates University guidelines, or if the assigned grade is in violation of the instructor’s syllabus or other written documents |
| Membership: five members elected from the faculty | |
| Graduate Council | Duties: Notifies and advises the Faculty and Faculty Senate, respectively, on graduate curriculum matters |
| Membership: one program director from each school or department that offers graduate degrees; one tenured faculty member from each school or department that offers graduate degrees elected by general faculty; three at-large tenured members from any other schools and departments without a Graduate Program elected by the general faculty; the Director of Graduate Programs, Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee and the Registrar serve ex-officio | |
| Information Technology | Duties: Advises the administration and faculty on the purchase and use of computers and other technical equipment |
| Membership: seven members elected from the faculty | |
| Institutional Effectiveness | Duties: Oversees and suggests changes in the annual assessment of academic programs, including General Education |
| Membership: six faculty members elected from the faculty; Director of Institutional Effectiveness serves ex-officio without vote | |
| Mediation | Duties: Advises the Academic Freedom and Tenure Grievance Committee and the Faculty Grievance Committee on solutions associated with faculty grievance cases from the respective committees |
| Membership: four tenured faculty members elected from the faculty | |
| Mediation | Duties: Solicits candidates for the Chair of the Faculty and at-large Faculty Senate, prepares a slate of candidates to present to the faculty, conducts elections for Chair of the Faculty, faculty senators, and committee positions, reviews the election process and proposes any changes, maintains information concerning the election process, and conducts elections for Faculty Senate |
| Membership: six members elected from the faculty | |
| Professional Development | Duties: Establishes policies for and makes recommendations regarding the distribution of funds to the faculty in a way that will provide opportunities for professional development, such as awarding sabbaticals, reassigned time, travel grants and research funds. |
| Membership: nine members with one elected from each of the following categories: Humanities, Science and Mathematics, Social Sciences and Psychology, Fine Arts and Mass Communications, School of Business, School of Education, School of Health Sciences, Library, At-Large |
Figure 1: University Committees and their Duties and Membership
The chair of each of the committees all report to the Chair of the Faculty at the end of the academic year with a summary of all their committee’s activities. These reports are read at the final Faculty Senate meeting of the academic year [13].
Additionally, the Faculty Handbook 2016 lists the responsibilities of department chairs and school deans, who are members of the faculty [14]. Among the responsibilities in their areas include guidance in academic and governance matters.
Curriculum Changes and Development
Curriculum changes may be initiated at the department or school level. Once approved by the Dean of the School/College, the proposal advances to Academic Affairs Committee. The role of the Academic Affairs Committee, as described in Figure 1, is to “advise the Faculty Senate on undergraduate curriculum matters” and “make recommendations…for the general education program.” Once approved by the Academic Affairs Committee, the proposal is forwarded to the Faculty Senate, who after approval advances the changes to the General Faculty for final approval.
College and School Committees
Each school or college may also have standing or ad hoc committees. The faculty handbook lists the bylaws of the College of Liberal Arts, the School of Business, the School of Education, and the School of Health Sciences. The bylaws specify the duties and membership of each school or college’s standing committees. Each set of bylaws also specifies the process of forming ad hoc committees.
Documentation
- FMU Strategic Plan, p. 1
- Faculty Handbook 2016, Governance Process at FMU, p. vi
- Faculty Handbook 2016, Faculty Duties and Responsibilities, p. 88
- Faculty Handbook 2016, Faculty Duties and Responsibilities, p. 88
- Faculty Handbook 2016, Faculty Duties and Responsibilities, p. 88
- Faculty Handbook 2016, Officers of the Faculty, p. 189-190
- Faculty Handbook 2016, Executive Committee, p. 95
- Faculty Handbook 2016, Faculty Senate Duties and Responsibilities, p. 92
- FMU Website, Faculty Senate Minutes
- Faculty Handbook 2016, Standing Committees, p. 95-96
- Faculty Handbook 2016, Faculty Prerogatives, p. 88
- Faculty Handbook 2016, Standing Committees Described, p. 101-109
- Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, Reports from Committees April 11, 2017
- Faculty Handbook 2016, Responsibilities of Department Chairs and Deans, p. 2-3