By-Laws Of The Department Of Political Science

I. Political Science Faculty

The Faculty of the Department of Political Science shall consist of all full-time members of the academic staff having the rank of Instructor or higher (or equivalent rank) who perform part or all of their duties in the Department. (Hereafter referred to as Faculty)

II. Voting Rights

[1] It should be noted that according to PS-36, “faculty eligible to vote on personnel decisions vary by type of action and rank of candidate under consideration” and joint faculty who are enfranchised may vote on personnel matters in either their primary or secondary units, but they “may not vote regarding the same candidate in more than one unit.”

Faculty holding tenured or tenure-track appointments in the department shall have full voting rights. Tenured or tenure-track faculty holding joint appointments, with at least 50% of their duties in the Department of Political Science, shall have full voting rights.

Tenured or tenure-track faculty whose appointment in the Department of Political Science is at least 25% but no more than 49% shall have voting rights on all departmental matters, save those relating to appointment, reappointment/non-reappointment, and promotion and tenure. In accordance with PS-36, these latter rights may be conferred as a group on joint faculty; enfranchisement of these joint faculty lasts only until the end of the academic year in which it is granted and, therefore, must be renewed annually. (See Enfranchisement below.)

Full-time instructors in the Department of Political Science who are not in a tenure track appointment shall have voting rights on all departmental matters save those relating to appointment, reappointment/non-re-appointment, and promotion and tenure.

Part-Time Faculty, including instructors and visiting professors may attend departmental meetings and participate in the deliberations thereof as non-voting members.

Faculty who have officially resigned or who have been given notice of non-reappointment shall not be considered voting members of the faculty.

III. Enfranchisement

By the beginning of the second week of the fall semester, the Chair of the Department shall conduct an electronic vote on whether to grant full voting rights to all joint faculty whose appointment in Political Science is between 25% and 49%. The Chair shall allow faculty one week to respond to this invitation, whereupon the Chair shall announce the results of the vote. A majority of those eligible to vote is necessary to confer full voting rights on the group of joint faculty. Those eligible to vote on this matter are faculty who possess permanent, full voting rights in the department. (See Voting Rights Above: ¶ 1.)

IV. Departmental Meetings  

  1. The Department of Political Science shall meet at least once each semester during the academic year. Meetings shall be called by the department chair. However, if two members of the Advisory Committee or 20% of the faculty request a meeting, the department chair shall call a meeting.
  2. Decisions made at department meetings shall be a majority vote of those faculty attending, assuming the presence of a majority quorum, except for those matters reserved for action by tenured members or by faculty members of specified rank. C. The Graduate Student Association will nominate two graduate students each year who may attend department meetings as non-voting participants. The graduate representatives may not attend department meetings: when graduate student records are being evaluated; when graduate student stipends are being considered; or at the discretion of the department chair. D. Minutes of each meeting shall be taken and published to the department within ten days of the date of the meeting by a member of the faculty who will be designated by the chair as department recorder. A permanent file of these minutes will be maintained by the department secretary.

 

V. Department Chair

  1. The department chair shall be selected in accordance with the provisions of the By-Laws and Regulations of the Board of Supervisors, for a term of three years. B. A process for the selection of a new chair shall be initiated by the advisory committee of the department. That process shall consist of the following:
    1. Five business days will be allowed for the nomination of individuals to serve as chair. (It is assumed that those who are nominating someone to serve as chair will consult with their nominee prior to the nomination. Self-nominations are acceptable.)
    2. After nominations are closed, the advisory committee will arrange for candidates to appear before a departmental forum on their candidacy. Following that forum, an election will be held; the departmental administrative assistant will distribute secret ballots to all voting faculty. Five business days will be allowed for the ballots to be returned to the secretary, after which the advisory committee will announce the candidate who has received a majority of votes. In the event that no candidate receives a majority of votes, a run-off election will be held between the top two vote-getting candidates. That election shall follow the procedure described above.
    3. The process for selecting an interim or acting chair shall be initiated by the advisory committee as soon as it is determined that the sitting chair will not be available to serve during a portion of the regular term. Every effort should be made to secure candidates who are acceptable to the sitting chair and, of course, to the Dean of the College. The advisory committee shall provide for a period of nomination, consultation with the sitting chair and Dean, and an election of the candidate according to the provisions outlined above in section 2.
  2. If it has been determined that the time during which a department chair will be unable to serve will last for more than two consecutive semesters, then an election for a new chair with a new three year term will be held during the final semester of service of the department chair. D. Ordinarily, no one shall be recommended to serve more than two consecutive terms as department chair.

 

VI. Standing Committees

  1. The chair of the department shall appoint faculty members to the respective standing committees at the beginning of each fall semester for a term of one year. In appointing committee members the department chair shall, to the greatest extent possible, give representation to all ranks.
  2. All faculty members shall serve on at least one standing committee.
  3. No faculty member may serve on more than two standing committees.
  4. The chair of the department shall appoint committee chairs.
  5. No faculty member may serve as chair of more than one standing committee.
  6. The Graduate Student Association shall nominate two student members for the Graduate Committee. The student members may attend meetings of the committee and vote on policy matters except for those related to the evaluation of the personal records of students and applicants.
  7. The Academic Programs Committee shall nominate an undergraduate student member who may attend meetings of the committee and vote on policy matters except for those related to the evaluation of the personal records of students.
  8. The chair of the department shall serve as ex officio member of all standing committees.
  9. Standing Committees and their Charges:
    1. Academic Programs Committee
      1. Oversee the undergraduate major program in political science.
      2. Recruit undergraduate majors and assist in job placement of those completing the undergraduate program
      3. Review and recommend curriculum proposals
      4. Oversee all undergraduate advising, including preregistration and registration advising
      5. The chair of the Academic Programs Committee shall be designated Director of Academic Programs and serve as undergraduate adviser.
      6. Select graduate student recipient of Paul Grosser Memorial Undergraduate Teaching Award
    2. Graduate Committee
      1. Oversee the graduate program in political science, as well as auxiliary graduate programs, minors in political science, and joint graduate programs. b. Recruit new graduate students and serve as the department’s graduate admissions committee.
        1. The Director of Graduate Studies may admit an applicant who has a 3.2 overall undergraduate/graduate GPA (or a Brish 2:1) and a combined GRE score of 1100 without a vote of the graduate committee. The committee must, however, be notified of the decision immediately. A rejection of a candidate with these qualifications requires a majority vote of the graduate committee.
        2. Applicants with qualifications below those specified in subsection 1) must be admitted or rejected by the graduate committee. Applicants with incomplete credentials that require provisional admission must also be reviewed by the graduate committee. When the graduate committee cannot be convened within a reasonable period of time, an applicant may be admitted (fully or provisionally) by the Director of Graduate Studies, with the approval of the department chair. All rejections require committee approval.
      2. Award graduate assistantships, provided that the Director of Graduate Studies, in consultation with the Department Chair and available committee members, may offer an assistantship when it is impossible for the committee to convene.
      3. Assist in job placement of students who complete the graduate programs. One member of the committee shall be appointed by the Director of Graduate Studies to serve as department Placement Director
      4. Oversee graduate advising
      5. The chair of the Graduate Committee shall be designated Director of Graduate Studies and serve as graduate adviser.
    3. Research Committee
      1. Promote faculty research and publication b. Assist faculty in preparation of external grant proposals c. Assist faculty in preparation of sabbatical leave and summer research grant proposals d. Assist department chair in evaluation of sabbatical leave and summer research grant proposals. e. Oversee departmental colloquia and lecture series. f. Select recipients of Graduate Student Research Award.

 

VII. Advisory Committee

  1. The Advisory Committee shall consist of the chairs of the standing committees. The department chair shall be an ex officio member.
  2. The charge of the Advisory Committee shall be:
    1. To advise the chair on budgetary matters and, at the chair’s request, assist in the preparation of budgets.
    2. To advise the chair on course scheduling matters, including teaching loads and assignments.
    3. To advise the chair in establishing the agenda for department meetings.
    4. To advise the chair on such policy matters as may from time to time be submitted for their consideration or as they may bring to the chair’s attention.
  3. The chair of the department shall appoint the chair of the Advisory Committee from its membership; the committee shall convene on its chairman’s call.
  4. The chair of the Advisory Committee shall be designated acting chair of the department by the department chair when the latter is away from the campus. The department chair will notify the Dean’s office on such occasions.

 

VIII. Ad hoc Committees

The department chair may create ad hoc committees and appoint their chairs.

 

IX. Amendments to these By-Laws

These by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the faculty, provided that the proposed change is introduced at a department meeting at least one month in advance of the vote.

 

By-Laws Last Amended August 29, 2011 

 

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