Faculty Council Bylaws and Constitution

Preamble

In 1964, the President approved an advisory body known as the Faculty Council. Consisting of members elected by the various faculties of the University, the Council functions as a two-way channel of communication between the University administration and the faculty. It represents the faculty to the University administration and may address itself to any matter of importance to the University in general and to the faculty at large.

It makes policy recommendations where it regards this as appropriate in view of the situations with which it deals. The Faculty Council is responsive to the President of the University and communicates directly with the President.

ARTICLE I: Name

Section A: The name of this body shall be the Loyola University Chicago Faculty Council.

ARTICLE II. Powers and Jurisdiction

Section A: Jurisdiction.

i. The Faculty Council may make recommendations to the President, or to any other administrative official via the President, on matters of general University concern.

ii. The Faculty Council may also communicate directly with the Senior Vice-President and Dean of Faculties, the Executive Vice President for the Medical Center, the Executive Vice President, Chicago Campuses, or with the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, with notification to the President, on any matters of general University concern.

iii. While the Council recognizes the autonomy of the several divisions of the University in matters of their special concern, it reserves the right to review any actions of these divisions which affect the University and to make recommendations to the President concerning these actions.

iv. The Faculty Council may request necessary information from the President, and through the President from the Board of Trustees or other administrative officials of the University, in order to implement its responsibilities.

ARTICLE III: Membership

Section A: Members.

The faculty members shall be elected from the faculty Body (as defined in Article II, Section C, paragraphs i and ii herein), and shall continue to serve their terms so long as status as a faculty member is retained. Only faculty members shall vote on matters before the Faculty Council. The Chair of the University Senate and the Provost shall act as exofficio members without voting rights.

Section B: Alternates.

Any elected member who is unable to attend a meeting of the Faculty Council may appoint a full-time faculty member of the same division as a substitute to attend that meeting, provided the elected member communicated in writing the name of the substitute to the Secretary before the beginning of that meeting. The alternate has the privileges of the floor but no vote.

Section C: Term of elected members.

Each of the University, colleges, schools, and divisions shall elect its members.

Nominations and elections must be by the full-time faculty body. One-half of the representatives from each group shall be chosen each year.

i. As related to the Faculty Council, faculty body is defined as those full-time Instructors, Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, Professors, and professional Librarians, accorded faculty status by the President upon recommendation of the University Committee on Faculty Appointments.

ii. For purposes of the Faculty Council, the Faculty excludes the following: all Vice-Presidents, Vice Provosts, the Dean of a College, or the Dean of a School, Associate and Assistant Deans at all ranks, and Emeriti Faculty.

A member of the Faculty Council may be removed for failure to fulfill the duties of an elected member of the Faculty Council by a 2/3 vote of all members of the Faculty Council at a regularly scheduled meeting.

ARTICLE IV: Officers

Section A: List.

The Officers of the Faculty Council shall be a Chair, Vice-Chair, a Secretary, and 4 At-Large Members

Section B: Election.

These Officers shall be elected for two (2)-year terms by a majority of the members present of the newly constituted Council as the last order of business at the last meeting of the Faculty Council in the spring. Newly elected members shall be invited to this meeting to participate in such elections together with those members of the Faculty Council whose terms of office do not expire at this final meeting. Each Officer shall serve in office until his or her successor shall have been elected and qualified.

The agenda of the final meeting of the year shall be constituted in order to assure that a formal election procedure may be followed. Election of officers shall be conducted by the Chair of the Faculty Service and Communications Committee or a designated representative.

The last order of business is the election of officers. Those eligible to vote for officers (and hold office) shall be members whose terms have not expired, and those who have just been elected and seated. Nominations will be made at the final meeting of the year, after the new members have been seated. Individual nominations will be accepted for each of the Executive Committee positions: Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and at-large members, in that order. In all instances of multiple nominations, the vote will be by secret ballot.

ARTICLE V: Meetings

Section A: Regular Meetings.

The Faculty Council shall meet regularly during the academic year. The first meeting of each academic year shall be called by the Chair of the Council. At that meeting, the calendar of meetings for that academic year shall be adopted. All Faculty meetings are open to attendance and observation by all members of the University community.

The Chair shall invite persons to a particular meeting of the Faculty Council, if he or she considers their presence essential for the proper discussion of an item on the agenda of that meeting. The persons shall have the privilege of the floor but not of voting.

Each person not a Faculty Council member wishing the privilege of the floor shall so state his or her intention in writing in advance of the meeting. He or she will not otherwise have the privilege of the floor, and in no instance will he or she have the privilege of voting.

Voting on substantive issues shall be conducted by secret ballot upon request of any, one Faculty Council member or of the Chair.

Section B: Special Meetings.

i. A special meeting of the Faculty Council can be called by the Chair.

ii. Special meetings of the Faculty Council must be called by the Chair upon the petition of a majority of the members of the Council.

Section C: Quorum.

A majority of the members of the Faculty Council shall constitute a quorum. The affirmative vote of the majority of the members present and voting at any meeting where there is a quorum shall constitute the act of the Faculty Council, except as this Bylaws and Constitution shall otherwise provide.

Section D: It shall be the obligation of the Faculty Council Chair or other Officer presiding in his or her absence, to ensure that no business is transacted in the name of the Faculty Council unless a quorum is present.

ARTICLE VI: Executive Committee

Section A: Membership.

The Executive Committee of the Faculty Council shall consist of seven (7) members, three of whom shall be the Officers of the Council the remaining four shall be elected by the Council when it elects its Officers. The Executive Committee of Faculty Council will include the Faculty Council Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary of Faculty Council, and four at large members.

A quorum of the Executive Committee shall be four (4) members. Membership distribution should reflect the diversity of campuses and faculty to as great a degree as possible.

Section B: Function.

i. The Executive Committee shall serve primarily as: (a) an advisory board to the Chair of the Faculty Council and the Faculty Council, as a whole; (b) Faculty Council liaison with the President of the University; (c) the body that communicates with other members of the University community on behalf of the Faculty Council; and (d) the body that oversees the activities of the Faculty Council

ii. In addition, the Executive Committee has limited authority to act on behalf of the Faculty Council on matters which arise in circumstances which preclude the convening of the full Faculty Council. At least four (4) members of the Executive Committee must agree that the circumstances preclude convening the full Faculty Council. The circumstances include (1) need for immediate action requested by the University President; (2) a need for limited dissemination on the matter. The Executive Committee shall report any such action to the Faculty Council as soon as possible and appropriate.

iii. The Executive Committee sets the agenda for Faculty Council meetings and in emergencies may tender to the Faculty Council proposed actions for voting by electronic ballot if time is of the essence. Seven days' notice is required for such balloting. The Executive Committee has full discretion to implement a communication policy with faculty and solicit members for University Committees.

ARTICLE VII: Recommendations of Faculty Council and Administration

Section A: Non-acceptance of Faculty Council recommendations by the Administration.

If any recommendation of the Faculty Council is not acceptable to the President, to the Board of Trustees, or to any other administrator of the University, the President shall notify the Faculty Council in writing with the reasons for the adverse decision. The President and the Council agree that the President will ordinarily respond to a Faculty Council recommendation within three (3) weeks of receiving it. It is the duty of the Chairman of the Faculty Council to follow up with the President any recommendation of the Faculty Council which has not been answered by the President by the twentieth day following its receipt.

Section B: Non-acceptance of Administration recommendations by the Faculty Council.

If any recommendation or request of the President or other administrator is not acceptable to the Faculty Council, the Faculty Council shall have the right of appeal to the Board of Trustees. The Faculty Council shall notify the President in writing with the reasons for the appeal. Such notification in all cases shall be given with all deliberate speed.

ARTICLE VIII: Faculty Council Committees

There shall be two (2) kinds of Committees, standing committees and ad hoc committees.

Section A: Appointment and term of office.

i. All committees of the Faculty Council shall be appointed by the Chair, who shall be advised by the Committee on Committees in regard to the personnel of the standing committees.

ii. The notices of appointment shall include the definition of the duties and responsibilities of the respective committees.

iii. The tenure of the standing committees coincides with the tenure of the Chair of the Faculty Council. However, any or all the members of a committee may be re-appointed.

Section B: Delegation of powers.

The consideration of any matters within the jurisdiction of the Faculty Council may be delegated by the Chair to committees, which shall be responsible to the Council.

Section C. Standing Committees.

The standing committees of the Faculty Council include the Executive Committee, discussed in Article VI, the Faculty Affairs Committee, the Academic Affairs Committee, and the Faculty Service Committee.

i. Standing committees shall present interim reports as requested by the Faculty Council and may present additional reports as they deem necessary.

ii. Each standing committee shall submit an annual report. In advance of the meeting at which it is to be presented, the committee chair shall furnish the Secretary with a sufficient number of copies for distribution to members of the Council.

Section D: The Faculty Affairs Committee.

The Faculty Affairs Committee should consist of five (5) members, three (3) of whom should be Faculty Council members. The Chair shall be a Faculty Council member.

The Faculty Affairs Committee is involved in review and oversight of matters addressed in the Faculty Handbook. This includes, but is not limited to, policies and procedures related to faculty appointments, retention, research support and infrastructure, professional leaves, faculty status (salaries and benefits) faculty workload, and conducting the faculty elections to other University committees. This committee will coordinate with the University Benefits Committee. The committee will conduct an annual review of faculty salaries, and assess programs dealing with faculty leaves, grants, conflicts of interest in research, misconduct in scholarship, intellectual property rights, and compliance with federal regulatory programs for human or animal subject research.

Section E: The Academic Affairs Committee.

The Academic Affairs Committee will consist of seven (7) members, four (4) of whom should be Faculty Council members. The Chair shall be a Faculty Council member. This committee should, if possible, have at least one member who is a University Senate faculty member and could include members of the Board of Undergraduate Studies and Graduate Studies Coordinating Board.

The Academic Affairs Committee of Faculty Council is involved with all aspects of the academic programs at the University, including assessment of teaching, student learning and research, and the overall quality of academic programs at the undergraduate and graduate and professional levels. Matters within its purview include academic support, library, and IT support. This committee should review major proposals that involve the restructuring of the academic programs and units, revisions of the core curriculum, substantial changes in the academic calendar, new programs, and major revisions to existing programs.

The Chair of Faculty Council will contact the President of the University Senate to coordinate all deliberations on academic policy-related proposals. Results of the Faculty Council deliberations will be passed on to the University Senate.

Section F. The Faculty Service and Communications Committee.

The Faculty Service and Communications Committee will consist of five (5) Faculty Council Members. Duties of the Faculty Service and Communications Committee include selecting the Faculty Member of the Year for recommendation of the Faculty Council; conducting elections for Faculty Council and faculty representation of University Committees; and conducting the evaluation of Academic Deans.

Section G. Ad Hoc Committees.

An ad hoc committee shall make interim reports as requested by the Council and shall submit a final report to the Council upon the completion of their assignment.

ARTICLE IX: General Elections of the Faculty Council

Section A. Elections.

Faculty Council, sitting as a committee of the whole, will monitor the elections for faculty representatives on University committees. This includes Rank and Tenure, Faculty Development Review, and the Research Advisory Committee.

Faculty Council will nominate faculty to the University Appeals Committee to the President. The President will make final appointments.

The Faculty Affairs, Academic Affairs, and Faculty Service and Communications Committees will refer their recommendations to the Faculty Council.

Section B. Eligibility and Procedures.

The Faculty Council shall be elected by those holding full-time faculty positions accorded faculty and librarian status by the University. Excluded from eligibility are Vice President, Provosts, Deans, Vice Deans, Associate Deans of all ranks, and Emeriti faculty. Faculty may only vote for members of their own division.

Section C. Representation.

i. The members of the Faculty Council are elected from and by their respective faculties.

With the exception of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Stritch School of Medicine, as noted below, each School and College of the University is entitled to a minimum of one (1) representative. Each School or College of the University may be entitled to additional representatives, with the total number of representatives being determined according to the following scale:

0-30 faculty members, 1 Council member;

31-60 faculty members, 2 Council members;

61-90 faculty members, 3 Council members;

90-120 faculty members, 4 Council members;

121-150 faculty members, 5 Council members;

151-180 faculty members, 6 Council members; and so on.

In this way, approximately every thirty (30) faculty members will be represented by one (1) individual on the Council.

In the College of Arts and Sciences, each of the three (3) divisions (Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural and Physical Sciences) is entitled to representatives according to the already-mentioned scale.

In the Stritch School of Medicine, there shall be two Divisions for these purposes: Basic Sciences and Clinical. The total number of representatives shall be eight (8), two (2) from the Basic Sciences Division, and six (6) from the Clinical Division.

ii. The Faculty Service and Communications Committee has the responsibility for deciding which departments in the College of Arts and Sciences fall within the categories of Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural and Physical Sciences. The Faculty Service and Communications Committee also has the responsibility for deciding which departments in the Stritch School of Medicine fall within the categories of Basic Sciences and of Clinical.

iii. In all balloting, whether for nominations or elections, voters are entitled to vote for persons according to the following scale:

1 position to be filled, 2 nominations;

2 positions to be filled, 3 nominations;

3 positions to be filled, 4 nominations;

4 positions to be filled, 5 nominations;

5 positions to be filled, 8 nominations;

6 positions to be filled, 9 nominations; and so on.

iv. In the general election balloting, voters are entitled to vote for persons according to the following scale:

1 position to be filled, 1 vote;

2 positions to be filled, 2 votes;

3 positions to be filled, 3 votes;

4 positions to be filled, 4 votes;

5 positions to be filled, 5 votes;

6 positions to be filled, 6 votes; and so on.

Section D. Nominating Procedures:

i. The Faculty Service and Communications Committee, through e-mail, shall inform all persons eligible to vote about the nominating and election procedures as early in the semester as faculty eligibility is determined. This includes all full-time faculty as of November of the current year.

ii. Faculty unable to serve should notify the Faculty Service and Communications Committee in writing or through e-mail as soon as possible. This includes a lack of eligibility as well as academic commitments precluding regular attendance at meetings.

iii. At the time of nomination, the Faculty Service and Communications Committee will ensure that a University-wide e-mail message is sent to all full-time faculty in a call for nominations. The Faculty Service and Communications Committee will collect the nominations.

iv. When the nominations have been collected, the Faculty Service and Communications Committee will contact the nominated individuals to confirm their ability to run.

Section E. General Election Procedures:

i. The voting procedures for the election round will be performed electronically.

ii. For those divisions or schools having more nominations than open positions, the Service and Communications Committee will ensure that electronic ballots have the eligible nominees listed and sent to each division or school for their election.

iii. In any school or division, in the case of a tie in the election procedure, the winner shall be determined by the tied candidates drawing lots in the presence of a quorum of the Faculty Service and Communications Committee.

iv. The election procedure calendar should adhere as closely as possible to the following schedule to ensure the satisfactory completion of the process:

(a). Information regarding the process will go out as soon as eligibility lists are determined in the fall semester.

(b). Call for nominations will go out near the beginning of the spring semester. They are to be returned no later than mid-February.

(c). The results of the election will be reported to the Faculty Council Chair by the Faculty Service and Communications Committee Chair and to all elected candidates no later than the third week in March.

(d). All materials pertaining to the entire election procedures should be retained for a period of thirty (30) days after the election results have been certified by the Faculty Council.

Section F. Vacancies.

When a vacancy occurs on the Faculty Council, it is filled by selecting the person who is the next eligible runner-up from the most recent election in the school or division involved. The replacement member shall serve until the next election and shall be eligible for further election. A special election may be conducted when necessary to fill the vacancy.

Section G. Executive Committee Elections.

i. Newly elected members of the Faculty Council are invited by the Chair on E-mail, to attend the April meeting as observers. At that time a call will be made for nominations (in writing) for the new Faculty Council officers and executive committee member will be considered. Nominations may be made only by current members who will continue to serve and by the newly elected members.

ii. After the seating of the new Faculty Council at the May meeting, nominations will again be opened to allow new names to be added to each slate. During the election sequence, members may continue to be nominated if they have been unsuccessful in an earlier vote.

Multiple nominees for each position will be encouraged. In the case of multiple candidates for executive offices and for the remaining members of the Executive Committee, voting will be by secret ballot.

iii. Results will be announced as soon as they are tabulated.

iv. The tallied results of the vote will be announced in full as soon as possible-either verbally at the conclusion of the process, or in writing at the first Fall meeting.

ARTICLE X: Miscellaneous Provisions

Section A. Academic Integrity.

No Officer or other members of the Faculty Council shall, without prior approval of the Council, represent that any act or opinion of his or her is the act or opinion of the Faculty Council.

Section B. Rules of Order

In the conduct of the meetings of the Faculty Council, Roberts Rules of Order, Newly Revised, as amended, shall prevail except as otherwise provided in the Constitution or in these By-Laws.

ARTICLE XI: Amending the Bylaws and Constitution

Section A: Required vote.

This Bylaws and Constitution can be amended only by an affirmative vote of 2/3 of the total membership of the Faculty Council, at any duly scheduled meeting of the Faculty Council.

Section B: Submission of proposal.

The proposed amendment shall be submitted in writing to the members present and/or to the Secretary at the duly scheduled meeting of the Faculty Council prior to the one at which the amendment will be considered and voted upon.

Section C: Interval between proposal and vote.

A minimum of one week shall elapse between the meeting at which the amendment is submitted in writing and the meeting at which the amendment is voted upon.

Section D: Adequate notice.

The Secretary shall send a copy of the proposed amendment with the agenda for the meeting at which the amendment will be voted upon.

Section E: If the amendment receives the endorsement of 2/3 of the members present, but less than 2/3 of the total membership, an electronic ballot, with argument summaries, will be sent to those members of the Faculty Council not in attendance. Faculty Council Shall set the date by which such electronic voting is to occur.

Bylaws Last Amended 4/24/2013

Constitution Last Amended 5/23/1999

Amendment dated: 3/20/2024

Reconstituted by 3/20/2024 Meeting and Electronic Voting: 3/30/2024