Teaching faculty are an integral part of the total operation of the College and are called upon from time to time to assist in areas of the College where, in the judgment of the appropriate administrator, their presence and participation can make a significant impact. Any organized or regular participation by teaching faculty in areas within the College other than academic is to be approved by the Provost.

In implementing the overall policies and objectives set by the Board of Directors, the faculty is scheduled to meet at least eight times a year, at which time academic committee actions and recommendations are voted upon; discussions are held; reports are given; and speakers are presented. Meetings may be cancelled if there are no business items on which to proceed. Attendance at these meetings is obligatory for all full-time and continuing part-time faculty members. When attendance is impossible, the Provost must be notified.

Active participation in matters presented for a vote is open to all staff holding academic rank as well as members of the President’s Cabinet and the “Director” level staff positions who report directly to Cabinet members. In matters that are clearly academic, only staff holding academic rank will be entitled to vote.

Student delegations may be invited to faculty meetings to make pertinent presentations and be present for discussion and question-answer sessions, but not for debate and vote. The Dean’s Council will initiate or act upon the request for such student representation.

Procedures for Faculty Meetings

Meetings will be run by the elected Faculty Meeting Chair who will serve a two-year term. The faculty member elected to this position must be tenured.

The elected Parliamentarian will advise the chair and individual faculty members on matters of procedure. The parliamentarian will serve a two-year term.

Motions and Agenda Preparation

1. Agenda items and motions should be submitted to the Provost’s Administrative Assistant in advance of the meeting, up until 11 days prior to the meeting.
2. Motions may be initiated by individual faculty members, faculty committees, or the Provost. See the "Faculty Organization and Governance" section for more information.
3. All motions should use the motion template and be submitted in Word format. This is available in Canvas > Faculty Forum.
4. Once received by the Provost’s Administrative Assistant, each motion will be posted in “Faculty Meeting Team” in Microsoft Teams for comment. The sponsoring committee or individual should review and/or participate in this online discussion prior to the meeting of the full faculty.
5. The final agenda will be set by the Provost, the Meeting Chair, and Parliamentarian.

Meeting Timeline

Time: As received

  Item: Proposed motions posted for online discussion

  Responsible Individual: Provost’s Administrative Assistant

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Time: 11 days prior, i.e., the Friday a week and a half before a Tues meeting.

  Item: Deadline for submitting all agenda items and motions

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Time: 6 days prior

  Item: Prepare agenda, outline meeting

  Responsible Individual: Provost, Faculty Meeting Chair, Parliamentarian

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Time: 4 days prior

  Item: Agenda and previous meeting’s minutes emailed to all faculty

  Responsible Individual: Provost’s Administrative. Assistant

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Time: Day of

  Item: Previous minutes, agenda, motions, and other relevant material preloaded onto meeting room computer

  Responsible Individual: Provost’s Administrative Assistant

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Time: Within 3 days after

  Item: Draft minutes filed in the Faculty Meeting Microsoft Team

  Responsible Individual: Provost’s Administrative Assistant

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Agenda

The typical meeting will proceed according to the following agenda:

I.  Call to Order

II.  Prayer

III.  President’s Report

IV.  Approval of Previous Minutes

V.  Unfinished Business and General Orders – any issues not concluded during the previous meeting and the motions placed on the agenda to be addressed at the current meeting

VI.  Provost’s Report

VII.  Committee Reports – typically these reports will not contain motions

a.  Assessment Committee
b.  Faculty Development Committee
c.  Curriculum Committee
d.  Student Affairs Committee
e.  Rank and Tenure Committee
f.  Faculty Advisory Committee to the President
g.  Dean’s Council
h.  Honors Committee
i.  Service-Learning Committee
j.  Other Committees

VIII.  New Business – motions from the floor not listed on the agenda

IX.  Announcements

X.  Adjourn

Rules of Order

Meetings will be run by the Meeting Chair and follow Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised 12^th Edition. The purpose of the Rules is to run the meetings fairly and effectively.

Committees

At Benedictine College, service on various committees of the College is a part of the administrative duties of all full-time and continuing part-time faculty members as specified in their contractual agreement. Regular and thoughtful committee participation is an important factor in the development of the College as well as of the individual faculty member.

Standing committee appointments are made by election; advisory and special committees (including task forces) are appointed by the President, the Provost, other appropriate administration officers, or by election.

No faculty member shall simultaneously serve in more than two faculty-elected positions. No department may have more than one member on a committee at a time. No faculty member may serve on more than one standing policy committee at a time. After completing a three-year term, faculty members are ineligible to serve on policy committees for two years. In the situation where a faculty member cannot complete his or her term on a committee, the Faculty Development Committee will determine the next eligible runner-up from the last faculty election for the position and that person will be appointed to complete the term.

Any new specialized/advisory committees must be approved by the faculty as a whole. Any new standing committee must first be approved for a three-year trial period, and then at the end of that time, re-approved by at least two-thirds of the faculty in attendance at the meeting in which the question is brought to a final vote.

Academic Committees & Committee Structure

The faculty sponsors six standing faculty policy committees. The standing committees are comprised of four faculty members on three-year terms, apart from the Curriculum Committee, which will be comprised of six faculty members on three-year terms. (The Student Affairs Committee also has a student member, selected annually; the Discovery Committee has two student members.) Meeting minutes must be posted in a timely fashion to the Faculty Forum on Canvas.

1. Assessment Committee – This committee is responsible for managing the Benedictine College Assessment System. The members are elected and the Provost appoints a tenured faculty member to serve as long-term standing Chair. The Senior Vice Provost and Director of Institutional Assessment serves as an ex officio member of this committee. The committee
    a.  Oversees assessment of the general education program by compiling and analyzing instructor-submitted assessment results, presenting data related to student learning to the faculty (after each semester), and soliciting feedback from the faculty on general education program assessment.
   
   b. Oversees the Program Review System, which assists programs (academic programs and non-academic programs (NMAPS)) with self-evaluation and continuous improvement. Program review activities are led by a “program review manager” for each program (either the department chair for the program or a chair-appointed faculty member), with the assistance of the committee. In support of program review, the committee.
         i.  Collects annual reports for each program by July 1, reviews the reports and provides feedback to program review managers by August 15. Annual reports and feedback are to be shared with the Provost.
        ii.  Monitors program assessment activities, as entered in each program’s assessment organizer.
       iii.  Collects periodic comprehensive program review reports (occurring twice per 10-yr accreditation cycle) by July 1, reviews the reports and provides feedback to program review managers by August 15. Periodic comprehensive program reviews and feedback are to be shared with the Provost.
   
   c.  Reviews selected institutional surveys and promotes sound assessment practices across campus.
2. Curriculum Committee – This committee has oversight of the entire curriculum, with a particular emphasis on the general education curriculum. The committee:
    a.  Makes recommendations to the Senior Vice Provost regarding the addition of courses to (or their removal from) the College Catalog and/or general education curriculum.
   
    b. Approves substantial changes to courses currently in the Catalog, including: changing the course name, changing the course number, changing over 25% of the course description, changing course prerequisites that affect other departments, requesting changes to a course that is currently being offered to students or available to students for registration.
   
   c.  On a rotating cycle every three years, revalidates the status of courses in the general education curriculum.
   
    d. Approves minor curricular changes at the department level in consultation with the Senior Vice Provost and reports them to the faculty;
   
    e.  Makes recommendations to the faculty as a whole for significant changes to majors and minors (e.g., addition or deletion of a major or minor, significant change in the requirements for a major); ultimate approval from the Board of Directors is required for changes in College-wide degree requirements and the adding or dropping of academic major or programs.
   
   f.  Makes recommendations to the Provost regarding the removal of a Catalog course from the list of courses offered at the College, if factors other than department needs (e.g., community concerns about course content) motivate the proposed change.
   
   g.  Makes recommendations to the Provost regarding staffing needs;
   
    h. Makes recommendations to the Provost regarding appropriate faculty workload; and
   
    i.  Makes the recommendation to the the Provost regarding a department’s request to change its name.
    
3.  Discovery Committee – This committee oversees and develops the Discovery Program, including soliciting, reviewing, and funding Discovery Projects, and all Discovery Day activities.
    
4. Faculty Development Committee – This committee functions as the “committee on committees” and also:
   
   a. Reviews requests and allocates funds for faculty travel and other faculty development activities supported through the office of the Provost (Faculty Development Fund I);
   b. Recommends to the administration various matters concerning benefits, as well as other types of compensation;
   c.  Reevaluates committee structure and responsibilities, and proposes changes as necessary. It also maintains and promulgates an accurate list of committee membership across all types of committees;
   d. Prepares slates of candidates for election to standing committees.
    
5.  Rank and Tenure Committee – This committee has five elected faculty members from the full-time teaching faculty who have previously been granted tenure or professionally qualified status. Beginning in the Fall semester of the school year, this committee:
   a.  Reviews annually the rank held by all faculty members;
   b. Receives requests for promotion, tenure, and sabbatical leaves, and, through the Provost, makes recommendations to the President on these requests, including the rank of Professor Emeritus/Emerita;
   c.  Reviews the development and performance of all untenured full-time and continuing part-time faculty, and provides feedback to these faculty members through the Provost; and
   d. Oversees policy recommendations regarding criteria for tenure, promotion, and sabbatical leaves; merit pay criteria, and related issues.
    
6. Student Affairs Committee – This committee addresses issues related to student recruitment, academic standing, athletics, appeals of grades and dismissals, academic honors policy, commencement policy, learning accommodations policies, attendance policy, advising, student facilities (residence halls and non-academic facilities), and financial aid. The Vice Provost serves as an ex officio member.

Advisory & Specialized Committee Governance Structure

The following are the current advisory/specialized committees at Benedictine College:

1. Committee on Teacher Education (CTE) – The CTE is responsible for the standards of instruction in the College’s teacher education program. It reviews, monitors, and approves undergraduate education program changes, and deliberates on and approves applications for admission to teacher education and student teaching. The Committee on Teacher Education is a standing committee appointed by the Provost in consultation with the School of Education chair. Members include all full-time education faculty, at least three faculty members from departments that offer secondary education programs, three student representatives, at least three representatives from K–12 partnership schools, and the Senior Vice Provost. The School of Education chair serves as Chair and the assistant licensing officer serves as secretary of the CTE.
2. Dean’s Council – The Dean's Council represents the academic area to the Provost, serves in an advisory capacity on academic issues, and advises the Provost in making decisions on academic matters. The Dean's Council is comprised of faculty members chosen by the Provost, two faculty members elected by the faculty at large, and the Senior Vice Provost. The Provost chairs the Council.
3.  Faculty Advisory to the President – This committee consults with the President on matters that concern the College, especially in the academic area. The committee is elected by the teaching faculty and meets at the invitation of the President. A majority of the committee membership may initiate a request for a meeting. Three faculty members are elected annually for a two-year term.
4.  Faculty Grievance Committee – This committee receives and disposes of grievances filed with it either by rejecting the complaint or, if it is considered valid, by presenting a written report to the President of the College with a request for remedial action. The committee is composed of four faculty members, two elected annually for a term of two years each. The chair of the committee will be appointed by the Provost.
5. Graduate Studies Committee – This committee is charged with the development of all graduate degree programs as well as the policies governing all graduate offerings. All proposed graduate classes must be approved by this committee. The committee is comprised of the Academic Directors of the graduate programs, the respective department chair or unit head of each program, and three other members holding doctorates and representing various academic disciplines, appointed by the Provost in collaboration with the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee. The Senior Vice Provost is an ex officio member of the committee.
6. Academic Scholarship Committee – This committee is a faculty committee advisory to the Provost of the College and President. Its function is to work with the Admission staff in organizing the Presidential Scholarship competition, to create the rules and procedures for the competition itself, and to recommend a list of nominees for the scholarship. The members of the committee are appointed by the Provost.
7. Honors Program Committee – This committee helps in shaping the Honors Program, gives advice to the co-chairs of the Honors Program, and suggests modifications needed as the Program develops. Responsibilities include review and approval of courses submitted as possible Honors courses to submit to the Curriculum Committee, developing and staffing the freshman retreat for Honors students, assisting in developing policies and procedures regarding such matters as admission/removal from the Honors Program, developing physical resources for Honors students, and developing and promoting training and education for faculty teaching in the Honors Program. They are responsible for reviewing Honors student products, such as applications to the Program, and the capstone projects. The committee collaborates in an ongoing manner with the Assessment and Curriculum committees as well as with department chairs.
8. Reasonable Learning Accommodations Committee (RLAC) – This committee will review individual student documentation regarding disabilities, provide suggestions to the student and the faculty as to potential accommodations, and track the student’s academic progress during his or her time at Benedictine College. Additionally, the committee will serve as an ombudsman for students with disabilities. Members include the Director of the Counseling Center, the Director of the Special Education program, the Director of Disability Services, the Dean of Enrollment Management, the Vice President of Student Life, and two faculty volunteers as appointed by the committee.
9. Teaching Excellence Committee – This committee promotes the scholarship of teaching and learning on campus by providing opportunities to help faculty improve their teaching, to sponsor workshops and speakers, and to provide instructional design and educational technology support. This committee organizes mentors for new faculty and is a resource for class observation and feedback to new faculty. The Provost will appoint a chair for the committee and three additional faculty members are elected to serve 3-year terms.

Administrative Committees

1. President's Cabinet – This committee meets weekly for a briefing session, review and consultation. Chaired by the President, members include the Provost, Chief Business Officer, Dean of Students, Dean of Enrollment Management, Vice President for Advancement, the Vice President for College Relations, the Vice President of Student Life, and the Athletic Director.
2. Retention Task Force – This group meets regularly throughout the academic year. The task force is composed of the Dean of Enrollment Management, the Vice President of Student Life, the Athletic Director, a faculty representative, and the Director of the Student Success Center. Other members may be appointed as needed.
3. Faculty Library Committee – This committee is chaired by the Library Co-Directors. Most of the members are appointed by the Library Co-Directors. One member is elected by the faculty to serve a 3-year term. The faculty represent a cross-section of disciplines to advise the Library Co-Directors on issues pertaining to the library and its services.

Campus Life Committee

Convocation and Arts Committee – This committee plans for, advertises, and oversees numerous cultural activities under the sponsorship of the College. The committee submits for approval and administers the budget for cultural programs and lectures. It prepares a schedule of events for the succeeding year and submits it to the Provost and the Dean of Students for approval. Members include five elected faculty and four appointed students. The committee elects its chair

Ad Hoc Committees

Ad hoc committees are established for a specific purpose and terminated upon the completion of that purpose. Ad hoc committees may be established by standing committees, by the faculty as a whole, or at the request of the President or Provost. The Faculty Development Committee should be notified of the formation of ad hoc committees.

Task Forces

A task force is appointed by the President on the recommendation of the appropriate administrative officer. Faculty members may request formation of a task force for a specific assignment by submitting a recommendation to the appropriate administrative office.

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