Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Bylaws

The Bylaws are to define the organization, duties, and responsibilities of the Hofstra College faculty as they pertain to the College. Each individual receiving appointment to the College faculty shall observe the Bylaws stated herein.
Academic Staff
1. Administrative Structure
  The Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is organized into four schools: the School of Humanities, Fine and Performing Arts; the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics; the Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs; and the School of Education. The administrative structure of the College shall be as defined in the Faculty Statutes of Hofstra University.
2. Duties of the Staff
  1. Administrative Officers
    The duties of the administrative officers of the College shall be as defined in the Faculty Statutes and any other governing documents.
  2. Faculty
    The duties of the instructional staff of the College shall be as defined in the Faculty Statutes and Faculty Policy Series of Hofstra University and the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Voting Members
The voting members of the College shall be the Dean of the College, the full-time professoriate, and full-time instructors, the latter two as defined in the Faculty Statutes, Article IV.
At the beginning of each academic year, the Dean shall prepare and make available a list of the faculty teaching full-time in the College.
Powers and Duties of the Faculty
The powers and duties of the faculty of the College shall be as defined in the Faculty Statutes of Hofstra University, namely that the faculty will have primacy in initiating, developing, maintaining, and modifying those matters of educational policy which are the direct responsibility of the College.
The agreements of the faculty voted upon at meetings of the College will become operative immediately upon the acceptance by the Dean of the College and will remain in effect unless disapproved, if within the areas of their respective authority, by the University Faculty, or its agencies, Provost, or President.
Faculty Committees
1. Organization
  1. There shall be the following faculty standing committees:
    1. Executive Committee
    2. Curriculum Proposals Committee
    3. Standards and Curriculum Review Committee
    4. Graduate Committee
  2. There shall be such committees as mandated by the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.
2. Membership
  All voting members are eligible to serve on College committees. No faculty member may be elected to more than one standing committee. Department chairs may not serve on any standing committee.
  When the membership of standing committees calls for two members from a single school, these two members shall be from different departments of that school.
3. Election of Faculty Members
  The Executive Committee shall propose candidates for vacant committee seats in March. For one academic week following publication of the slate, names may be added by petition of five voting faculty members. No personnel shall accept nomination to more than one College standing committee. After a second academic week ballots shall be sent through the mail to each faculty voting member and the completed ballots returned to the Executive Committee.
4. Term of Office
  Elected committee members shall serve terms of three years. Newly elected members take office on September 1. When an elected member of a committee is unable to carry out the responsibilities of his/her office for some part of his/her term, not to exceed two semesters, the Executive Committee shall make an interim appointment from the same School. The appointee will hold that position until the elected member returns to his/her committee. In other cases, the elected member shall resign and his/her vacant seat filled by a temporary appointment by the Executive Committee to complete the academic year. The remainder of the term will be filled by regular election procedures. If a committee member misses four meetings of the committee to which the committee member was assigned, the Executive Committee shall declare the seat vacant and shall appoint the individual receiving the next highest number of votes in the previous election, or, if that person is not available, appoint another person from the same school to complete the member's term.
5. Meetings
  Regular meetings of all standing committees shall be open to all members of the College faculty.
6. Committees
  1. Executive Committee
    1. Organization
      1. The Committee shall consist of one elected faculty member from each school, the chairs of the other standing committees and, in an advisory capacity, the Dean of the Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
      2. The first meeting of the newly constituted committee shall be called by the Dean of the College at the beginning of the school year following the elections. By majority vote, the chairperson of the Executive Committee will be elected from among the four elected faculty members of the committee.
    2. Duties
      The Executive Committee shall advise the Dean and Faculty on all matters pertaining to the teaching and research missions of the College.
      1. To act in the name of the faculty with such actions subject to review by the faculty as a whole.
      2. To initiate legislation within the jurisdiction of the faculty;
      3. To consult with the Dean on current and future strategic initiatives, including the allocation of resources.
      4. To recommend to the faculty amendment of these Bylaws to provide for the addition of or the dissolution of standing committees.
      5. To screen and delegate to the proper standing committees tasks which are to be placed on committee agendas as suggested by faculty and administration.
      6. To keep informed of the progress of all standing committee work and to insure that written committee reports are submitted to the faculty four days in advance of regularly scheduled faculty meetings.
      7. To act on requests by faculty members for funds for research following the guidelines approved by the faculty.
        To form a special grants committee, composed of the four elected Executive Committee members plus one member appointed from each school but not from the same department as the elected member from that division. This committee shall make recommendations on requests for faculty research funds in accordance with the guidelines for these funds approved by the faculty.
      8. To meet with the Dean in advance of each regularly scheduled faculty meeting, with special meetings to be called at the discretion of the Chair.
  2. Curriculum Proposals Committee
    1. Organization
      1. The Committee shall consist of two elected members from each school and the Dean of Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in an advisory capacity.
      2. The first meeting of the newly constituted committee shall be called by the Dean of the College at the beginning of the school year following the election. The Chairperson for the succeeding year shall be elected from the elected school membership by majority vote.
      3. The Curriculum Proposals Committee will meet jointly with the Standards and Review Committee at the beginning of the school year and whenever exchanging information is necessary.
    2. Duties
      1. To approve or disapprove course and program changes and innovations within the college subject to review by the faculty;
      2. To report to the Executive Committee on the progress of the Committee's work.
  3. Standards and Review Committee
    1. Organization
      1. The Committee shall consist of two elected members from each school, and the Dean of Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in an advisory capacity.
      2. The first meeting of the newly constituted committee shall be called by the Dean of the College at the beginning of the school year following the elections. The Chairperson for the succeeding year shall be elected from the elected school membership by majority vote.
      3. At least once each semester the Curriculum Proposals Committee will meet jointly with the Standards and Curriculum Review Committee to exchange information.
    2. Duties
      1. To make a continuing study of educational policies, curricula and standards and to present recommendations regarding these to the faculty.
      2. To review the college's distribution requirements.
      3. To determine methods of Outcomes Assessment of the distribution requirements and to recommend action in response to those assessments.
      4. To report to the Executive Committee on the progress of the Committee's work.
      5. To review distribution courses offered outside of the College, ensuring that they meet the standards of distribution courses offered within HCLAS.
  4. Graduate Committee
    1. Organization
      1. The Committee shall consist of two members elected from each school, and the Dean of Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in an advisory capacity.
      2. The first meeting of the newly constituted committee shall be called by the Dean of the College at the beginning of the school year following the elections. The Chairperson for the succeeding year shall be elected from the elected school membership by majority vote.
    2. Duties
      1. To make recommendations to the faculty for the adoption of policies and programs governing and constituting graduate study.
      2. To review the financial sustainability of graduate programs, consult with the directors of those programs, the Executive Committee, and the Dean as appropriate, based on analyses provided by the Dean’s Office generated from University census data.
      3. To report to the Executive Committee on the progress of the Committee's work.
Faculty Meetings
1. The Dean shall call at least four regular meetings of the faculty during the academic year.
2. Special meetings may be called by the Academic Dean or the Executive Committee. Receipt of a petition bearing the names of twenty-five members of the voting faculty will require the Executive Committee to call a faculty meeting within a month. Except in cases of emergency, a notice of at least five business days will be given for special meetings.
3. The Dean of Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences shall preside at faculty meetings.
4. The Dean shall appoint a Secretary to keep accurate and permanent minutes of meetings.
5. The usual order of business at full faculty meetings shall be:
  Reading of the Minutes
  Dean's Report
  Reports of the Committees
  New Business
6. A quorum shall consist of ten percent of the voting members of the Faculty.
Parliamentary Authority
1. The rules contained in the current Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern the college in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws, the Faculty Statutes and Faculty Policy Series.
2. The Faculty Statutes, Faculty Policy Series, and Collective Bargaining Agreement take precedence over these Bylaws when conflict exists.
Amendments to Bylaws
These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the faculty by a two- thirds vote, provided that the amendment has been submitted at the previous regular meeting.