REVISED STATUTES DRAFT November 16, 2004
Proposed by the Statutes and Bylaws Team
Dr. J.W. Good, Chair
Dr. Ken Farr
Dr. Lee Gillis
Dr. Harry Glover
Dr. Anne Gormly
Mr. Quintus Sibley
Dr. Craig Turner
Institutional Statutes
· The Board [BOR] approved the request of President Rosemary DePaolo that Georgia College & State Institution (“GCSU”) be authorized to establish revised institutional statutes, effective February 5, 2003
· The Board [BOR] approved the request of President Dorothy Leland that Georgia College & State Institution ("GCSU") be authorized to revise its institutional statutes, effective June 9, 2004. [link to revisions]
PREAMBLE
Georgia College & State University is one of the Institutions constituting the University System of Georgia. It is subject to the general jurisdiction of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and shall exercise all authority conferred upon it by the Board of Regents.
The term "Board of Regents" as used in these Statutes shall mean the Board of Regents and its executive officer, the Chancellor. The term “Institution” as used in these Statutes shall mean Georgia College & State University.
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Section 1. These Statutes are subordinate to the Bylaws and Policies of the Board of Regents and amendments thereto hereafter adopted.
Section 2. The confidentiality and security of faculty, staff, and student files (including electronic files) in offices throughout the campus shall be preserved and protected at all times, insofar as it is consistent with state and federal law. Information of a personal and private nature about faculty, staff, and students shall not be divulged by any office of the Institution, except upon legal grounds or for official purposes or at the request of and with the consent of the faculty, staff, or student member concerned.
Section 3. The policies and regulations of the Board of Regents will govern the eligibility of persons for employment or retention of the faculty, administration, and staff.
Section 4. Recognized subdivisions, councils, or committees of the Institution may create bylaws and other rules of order, consistent with policies of the Board of Regents and with these statutes, to facilitate orderly and efficient governance.
PURPOSES AND POWERS.
A. The executive officers of the Institution shall be the President and the Vice Presidents who are direct reports to the President.
B. Administrative officers shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Board of Regents and shall hold office at the pleasure of the President.
C. The President shall have the following specific powers, duties, and responsibilities
1. The President shall define the duties, responsibilities, and determine the titles of the Executive and Administrative officers of the Institution.
2. The President shall prepare the annual budget of the Institution and recommend to the Chancellor amendments thereto.
3. The President shall facilitate the administration of all policy recommendations made by the Faculty and University Senate.
4. The President shall have the power to appoint special committees for consultation and advice regarding administrative issues of the Institution or for assistance in the performance of such functions of the Institution as may be necessary to the implementation of the regulations of the Board of Regents.
5. The President has the right to veto all recommendations of the Faculty or University Senate within a period of fifteen (15) calendar days after receipt of said action. However, when the President exercises veto power, he/she shall give to the group concerned a written statement of the reason(s) for the veto. Thereafter, the concerned group shall have the right to appeal the President’s decision to the Board of Regents.
6. The President shall settle all questions of conflict of jurisdiction or interpretation that may arise under these Statutes and any bylaws or other rules of order at the University.
7. The President shall keep the various units of the Institution advised regularly on organizational changes and shifts in the responsibilities of administrative officers through memoranda, organizational charts, and other communication media.
8. The President shall preside at official ceremonies.
9. During short-term absences from the campus, the President may delegate functions of the office to another executive officer of the Institution.
The Staff Council shall act as an advisory body to the President and shall act on behalf of the staff of the Institution where there is a need for a uniform policy throughout the Institution. The Council shall represent the needs, interests, and concerns of the staff.
Section 1. All appointments, reappointments, promotions, and the award of tenure to faculty are recommended by the President and subject to the approval of the Board of Regents. The criteria for promotion and tenure (including pre- and post tenure review) shall be clearly stated and emphasize excellence in teaching for all faculty.
Section 2. Promotion: In addition to the current promotion regulations as adopted by the Board of Regents, these Statutes further stipulate the following
A. Criteria for promotion to all professorial ranks shall include the following:
1. At a minimum promotion shall be based on:
a. Superior teaching.
b. Outstanding service to the Institution.
c. Academic achievement.
d. Professional growth and development.
2. Noteworthy achievement in all four of the above need not be demanded, but should be expected in at least two, one of which shall be superior teaching.
B. Faculty within any academic unit of the Institution may develop and approve supplemental promotion standards and requirements above those required by the Board of Regents and these statutes. The criteria and procedures required for promotion in each academic unit shall be clearly and completely stated and made available to faculty.
Section 3. A documented record detailing a combination of all the following may be considered as equivalent to the terminal degree. (“Equivalent” shall be used very sparingly and for only fully justified and fully documented reasons.)
A. Distinguished reputation in the discipline of appointment.
B. Extraordinary accomplishments in research, scholarly publications, and/or creative work.
C. Superior teaching.
D. Significant level of formal and integrated study beyond the master's degree.
Section 4. Tenure: The current tenure regulations as adopted by the Board of Regents are incorporated into these Statutes by this reference. The policies related to tenure shall be the following:
A. The faculty member's length of service at the Institution shall be taken into consideration in determining if a faculty member can be considered for tenure, given that tenure requires a minimum length of service with an institution as specified in the policies of the Board of Regents.
B. Criteria for tenure shall include the following:
1. At a minimum, tenure shall be based on:
a. Superior teaching.
b. Outstanding service to the institution.
c. Academic achievement.
d. Professional growth and development.
2. Noteworthy achievement in all four of the above need not be demanded, but should be expected in at least two, one of which shall be superior teaching.
C. Faculty within any academic unit of the Institution may develop and approve supplemental tenure standards and requirements above those required by the Board of Regents and these statutes. The criteria and procedures required for tenure in each academic unit shall be clearly and completely stated and made available to faculty.
PURPOSES AND POWERS.
A. The University Senate is endowed with all the legislative powers and authority of the University Faculty except for those powers specifically reserved by that body to itself.
B. The University Senate, in keeping with the Bylaws and Policies of the Board of Regents, shall be the policy-making assembly at the Institution.
C. The University Senate shall exercise legislative functions dealing with all issues that affect the general educational policy of the Institution, the well-being of the Institution, the discipline of students, and all other student activities and affairs, including all matters where the President determines there is a need for uniform policy throughout the Institution.
D. The University Senate shall have the responsibility for establishing committees (including any committee required to remain in compliance with policies of the Board of Regents, federal or state law, and accreditation or certification organizations) that are needed for orderly and efficient governance.
E. The University Senate shall not adopt any regulations affecting curricula, or the internal affairs of an academic school/division except insofar as such action may be necessary to protect the interests of the Institution as a whole, but it may make recommendations to the faculty of an academic unit concerning matters within the jurisdiction of that academic unit.
Section 1. Modification of these Statutes must be approved by the University Senate in accordance with its Bylaws.
Section 2. The President shall interpret these Statutes and any Bylaws, when necessary, and shall exercise expressed and implied powers to implement them. .