Powers

The presiding officer of a meeting of the whole Faculty shall be the President. All members of the Faculty as defined above shall have the right to vote. 

The Faculty shall:

• Establish the Standing Committees herein defined and such ad hoc or temporary committees as may be needed to conduct its business in an orderly and efficient manner;
• Define and establish Institute-wide policies on matters of general interest not specifically delegated to the Academic Faculty or the Research Faculty (see Sections 2.2 and 2.3);
• Accept or reject proposed changes to this Handbook;
• Make recommendations to be considered by the Academic Faculty or the Research Faculty;
• Have the power to rescind or modify actions of the combined Faculty Senate; and
• Establish its rules of procedure and determine all matters pertaining to its own meetings not otherwise specified in this Handbook.

Meetings

The whole Faculty shall hold at least one (1) meeting each during the Fall and Spring semesters. One hundred (100) members present at a scheduled or a properly called meeting shall constitute a quorum. Special meetings may be called on the President’s own volition or shall be called by the President on petition of fifty (50) members or upon the recommendation of the Faculty Executive Board. In such special meetings the matters considered shall be restricted to those items listed in the call for the meeting.

In the President’s absence, the Provost shall preside. In the absence of both the President and the Provost, the Executive Vice-President for Research shall preside.  In the absence of all of the above, the Chair of the Faculty Executive Board shall preside.

All members of the Academic Faculty and the Research Faculty shall have the right to vote.  Minutes shall be kept by the Secretary of the Faculty and shall be posted online.

Presidential Veto

The President shall have the power of veto over any action of the whole Faculty. The President shall notify the Secretary of the Faculty, in writing, of the veto and the reasons for it, within sixty (60) days from the date of the action of the Faculty.  The Faculty may appeal the veto to the Board of Regents through the Chancellor by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present at a scheduled or properly called meeting. Any such appeal shall be sent via the President who shall forward it to the Board of Regents through the Chancellor.

Standing Committees

The whole Faculty serves as the parent body to the following Standing Committees whose functions and procedures are specified in Section 2.6:

• Faculty Benefits Committee
• Faculty Honors Committee
• Faculty Status and Grievance Committee
• Statutes Committee
• Faculty Services Committee
• Welfare & Security Committee

In addition, the Faculty will continue to maintain Standing Committees for Faculty Benefits and for Welfare and Security until such time as a transition to a possible joint committee with Classified Staff is realized.

Recommendations from the above committees may be approved by the whole faculty or by the Faculty Senate.

A joint meeting of the Academic Faculty Senate and Research Faculty Senate shall be termed a meeting of the Faculty Senate.  A majority of the combined membership of the two senates shall constitute a quorum at a scheduled or properly called meeting.

If any College, GTRI, or the composite unit of Services and Central Administration qualifies for more representatives than a limit of one-third (1/3) of the total voting members of the Faculty Senate, the Faculty Executive Board shall work with the sub-unit(s) with the largest number of representatives to reduce their representation so that the limit is maintained.

The President shall be the presiding officer of the Faculty Senate. Voting privileges are the same as those pertaining to the members of the Academic Faculty Senate and the Research Faculty Senate. The chairs of all Faculty Standing Committees are deemed also to be voting members of the Faculty Senate if not already designated. Ex officio members of the Academic Faculty Senate and the Research Faculty Senate are ex officio to the Faculty Senate with the same voting status as in those bodies. The Faculty Senate may act for the Faculty in all matters except the amendment of the Faculty Handbook and the appeal of a Presidential veto of an action of the Faculty in a meeting of that body.

The Faculty Senate shall hold at least one (1) meeting each during the Fall and Spring semesters.  Special meetings may be called on the President’s own volition or shall be called by the President on petition of one-third (1/3) of the members or upon the recommendation of the Faculty Executive Board. In such special meetings, the matters considered shall be restricted to those items listed in the call for the meeting.

In the President’s absence, the Provost shall preside. In the absence of both, the Executive Vice-President for Research shall preside.   In the absence of all of the above, the Chair of the Faculty Executive Board shall preside.

The Faculty Senate shall establish its rules of procedure and determine all matters pertaining to its own meetings not otherwise specified herein or determined by the Faculty.

Minutes shall be kept by the Secretary of the Faculty and shall be posted online.

Presidential Veto

The President shall have the power of veto over any action of the Faculty Senate. The President shall notify the Secretary of the Faculty, in writing, of the veto and the reasons for it, within sixty (60) days from the date of the action of the Faculty Senate.  The Faculty Senate may appeal the veto to the Board of Regents by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present at a scheduled or properly called meeting. Any such appeal shall be sent via the President who shall forward it to the Board of Regents through the Chancellor.