FACULTY GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE
The Academic Senate is key to Pratt Instute's goverance structure. For the Institute Faculty Governance Structure and general description of the Academic Senate, please refer to the Faculty Handbook.
Academic
Senate Bylaws
1. Name of organization
Academic Senate
2. Nature & Purpose
A.
Nature of organization: A faculty/administration governance body that will relate
directly to the President and Provost without review by any other group.
B. Purpose: To give faculty and chairs responsibilities including, but not limited
to, the following:
a. Approving academic policies and procedures;
b.
Reviewing structures of programs, curricula, and schools;
c. Providing for
appropriate review of course additions and changes;
d. Reviewing academic
services;
e. Establishing committees on appropriate subjects;
f. Interviewing
prospective deans, vice-presidents; provosts, and presidents;
g. Appointing
faculty members to Board standing committees;
h. Nominating Faculty Trustee;
i.
Formulating structure and procedures of search committees, and appointing faculty
and chair membership.
3. Membership
A. Full-time Faculty: At least one full-time faculty member from the Library Faculty
and each of these schools of the Institute: Architecture, Art and Design, Graduate
Information and Library Science, Liberal Arts and Sciences; in schools with more
than 12 full-time faculty, a representative for each 12 or major fraction thereof.
(Three-year terms)
B. Part-time Faculty: Four part-time faculty members
elected from the part-time faculty of the School of Art and Design; two part-time
faculty members elected from the part-time faculty of the School of Architecture;
one part-time faculty member elected from the rest of the part-time faculty (the
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the School of Information and Library Science,
andthe Library). [These numbers represent a current proportional representation
from the schools of Architecture and of Art and Design and from the remaining
faculty at large, the ratio being approximately 1 to 120.] (Three-year terms)
C.
Chairs: One chair from each of the undergraduate and graduate units of the Institute
having chairs (Undergraduate Architecture, Graduate Architecture, Undergraduate
Art and Design, Graduate Art and Design, Liberal Arts and Sciences). (Three-year
terms)
D. Alternate member: In the event that a Senate position becomes
vacated, the person receiving the next highest vote for that position will become
the representative, provided that the voting body and the pool of potential nominees
remains the same. An interim election will be held if either the voting body or
the pool of potential nominees has changed significantly.
4.
Eligibility for membership:
A. Faculty: Full-time, adjunct, and visiting
faculty.
B. Chairs: Those who teach regularly scheduled classes in their subject
areas.
5. Officers of the organization
President; Vice-President; Secretary; Treasurer.
A. These officers (who
serve three-year terms) constitute the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate.
They are elected by secret ballot.
B. The Executive Committee has the authority
to act when the Senate is not in regular session.
C. If the President is
chosen from among the members of the Senate (as opposed to the faculty-at-large),
the replacement shall be the alternate member. (see 3D.)
6.
Standing Committees
Standing committees of the Academic Senate will
be established, as needed, by the Academic Senate.
7.
Amendments
Amendments to the bylaws may be proposed at any time, but
will be voted on no earlier than the eighth (8th) week of the following Fall or
Spring semester. Passage requires seventy- five per cent (75%) of the members
of the Academic Senate voting in a secret, written ballot. Approved amendments
become effective upon approval by the Board of Trustees.
8.
Quorum
Quorum for Academic Senate meetings: Sixty percent (60%) of
the elected members.
9. Meetings
A. Regular
meetings will be held biweekly during the Fall and Spring Semesters, or as often
as deemed necessary by the Executive Committee.
B. The Academic Senate will
convene at least once, after the eighth week of each of the semesters, Fall and
Spring, a meeting of the faculty and chairs, presided over by the President of
the Academic Senate.
Reports on:
a. issues confronting the Institute
and
b. academic governance will be made by the President of Pratt Institute
and the President of the Academic Senate.
10. Rules
The rules contained in the Modern Edition of Robert's Rules of
Order shall govern the Academic Senate in all cases where they are not inconsistent
with these bylaws and any special rules of order the Senate may adopt.
Original
bylaws unanimously adopted by the Faculty Council on 23 April 1991.
Article
nine (9) unanimously approved 2 May 1991.
Revisions unanimously approved by the Board of Trustees on 6
May 1993.
Article three B (3 B) unanimously appoved On 9
December, 2003.
Article five (5) unanimously approved on 4 May, 2004.
Both
amendments unanimously approved by the Board of Trustees on 5 May, 2005. |