Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Constitution Preamble-IV


Preamble
Article I- Purpose
Article II- Faculty Electorate
Article III- Faculty Senate Membership Eligibility
Article IV- Officers

See constitution parts V-IX
See constitution History

 Preamble

 In accordance with authority granted by the Board of Trustees, the faculty of Western Illinois University do hereby establish this Constitution as a means of facilitating faculty participation in the formation of basic University policies and pledge the cooperation of the faculty in the continued progress of Western Illinois University as an institution of higher education.

It is the intent of this Constitution to establish through its councils and committees due process in matters of academic freedom for students and faculty.

Article I - Purpose of Faculty Senate

The Faculty Senate shall serve as a means by which the opinions and viewpoints of the faculty may be determined and communicated to the administration of the University, and it shall serve as an agency through which the faculty may participate in the formation of basic University policy. To accomplish these goals, the Faculty Senate shall:

  1. Develop and recommend policies for continuous curricular development and improvement.
  2. Develop and recommend policies for the:
    1. Improvement of instruction.
    2. Library and the acquisition and use of various aids to learning.
    3. Continuous evaluation of instructional procedures.
    4. Assessment of student learning.
  3. Develop and recommend policies to be employed in the effective recruitment and selection of academic personnel.
  4. Develop and recommend policies for the printing and publication of scholarly faculty publications.
  5. Develop and recommend policies in connection with all intercollegiate programs.
  6. Develop and recommend policies in the area of student academic advisement and counseling, and general student welfare.
  7. Develop and recommend policies dealing with admission, retention, and graduation standards for undergraduate students.
  8. Participate in the selection of faculty committees.
  9. Participate in the formation of plans for developing and utilizing the physical facilities of the University.
  10. Determine policies which will provide for faculty participation in the preparation of the budgets of the University.
  11. Participate in discussion and make recommendations on any subject which affects the welfare of the University.
  12. Participate in selection of faculty members to university-wide committees.

Article II - Faculty Electorate

Faculty eligible to vote are those who have full-time faculty contracts, who hold the rank of instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, or professor, and who have their primary appointment in an academic college, an academic department, in University Libraries, or in the Illinois Institute of Rural Affairs. The Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate shall decide questions of interpretation of this article.

Article III - Faculty Senate Membership Eligibility

Section 1. Qualifications:

All faculty members are eligible for Senate membership who meet the qualifications under Article II unless a bylaws conflict occurs.

Section 2. Representation:
  1. The Faculty Senate will consist of at least 23 members. Four representatives shall be elected by and from the faculty at large whose primary assignment is at the Western Illinois University campus in Macomb, and one representative shall be elected by and from the faculty at large whose primary assignment is at Western Illinois University's Quad Cities campus. The remaining representatives will be allocated among the four colleges on the basis of the percentage of eligible faculty in each college. Results will be rounded to the nearest whole number. Should this result in less than 23 members, the college(s) with the highest fractional numbers would be rounded up.
  2. Persons to be enumerated for the purpose of determining Senate membership must be eligible to vote according to the provisions of Article II. All eligible faculty shall be enumerated within the college in which they vote. Persons with fractional assignments in academic departments shall be enumerated as the appropriate fraction of one faculty member.
  3. The Provost of the University shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Senate, without voting rights, and shall not hold Senate office.
  4. Adjustment in Senate membership shall be calculated at the end of the fall semester of each odd numbered year. New seats assigned to any college on the basis of this calculation shall then be filled at the following regular election. If, as a result of this calculation, a college loses a seat, the seat of the representative of that college whose term next expires shall remain unfilled. No Senator's seat shall be terminated during a regular term in order to adjust Senate membership

Article IV - Officers of the Faculty Senate

Section 1.

The officers of the Senate shall consist of a chairperson, vice-chairperson, and a secretary. The holding of a Senate office shall not abrogate the voting rights of that individual within the Senate.

Section 2.

The Executive Committee of the Senate shall consist of the Senate officers.

Section 3.

The duties of the officers shall be those usual to such offices or those duties specified by Senate action.

Section 4.

The officers of the Faculty Senate shall also conduct elections for the University as directed by the Faculty Senate or by the President.

Section 5.

The officers of the Faculty Senate shall also be responsible for the biennial reapportionment of the Faculty Senate.

Section 6.

The officers of the Faculty Senate shall also determine whether staff members who are assigned to new positions within the University shall be eligible to vote in Faculty Senate elections.

Section 7.

Vacancies in the offices of the Senate shall be filled by election.

Section 8.

Officers are elected for a term of one year and are eligible for re-election.