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Faculty Governance

III.C Academic Departments

1. Membership

1. An Academic Department shall be comprised of all full-time Liberal Arts faculty who teach courses in the academic discipline of the department.
2. A full-time Liberal Arts faculty member who teaches in a discipline during an academic year shall be a member of the department for that academic year. For the purpose of Departmental activities, the academic year shall consist of the three academic quarters.
3. Any department for which NTID Liberal Arts Support faculty regularly teach classes shall permit such faculty to sit as non-voting members of the department.
4. Faculty members may have multi-departmental membership, but only one department may be designated as the home department, ordinarily the department in which the majority of courses are taught.
5. Departmental membership confers full voting rights at departmental meetings with these exceptions: a faculty member may vote in nominating elections in the home department only; tenure-track and temporary faculty do not participate in the annual review of tenure-track faculty; and temporary faculty do not participate in designing descriptions of tenure-track faculty positions for which they might be candidates.
6. Joint appointments to two or more departments may be made by the Dean and Provost on the recommendation of the academic departments. In such cases the faculty member will have full voting rights in each department.

2. Functions of the Department

1. Objectives: An Academic Department shall determine the objectives of the discipline over which it has jurisdiction.
2. Hiring:
   1. In consultation with the Dean and the Affirmative Action Officer of the College, the academic department shall interview candidates for faculty positions in the department, review their credentials, and decide, by a majority vote, who shall be recommended to the Dean for appointment to the position. The Chair of the Department is responsible for informing the Dean of the Department's recommendation.
   2. Every effort shall be made to ensure that the search process is fair and meets accepted standards for a search: all tenure-track positions must be advertised nationally, no one may be offered a position or hired until after the deadline for submission of applicants has passed, and so on. Members of the Department may recluse themselves from the search process if necessary to avoid any appearance of bias.
3. Annual Reviews: An Academic Department shall advise the Dean on annual tenure reviews and on questions of renewal and non-renewal of faculty contracts for all untenured faculty members within that department.

3. Department Chairs

1. Requirement of a Chair: All Academic Departments shall have a Chair. The Chair of a Department must be a member of that Department, and no faculty member may be the Chair of more than one department at the same time.
2. Selection
   1. The election of a Chair requires a majority vote of the Department faculty and the approval of the Dean. If the faculty fails to give a majority vote to any candidate after three votes, or the Dean refuses to approve the Departmental recommendation, the Dean will appoint an Acting Chair for one year after consultation with the faculty of the Department as a group.
   2. Elections should be conducted in the Spring Quarter of the year in which the current Chair's term expires.
3. Term of Office
   1. The term of office of the Chair shall be three consecutive academic years, commencing July 1st.
   2. If a Chair resigns or is unable to serve for an indefinite period of time due to illness, leave of absence, or any other reason, the duties shall end and a new Chair shall be elected to serve for the duration of the former Chair's term.
4. Annual review: Chairs will be reviewed annually by the Chairs Evaluation Committee in accordance with the procedures in III.G.2.
5. Responsibilities
   1. Call and preside over meetings of the department faculty.
   2. Distribute minutes of department meetings to all members of the department.
   3. Administer decisions that the department makes on all matters within its jurisdiction.
   4. Communicate to the Dean department recommendations on new faculty appointments, annual tenure reviews, faculty promotions in rank, and renewal or non-renewal of contracts for all non-tenure track faculty. Prepare for the Dean and for the individual full-time faculty member an annual written evaluation and make a recommendation to the dean regarding the annual salary increase.
   5. Record and sign all course approvals that have been proposed and approved by the department.
   6. After consultation with the faculty of the department, invite other faculty members, students, or others to participate in the department meetings on an ad-hoc basis. These participants may take part in department discussions, but shall not be accorded a vote.
   7. Prepare for the Dean, after consultation with the department, annual operating and capital budget recommendations as well as faculty and staff requirements.
   8. Disburse and monitor all funds allocated to the department.
   9. Prepare for the Dean a written report on the special projects, activities, and accomplishments of the department that deserve College and Institute recognition and support.
   10. Provide formal input to the Dean during the annual evaluation of Endowed Chairs.
   11. Facilitate and develop the annual array of courses offered by the department and arrange for faculty assignments and teaching schedules consistent with course and faculty needs.
   12. Oversee the process of hiring candidates for open faculty positions in the department.
   13. Foster the growth of an intellectual community within the department, including mentoring with individual faculty members, encouraging curriculum development and review, and advancing academic and professional activities.
   14. Ensure that the department fulfills its general mission of delivering the required Liberal Arts curriculum and provide appropriate student advising, including responding to student concerns.
   15. Review requests from Academic Advising for appropriateness of transfer credits and the merits of Independent Study projects.
   16. Oversee the hiring and supervision of adjunct faculty and foster their inclusion in department activities as appropriate.
   17. Oversee the hiring, supervise, and evaluate the secretarial and other support staff of the department.
   18. Fulfill the responsibilities assigned to department chairs in the policies of the Institute and College.
6. Additional responsibilities of degree program chairs
   1. In the area of recruitment and retention, degree program chairs will:
      1. Prepare annual written student recruitment plans and action designed to secure the maximum possible and desirable student enrollment in the department.
      2. Prepare annual written retention strategies and maintain the lowest student attrition rates compatible with the academic standards of the department.
      3. Manage the recruitment and retention activities of the degree program.
      4. Prepare appropriate articulation agreements where advisable with all relevant two-year colleges in consultation with the Dean,.
      5. Prepare College and Institute publications or parts of publications regarding the program in consultation with the Dean.
   2. In the area of curriculum and course scheduling, degree program chairs will:
      1. Observe the curriculum policies and procedures of the College and Institute.
      2. In consultation with the department faculty, oversee the degree program curriculum and recommend to the College Curriculum Committee changes as necessary and appropriate to maintain the quality of the degree program.
   3. In the area of program promotion, degree program chairs will:
      1. Work with the Dean to secure from the RIT Admissions Office, University Publications, Office of Alumni Affairs, and the Office of Cooperative Education and Career Services the maximum possible support for a department's program and its students.
      2. Assist in development (fund-raising) endeavors related to the degree program.
   4. In the area of facilitating the academic progress of students, the degree program chairs should ensure that the process from a student's arrival on campus through completion of degree program requirements flows smoothly; for example, the chair will:
      1. Arrange for the interviewing and advising of all prospective students.
      2. Oversee faculty academic advising by monitoring an equitable distribution of advisees and conducting annual faculty workshops on advising.
      3. Assist the Academic Advising Office in assessing external and internal transfer student credit.
      4. Ensure the appropriate placement of students in co-ops or internships and the monitoring of placements.
   5. In addition to the above responsibilities, the degree program Department Chair will assume other responsibilities in relation to the degree program as assigned, after consultation, by the Dean.
7. Due to the special relationship between the Psychology Department and the Graduate School Psychology program, the Department Chair of Psychology will:
   1. Meet with the Director of the Graduate Degree Program to review the schedule for graduate courses.
   2. Work closely with the Director of the Graduate Program on all matters of mutual concern.

Approved May 2, 2000
Revised May 18, 2001; revised May 2005