Sep 19, 2024  
2023-2024 Faculty Handbook 
    
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  Part I: Constitution and Bylaws
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  Part III: Personnel Procedures
  Part IV: Academic Policies
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  Part VI: General Education Program
  Part VII: Appendix A - D
  Part VII: Appendix E - F
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2023-2024 Faculty Handbook

Constitution

Article I

Name

Section 1. The organization shall be known as the Faculty of Simpson College.

Article II

Membership (revised 02/04/2011 board meeting)

Section 1. The faculty consists of the president of the college, the academic dean and faculty holding contracts described in Part II, Section 2 of the Simpson College Faculty Handbook.

Section 2. Only full-time faculty holding contracts described in Section 2.1.1 have voting rights in full faculty meetings. Voting rights at the department level are established by the department.

Article III

Object
The object of the faculty is to discharge efficiently and effectively the following responsibilities:

Section 1. The faculty shall have primary responsibility for determining the academic policies of the college. This responsibility includes concern for such matters as courses of instruction, standards, degrees, requirements for admission, retention, and graduation.

Section 2. A deep and abiding concern for academic freedom is of paramount importance to the determination of a sound academic policy. Therefore, the primary responsibility of the faculty for the determination of the academic policy of Simpson College carries with it certain responsibilities with respect to academic freedom. First, the faculty is charged with the responsibility of maintaining a climate of academic freedom throughout the Simpson College community. Second, the individual faculty member must accept the obligations imposed on them by the climate of academic freedom. Specifically, this means:

  • Each faculty member is entitled to freedom in exercising their responsibilities in the classroom.
  • The faculty member is entitled to freedom in research and to the enjoyment of the results of such research, subject to adequate performance of their other academic duties. Contract research undertaken for pecuniary return should not be undertaken without consultation with the dean for academic affairs.
  • The faculty member is a citizen, a member of a learned profession, and a representative of Simpson College. When they speak or write as a citizen, the faculty member is free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their position in the community imposes a special obligation on them. As a person of learning and as an educator, they should remember that the public may judge one’s profession and Simpson College by one’s statements. Hence, the faculty member should at all times be accurate, show respect for the right of others to express their opinions, and make every effort when speaking or writing as a private citizen to indicate that they are not an institutional spokesperson.

Section 3. The faculty shall have broad responsibilities for the life of the college community and the preservation of a “climate of learning.”

Section 4. The faculty shall have responsibility for making recommendations to the president concerning personnel policies affecting its own members.

Article IV

Officers and Duties
Section 1. Chairperson of the Faculty (revised 0J/J2/2022 faculty meeting)
The chair of the Faculty Liaison Council is the chairperson of the faculty. They preside at the faculty meetings and shall have a secretary keep minutes of the proceedings of all faculty meetings.

Section 2. Vice Chairperson of the Faculty

The dean for academic affairs is the vice-chairperson of the faculty. They shall preside at faculty meetings in the absence of the chairperson; serve as an ex officio member on all faculty committees; act as custodian of the constitution and provide true copies of the current constitution to the members of the faculty.

Section 3. Faculty Secretary (secretary/social secretary combined board meeting 05/J3/20J6) The Faculty Secretary shall work with the Administrative Assistant to the Dean in the production of the minutes of the proceedings of all faculty meetings. The Administrative Assistant to the Dean will take the minutes and prepare a draft which the Faculty Secretary shall proofread for accuracy and clarity prior to the minutes being made available for faculty approval. If the Administrative Assistant to the Dean is unable to attend a faculty meeting, the Faculty Secretary shall be responsible for taking and preparing the minutes. The minutes shall be posted to the faculty portal at least 72 hours prior to the next regular meeting of the faculty. The Faculty Secretary shall be nominated by the constitution and nominating committee at the March faculty meeting for a vote at the April faculty meeting.

The Faculty Secretary, with the assistance of the Administrative Assistant to the Dean, shall also be responsible for all social and courtesy obligations of the faculty.

Section 4. Marshals
Three marshals shall direct the physical organization and conduct of all academic processions. Two marshals shall be nominated by the Constitution and Nominating Committee from a list of full-time faculty members who will be teaching during the following academic year. The nominations shall be presented at the April faculty meeting for a vote at the May faculty meeting. In order to allow for continuity, the first election shall provide for one person serving for a one-year term and the second person to serve for a two-year term. In subsequent years, only one person will then be elected to serve for a two-year term. In addition to the two full-time elected faculty members, the academic dean shall appoint one member of the emeritus faculty to serve as the third marshal.

Section 5. Parliamentarian (revised 02/05/2016 board meeting)
The faculty parliamentarian shall be responsible for providing advice to the chair of the meeting on matters of procedure during meetings and details of the constitution and by- laws as required. Rulings by the parliamentarian on procedural issues can be overruled by a simple majority vote of the faculty. The faculty parliamentarian will be elected by the faculty at the May faculty meeting from the membership of the Constitution and Nominating Committee and shall serve a two-year term.

Section 6. A faculty member shall not hold more than one office during an academic year.

Article V

Meetings and Conduct of Meetings
Section 1. Regular meetings of the faculty shall be held once a month during the academic year.

Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the chairperson of the faculty or in their absence the vice-chairperson of the faculty.

  • The chairperson of the faculty, or in their absence the vice chairperson of the faculty, will call a special meeting when it is requested by a petition signed by ten or more members of the faculty.
  • Twenty-four hour notice shall be given to members of the faculty for all special meetings. Notification of special meetings shall include the following:
    • Whether the meeting was called by the chairperson of the faculty, vice chairperson of the faculty or by petition.
    • Purpose
    • Time and place

Section 3. Conduct of Meetings

  1. All faculty meetings are open to the faculty and to all regularly enrolled students. Students in attendance will act solely in the capacity of observers and will not have the privilege of speaking or voting.
  2. In addition to the students acting as observers, six regularly enrolled, degree-seeking, full or part-time students shall act as all-campus representatives. These students shall be designated in September under the regular procedures of the student senate. Their names shall be transmitted by the president of the student body to the chairperson of the faculty for confirmation by the faculty at the October faculty meeting. Upon confirmation by the faculty, these students shall have floor privileges at all faculty meetings for the balance of the academic year.
  3. Announcement of faculty action shall be made only by the chairperson of the faculty or in their own initiative or upon the request of the faculty.
  4. Other individuals may be invited to attend faculty meetings by the chairperson of the faculty on their own initiative or upon the request of the faculty.
  5. Only those defined by the constitution as members of the faculty in Article II, Section 1 may vote in faculty meetings, serve as voting faculty members of faculty committees, or vote in departmental meetings.
  6. The faculty may elect, by majority vote, to meet as a body of voting members only. In considering whether to close a meeting, the faculty should weigh its commitment to openness with the college community implied in paragraphs a and b of this Section. A motion to meet as a body of voting members only will include the reason for the closed session.
  7. One-half of the members of the faculty shall constitute a quorum.

Article VI

Amendments to the Constitution (revised 02/04/2011 board meeting)
Section 1. The faculty, the president of the college, or the board of trustees may propose an amendment to this constitution. Normally such an amendment shall carry the approval of all three. The responsibility of the president of the college to make an independent recommendation to the board of trustees, however, and the prior and final authority of the board in all matters pertaining to the life of the college under the articles of re- incorporation (Article II, Section 3), are recognized.

Section 2. Procedure for Obtaining Faculty Approval

  1. An amendment to this constitution can only be approved by the faculty during the regular academic year.
  2. A proposed amendment (whether it is initiated by the board of trustees, the president of the college, a group of faculty members, or an individual member of the faculty) will be distributed in writing to the members of the faculty, and will be read at the first faculty meeting following its distribution.
  3. Immediately after the proposed amendment has been read, the chairperson of the faculty will refer it, without debate or discussion, to the Constitution and Nominating Committee for investigation. The committee shall report at the next regular faculty meeting.
  4. The committee will encourage members of the faculty to present their arguments to the committee concerning the merits of the proposed amendment.
  5. At the time the committee makes its report to the faculty, the chairperson of the committee will move the adoption of the changes as the committee may deem appropriate.
  6. If the committee has made substantial changes in the proposed amendment, it will distribute written copies of the amendment, as modified, to the members of the faculty. Immediately following the seconding of the motion to adopt the proposed amendment, the chairperson of the committee will move to table the motion to adopt and to make it orders of the day for the next regular faculty meeting.
  7. Approval of the proposed amendment requires an affirmative vote by two-thirds of the votes cast. Abstentions do not count as a vote cast.

Section 3. Certification of Approval

  1. The signature of the chairperson of the faculty appended to the amendment under the statement “approved by the faculty of Simpson College on (insert date of approval)” will certify the faculty’s approval of the amendment.
  2. The signature of the president of the college appended to the amendment under the statement “approved by the President of Simpson College on (insert date of approval)” will attest to their approval of the amendment.
  3. The signature of the chairperson of the Board of Trustees appended to the amendment under the statement “approved by the Board of Trustees of Simpson College on (insert date of approval)” will attest to the board of trustee’s approval.

Section 4. An amendment to this constitution shall take effect on the day following final approval.