Home > Faculty-Staff Resources > FSU Faculty Senate > FSU Faculty Constitution

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FACULTY
OF FAIRMONTSTATE COLLEGE


PREAMBLE

Acknowledging the principle of faculty self-government, and recognizing the responsibility of the faculty for the internal affairs of this institution, we, the faculty of Fairmont State College, do adopt this Constitution to establish procedures whereby this responsibility can be discharged.

We accept that the Board of Governors is charged with the responsibility of establishing policy with respect to the operation of the institution. Further, we recognize that the Board of Governors has placed upon the President of the College full authority and responsibility for its operation. It is within these limits that the faculty accepts its role of advisement to the President on matters of institutional policy.

ARTICLE I.  Name, Purpose, Jurisdiction and Definition

Section 1.  The name of this organization shall be the Faculty of Fairmont State College, hereafter referred to as the Faculty.

Section 2.  The purpose of this constitution is to provide for the participation of the Faculty in the formulation, implementation, and review of institutional policy and to provide the means for the Faculty to initiate action on matters with which it is directly concerned. These areas of Faculty concern shall include, but shall not necessarily be limited to, the following:

        a.         Standards for admission, selection, and retention of students.

        b.        Requirements for the granting of degrees.

        c.         Curricular requirements for general education.

        d.        Additions and deletions of courses.

        e.         Development of programs of research, experimentation, and instruction.

        f.         Development of library, laboratories and other instructional aids.

        g.         Such other academic affairs which are not directly administrative in nature.

ARTICLE II.  Membership

The Faculty shall be composed of all full-time teaching or administrative personnel of Fairmont State College who hold academic rank.

 ARTICLE III.  Organization

Section 1.  The principal officer of the Faculty shall be the President of the College who is directly responsible to the Fairmont State College System Board of Governors..

Section 2.  In the performance of his/her duties as chief administrator of this College, the President shall cooperate and work with the Faculty in accord with the administrative principles established by the Fairmont State College System Board of Governors.

Section 3.  The principal agent of the Faculty in the exercise of its policy-determining function shall be known as the Faculty Senate. The Faculty hereby delegates to the Faculty Senate the power to act as its representative body in carrying out the purposes expressed in Article 1, Section 2.

Section 4.  The Faculty may review any action of the Faculty Senate. Such review may be initiated by written petition to the President of the College by any twenty or more Faculty members who are not members of the Faculty Senate. The total Faculty may by a majority vote reverse any action of the Faculty Senate.

Section 5.  Committees may be organized by the President to assist in the fulfillment of his/her role as chief administrator of the College.

ARTICLE IV.  Meetings

Section 1.  The Faculty shall meet when called into session by the President upon his/her own initiative, upon request by the Faculty Senate, or upon written request of twenty or more Faculty members.

Section 2.  Written notice of the time and place of all Faculty meetings shall be forwarded by the most reasonable and convenient channels to each Faculty member at least forty-eight hours in advance of such meeting.

Section 3.  The President of the College and his/her designated representative shall preside over Faculty meetings.

Section 4.  Policy determination shall be by majority vote of members present, and policies shall be effective after passage by the Faculty and approval by the President.

ARTICLE V.  Amendments

Amendments to this constitution may be made by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Faculty. Proposals for amendments must be circulated in writing to the total membership of the Faculty at least thirty (30) days before Faculty vote is taken.

ADDENDA

1.     In the event that any provision of this constitution shall conflict with the Rules and Regulations of the Fairmont State College System Board of Governors, such Rules and Regulations shall govern.

2.     Unless otherwise provided in this constitution, all proceedings shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order.

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FACULTY SENATE
OF FAIRMONTSTATE COLLEGE

ARTICLE I.  Name, Purpose, and Jurisdiction

Section 1.  The name of this society shall be the Faculty Senate of Fairmont State College.

Section 2.  The Faculty Senate shall act as the principal agent of the Faculty of Fairmont State College in policy determination. The Faculty has delegated to the Faculty Senate (Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution of the Faculty of Fairmont State College) the power to act as its representative body in carrying out the purpose expressed in Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution of the Faculty of Fairmont State College.

Section 3.  The areas in which the Senate shall be concerned are enumerated in Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution of the Faculty of Fairmont State College.

Section 4.   Throughout this Constitution, the expression “faculty” shall denote the faculty of the four-year component of Fairmont State College, unless otherwise specified; the expression “faculty member” shall denote a member of the same; the expression “Faculty Assembly” shall denote the Faculty Assembly of the Fairmont State Community and TechnicalCollege.

ARTICLE II.  Membership

Section 1.  The President of the College shall be a member of the Faculty Senate with full voting rights therein.

Section 2.  Three members of the Faculty Senate shall be appointed by the President of the College.

a.     These members shall be appointed annually prior to the last Senate meeting of the academic year.

b.     If a vacancy of an appointed Senator should occur, the President of the College may appoint a replacement at any time.

Section 3.  Each School of the College shall elect one Senator for each ten members or fractions thereof in that School. The Library is designated as academic support units and the faculty of each unit is permitted to elect one Senator. [1]

a.     The terms of office for Senators so elected shall be three years.

b.     These elections shall be conducted at the School’s meeting of the academic year which falls prior to the next to the last Senate meeting.

c.     These elections shall be by secret ballot.

d.     School heads shall neither be eligible to vote, except in case of tie, nor be elected at such elections.

e.     To be eligible for election to the Senate, a candidate shall have been a faculty member at Fairmont State College for at least two complete academic years by the September following his/her election. However, this requirement may be waived if no qualified person is available.

f.      If a vacancy in an unexpired term of an elected Senator occurs, it shall be filled by a special School election.

Section 4.  The Academic Affairs Council shall elect one Senator for each ten members or fraction thereof on the council who meet time and rank qualifications for Senate membership.

a.     The term of office for Senators so elected shall be three years.

b.     The election of these Senators shall be conducted by secret ballot at the (Academic Affairs) Council meeting which falls prior to the next to the last Senate meeting of the Academic year.

c.     If a Senator elected by the Council should relinquish his/her position on the Council for any reason, his/her name shall be removed from the Senate roll immediately, and a vacancy shall be considered to exist.

d.     If a vacancy in an unexpired term of a Senator from the Council occurs, it shall be filled by a special election conducted by the Academic Affairs Council.

Section 5.  Three members of the student body of Fairmont State College may serve as members-at-large in the Faculty Senate.

a.     Student members shall be selected by the entire student body in a manner determined by the Student Council.

b.     Such selection shall occur prior to the last Senate meeting of the academic year.

c.     The term of office for student members shall be one academic year.

d.     To be eligible to serve in the Faculty Senate a student must be a full-time student. The student must have an overall grade average of at least two and two tenths (2.2) at the time of his/her election.

e.     No students shall be eligible to become President, Vice President, or Secretary of the Faculty Senate.

f.      A vacancy in an unexpired student term may be filled by the Student Government.

 

ARTICLE III.  Officers

Section 1.  The Senate shall elect the following officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, and three Executive Committee Members.

Section 2.  The President of the Senate shall preside at the meetings of the Senate, call and preside at monthly meetings of the Executive Committee of the Senate, and serve as ex-officio member of all faculty committees.  The President may select a Parliamentarian from the college faculty to serve with him/her during his/her term of office, but such Parliamentarian shall not vote in the Senate unless he/she is a member.

Section 3.  The Vice President of the Senate shall preside in the absence of the President and shall serve as a member of the Executive Committee of the Senate.

Section 4.  The Secretary of the Senate shall maintain an up-to-date list of the Senate's membership including the expiration date of term for each member; distribute the Senate agenda, record the proceedings of each meeting of the Senate, and distribute minutes of each Senate meeting to each member of the Faculty Senate and the Faculty. The Secretary shall also maintain appropriate files for retaining Senate records.

Section 5.  The Executive Committee of the Senate shall affix the agenda and designate items of business as major or minor.

Section 6.  The minimum qualification of a Senate officer is that he/she shall have served one year as a member of the Senate prior to his/her election.

Section 7.  Senate officers will be elected at the last Senate meeting of the school year.

ARTICLE IV.  Meetings

Section 1.  Regular meetings of the Senate shall be held monthly at times to be decided by the Senate.

Section 2.  Special meetings may be called by the President of the Senate, the President of the College, or upon the written petition to the President of the Senate by any five Senators or any twenty members of the Faculty. Written notice of the time, place, and purpose of special Senate meetings shall be given to each Senator at least forty-eight hours in advance of each meeting.

ARTICLE V.  Amendments

Amendments to this constitution may be made by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Faculty Senate followed by the approval of a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Faculty. Proposals for amendments must be circulated in writing to the total membership of the Faculty at least thirty (30) days before the Faculty vote is taken.

Addenda:

1.     In the event that any provision of this constitution shall conflict with the Rules and Regulations of the Fairmont State College System Board of Governors, such Rules and Regulations shall govern.

2.     Unless otherwise provided in this constitution, all proceedings shall be governed by Robert's Rule of Order.

[1] Approved by Faculty, November 29, 1991