Georgia Southern University: SACS Accreditation Web Site

Standard Number 3.7.5: The institution publishes policies on the responsibility and authority of faculty in academic and governance matters.

Full Compliance

Georgia Southern University's Statutes (Article VI, § 1) clearly define the responsibility and authority of the faculty as follows: “It is the responsibility of the faculty in each college to establish entrance requirements, define courses of study, establish requirements for degrees offered in the college, provide guidance and advisement to the students in the college, and adopt regulations to govern its own procedures for the orderly and efficient administration of the college.” They further state: “The faculty are responsible for regulations affecting academic activities, the general educational policy of the University, the welfare of the faculty, and related matters that maintain and promote the best interest of the faculty and of the University. The representative and legislative agency of the faculty is the Faculty Senate (Article IV, § 2). This information is also published in the Faculty Handbook (see § 107.04, p. 10) and made available on the University's web site.

Moreover, the University has articulated a statement of shared governance which is also promulgated in the Faculty Handbook (see § 108.01, 18). In its statement, shared governance is defined at Georgia Southern as involving faculty and administration participating mutually in the development of policies at the departmental, college, and University levels. It specifies that faculty play a vital role in developing policies including, at the appropriate levels, strategic planning, academic and curricular policies, committee establishment and appointments, selection and retention of academic unit leaders, review and revision of the shared governance process, and faculty personnel actions including hiring and evaluation of faculty (annual evaluation, pre-tenure review, post-tenure review, and promotion).

The University also publishes policies relating to responsibilities and authority of the Faculty Senate in the Faculty Handbook (see § 108.02, § 108.03, pp. 18-23), including the full text of the Faculty Senate Bylaws (as amended and approved by the Faculty Senate on February 9, 2004 ). The Faculty Senate is comprised of 40 elected faculty members representing each college and the library with an additional 14 non-voting administrators. Article I of the Bylaws describes the purpose of the Faculty Senate, reading in part as follows:

Section 1. The Faculty Senate shall serve as the representative and legislative agency of the faculty. As such, it shall serve as the official faculty advisory body to the President. Within the policy framework of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, and with the approval of the President, the recommendations of the Faculty Senate shall be the academic policy of the University to be implemented by the administration.

Section 2. The academic affairs of the University which concern the Faculty Senate and for which it shall be responsible in formulating policies and reviewing procedures include academic activities, general educational policy of the University, the welfare of the faculty, and other matters which maintain and promote the best interests of the faculty and the University as specified in the Policy Manual of the Board of Regents .

Under Article IV of the Bylaws , the University publishes the committee structure of the Faculty Senate and establishes several standing committees of the Senate—all of which are chaired by a Senator. These are as follows:

Academic Standards Committee

This committee has responsibility for reviewing and recommending policy and procedures concerning academic standards as they affect the overall academic integrity of the University; for recommending policy and procedures and acting upon appeals concerning admissions, academic suspension and academic exclusion, special admission and readmission, and provisional and probationary procedures; as well as for addressing other specific questions in this area that may be requested by the Senate Executive Committee and the Senate.

Faculty Development Committee
	The Faculty Development Committee has primary responsibility for recommending policy and procedures covering all aspects of the University's support of faculty development; for reviewing and evaluating proposals for faculty development funding and allocating funds budgeted for that purpose; and for reviewing and evaluating nominations for awards and prizes in the area of faculty development.

Faculty Research Committee
	The Faculty Research Committee recommends policy and procedures covering all aspects of the University's support of faculty research and creative projects; reviews and evaluates proposals for faculty research funding and allocates funds budgeted for that purpose; and reviews and evaluates nominations for awards and prizes in the area of faculty research.

Faculty Service Committee
	The Faculty Service Committee has primary responsibility for recommending policy and procedures covering all aspects of the University's support of faculty service; for reviewing and evaluating proposals for faculty service funding and allocating funds budgeted for that purpose; and for addressing other specific questions in this area that may be requested by the Senate Executive Committee.

Faculty Welfare Committee

This committee functions to conduct an on-going study of campus, University System of Georgia, state and national policies affecting faculty benefits and working conditions; solicits suggestions and concerns related to faculty welfare from individual faculty members and groups of faculty; monitors existing evaluations procedures, instruments, validity, collections and distribution of data; and addresses other specific questions in this area that may be requested by the Senate Executive Committee.

Graduate Committee

This committee recommends policy and procedures concerning graduate programs and curricula and maintains continuous review of such programs; reviews and approves all changes to graduate courses, graduate programs, and degrees; reviews and approves policies for the appointment and retention of faculty members to the Graduate Faculty; and addresses other specific questions in this area that may be requested by the Senate Executive Committee.

Library Committee
	The Library committee has authority to review and recommend policy for the library, including public services and the allocation of departmental funds; and to address other specific questions in this area that may be requested by the Senate Executive Committee.

Elections Committee

The Elections Committee has responsibility for coordinating the election of faculty to the Senate according to the procedures set forth in the University Statutes ; for coordinating any other Senate elections as directed by the Senate Executive Committee; for addressing other specific questions in this area that may be requested by the Senate Executive Committee; for working with the President's office to coordinate elections to University committees with Faculty Senate elections; for monitoring elections to University committees, including the Faculty Grievance Committee when requested by the President; and for conducting apportionment calculations annually in January using the regular full-time faculty count available from the Provost.

Senate Executive Committee

The duties of the Senate Executive Committee are to coordinate an orientation workshop for incoming senators and alternates prior to the first Faculty Senate meeting of the academic year; to appoint a parliamentarian to counsel the presiding officer regarding matters of parliamentary procedure (to be confirmed by a majority vote of the Senate); to review the Senate Librarian's report as a means of expediting all Senate activities; to review all proposed agenda items prior to the construction of the Senate meeting agenda; to nominate a faculty member to serve as the institutional representative to the NCAA (to be confirmed by a majority vote of the Senate); to nominate a faculty member to serve on SPC (to be confirmed by a majority vote of the Senate); to nominate a faculty member to serve on the Student Government Association (to be confirmed by a majority vote of the Senate); to appoint members to both standing and ad hoc committees; to appoint and/or nominate as appropriate faculty to other University committees as requested by the President; to ensure that each ad hoc committee has a specific charge that outlines measurable objectives and appropriate time constraints and require that each ad hoc committee submit to the Senate Executive Committee a written report of its activity; to meet at least once per semester with the chair of each ad hoc committee and may meet with the chair of any standing committee at the request of the Senate Executive Committee Chair; to review all the foundational documents of the University as they relate to the faculty, including by not necessarily limited to the Statutes , Bylaws , and various handbooks; to examine extant committee structure of the Senate, including charges and composition; to recommend to the Senate such revisions or amendments as appropriate and necessary; to keep and provide minutes of all Senate Executive Committee meetings; to review and revise as appropriate the apportionment of senators; to adjust term limits of committee members and senators as necessary to ensure appropriate continuity and apportionment; and to communicate to the faculty at-large reminders of Senate Agenda deadlines, Senate meetings, locations of meetings, and the Librarian's Report.

Undergraduate Committee

This committee recommends to the Faculty Senate policy and procedures concerning undergraduate programs and curricula; reviews and approves all changes to undergraduate courses, major and minor programs, emphases, concentrations, and degrees; maintains continuous review of all undergraduate programs; and addresses other specific questions in this area that may be requested by the Senate Executive Committee.

Faculty at Georgia Southern University also have a primary function in the University's Strategic Planning Committee (SPC). As shown in § 109.03 (p. 24) of the Faculty Handbook , the SPC consists of two faculty members (elected at large), three faculty (appointed), one staff member each from the Division of Academic Affairs and other divisions, two staff from Business and Finance, two staff from Student Affairs, one Faculty Senator representative along with one apprentice Faculty Senator (in alternating years), and one student each from the undergraduate and graduate student associations. The SPC is chaired by a faculty member. This committee is tasked with functioning as a two-way conduit for information, relating the general campus community to the strategic planning process and addressing the Faculty Senate through its elected representative to the SPC. The committee also meets annually with the President's Cabinet for the purposes of affirming the Assumptions for Planning, reviewing the progress toward meeting the goals of the University, and advising the President on institutional goals for the next planning cycle. On the request of the President's Cabinet, the SPC collects information, clarifies and articulates strategic issues, considers alternatives, and suggests strategies for dealing with those issues. Through its own initiative, SPC identifies and provides advice to the President's Cabinet on strategic issues. Finally, the SPC is charged with reviewing and recommending revisions to the University's Mission Statement as necessary, but not less than once every five years.

⁵⁹ Ibid (Article III, Section 5).

⁶⁰ Ibid (Article IV, Section 9).