Departmental Constitution - Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and ...
Departmental Constitution - Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and ...
Departmental Constitution - Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and ...
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January 2004<br />
CONSTITUTION<br />
DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES, WILDLIFE AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY<br />
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA<br />
Preamble<br />
The Mission <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Department</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Fisheries</strong>, <strong>Wildlife</strong>, <strong>and</strong> Conservation Biology is to<br />
share our excitement <strong>of</strong> discovery about organisms <strong>and</strong> their environments, their<br />
importance to people, <strong>and</strong> the practical applications <strong>of</strong> science with our students <strong>and</strong> the<br />
public. The name <strong>of</strong> the department signifies our three areas <strong>of</strong> specialization. The<br />
primary activities <strong>of</strong> the department are to provide instruction at the undergraduate <strong>and</strong><br />
graduate levels, to carry out research, <strong>and</strong> to disseminate knowledge through extension<br />
education in fisheries, wildlife <strong>and</strong> conservation biology. Research programs <strong>of</strong> the<br />
faculty have the ultimate objective <strong>of</strong> discovering new facts <strong>and</strong> principles <strong>and</strong> applying<br />
these to the practical resolution <strong>of</strong> natural resource problems.<br />
Article I. <strong><strong>Department</strong>al</strong> Policies<br />
The policies by which the department conducts its affairs shall be governed by<br />
procedures outlined in this document. This document shall be available to all staff <strong>and</strong><br />
students in the department.<br />
Article II. Definitions <strong>of</strong> Staff <strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> Staff with Voting Rights<br />
Section 1. Staff<br />
The staff <strong>of</strong> the department shall be all academic personnel at the rank <strong>of</strong> instructor (or<br />
research associate) <strong>and</strong> above with appointments <strong>of</strong> 25% time or more, all graduate<br />
students registered with a major adviser on the department staff, all civil service<br />
personnel holding appointments <strong>of</strong> 75% time or more <strong>and</strong> who have passed an initial<br />
probationary period, <strong>and</strong> the Cooperative Research Unit leader <strong>and</strong> assistant leaders.<br />
Section 2. Definition <strong>of</strong> Voting Staff<br />
a. Academic faculty<br />
All academic faculty holding tenure or tenure track appointments <strong>and</strong> the<br />
Cooperative Research Unit leader <strong>and</strong> assistant leaders shall have the right to vote<br />
at staff meetings.<br />
b. Voting representatives<br />
The right to vote at staff meetings shall be extended to one full time (75% time or<br />
more) elected representative from the academic pr<strong>of</strong>essional classification <strong>and</strong><br />
one from the civil service classification.<br />
The right to vote at staff meetings shall be extended to two graduate students as
defined in Article II. Sec. 1, elected by the graduate students in the department.<br />
The right to vote at staff meetings shall be extended to one undergraduate student<br />
representative appointed by the head.<br />
c. Others<br />
The right to vote at staff meetings may be extended to any department employee<br />
who has continuously held an appointment <strong>of</strong> 75% time or more in the department<br />
for 5 years. The granting <strong>of</strong> the right to vote shall be by a simple majority vote <strong>of</strong><br />
the academic faculty as defined in Article II. Sec. 2.a.<br />
Section 3. Graduate Faculty<br />
Voting rights in graduate faculty matters shall be vested in faculty members with<br />
graduate appointments in the appropriate graduate programs.<br />
Article III. Staff Meetings<br />
Section 1. Conducting Meetings<br />
The department head shall call at least one meeting <strong>of</strong> the voting staff each fall <strong>and</strong> spring<br />
semester (two meetings per year). The date <strong>and</strong> time <strong>of</strong> department faculty meetings shall<br />
be provided to voting staff at least ten days before the meeting. The department head also<br />
shall call a faculty meeting within ten days <strong>of</strong> receipt <strong>of</strong> a petition for such a meeting<br />
signed by at least five voting staff. A quorum shall be two-thirds <strong>of</strong> the members <strong>of</strong> the<br />
voting staff <strong>and</strong> issues voted upon shall be decided by a simple majority <strong>of</strong> those present<br />
<strong>and</strong> voting. Minutes <strong>of</strong> the meetings shall be Emailed to the voting staff <strong>and</strong> kept in<br />
writing <strong>and</strong> available in the department <strong>of</strong>fice.<br />
Section 2. Posting the Agenda<br />
All voting staff shall be notified by Email <strong>of</strong> the agenda least one day in advance. Items<br />
may be placed on the agenda by action <strong>of</strong> the head or by petition <strong>of</strong> at least five members<br />
<strong>of</strong> the voting staff.<br />
Article IV. Committees<br />
Section 1. St<strong>and</strong>ing committees<br />
a. Curriculum committee<br />
The Curriculum Committee receives, considers, <strong>and</strong> acts on curriculum matters<br />
pertaining to the academic programs <strong>of</strong> the department. Curriculum matters<br />
include course program requirements; specific course numbers, titles, credits(s),<br />
<strong>and</strong> descriptions; <strong>and</strong> curriculum reviews.<br />
The Committee shall consist <strong>of</strong> the voting staff <strong>of</strong> the department as defined in<br />
Article 2 Sec.2. a, b, c. The Committee chairperson shall be appointed by the<br />
head. The head may appoint subcommittees to deal with special issues <strong>and</strong> to<br />
report to the committee as a whole. The committee shall meet when necessary.<br />
The committee shall keep written minutes <strong>of</strong> its actions; such minutes shall be
filed in the department <strong>of</strong>fice <strong>and</strong> be available to faculty, civil service personnel<br />
<strong>and</strong> students.<br />
Curriculum proposals or changes shall be routed to the committee <strong>and</strong> committee<br />
actions shall be presented to the department voting staff at a regularly called<br />
meeting; departmental voting staff actions on these matters that require college<br />
approval shall be forwarded to the College <strong>of</strong> Natural Resources Curriculum<br />
Committee.<br />
b. Long Range Planning Committee<br />
The Long Range Planning Committee coordinates ideas originating from the<br />
faculty or the head on plans <strong>and</strong> directions for the department including space<br />
issues.<br />
The committee shall consist <strong>of</strong> five faculty members, elected at large by the<br />
faculty, plus the head. The committee shall elect its own chairperson.<br />
Committee members shall serve for two years <strong>and</strong> be elected on a rotating basis<br />
so that continuity is preserved.<br />
The committee shall meet as necessary to fulfill its responsibilities <strong>and</strong> at the<br />
request <strong>of</strong> the chairperson, department faculty members, or the head. The<br />
committee shall keep written minutes <strong>of</strong> its actions; such minutes shall be filed in<br />
the department <strong>of</strong>fice <strong>and</strong> be available to faculty, civil service personnel <strong>and</strong><br />
students.<br />
Section 2. Ad hoc Committees<br />
The head or voting staff shall establish ad hoc committees as needed, the purviews <strong>and</strong><br />
membership <strong>of</strong> which are defined by the head or voting staff. In the interest <strong>of</strong><br />
continuity, the chairs <strong>of</strong> some committees should have previous experience on the<br />
committee.<br />
Article V. Selection, Appointment, Evaluation <strong>and</strong> Term <strong>of</strong> Office <strong>of</strong> the Head<br />
Section 1. Search <strong>and</strong> appointment<br />
The procedures for the department head search are governed by the College <strong>of</strong> Natural<br />
Resources <strong>Constitution</strong>, Article V. Sec. 4.b. as follows:<br />
When the department head position becomes vacant, the dean shall appoint a search <strong>and</strong><br />
screening committee to solicit <strong>and</strong> review potential c<strong>and</strong>idates. The committee shall<br />
include, but not be limited to, representatives from the department faculty, students <strong>and</strong><br />
staff. The dean shall appoint the department head for a term <strong>of</strong> up to five years. The<br />
department head may be reappointed for additional terms. A department head may<br />
decline reappointment without prejudicial effect on the continuance <strong>of</strong> activities,<br />
responsibilities <strong>and</strong> the tenure normally associated with any concurrent regular faculty<br />
appointment. The dean shall annually review the department head's performance <strong>and</strong><br />
periodically, but at least every five years, conduct a comprehensive review by appointing<br />
a review committee to study the status, progress <strong>and</strong> effectiveness <strong>of</strong> the department
head's administration.<br />
Article VI. Selection <strong>of</strong> Appointees to the Staff<br />
Section 1. <strong><strong>Department</strong>al</strong>ly Budgeted Staff<br />
The staff must have ample opportunity to discuss the duties <strong>and</strong> abilities <strong>of</strong> future<br />
appointees. Meetings <strong>of</strong> the voting staff shall be held to hear <strong>and</strong> act on proposals for<br />
filling vacancies <strong>and</strong> for establishing new positions. The head shall appoint a committee<br />
<strong>of</strong> department faculty to draw up a position description <strong>and</strong> conduct the search. The<br />
committee will draw up guidelines to evaluate qualifications <strong>and</strong> seek c<strong>and</strong>idates <strong>and</strong> to<br />
recommend c<strong>and</strong>idates to the head according to the regulations by which the University<br />
must abide. The head shall select the finalist from among the recommended c<strong>and</strong>idates<br />
<strong>and</strong> shall carry out all negotiations with the advice <strong>and</strong> consent <strong>of</strong> the dean <strong>and</strong> with<br />
consultation with the appropriate directors.<br />
Section 2. Criteria for selection <strong>of</strong> Non-salaried Appointments<br />
Adjunct appointments may be <strong>of</strong>fered to appropriate non-University personnel upon<br />
approval by the voting staff when such appointments are considered advantageous to<br />
programs in the department. Appointments <strong>of</strong> adjunct faculty are initially for a five-year<br />
term <strong>and</strong> are renewable for additional terms <strong>of</strong> five years each. Pr<strong>of</strong>essional persons<br />
whose curricula vitae meet with generally accepted st<strong>and</strong>ards for University appointment<br />
are eligible <strong>and</strong> may be appointed as adjunct faculty if:<br />
a. They are presently active in research or plan to do cooperative research with<br />
department faculty; or<br />
b. They plan to teach a course pertinent to the department that is approved by the<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Natural Resources Curriculum Committee; or<br />
c. They plan to advise student research projects.<br />
Article VII. Tenure, Promotions, Salary Adjustments <strong>and</strong> Grievances<br />
Section 1. Tenure, Promotions <strong>and</strong> Salary Adjustments<br />
It is incumbent on the head to provide the staff with an opportunity to participate in all<br />
aspects <strong>of</strong> tenure <strong>and</strong> promotion as set out in the documents relative to them. Similarly, it<br />
is the obligation <strong>of</strong> the staff, who are authorized, to participate in these proceedings. The<br />
staff should be aware <strong>of</strong> their responsibilities in relation to the major facets <strong>of</strong> scholarly<br />
productivity; contribution to graduate programs; quality in teaching; services to the<br />
department, college <strong>and</strong> University; <strong>and</strong> services to various groups outside the<br />
University. Evaluation <strong>of</strong> teaching (including extension), research, <strong>and</strong> service shall be<br />
carried out on an annual basis.<br />
The head shall inform staff members <strong>of</strong> salary adjustments <strong>and</strong> the basis for those<br />
adjustments as soon as they are <strong>of</strong>ficially approved.
Section 2. Grievances<br />
If any staff members or student has a grievance(s), the procedure established by the<br />
college Grievance Committee shall be followed.<br />
Article VIII. Implementation<br />
Section 1. Ratification<br />
This constitution shall become effective immediately after written ballots have been cast<br />
by two thirds <strong>of</strong> the voting staff, with two thirds <strong>of</strong> those voting in favor <strong>of</strong> adoption,<br />
upon subsequent approval by the dean <strong>of</strong> the college. Nothing in this document shall be<br />
construed as contradictory to the constitution <strong>of</strong> the college.<br />
Section 2. Interpretation<br />
Final authority for interpretation <strong>of</strong> this constitution shall reside with the voting staff <strong>of</strong><br />
the department.<br />
Section 3. Amendment<br />
This constitution may be amended by a two thirds majority <strong>of</strong> the voting staff <strong>of</strong> the<br />
department. Amendments may be introduced by written petition <strong>of</strong> any member <strong>of</strong> the<br />
voting staff or by students, civil service, or academic pr<strong>of</strong>essional personnel acting<br />
through their representatives. Notice <strong>of</strong> proposed amendments shall be presented to a<br />
department staff meeting at least three weeks before action is to be taken.