Departmental Constitution - Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and ...

January 2004
CONSTITUTION
DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES, WILDLIFE AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
Preamble
The Mission of the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology is to
share our excitement of discovery about organisms and their environments, their
importance to people, and the practical applications of science with our students and the
public. The name of the department signifies our three areas of specialization. The
primary activities of the department are to provide instruction at the undergraduate and
graduate levels, to carry out research, and to disseminate knowledge through extension
education in fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology. Research programs of the
faculty have the ultimate objective of discovering new facts and principles and applying
these to the practical resolution of natural resource problems.
Article I. Departmental Policies
The policies by which the department conducts its affairs shall be governed by
procedures outlined in this document. This document shall be available to all staff and
students in the department.
Article II. Definitions of Staff and of Staff with Voting Rights
Section 1. Staff
The staff of the department shall be all academic personnel at the rank of instructor (or
research associate) and above with appointments of 25% time or more, all graduate
students registered with a major adviser on the department staff, all civil service
personnel holding appointments of 75% time or more and who have passed an initial
probationary period, and the Cooperative Research Unit leader and assistant leaders.
Section 2. Definition of Voting Staff
a. Academic faculty
All academic faculty holding tenure or tenure track appointments and the
Cooperative Research Unit leader and assistant leaders shall have the right to vote
at staff meetings.
b. Voting representatives
The right to vote at staff meetings shall be extended to one full time (75% time or
more) elected representative from the academic professional classification and
one from the civil service classification.
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.
The right to vote at staff meetings shall be extended to one undergraduate student
representative appointed by the head.
c. Others
The right to vote at staff meetings may be extended to any department employee
who has continuously held an appointment of 75% time or more in the department
for 5 years. The granting of the right to vote shall be by a simple majority vote of
the academic faculty as defined in Article II. Sec. 2.a.
Section 3. Graduate Faculty
Voting rights in graduate faculty matters shall be vested in faculty members with
graduate appointments in the appropriate graduate programs.
Article III. Staff Meetings
Section 1. Conducting Meetings
The department head shall call at least one meeting of the voting staff each fall and spring
semester (two meetings per year). The date and time of department faculty meetings shall
be provided to voting staff at least ten days before the meeting. The department head also
shall call a faculty meeting within ten days of receipt of a petition for such a meeting
signed by at least five voting staff. A quorum shall be two-thirds of the members of the
voting staff and issues voted upon shall be decided by a simple majority of those present
and voting. Minutes of the meetings shall be Emailed to the voting staff and kept in
writing and available in the department office.
Section 2. Posting the Agenda
All voting staff shall be notified by Email of the agenda least one day in advance. Items
may be placed on the agenda by action of the head or by petition of at least five members
of the voting staff.
Article IV. Committees
Section 1. Standing committees
a. Curriculum committee
The Curriculum Committee receives, considers, and acts on curriculum matters
pertaining to the academic programs of the department. Curriculum matters
include course program requirements; specific course numbers, titles, credits(s),
and descriptions; and curriculum reviews.
The Committee shall consist of the voting staff of the department as defined in
Article 2 Sec.2. a, b, c. The Committee chairperson shall be appointed by the
head. The head may appoint subcommittees to deal with special issues and to
report to the committee as a whole. The committee shall meet when necessary.
The committee shall keep written minutes of its actions; such minutes shall be

filed in the department office and be available to faculty, civil service personnel
and students.
Curriculum proposals or changes shall be routed to the committee and committee
actions shall be presented to the department voting staff at a regularly called
meeting; departmental voting staff actions on these matters that require college
approval shall be forwarded to the College of Natural Resources Curriculum
Committee.
b. Long Range Planning Committee
The Long Range Planning Committee coordinates ideas originating from the
faculty or the head on plans and directions for the department including space
issues.
The committee shall consist of five faculty members, elected at large by the
faculty, plus the head. The committee shall elect its own chairperson.
Committee members shall serve for two years and be elected on a rotating basis
so that continuity is preserved.
The committee shall meet as necessary to fulfill its responsibilities and at the
request of the chairperson, department faculty members, or the head. The
committee shall keep written minutes of its actions; such minutes shall be filed in
the department office and be available to faculty, civil service personnel and
students.
Section 2. Ad hoc Committees
The head or voting staff shall establish ad hoc committees as needed, the purviews and
membership of which are defined by the head or voting staff. In the interest of
continuity, the chairs of some committees should have previous experience on the
committee.
Article V. Selection, Appointment, Evaluation and Term of Office of the Head
Section 1. Search and appointment
The procedures for the department head search are governed by the College of Natural
Resources Constitution, Article V. Sec. 4.b. as follows:
When the department head position becomes vacant, the dean shall appoint a search and
screening committee to solicit and review potential candidates. The committee shall
include, but not be limited to, representatives from the department faculty, students and
staff. The dean shall appoint the department head for a term of up to five years. The
department head may be reappointed for additional terms. A department head may
decline reappointment without prejudicial effect on the continuance of activities,
responsibilities and the tenure normally associated with any concurrent regular faculty
appointment. The dean shall annually review the department head's performance and
periodically, but at least every five years, conduct a comprehensive review by appointing
a review committee to study the status, progress and effectiveness of the department

head's administration.
Article VI. Selection of Appointees to the Staff
Section 1. Departmentally Budgeted Staff
The staff must have ample opportunity to discuss the duties and abilities of future
appointees. Meetings of the voting staff shall be held to hear and act on proposals for
filling vacancies and for establishing new positions. The head shall appoint a committee
of department faculty to draw up a position description and conduct the search. The
committee will draw up guidelines to evaluate qualifications and seek candidates and to
recommend candidates to the head according to the regulations by which the University
must abide. The head shall select the finalist from among the recommended candidates
and shall carry out all negotiations with the advice and consent of the dean and with
consultation with the appropriate directors.
Section 2. Criteria for selection of Non-salaried Appointments
Adjunct appointments may be offered to appropriate non-University personnel upon
approval by the voting staff when such appointments are considered advantageous to
programs in the department. Appointments of adjunct faculty are initially for a five-year
term and are renewable for additional terms of five years each. Professional persons
whose curricula vitae meet with generally accepted standards for University appointment
are eligible and may be appointed as adjunct faculty if:
a. They are presently active in research or plan to do cooperative research with
department faculty; or
b. They plan to teach a course pertinent to the department that is approved by the
College of Natural Resources Curriculum Committee; or
c. They plan to advise student research projects.
Article VII. Tenure, Promotions, Salary Adjustments and Grievances
Section 1. Tenure, Promotions and Salary Adjustments
It is incumbent on the head to provide the staff with an opportunity to participate in all
aspects of tenure and promotion as set out in the documents relative to them. Similarly, it
is the obligation of the staff, who are authorized, to participate in these proceedings. The
staff should be aware of their responsibilities in relation to the major facets of scholarly
productivity; contribution to graduate programs; quality in teaching; services to the
department, college and University; and services to various groups outside the
University. Evaluation of teaching (including extension), research, and service shall be
carried out on an annual basis.
The head shall inform staff members of salary adjustments and the basis for those
adjustments as soon as they are officially approved.

Section 2. Grievances
If any staff members or student has a grievance(s), the procedure established by the
college Grievance Committee shall be followed.
Article VIII. Implementation
Section 1. Ratification
This constitution shall become effective immediately after written ballots have been cast
by two thirds of the voting staff, with two thirds of those voting in favor of adoption,
upon subsequent approval by the dean of the college. Nothing in this document shall be
construed as contradictory to the constitution of the college.
Section 2. Interpretation
Final authority for interpretation of this constitution shall reside with the voting staff of
the department.
Section 3. Amendment
This constitution may be amended by a two thirds majority of the voting staff of the
department. Amendments may be introduced by written petition of any member of the
voting staff or by students, civil service, or academic professional personnel acting
through their representatives. Notice of proposed amendments shall be presented to a
department staff meeting at least three weeks before action is to be taken.