Standing Rules of the Faculty Senate

Core Principles of Faculty Governance

At Stonehill, we wish to ensure that the work of the faculty is completed effectively and in an environment where shared decision-making is valued. To this end, we affirm that:

  1. A shared commitment to the mission of the College informs all decision-making and structures of governance. Governance is informed by maximum collaboration and consultation, respectful and reasoned discussion, trust between administration and faculty, and consistent communication.
  2. Governance occurs in multiple venues, must be flexible to accommodate emerging institutional challenges and opportunities, and is accomplished in an institutional culture that balances stability and innovation.
    • Areas of responsibility and the roles of everyone involved in governance must be unambiguous. 
    • Structures of governance must be as simple and straightforward as possible and respect the time commitment of all involved.
    • Those who participate in the work of governance, either elected or appointed, agree to be held accountable for their work.
    • All participation by members of the faculty in the work of governance is reckoned as service to the College.

Standing Rules and Procedures of the Senate

Article One.  Senate Structure

(From the Bylaws and Ordinances of Stonehill College, Inc.)

  • The Faculty Senate shall consist of a number of full-time faculty to be determined by the President of the College. Said number shall not be less than ten percent (10%) of the full-time faculty. The senators shall be elected from and by the full-time faculty. The Senators shall serve a three (3) year term.
  • The election, procedure, and terms of office of Senators will be set by the President of the Senate in accordance with the Rules established by the Senate. In order to create the Senate, the initial election, procedure and terms of office of Senators will be set by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
  • The Senators shall elect a President of the Senate; the Senate President shall attend regular meetings called by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and represent the faculty before the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees. The Senate President shall conduct elections of faculty to committees and serve (either in person or by representative) as a member of the Planning Committee.
  • A Vice President of the Senate shall be elected by the Senators and shall serve in the absence of the Senate President. In the event the Senate President is unable to continue his or her service, then the Vice President shall assume the Presidency.
  • Upon the initial formation of the Senate, the then existing subcommittees of the former Academic Council shall be reconstituted under the Senate.  The Senate shall have the power to establish or suppress sub-committees of the Senate. The Vice President for Academic Affairs or the President of the College shall also have the ability to recommend the formation of committees.
  • The Vice President for Academic Affairs shall set the compensation of the Faculty Senate President, subject to the approval of the President of the College.
  • Subject to these Bylaws and Ordinances, the Senate shall have legislative powers concerning academic policies and procedures including curriculum, faculty governance, and promotion and tenure criteria. Changes of policy in the Faculty Handbook must be approved by the Senate.  All changes to the Faculty Handbook being considered must be reviewed in advance by the President and Vice President of the Faculty Senate in consultation with the Provost.  After the Senate approves or rejects policies and/or procedures, said action(s) shall be presented to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the President of the College for ratification. If the Vice President for Academic Affairs and/or the President of the College do not ratify the proposed action(s), they must give written notice of the basis of their decision within sixty (60) days of the submission for ratification. If the President of the College and the Vice President for Academic Affairs wish to make a small change to the proposal, they must present their case to the President and Vice President of the Faculty Senate in person or in writing within forty-five (45) days of the submission for ratification. The President and Vice President of the Faculty Senate may reject the change or consult with the Senators by email.  If there are no objections from the Senators within five (5) class days of the email, the President and Vice President of the Faculty Senate may approve the change to the proposal, which can then go forth for ratification before the original 60-day deadline. If at least one Senator objects to the change, the matter will become the first order of business at the next regular Senate meeting, and the ratification deadline is extended (if relevant) until 10 days after said Senate meeting.
  • The Senate shall have advisory powers concerning College-wide issues.
  • The Senate shall meet regularly and be open to the College community.
  • The President and Vice President of the Senate shall meet twice a year with the Academic Affairs committee of the Board of Trustees.
  • The Senate may meet in both open and executive sessions.
  • The President of the College or the Vice President for Academic Affairs may ask to participate in a meeting of the Senate.
  • The Senate shall promulgate or adopt rules and procedures to effectively operate as a legislative body. Said rules shall be published by the Senate and shall be subject to and consistent with these Bylaws and Ordinances.

Article Two. Rules of the Senate

The Senate hereby adopts Robert's Rules of Order as the procedural rules governing the meetings and conduct of the Senate.  The version of said Rules adopted by the Senate shall be the same version adopted by the Stonehill College Board of Trustees from time to time and kept on file with the Clerk of the Corporation.  If a rule or procedure promulgated by this Senate conflicts with a Rule of Order, then the rule or procedure of the Senate shall supersede the Rule of Order.

  • The composition of the Faculty Senate should adhere as closely as possible to the following guidelines: at-large (half), liberal arts, social sciences, education (LASSE, one quarter), science, technology, engineering, math (STEM, one eighth), school of business (SOB, one eighth).
  • Faculty eligible to be elected to the Faculty Senate and other committees (passive voice) shall be full-time faculty including tenured, tenure-track, and term renewable, except where indicated otherwise by the particular committee.
  • The following shall be considered voting members of the Faculty (active voice): Full-time faculty including tenured, tenure-track, and term renewable; teaching fellows and visiting faculty with one-year appointments; full-time lab personnel with faculty or instructor rank; librarians with faculty rank and counseling staff with faculty rank; department chairpersons even though they may not be teaching; full-time faculty on sabbatical leave or leave of absence for no more than one year; faculty who are teaching at least three credits per semester as part of a structured retirement agreement; faculty emeriti who are teaching at least three credits per semester; administrators with faculty rank who teach at least six credits per semester; adjunct faculty who teach at least six credits during the semester elections are held and have been teaching at the college for at least two consecutive years.
  • The election for Faculty Senate for the following year will be held in mid-January. In mid-November, a call for nominations will be sent to all who are eligible to vote. An updated list of nominees will be sent to all faculty every week for one month before the election.
  • On the day of the February meeting of the Faculty Senate, the Senate-elect will convene to elect officers for the following year.  If they are not members of the current Senate, the President-elect and Vice President-elect will function as ex-officio (non-voting) members of the current Senate.
  • The term length for the Senate President or Vice President is two years. A faculty member elected to the office of Senate President or Vice President may serve for no more than two consecutive terms.
  • A faculty member elected to the office of Senate Vice President may serve for no more than four consecutive terms.
  • If it is known in advance that a Senate seat will become vacant due to a faculty leave or another reason, the election of a replacement will be incorporated into the next normal Senate or committee election. If the normal elections have already passed, a special election will be held only if the replacement is for a minimum of one year. A replacement will not be made for just one semester; in such a case, the seat will remain vacant.  Any replacement is for just the duration of the faculty member’s leave, and the original term expiration date shall hold.
  • Elections to all other committees on which faculty serve will be held no later than one month before the end of the semester. Two months before the elections, a call for nominations will be sent to all who are eligible to vote. An updated list of nominees will be sent to all faculty every week for one month before the elections.
  • If any committee seat should become vacant during a term, the Senate President and Vice President shall appoint a replacement to be ratified at the next regular meeting of the Senate. The original term expiration date shall hold for the committee seat in question.
  • For committee seats that are designated by rank (e.g. assistant, associate, full professor) or tenure status (e.g. non-tenured, tenured), faculty members who are elected to those seats will normally remain in them until the expiration of their term even if the faculty member’s rank or tenure status changes. The Senate President and Vice President may make exceptions to this rule for good reason and in consultation with the Faculty Senate.
  • The president of the Senate will propose and oversee the budget of the Senate, develop the annual plan in light of the strategic plan of the academic division and the college as a whole, develop assessment and evaluation procedures for the Senate, communicate the Senate’s actions to the College community, meet monthly with the college president, academic vice president, and dean of faculty concerning the Senate’s actions, and oversee the work of the Senate during the summer recess.  The president will sit on the College Planning Committee and coordinate dissemination of the material discussed there. The president will also serve as chair of the Governance Committee and will organize and oversee all committees to which faculty are elected. The president will listen to faculty concerns about relevant college issues and address them as appropriate.
  • The vice president of the Senate will fulfill the duties of the president when the president is unable to serve.  In addition, the vice president will be responsible for the following: receive all proposals submitted for Senate consideration and send them to the appropriate committees, create the Senate’s meeting agendas and inform the faculty about them, sit on the Governance Committee, serve as liaison to the Curriculum Committee, oversee elections of faculty to the Faculty Senate and college committees, and liaison with administration, staff, and student government to assure that these constitutes are aware of Senate activities (a duty shared with the President).  The vice president will chair the faculty assembly and schedule its meetings.
  • The date, time and location of meetings shall be posted on the web site at the beginning of the academic year.  A change in a meeting date shall be emailed to the faculty at least seven days prior to the new meeting date.
  • Agenda items to be addressed at a meeting shall be submitted to the vice president at least fourteen (14) days before the meeting date.  
  • Each item/matter brought before the Senate shall include a rationale and such supplementary material as the proponent(s) and Vice President determine are necessary for the Senate to make an informed judgment about such item/matter.
  • The meeting agenda shall be emailed to the faculty seven (7) days in advance.  The Senators will also receive proposals and other meeting materials at that time.
  • The president and vice president shall determine who shall be invited to appear before the Senate with respect to the various items/matters to be addressed.
  • A majority of Senators then holding office present in person shall constitute a quorum.
    • If a quorum is present, a majority of the Senators present in person or by proxy may take action on any matter on the agenda not requiring a two-thirds vote by the Senate.
    • If a quorum is present, a two-thirds majority of the Senators present in person or by proxy may take action on any matter on the agenda involving promotion and/or tenure criteria.
  • Proxy votes shall be in the format of the attachment below.
  • All votes taken by the Senate shall be by majority vote except as otherwise provided by the rules, and shall be recorded.  If the vote is not unanimous, the minutes shall indicate the number of Senators voting for/against the motion/matter.
  • Minutes shall be taken at all meetings and, after approval, posted on the web site not later than seven (7) days after approval.
  • Written copies of the approved minutes shall be distributed to each member of the Senate and sent to the President of the College, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the Dean of Faculty.
  • No item on the Senate's agenda shall be subject to amendment under regular order.
  • No motion to suspend, modify, or amend any rule, or any part thereof, shall be in order, except on one day's notice in writing, specifying precisely the rule or part proposed to be suspended, modified, or amended, and the purpose thereof. Any rule may be suspended without notice by the unanimous consent of the Senate, except as otherwise provided by the rules.

Article Three. Senate Committees

Faculty committees derive their powers and responsibilities from the Faculty Senate, and function under the oversight of the Senate. Generally, the Senate Committees take routine actions without specific faculty approval but with notice to the Faculty Senate through committee minutes. In all more important matters, such as changes in policy or changes to academic programs, Senate Committees bring recommendations to the Faculty Senate.  A majority of the voting members of every Senate Committee will be full-time faculty members; ex-officio members are without vote unless otherwise indicated. Each Senate Committee has four general tasks within its sphere of responsibility:  

  • Senate Committees serve to keep the academic program under continuing scrutiny, minimizing weaknesses and encouraging improvements, by functioning as a forum for ideas and by investigating academic policy.
  • Senate Committees recommend policy to the Faculty Senate by guiding the Faculty Senate through carefully formulated proposals. The Faculty Senate then enacts or rejects that policy.
  • Once the Faculty Senate has approved a policy, and it has been reviewed and approved by the President and Provost, Senate Committees see that the policy is properly administered, that exceptions are mediated, and that details are tended to. Senate Committees are empowered and encouraged to delegate administrative authority within their bodies so long as the committee retains supervisory and review authority.
  • With the exception of the Rank and Tenure Committee, each Senate Committee must inform the Faculty Senate of its actions, normally through annual reports written by the chair of the committee or the Faculty Senate liaison. The exception for Rank and Tenure Committee is in regard to confidential matters only; this committee must report to the Faculty Senate regarding other (non-confidential) committee actions.  The Rank and Tenure Committee also reports to the Executive Division.

All voting members of the faculty may serve on Senate Committees as long as they meet the criteria indicated for those committees. No faculty member shall serve simultaneously on the Rank and Tenure Committee and the Compensation Committee. Terms of office for all Senate Committees are three years. A faculty member elected to chair a committee may serve as chair for no more than four consecutive years.

Each Senate Committee has a chair and a secretary. Ordinarily, the chair should be a tenured faculty member with at least one year of experience on the committee. The chair calls the committee meetings and carries out all other duties appropriate to the position. Each committee selects its own secretary unless a member of the administration has been assigned to the task. The secretary keeps minutes, distributes minutes to the committee members, and works with the chair in maintaining communication between the committee and the rest of the College.

The voting committee members for the next academic year will meet shortly after the spring semester elections to elect a chair and to consider the committee’s agenda for the next year. When necessary and without special permission of the Faculty Senate, committees may meet or otherwise conduct their business during the summer recess, though all such business must be reported to the Senate as usual. During any such summer work, the committee shall consist of continuing and newly-elected committee members; any member unavailable for the summer may be replaced for that time by an available outgoing former member by vote of the committee. 

The following six committees report to the Senate:

  • Reviews proposals for minor curricular changes.
  • Reviews proposals for new programs, majors or minors (or elimination of majors or minors).
  • Reviews academic policies and other curricular issues. 

Committee Membership:

  • Faculty Senate Vice President (ex officio, not the chair)
  • 1 LASSE (liberal arts, social sciences, education) faculty
  • 1 STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) faculty
  • 1 SOB (school of business) faculty
  • 2 at-large faculty
  • 1 education faculty (appointed by the department chair)
  • 1 interdisciplinary faculty (designated by the Associate Dean of Interdisciplinary Programs) Deans of SAS and SOB (as needed/available)
  • Assistant Dean of General Education (ex officio)
  • Interim Assistant Dean of Academic Services & Registrar (ex officio)
  • Director of the Library or designee (ex officio) 

Ranks and recommends applicants for sabbatical leaves, summer grants, and small grants.  The committee then submits its recommendations to the Provost. 

Proposes and reviews policies for sabbaticals and professional development grants (of both types). The committee also considers and proposes changes to allocation policies for faculty development funds. 

Committee Membership:

  • 1 SOB (school of business) faculty
  • 1 LASSE (liberal arts, social sciences, education) faculty
  • 1 STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) faculty
  • 3 at-large faculty
  • Director of Academic Development (ex officio) 
  • Reviews, provides feedback, and maintains information on full- and part-time faculty salaries, benefits, and other compensation, including faculty development funds.
  • Reports to the Faculty Senate and to the faculty at large its estimation of the fairness, effectiveness, and competitiveness of the current, and any proposed, salary, benefits, and compensation schemes. 

Committee Membership:

  • 1 business administration faculty
  • 4 at-large faculty (both schools)

There should be at least one of each: tenured full, tenured associate, untenured

  • 1 adjunct faculty
  • Provost (ex officio)
  • VP for Finance (ex officio)
  • General Counsel (ex officio)
  • Director of Human Resources (ex officio) 
  • Oversees all aspects of faculty elections including the solicitation of nominations and preparing, distributing, and counting ballots.
  • Convenes well in advance of faculty elections in order to give appropriate time for disseminating updates to the whole faculty on nominations.
  • Receives all nominations for faculty seats and may also encourage faculty to consider participating in committee work.
  • Attempts to ensure that both committee nominations and committee membership are representative of the gender and ethnic diversity of Faculty as well as diversity of discipline and rank.
  • Appoints replacement faculty or calls for nominations and elections by the whole faculty when new faculty committees are established or new institutional committees with formal faculty representation created, or when a faculty representative of a committee resigns their committee post before the conclusion of their term.
  • Collects annual reports from all committees on which faculty serve.
  • Reviews and proposes areas and structures for faculty governance with special attention to the Faculty Senate and faculty committees. 

Committee Membership:

  • Faculty Senate President, Chair (ex officio)
  • Faculty Senate Vice President (ex officio)
  • 1 SOB (school of business) faculty
  • 3 SAS (school of arts and sciences) faculty
  • All faculty members should have at least 2 years at Stonehill at the beginning of their terms. When possible, have one full professor.
  • Deans of SAS and SOB (as needed/available) 
  • Acts on individual requests for substitutions for or waivers of degree requirements.
  • Acts on individual requests for variation from academic policy.
  • Evaluates college-level equivalence requests.
  • Recommends policies and guidelines for academic probation, separation, leave of absence, or dismissal.
  • Considers cases of academic probation, separation, leave of absence, or dismissal.
  • Acts on applications for readmission.
  • Recommends requirements for eligibility for a degree.
  • Recommends guidelines for determining “reasonable progress towards a degree,” including policy on course sequencing, course load limits, and definition of “acceptable academic work”.
  • Recommends policies regarding grades, their meaning, and their use in determining grade point averages.
  • Recommends policies for degrees with honors.

Committee Membership:

  • 1 SOB (school of business) faculty
  • 1 LASSE (liberal arts, social sciences, education) faculty
  • 1 STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) faculty
  • 2 at-large faculty
  • Interim Assistant Dean of Academic Services & Registrar (ex officio, voting)
  • Director of Academic Services & Advising (ex officio, voting)
  • Associate Director of Academic Services & Advising (ex officio, voting) 
  • Reviews and evaluates candidate’s materials and recommends either granting or denying tenure and/or promotion. The committee’s evaluation and vote are sent to the Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs.
  • Formulates proposals concerning criteria for tenure and promotion, and procedural changes regarding pre-tenure, tenure, and promotion applications, which are then submitted to the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Senate must approve changes to criteria for pre-tenure, tenure and/or promotion after consultation with the full-time faculty. 

Committee Membership:

  • 2 SOB (school of business) faculty
  • 1 LASSE (liberal arts, social sciences, education) faculty
  • 1 STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) faculty
  • 2 at-large faculty

There should be 3 or 4 full professors, which include 1 SAS + 1 SOB.

  • Associate Provost for Academic Assessment and Faculty Development (ex-officio, non-voting) 
  • Meetings of the Curriculum Committee and the Professional Development Committee shall be announced to the faculty one week in advance, and such announcement is to include an agenda. Any member of the Stonehill community may attend these meetings. The chair of each committee shall determine who will be invited to appear with respect to items on the agenda. (The meetings of the Professional Development Committee reviewing faculty sabbaticals, summer grants, and small grants are not open to the community.) 
  • Advisory Committees. In addition to standing committees, there will be an ad hoc Advisory Committee process for review of issues which require committee review and/or final proposal prior to a Faculty Senate vote.  The Faculty Senate will elect a Senator as a liaison to the Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee liaison will request participation from the faculty at large to create an ad hoc committee of 3 to 5 members, specifically for the issue/proposal in question.   When faculty response provides such opportunity, the liaison will select faculty across Liberal Arts, Science, and Business Administration for service on the Advisory Committee.
  • The Faculty Assembly functions as a means of surfacing and discussing issues of concern to the faculty. The Faculty Senate or the appropriate Senate Committee then takes up such issues. Membership in the Faculty Assembly is given to all voting members of the faculty. 
  • Committee Motions and Reports. Any measure or matter reported by any Senate Committee shall not normally be considered in the Senate unless the report of that committee upon that measure or matter has been available to members for at least fourteen calendar days prior to the consideration of that measure or matter. If hearings have been held on any such measure or matter so reported, the committee reporting the measure or matter shall make every reasonable effort to have such hearings available for distribution to the Members of the Senate prior to the consideration of such measure or matter in the Senate. 
    • To allow for consultation between the committee chair and Senate president or vice president, the Senate authorizes the president to put a two-week delay on any committee resolution to be taken up by the Senate.
    • Committee resolutions shall be handled by the Senate in the following manner:
      • The Senate shall debate the resolution in accordance with Article II, Section IV of the Standing Rules and Procedures of the Senate.
      • Resolutions defeated by a majority vote shall be returned to the committee with a message from the Senate.  The committee may submit the resolution to the Senate only after an intervening Senate meeting.  If the Senate defeats the resolution a second time, the resolution is ineligible for further debate during the remainder of the Senate's calendar.
        • Upon a suspension of the rules, the Senate may change and/or amend committee resolutions.
        • Changed and/or amended resolutions shall be considered new matters and subject to debate in accordance with Article II, Section IV of the Standing Rules and Procedures of the Senate.  If a majority of Senators present vote to approve the new resolution, the Senate shall report to the Committee within five days of the reason for such actions. 

Article Four.  Amendment to the Rules 

Amendments to these Rules and Procedures (Articles II and III) shall be made by a two-thirds majority vote of a quorum of the Senate, subject to limitations of Articles I and II.

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