COLA Governance Structure

General Guidelines

  1. Members of all committees shall be elected or appointed for a term of three (3) years.
  2. No member shall serve for more than two (2) consecutive terms or for more than one full and one partial term.
  3. Members of all committees must be tenure-eligible or tenured faculty.
  4. A faculty member may serve on only one of the following committees at a time: Research, Promotion and Tenure, or Curriculum.
  5. No more than one faculty from a given department may serve on any committee.
  6. All committees are advisory to the Dean and report to the Dean.

Guidelines for the Curriculum Committee (7 members)

  1. Three (3) members elected by and from the Humanities Division; three (3) members elected by and from the Social Sciences Division; and one (1) at large member elected by all COLA faculty.
  2. Ex officio members are the COLA Senior Academic Advisor and the COLA Associate Dean.
  3. Functions: To review and approve
    • (a) course changes, deletions, or additions;
    • (b) online courses;
    • (c) policies regarding majors, minors, and graduation requirements;
    • (d) Capstone experiences;
    • (e) academic procedures proposed by COLA departments.

Guidelines for the Promotion and Tenure Committee (7 members)

  1. Membership limited to tenured faculty.
  2. Three (3) members elected by and from the Humanities Division; three (3) members elected by and from the Social Sciences Division; and one (1) member appointed by the Dean.
  3. Functions:
    • (a) To review and evaluate applications for tenure and promotion, including the recommendations of departmental committees and Chairs on promotion and tenure;
    • (b) to provide the Dean with a written rationale for the Committee’s decision on each application;
    • (c) to direct the development of criteria for use in evaluating applications and for the awarding of tenure and promotion. [Note: Changes in criteria must be approved by a majority vote of all full-time faculty before implementation.]

Guidelines for the Research Committee (7 members)

  1. Three (3) members elected by and from the Humanities Division; three (3) members elected by and from the Social Sciences Division; and one (1) member appointed by the Dean.
  2. Functions:
    • (a) To direct the development of criteria and eligibility for the awarding of research monies;
    • (b) to evaluate and prioritize applications for sabbatical leave, faculty development grants, and summer research grants.

Guidelines for the Faculty Concerns Committee (12 members)

  1. Membership: One (1) full-time faculty member elected by each department.
  2. Functions: Within the spirit of shared governance, the Faculty Concerns Committee is a representative body charged by the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts to advise, offer consent, and make recommendations to the Dean regarding a range of concerns affecting the welfare of the College. The Faculty Concerns Committee may consider matters the Dean brings to the Committee. Reciprocally, the Committee may bring the Dean recommendations for consideration, specific questions, and other matters of interest to the college’s faculty, staff, and students.
  3. Required meetings: The Committee will convene
    • (a) at least one meeting per semester and
    • (b) one open meeting per year to meet with students.

Enacted 2009