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4.B Principles for Faculty Participation in
Institutional Governance
The following statement of general principles for faculty participation
in institutional and academic unit level governance, reproduced below
in its entirety, was developed by the Academic Affairs Advisory Committee
(AAAC) of the Senate Assembly. These principles were unanimously endorsed
by the Senate Assembly on April 21, 1997, and were subsequently distributed
to all members of the faculty by the Provost and Executive Vice President
for Academic Affairs and the chair of SACUA. These principles are based,
in part, on Bylaws 5.02, 5.03, 5.04,
and 5.06, and recommendations for the government of colleges
and universities as set forth by the American Council on Education,
the Association of
Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, and the American Association
of University Professors. The faculty of the University of Michigan
are encouraged to use these principles as a basis for the development
of a means for participation in governance in all units. In accordance
with the Regents’ Bylaws, any policies and procedures that are
proposed pursuant to these principles must be consistent with the
Bylaws
and are subject to the ultimate authority of the Board of Regents.
See Section 3.F, “Faculty/Governing Faculty.”
Principles of Faculty Involvement in Institutional and Academic Unit
Governance at the University of Michigan
A. General Principles for Faculty Participation in Institutional Governance
1. The faculty has primary responsibility for such fundamental areas
as curriculum, subject matter and methods of instruction, research,
faculty status, standards and procedures for admission of students,
and those aspects of student life which relate to the educational
process.
2. The faculty sets the degree requirements, determines when the requirements
have been met, and otherwise qualifies students and recommends them
to the president and Board of Regents to grant the degrees thus achieved.
3. Considerations of faculty status and related matters are primarily
a faculty responsibility; this area includes matters relating to academic
titles, appointments, reappointments, decisions not to reappoint,
promotions, the recommending of tenure and dismissal. Policies and
procedures shall be developed for the implementation of these faculty
responsibilities.
4. The faculty shall participate in the determination of policies
and procedures governing compensation of faculty.
5. Agencies for faculty participation in the government of the college/school
or university shall be established at each level where faculty responsibility
is to be met. A faculty-elected campus-wide body shall exist for the
presentation of the views of the whole faculty. The agencies may consist
of meetings of all faculty members of a department, school, college,
division, or university system, or they may take the form of faculty-elected
executive committees in departments and colleges/schools, and a faculty-elected
body for larger divisions or for the institution as a whole.
6. Budgetary policies and decisions directly affecting those areas
for which the faculty has primary responsibility-such as, but not
limited to, curriculum, subject matter and methods of instruction,
research, faculty status, admission of students and those aspects
of student life which relate to the educational process-shall be made
in concert with the faculty.
7. The preceding faculty responsibilities remain in effect when there
is a delegation of faculty governance to agencies or administrative
officers. Faculty must exercise diligence and provide oversight to
ensure that its agencies act in keeping with its policies and recommendations,
and that they are implemented in an appropriate manner.
B. Academic Unit Level Governance Principles
1. Although the principles of governance apply to all academic units
the forms of faculty governance may vary among units.
2. Every academic unit at the University of Michigan shall have a
set of written rules and procedures for its governance, copies of
which are to be available to each faculty member.
3.The governing faculty of each academic unit shall establish the
responsibilities and authority of each academic unit governance entity
and each administrative entity within that unit. This applies to the
lines of decision-making authority of these entities in relation to:
curriculum; admission requirements; graduation requirements; major
operating procedures such as departmental organization, committee
organization, committee appointments; budget; faculty appointments,
reappointments, decisions not to reappoint; faculty promotion and
tenure; and policies concerning reviews of faculty for merit salary
increases.
4. The governing faculty of each academic unit shall establish the
operating procedures of its academic unit governance entities including,
but not limited to: procedures for agenda setting, establishment of
a quorum, determination of membership and voting rights, qualification
of attendance by persons other than members, appointment of a faculty
secretary, distribution of minutes, and the retention/filing of minutes.
5.For those academic units where the faculty delegates authority
to an executive committee the following principles apply:
a. Procedures for nomination and election of executive committee
members shall be determined by the governing faculty of the unit.
b. All recommendations to the Regents concerning a unit executive
committee or other unit governance entity shall be based on a vote
of the governing faculty of the unit.
c. The governing faculty shall establish the membership criteria
for the executive committee with consideration for balance among
various components of the unit, such as unit programs and departments,
to make the executive committee representative of the governing
faculty of the unit.
d. The governing faculty shall establish criteria for those eligible
to serve on the executive committee, e.g., membership in the governing
faculty or in the professional faculty, fraction of appointment,
and holding of administrative positions.
e. The governing faculty shall establish policies and procedures
by which a vote by secret ballot among nominees for membership on
the executive committee will be conducted, and for the transmission
of the names of those elected to the Regents.
f. The governing faculty shall establish policies and procedures
to be used to fill a vacancy if a member of the executive committee
must take a leave of absence or is otherwise unable to complete
the original term of office
g. The governing faculty shall establish policies and procedures
regarding the term of office of elected members and any other restrictions
on terms of office.
Endorsed by the Senate Assembly
April 21, 1997
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