Faculty Rights & Responsibilities Committee

Revision Date: Standing Committee, last revision April 1994, April 2019.

Purpose: To serve as a hearing board, according to specific criteria, and to delineate the procedures according to PAc-18 to be followed when issues involving faculty rights and responsibilities have not been successfully resolved through the normal administrative channels.

Membership: Voting membership of the committee shall consist of two tenured faculty members from each college, one tenured faculty member at large, and one librarian 3 or 4. The at-large member shall serve two years. No two faculty members shall come from the same department. Nominees for faculty representatives for each college shall be made by the Faculty Senate and shall be voted on by members of the faculty in that college or the librarians. The Faculty Senate shall select the remaining member from the tenured faculty at large. It is preferred that committee members have prior service on the University Promotion or Tenure Committee or the Library Promotion Committee. At least one faculty member shall be a Faculty Senator, but Faculty Senators should not hold a majority of faculty membership on the committee. The election shall be conducted by the Faculty Senate. Term of service shall be two years with one-half being replaced each year. No member may serve more than two terms in sequence. No member shall serve on the Library Promotion Committee, University Tenure, Promotion and Faculty Rights and Responsibilities Committees simultaneously.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• To review, mediate, and informally resolve, if possible, petitions from faculty who believe they have suffered a substantial injustice resulting from a violation of academic freedom, professional ethics, procedural fairness, or due process.
• To serve as a Hearing Board and make formal recommendation(s) to the president of the University regarding the disposition of a petition in accordance with PAc-18.
• To conduct an annual review of the applicable Faculty Rights and Responsibilities policies (PAc-18).

Frequency of Meetings: As required, including meetings during summer months.

Reporting Channels: Recommendatory to President. Recommended changes in policies and procedures shall be reported to the Faculty Senate.

Minutes and Proposals Copied to: The Library, Faculty Senate, Student Government Association, and Staff Congress. (Published minutes should protect the confidentiality of faculty.)

Officers: Chair, Chair Elect, and Secretary selected by the committee from the membership.

Support Services: Office of the President.

MEMBERSHIP

The procedure for resignation from a University Standing Committee is written notification to the University Standing Committee chairperson, Faculty Senate secretary, and the faculty member’s Department Chair. In the absence of a University Standing Committee Chairperson, the notification may be sent to the Faculty Senate secretary and the faculty member’s Department Chair.

• Annie Adams HUM 23-25
• Scott Meisel CBT 23-25
• Lesia Lennex COE 23-25
• Jenny Dearden COS 23-25 CHAIR-ELECT 2024 
• Ignacio Birriel At -Large 23-25
• Lola Aagaard COE 2022-2024 SECRETARY 2023-2024
• Lori Baruth HUM 2022-2024 CHAIR
• Ahmad Hassan CBT 2022-2024
• Tom Kmetz Librarian 2022-2024
• Lisa Shannon HUM 2022-2024
• Lynn Haller COS 2022-2024

*All 1-year terms end Aug. 15 of each fiscal year.