Preamble
The governance of Eastern Mennonite University is the responsibility of EMU’s Board of Trustees, administration, and faculty. Governance policy and procedure creates a framework for the various entities of the university community to participate in pursuing the mission and goals of the university. The Shared Governance Guidelines of the Faculty define the mission and responsibilities of the faculty regarding Faculty Meetings and Academic Council as participants in the governance of the university, and establish the policies and procedures of their operation in this capacity. These policies and procedures are intended to foster broad participation in curricular decision-making and academic policies and accountability among administration, faculty, and stakeholders in a spirit of mutual trust and respect. The faculty acknowledges that the Board of Trustees has the ultimate decision-making responsibility and authority.
Note: The The Philosophy of Decision Makingand and The Academic Division sections description in the University Governance section of the Employee Handbook clearly state the expectation for reporting decisions (with rationale) at all levels of decision making. Therefore, with these decision making guidelines, it is understood that decisions made at the level of Provost’s Council, President’s Cabinet and Board of Trustees are to be communicated back to faculty via the Academic Council. The model is to be one that fosters open communication at all levels
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The Academic Council will be the academic legislative body of the faculty and will act on behalf of the faculty in making decisions or approving recommendations that pertain to the curriculum or academic policies.
Section 1. The faculty are an integral component of the university structure and, along with the Board of Trustees and executive administration, are responsible for the well-being of the university community. The faculty are directly responsible for providing the quality of education provided at EMU, for supporting holistic personal development in students, and for conducting academic inquiry.
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Section 3. Membership. Academic Council will consist of:
Academic Deans (Co-Chair) Deans
3 Program Director representatives from each school- to reflect the mix of programs in the school
Assistant Provost for Student Success
EMU Core Curriculum Director
Writing Program Director
Director of Intercultural Programs
CODI representative with faculty status
Academic Council will be co-chaired by one Academic Dean (chosen by the currently serving academic deans) and a faculty member (selected by the other members of the Academic Council).
ex officio and non-voting members: Registrar, Library, Career Services, SGA president, Director of Academic Success Center
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Section 4. Appointment of Members. The Academic Deans, Assistant Provost for Student Success, EMU Core Curriculum Director, Writing Program Director, and Director of Intercultural Programs are members of the Committee based upon their positions.
The Program Director Representatives are elected by faculty (as defined above) in their school. The Academic Dean prepares the ballot, and elections are conducted at the final School meeting of each year. All Program Directors are listed on the ballot unless an individual requests to be omitted based on unusual circumstances. Program Director Representatives elected to the Academic Committee shall serve two-year terms and will represent the interests of their respective schools by attending Academic Council meetings and communicating the opinions and perspectives of the faculty in their schools. Program Director Representatives will report to the members of their respective schools on the work and actions of the Academic Council. See Academic Council Election Procedure.
Section 5. Meetings. The Academic Council will meet at least once a month during each semester of the regular academic year. All Academic Council meetings will be open unless an executive session is designated. Executive sessions will include only voting Members of the council.
The three finger vote (3-fully support, 2- can live with & support, 1-do not consent) has been adopted for use by Academic Council, to be reviewed every three years. Passage of motions and recommendations requires an affirmation of at least 80% of those voting members in attendance. The Dean’s offices will provide notice of formal actions of the Academic Council to all members of the Faculty by the end of the work week in which the action is taken.
A. Special Meetings. The Academic Council must schedule a special meeting at the written request of the University President or Provost, at the request of any five Academic Council members, or at the request of at least seven faculty members.
Article III: Faculty By-Laws and Amendments
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Approved by the Undergraduate Faculty April 30, 2009
Guidelines approved by Undergraduate Faculty April 20, 2012; amendments approved by Undergraduate Faculty September 27, 2012.
Revised guidelines approved by Undergraduate Faculty September 28, 2015
Revised guidelines approved by Undergraduate Faculty, January 28, 2019
Revised guidelines vetted by Graduate Council March 30, 2020 and UGC April 1, 2020, and approved at Faculty Assembly April 13, 2020
Policy Review
This policy is to be reviewed by the faculty every three years.
Distribution
Faculty/Staff Handbook