POLICY STATEMENT
These Bylaws facilitate the business of the Faculty Senate of Nevada State University (NSHE Code Title 2, Chapter 1, Section 1.4.7 – 1.4.8) (Hereafter referred to as the Senate.) They establish the basis upon which effective participation and deliberation shall take place in formulating, evaluating, and recommending policy by which the University shall be governed.
The Faculty Senate Bylaws provide the guidelines necessary for the Faculty Senate to express the faculty’s position on matters of academic concern and faculty rights. It also serves to facilitate coordination and cooperation between and among the several parts of the University organization.
PROCEDURES
Article 1 Preamble
1.1 The intent of these Bylaws is to facilitate the business of the Faculty Senate of Nevada State University (NSHE Code, Chapter 1, Sections 1.4.7-1.4.8), hereafter referred to as the Senate. This document consists of procedures designed to supplement those outlined in the NSHE Code and the Nevada State University Bylaws.
1.2 These Bylaws establish the basis upon which effective participation and deliberation shall take place in formulating, evaluating, and recommending policy by which the University shall be governed. It is intended to provide the governance structure of the University faculty based on a philosophy of shared responsibility for University leadership, to facilitate coordination and cooperation between and among the several parts of the University organization, and to provide means of expression on matters of academic concern and faculty rights.
1.3 The Bylaws of the Senate shall be in accord at all times with the provisions of the NSU Bylaws and the NSHE Code.
1.4 In cases of doubt as to proper procedure, and when not superseded by either the NSHE Code or NSU Bylaws, the parliamentary authority of the Senate shall be in accordance with the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.
Article 2 Membership
2.1 All academic and administrative faculty who hold greater than a .50 FTE professional contract with Nevada State University as defined in Title 4, Chapter 3, Section 2 of the Board of Regents Handbook are eligible to serve on the Senate and its committees.
2.1.1 Administrative Faculty occupying executive offices, such as the President, Provost, Vice Presidents, Vice Provosts, Associate Vice Presidents, Deans, Associate Deans, Assistant Deans, and Chairs with a greater than 50% administrative assignment shall not be eligible for Faculty Senate membership or voting in Faculty Senate elections.
2.1.2 Administrative Faculty, as listed in 2.1.1, may attend Faculty Senate meetings by invitation of the Faculty Senate Chair.
2.1.3 All academic and administrative faculty are eligible to serve up to two (2) consecutive terms and will be eligible for re-nomination after two (2) years of non-participation. For purposes of this section, a “term” shall include a full term or partial term to fill a vacancy.
2.1.4 An At-Large Senator is eligible to serve one (1) year and will adhere to the two-term consecutive term limit. If an AT-Large Senator is elected to an Administrative or Academic Senator seat or voted into a Faculty Senate Executive Leadership role, the At-Large Senator may complete two (2) consecutive terms in the new role.
2.2 Adjunct fact shall be represented by a duly elected senator who shall hold full voting rights and privileges (see Section 4.3).
2.3 Advisory members are non-voting, advising members of the Senate. The following groups will each have one (1) advisory member: the NSU Chapter of the Nevada Faculty Alliance (NSU-NFA), the Nevada State Student Alliance (NSSA), and the Classified Employee Council (CEC). An advisory member may include a representative from the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE). Representatives are to be selected by members of these groups. The representatives will be announced at the April meeting and re seated as advisory members of the Faculty Senate on July 1st.
2.4 Meetings of the Faculty Senate are open to all faculty, staff, and administrators unless otherwise specified as “closed” on the agenda or at the discretion of the Faculty Senate Chair. During the “closed” portion of the meeting, only voting and advisory members of the Faculty Senate and the Faculty Senate Executive Committee will be permitted to attend unless invited by the Faculty Senate Chair.
Article 3 Faculty Senate Units
3.1 For the purpose of conducting elections of senators, the faculty of Nevada State University is divided into the following units:
- Administrative Faculty (excluding executive and supervisory roles, as defined in Section 2.1.1);
- University Libraries;
- School of Education;
- School of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Business;
- School of Nursing
3.2 Units named above are separately identified academic units, Schools, or eligible employee groups. At the formation of new academic units or Schools (i.e., a School of Business), these new Units will have equal representation.
Article 4 Faculty Senate Representation and Annual Census
4.1 Academic Faculty: Each School and the Library named in 3.1 shall have one (1) representative for each five (5) faculty (with professional contracts of >0.50 FTE) or fraction thereof, to be elected by the members of the Unit from among its eligible members. “Fraction thereof” is exemplified as follows: there will be three (3) representatives for a group of 11 faculty, and four (4) for a group of 16 faculty. Each School will have a minimum of three (3) representatives. The University Libraries will have a minimum of two (2) representatives.
4.2 Administrative Faculty: The Administrative Faculty Unit shall consist of 30% of the Faculty Senate voting members. They will be elected by the members of the unit from among its eligible members.
4.3 Adjunct Faculty: One (1) Senate seat shall be designated for an adjunct faculty representative. The adjunct faculty seat is a one-year term. This seat will be filled by an eligible faculty member who has (a) completed teaching a minimum of one (1) 16-week semester at NSU, (b) current holds a part-time letter of appointment in the 16-week term nominated, and (c) expects to be reappointed in the following academic year.
4.4 At-Large Faculty: One (1) Senate seat shall be designated “At-Large.” The At-Large seat is a one-year term. This seat will be filled by an eligible academic or administrative faculty member who is successful in an election conducted of the entire faculty in which all persons on at least a 50% FTE contract are eligible to vote.
4.5 Annual Census: Each year on the third Wednesday in January, the Faculty Senate Chair (or designee on the Faculty Senate Executive Committee) will conduct an annual census of the faculty to determine the correct number of representatives allowed to serve on the Faculty Senate. The census will count the lines allocated to each school. The Chair will notify each unit of any elections that need to be held as a result of the census.
4.6 The total body of the Senate shall reflect the representative-to-faculty ratio defined in 4.1 and 4.2.
Article 5 Faculty Senate Participation, Attendance, and Designating Proxies
5.1 Participation: Faculty members elected to the Senate are authorized and have responsibility to represent faculty on matters of primary concern to the faculty of the University. Senators do hold the responsibility of informing their constituents of Faculty Senate proceedings and soliciting their constituents’ input on matters under consideration of the Faculty Senate.
5.1.1 It is understood that all senators will obtain approval from their supervisors to serve on Senate and that all work-related duties will be scheduled outside of monthly Senate meetings to the extent possible.
5.1.2 All Faculty Senators are expected to participate in Faculty Senate committees and activities.
5.2 Attendance: At the end of each semesters, the Secretary to the Senate shall review the attendance record of each senator.
5.2.1 A Senator who is absent for more than two regularly-scheduled senate meetings per year without a proxy (see Section 5.3), as verified by the Secretary, shall be automatically dismissed from service on Senate.
5.2.2 At that time, the number required for a quorum shall be reduced accordingly. The Senate Chair will then take action to see that a replacement from the same unit is named to fill the vacancy.
5.3 Designating Proxies: A member of the Senate who is unable to attend a single meeting may designate a proxy for the meeting. Sitting senators cannot serve as a proxy. All proxies must present to the Secretary of the Senate a written authorization signed by the designating member or an email authorizing the proxy from the Senator’s NSU email account. With the exception of the proxy for the At-Large senator or adjunct Senator, a proxy must be the same faculty type from the same Unit (see Section 3.1) as the designating member.
5.3.1 A long-term proxy is defined as one in which the senator anticipates being unavailable for four (4) or more consecutive meetings but intends to return prior to the expiration of the academic year.
5.3.2 Long-term proxies are limited to one (1) academic year.
5.4 In the absence of Unit Bylaws or regulations stipulating the selection of long-term proxies, the following will be used:
5.4.1 If the unit delegation includes two (2) or more senators, the delegation shall designate the proxy. If the delegation contains only one (1) senator, the Unit shall conduct a special election to select a long-term proxy.
5.4.2 In the case of At-Large senators, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee shall designate a long-term proxy with input from the senator requesting the proxy and special consideration given to the results of the most recent At-Large election.
5.4.3 Any senator may request the designation of a long-term proxy so long as the time during which the senator will be unavailable does not extend beyond one (1) year and that a definite date of return is indicated on the written notice to the Secretary of the Senate.
5.4.4 Any Faculty Senate Executive Committee Officers must resign their office if requesting a long-term proxy.
Article 6 Officers of the Faculty Senate
6.1 There are five (5) officers that make up the Faculty Senate Executive Committee: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Parliamentarian, and Administrative Faculty Chair. Officers are nominated in April and elected by closed vote at the May meeting (see Section 7.4).
6.2 Chair: The Chair of the Senate shall be the official representative of the faculty and the Senate at all functions. The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Senate and the Executive Committee, and they may serve in other capacities as directed by the NSHE Code or the NSU Bylaws. The Chair shall have voting privileges as a member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, and have Senate voting privileges only in the event of a tie. The person elected Vice Chair of the Faculty Senate shall serve one (1) year as Vice Chair, one (1) year as Chair, and one (1) year as Past Chair, respectively. Administrative faculty are ineligible to serve as Chair of Faculty Senate.
6.2.1 As compensation for the duties of this position, the Chair of the Senate will receive a stipend of $8,000 for the academic year, a six-unit course release for the Fall term, and a six-unit course release for the Spring term. The Chair will be expected to attend meetings and conduct some business in the summer months.
6.3 Vice Chair: The Vice Chair of the Senate shall assume the position of the Chair in the absence of the elected Chair. The Vice Chair shall also serve as Chair for the Institutional Policy and Procedure Committee, as well as oversee all Senate Committees. The Vice Chair shall have voting privileges as a member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, and they shall not have Senate voting privileges. The person elected Vice Chair of the Faculty Senate shall serve one (1) year as Vice Chair, one (1) year as Chair, and one (1) year as Past Chair, respectively. Academic faculty who are current members of the Faculty Senate are eligible to be nominated for the position of Vice Chair.
6.3.1 As compensation for the duties of this position, the Vice Chair of the Senate will receive a three-unit course release in the Spring term.
6.3.2 In order to provide oversight to the Senate Committees, the Vice Chair will periodically check in with Senate Committee Chairs and provide guidance on matters, if necessary.
6.4 Secretary: The Secretary shall maintain minutes of the activities of the Senate, distribute minutes of the Senate meetings to the Senate memberships within a timely manner, and oversee the Senate’s online presence on the NSU website and Canvas Senate page. Faculty who are current members of the Faculty Senate are eligible to be nominated for the position of Secretary.
6.5 Parliamentarian: The Parliamentarian shall make recommendations to the Chair on matters of parliamentary procedures and adherence to the Bylaws. The Parliamentarian shall serve as the chair of the Bylaws Committee. Faculty who are current members of the Faculty Senate are eligible to be nominated for the position of Parliamentarian.
6.6 Administrative Faculty Chair: The Chair of the Administrative Faculty Affairs Standing Committee, as detailed in Sections 10.1 and 10.3.2, shall serve as a member of the Faculty Senate Executive Council.
6.6.1 The Administrative Faculty Chair will serve as a voting member of the NSU Executive Budget Committee.
6.7 Upon becoming officers, the Chair and Vice Chair shall relinquish their seats on the Senate. Their respective Units will hold a special election to fill the vacant seats (see Section 7.5).
6.8 Members of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee may not appoint proxies to Faculty Senate Executive Committee meetings; however, votes may be submitted in absentia.
6.9 The number of consecutive terms that an individual may serve as Chair shall be limited to two (2); no term limits shall be imposed on the remaining offices of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee.
6.10 If a vacancy occurs midterm for any officer, except Chair, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee will serve as a nominating committee and will present a list of candidates willing to run for the vacancy as the next Senate meeting.
Article 7 Senator and Officer Election Procedures
7.1 Senator Elections: At the February meeting of the Senate, the Chair will announce that each Unit is to choose its representative(s) for the following academic year. Each Unit must complete the call for nominations by the third (3rd) Friday in February. The election must be completed by the first (1st) Friday in March. The names of the winning candidates must be forwarded to the Chair by the second (2nd) Friday in March. The newly-elected representatives will be announced at the April meeting, attend and be introduced at the May meeting, and be seated July 1.
7.1.1 Only members eligible to vote (as defined in Section 2.1) shall be allowed to vote in elections.
7.1.2 To maintain a combination of new and experienced Faculty Senate membership, it is recommended that elections shall occur on a staggered schedule.
7.1.3 If a Unit senator becomes unable to serve, a replacement will be elected by School or Administrative Faculty Units. The newly-appointed senator will serve the unexpired term at any time by the Unit affected according to the procedures contained in the Bylaws.
7.2 Adjunct Election: At the April meeting of the Senate, the Chair will announce the election of the adjunct faculty representative. The Faculty Senate Executive Committee will conduct an election of all adjunct faculty in which academic faculty with a current part-time letter of appointment are eligible to vote. Nominations will be accepted through the second (2nd) Friday in April. An online election will be completed by the fourth (4th) Friday in April. The winning candidate will be announced at the May meeting and seated on the Faculty Senate July 1.
7.3 At-Large Election: At the April meeting of the Senate, the Chair will announce the election of the At-Large representative. The Faculty Senate Executive Committee will conduct an election of the entire faculty in which all persons on at least a 50% FTE contract are eligible to vote. Nominations will be accepted through the second (2nd) Friday in April. An online election will be completed by the fourth (4th) Friday in April. The winning candidate will be announced at the May meeting and seated on the Faculty Senate July 1.
7.3.1 If an At-Large senator becomes unable to serve, the person finishing second in the most recent election for an At-Large seat shall be appointed by the Faculty Senate to fill the remainder of the unexpired term.
7.4 Officer Elections: At the April meeting of the Senate, the Chair will call for nominations of Senate officers. Nominations will remain open until the second (2nd) Friday in April. A list of candidates for all Faculty Senate offices (Vice Chair, Parliamentarian, and Secretary) shall be distributed by email at least one (1) week in advance of the May meeting. Officers shall be elected by secret ballot as the first action-item on the agenda at the May meeting. The Senate shall then elect from among its seated members a Vice Chair, a Parliamentarian, and a Secretary. These individuals, along with the Chair, shall constitute the Faculty Senate Executive Committee.
7.5 Special Elections: Faculty Senate seats vacated by the election of a Chair or Vice Chair shall be filled by special election held by the Unit they represented. These elections will be conducted online. Nominations will be accepted through the second (2nd) Friday in May and an election will be completed by the fourth (4th) Friday in May.
7.6 Terms of office for all senators and officers shall run from July 1 to the following June 30.
Article 8 Meetings, Agenda, Quorum, and Minutes
8.1 Agenda: The Faculty Senate Executive Committee shall prepare an agenda which shall allow for the introduction of new business at each meeting and which shall accompany notification of the meeting. The Senate must include on its agenda any request directed to it by the faculty or any Units thereof not later than the second regular meeting following receipt of such request by the Chair of the Senate.
8.1.1 All requests requiring action must first appear on the Senate agenda as information items. The faculty or Unit with authority over the request shall coordinate, if relevant, with the appropriate Senate committee to have the policy or proposal reviewed prior to presentation to the Senate.
8.1.2 Agenda requests shall be submitted to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee for approval no later than two (2) weeks prior to the scheduled meeting.
8.1.3 Recommended Senate meeting agenda format: announcements; action items; guest speakers; future action items – meeting (date); general information; committee reports; new business.
8.2 Meetings: The Senate shall hold meetings at least once each calendar month during the Fall and Spring semesters. The date, time, and place of each of these meetings shall be made known to each senator and all members of the faculty at least ten (10) full Working Days in advance of the meeting.
8.2.1 The Senate may hold special meetings at any time, called by the Chair of the Senate or requested of the Chair by petition of at least one-third of the senators. Those meetings shall be publicized in the same manner prescribed for regular meetings in Section 8.1.
8.2.2 Meetings during summer shall be called by the Faculty Senate Executive Committee as necessary.
8.3 Quorum: A majority of the voting members of the Senate shall constitute a quorum. Single-meeting proxies may not be counted in determining a quorum.
8.4 Minutes: A copy of the minutes of each Senate meeting shall be distributed to each member of the Senate and the faculty within fifteen (15) Working Days of the meeting.
Article 9 Senate Authority and Voting
9.1 Authority: Chapter 1, Section 2 of the NSU Bylaws requires that policies and procedures having University-wide impact be submitted to the Faculty Senate for review and recommendation.
9.2 Voting: The will of the NSU faculty on any given matter is determined through one of the two following procedures: (1) a vote of the Faculty Senate or (2) a vote of the entire faculty.
9.3 The Faculty Senate will have two (2) weeks to conduct the vote after a question is considered at a meeting of the Faculty Senate.
9.4 Procedure 1: A Vote of the Faculty Senate
9.4.1 All motions will require a simple majority of those voting members present. Motions to close or limit debate or to move to the previous question shall require a two-thirds majority vote of those present.
9.4.2 All Senate votes other than elections shall be taken by open voting (e.g., voice votes/show of hands), unless a majority of Senators present vote in favor of a secret ballot on the question or request an electronic vote.
9.4.3 Actions approved by the Senate shall be forwarded through administrative channels to the Provost and the vote will be recorded in the associated meeting minutes.
9.5 Procedure 2: A Vote of the Entire Faculty: A question is submitted to the entire faculty through electronic or other means for a vote. It is the Faculty Senate Executive Committee’s responsibility to draft a ballot and distribute it to faculty for a vote.
9.5.1 A simple majority of voting faculty (as defined in NSHE Code, Chapter 1, Section 1) is sufficient to resolve any question.
9.5.2 Actions approved by the entire faculty shall be forwarded through administrative channels to the Provost and President and the vote will be recorded in the associated meeting minutes. The Chair will report the results of such actions to the entire faculty at the earliest convenience.
9.6 The Senate may solicit campus opinion on an issue through a campus ballot. The results of this opinion poll are not binding upon the Senate.
9.7 At the request of a majority vote of Faculty Senate, when there is disagreement on an issue, an Issue Group will be formed to attempt to mediate a joint stand. An equal number of participants shall represent each side of the issue. If no consensus is reached, the Issue Group shall develop a joint statement of the differences. All recommendations of the Issue Group will be returned to the Faculty Senate.
9.8 Faculty of NSU may petition the Senate to force a faculty-wide vote on any issue before the Senate. If ten percent (10%) of all academic and administrative faculty with greater than 0.50 FTE sign a written petition addressed to the Chair of the Faculty Senate on any issue, the Senate must follow Procedure 2 as described in Section 9.5.
Article 10 Standing Committees: Composition and Functions
10.1 Committee Chair Eligibility and Term: Any faculty member eligible to vote in the general Faculty Senate elections in accordance with Article 1 shall be eligible for election to chair a standing committee of the Senate, except as may be provided in Section 10.3.1 – 10.3.11 below. Also, as may be appropriate from time to time, the Senate may appoint, or ask, any individual to serve as a chair or participate in a special committee of the Senate.
10.1.1 Except where noted below (Sections 10.3.1.2 and 10.3.6.2), all other committee chairs will be elected by the voting majority of the Senate at the first Fall meeting.
10.1.2 There is a two-year term limit for chairs of Faculty Senate committees.
10.2 Committee Composition and Term: Each committee will have a minimum of three (3) members. Faculty Senate committees shall strive for balanced representation from each Unit as defined in Section 3.1.
10.2.1 The chair of a Faculty Senate committee must be a Senator.
10.2.2 The faculty members of each committee shall be selected by the committee chair.
10.2.3 Faculty Senate committees may include faculty who are not senators. Only those eligible to serve as senators may be members of committees.
10.2.4 The student members of a committee shall be selected in any democratic manner directed by the student government Bylaws.
10.2.5 All standing committee assignments shall be for two-year terms.
10.2.5.1 For purposes of committee assignments, the year begins at the beginning of the Fall semester.
10.2.5.2 Committee members shall follow the same procedures as do Senate members in delegating proxies (see Section 5.2).
10.2.5.3 When appropriate, committees shall meet during the summer months.
10.3 Standing Committees: The Faculty Senate includes a variety of standing committees that address both campus-wide issues and Senate issues. Below are the standing committees of the Senate, including specifics about membership where relevant. Standing committees may move to inactive committees as needed throughout the year.
10.3.1 Institutional Policy and Procedure
10.3.1.1 This committee identifies, shares, reviews, and provides feedback on policies, procedures, or issues that may impact the institution and its ability to operate successfully. Concerns include campus-wide policies that are not subsumed under other committees, including those relevant to academic, administrative, and part-time faculty or curriculum development.
10.3.1.2 The Vice Chair of Senate will serve as the committee chair and liaison to the Provost (or designee) to review emerging institutional issues, to discuss priorities for the agenda in the year ahead, and to plan for ad hoc assignments pertaining to institutional affairs.
10.3.2 Academic Faculty Affairs
10.3.2.1 This committee identifies, shares, reviews, and provides feedback on policies, procedures, or issues that may impact academic faculty and their ability to carry out their professional responsibilities. When relevant, the committee may draft new policy that creates protections for academic faculty. Concerns may include (but are not limited to): evaluation, promotion, tenure, compensation, academic freedom, disciplinary procedures, grievances and due process, workload, leave, course releases, intellectual property, course content, and grading.
10.3.2.2 The Faculty Senate Academic Faculty Affairs Committee shall consist of a minimum of one (1) tenured faculty member and one (1) tenure-track faculty member.
10.3.2.3 No administrative faculty as defined in Section 2.1 or 2.1.1 above may be members of the Academic Faculty Affairs Committee.
10.3.3 Administrative Faculty Affairs
10.3.3.1 This committee identifies, shares, reviews, and provides feedback on policies, procedures, or issues that may impact administrative faculty and their ability to carry out their professional responsibilities. When relevant, the committee may draft new policy that creates protections for administrative faculty. Concerns may include (but are not limited to): evaluation, promotion, compensation, disciplinary issues, grievances, due process, workload, and sabbatical.
10.3.4 Part-Time Faculty Affairs
10.3.4.1 This committee identifies, shares, reviews, and provides feedback on policies, procedures, or issues that may impact part-time faculty and their ability to carry out their professional responsibilities. When relevant, the committee may draft new policy that creates protections for part-time faculty. Concerns may include (but are not limited to): hiring, evaluation, compensation, disciplinary issues, grievances and due process, workload, course content, and grading.
10.3.4.2 The Faculty Senate shall establish a Standing Part-Time Faculty Affairs Committee that meets at least once a semester and is chaired by a senator who is elected from within the Senate. Part-time instructors are eligible to serve on the committee.
10.3.5 Fiscal Affairs
10.3.5.1 This committee monitors, review4s, and reports on all major issues related to the institution’s operational budget (e.g., tuition/fees, legislative formula, income, expenditures), annual budget prioritization, and resource allocation. Represents Faculty Senate at relevant institution meetings including (but not limited to) the NSU Executive Budget Committee.
10.3.5.2 The Fiscal Affairs Chair will serve as an advisory (non-voting) member on the NSU Executive Budget Committee.
10.3.5.3 The Fiscal Affairs Committee shall elect an administrative faculty member from its membership to serve as the second administrative faculty representative on the NSU Executive Budget committee, a position with voting privileges. In the event that the Fiscal Affairs Committee does not include any administrative faculty members, the Committee Chair shall be responsible for recruiting one (1) administrative faculty member to jointly serve on the Fiscal Affairs Committee and the NSU Executive Budget Committee.
10.3.6 Curriculum
10.3.6.1 This committee evaluates course, core curriculum, and degree change/creation/deletion proposals once those proposals have been approved by the appropriate School-level curriculum committee.
10.3.6.2 The chair of the Curriculum committee will be elected by the voting majority of the Senate in the Spring semester.
10.3.6.3 The Curriculum committee chair will receive a $1,000 stipend for the academic year.
10.3.7 Facilities and Campus Planning
10.3.7.1 This committee ensures faculty input as land and building space is allocated, changed, or planned.
10.3.7.2 One (1) administrative and one (1) academic faculty member from the committee will serve on the Facilities Resource Committee and Campus Safety Committee, or other committee where appropriate.
10.3.8 Library Advisory Board
10.3.8.1 This committee shall serve in a strategic advisory role as a liaison between faculty and the University Library. The Committee provides feedback and recommendations to the Library in support of student success.
10.3.9 Bylaws and Code
10.3.9.1 This committee reviews the Bylaws for the purpose of considering any additions and/or revisions which may be deemed necessary and advisable by members of the Faculty Senate and its Executive Committee.
10.3.9.2 The Parliamentarian shall serve as the chair of this committee.
10.3.10 Strategic Planning
10.3.10.1 This committee maintains the Faculty Senate’s strategic plan to assist the Senate in planning and accountability to faculty and NSU’s mission.
10.3.10.2 The Faculty Senate Executive Committee comprises the membership for this committee.
10.3.11 Ad Hoc Committees
10.3.11.1 Ad Hoc committees will be formed on an as-needed basis as judged by a voting majority of the Senate.
10.4 Committee Business: A matter within the jurisdiction of any committee must be submitted to that committee by the Chair of the Senate. This does not preclude issues initiated by the committee in concurrence with the chair or other issues non-senators bring to the committee.
10.4.1 The Chair shall allow the committee a reasonable time in which to respond to matters so submitted and shall inform the Senate of the Chair’s directions to the committee and the time period allowed for the committee.
10.4.2 The timely recommendations of a standing or ad hoc committee upon any matter within its jurisdiction shall be accepted and implemented upon a vote of a majority of the voting senators present.
10.4.3 In the event a committee does not recommend action upon any matter so submitted within a reasonable time, said matter may be brought directly to the floor of the Senate by any senator for disposition.
10.5 Committee Reports: Senate standing and ad hoc committee chairs will present a report of their committee’s activities to the Senate at least once a semester. All standing and ad hoc committee reports must be distributed in writing to the Senate at the meeting. The Faculty Senate Executive Committee shall determine the rotational schedule for the committee reports.
10.5.1 At the end of each semester, the chair of each Senate committee shall submit to the Secretary of the Senate the attendance record of each committee member.
10.6 No provision contained herein shall be interpreted as restricting the Chair of the Senate, with the concurrence of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, from forming ad hoc or standing committees, or restricting a standing committee from forming subcommittees.
Article 11 Amendment of Bylaws
11.1 Amendment of these Bylaws may be accomplished in the following manner:
11.1.1 A proposed amendment must first be submitted to the Faculty Senate Bylaws Committee.
11.1.2 The proposed amendment shall be circulated to all Senate members seven (7) days prior to a properly called and constituted meeting of the Senate.
11.1.3 The proposed amendment shall be discussed in the Senate meeting.
11.1.4 If the proposed amendment is approved by two-thirds of the voting membership of the Senate, the amendment shall not take effect for ten (10) days.
11.1.5 Bylaws shall be reviewed for possible revision every two (2) years.
Article 12 Suspension of the Bylaws
12.1 Suspension of any part of these Bylaws, except Articles 11 and 12, may be accomplished by the consent of two-thirds of the voting members present in a formal meeting.
ADDITIONAL CONTACTS
Direct general questions about the Faculty Senate Bylaws to the Faculty Senate Chair. If you have questions about specific issues, contact the Faculty Senate Chair or one of the following:
Office of the President
kris.schott@nevadastate.edu
702-992-2350
Office of the Provost
provost@nevadastate.edu
702-992-2600
RELATED INFORMATION
- NSHE Code Title 2, Chapter 1, Section 1.4.7 – 1.4.8
- NSHE Handbook Title 4, Chapter 3, Section 2
- Robert’s Rules of Order
HISTORY
Approved June 17, 2008.
Revised January 12, 2021.
Revised May 12, 2023.
APPROVALS
Approved by Dr. Christine Beaudry, Faculty Senate Chair, May 12, 2023.
Approved by Dr. Tony Scinta, Interim Provost, August 9, 2023.
Approved by Dr. DeRionne Pollard, President, October 3, 2023.