PREAMBLE
The body shall be known as the Interfaculty Council (hereinafter known as the Council).*
* The acronym IFC is approved for general usage.
Deliberation and criteria for the conduct of business will be consistent with the Rules and Regulations of the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSC-H) Handbook of Operating Procedures. The rules of conduct for meetings shall be the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order.
The purpose of the Council shall be to analyze and resolve matters important to the several faculties of UTHSC-H, emphasizing, but not limited to the following areas:
The Council will periodically assess the scope of faculty responsibility over governance and academic matters within the UTHSC-H and each of the schools, and when necessary, recommend to the President and/or individual school governance organizations that faculty-elected governance organizations be charged with assuming primary responsibility over designated areas that currently appear outside their jurisdiction. The criteria for such assessment will be drawn from the UTHSC-H Statement on Governance that affirms primary faculty authority in curriculum, the subject matter and methods of instruction, research, faculty status, and aspects of student life related to the educational process. The Council will maintain an active liaison with the faculty governance organizations of the several schools and exchange information on their respective activities and initiatives.
At the institutional level, the Interfaculty Council serves as the primary agency for faculty participation in governance. The Council shall be the primary representative of faculty interests and communicate directly with the President of the UTHSC-H. It may elaborate a position or positions on matters referred to it by the President, on matters generated within any of the constituent schools or their faculties, or on matters generated within the Council. Its recommendations, if any, shall be forwarded to the President in writing.
The Council will investigate instances of curtailment of faculty prerogatives, infringement on faculty rights, interference in the discharge of faculty responsibilities, and/or attenuation of faculty status and welfare in the several schools and recommend measures to the President and appropriate faculty governance organizations for their protection and restoration.
The Council will serve as a liaison between the faculty and the administration for disseminating and exchanging information on institutional strategic planning, operational budget planning and priorities, institutional management and effectiveness, and other UTHSC-H-wide administrative activities. The Council will monitor, and when appropriate, represent faculty interests in the deliberation over UTHSC-H-wide administrative policies and priorities.
Each UTHSC-H school, except the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, shall have a minimum of four representatives serving on the Interfaculty Council. Of these four, at least two shall be elected at-large and one, no more than two, shall be an elected officer or designee of each school's faculty-elected governance organization. Schools employing more than 150 FTE faculty shall elect one additional at-large representative for each 150 FTE faculty beyond 150. The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences shall have two representatives on the Interfaculty Council; one shall be elected from the GSBS faculty of the UTHSC-H and one shall be elected from the GSBS faculty of the UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
All full-time faculty members at the rank of instructor and above shall be eligible for membership on the Council except for those holding major administrative appointments at the rank of dean or equivalent or above. In the event that a faculty member has joint appointments with two operating units of the UTHSC-H, he/she is eligible to represent only the institution with which he/she is primarily associated.
Prior to August each year, the appropriate number of at-large Council representatives shall be elected by the faculty governance organization of each school in the UTHSC-H. The Chair of the Council shall notify the elected chief officer of each school's faculty governance organization that such an election should be held and indicate the appropriate number of at-large representatives to be chosen. The nominating and election process shall be monitored by the incumbent Council members, and shall follow the established election procedures within each school's faculty governance organization. The elected officer or designee of each school's faculty governance organization incumbent Council members shall inform the Council chair of the election results prior to the August IFC meeting. The representative who is the elected officer or designee of a school's faculty governance organization shall inform the Council chair if a newly elected officer shall be replacing her/him. Each newly elected at-large Council member shall take office in September of the year in which he/she was elected.
Term of office for at-large Council members shall be three years commencing in September of the year they were elected. Term of office for Council members serving as officers of their respective faculty governance organizations shall be in conformance with their terms of office stipulated in the applicable bylaws of the school's governance organization, but they shall begin their Council duties in September of the year elected. IFC members may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms. They may be elected to subsequent terms after an interval of at least one year.
Unexpired terms of at-large Council members and unexpired terms of school faculty governance organization officers shall be filled using the applicable selection mechanisms designated in the school's faculty governance organization bylaws.
Any member of Interfaculty Council, other than ex officio, who is absent from three consecutive or four total regular/special meetings during an academic year shall forfeit their position and be replaced by another representative of the school using the procedures for filling vacancies in Section 5 of these bylaws. The chair of the Council shall monitor attendance and implement loss of appointment procedures. A member may select another faculty member to represent him/her at a meeting; however, an alternate representative may be used for no more than three IFC meetings per year.
The duties of the Chair shall include presiding at meetings, chairing the Coordinating Committee of the Council, calling meetings, appointing Council members to standing and ad hoc committees, approving the minutes prior to distribution, preparing a year-end report, and otherwise facilitating and directing the affairs of the Council, including representing the Council at other forums. The term of office shall be for one year. A chair may be elected to a subsequent term after an interval of one or more years.
The duties of the Chair-Elect shall be to serve as parliamentarian and on the Council Coordinating Committee. In the absence of the Chair, the Chair-Elect will preside at meetings, and otherwise carry out the duties of the Chair. The Chair-Elect will assume the Chair position of the Council after completion of a one year term.
The Chair-Elect shall be elected by Council members at or before its July meeting for a term of one year. Nominees for Chair-Elect shall be chosen by the Nominating Committee of the Council from among the current members. An officer who is elected to serve, but who will not be a continuing representative, will continue to serve as an ex officio member of the Council for the term of his/her elected office.
Nominations from the floor will also be entertained at the June meeting. Each nominee will provide a short description of his/her proposed role and future plans for the IFC. The nominee receiving the majority of votes cast shall assume the Chair-Elect position. All members of the Council, both incoming and outgoing, are encouraged to attend the September meeting at which officers are installed.
In the event the Chair does not complete his/her term of office, the Chair-Elect shall succeed to that office to complete the Chair's unfinished term. In addition, the Chair-Elect will then serve his or her complete term as Chair. In the event the Chair-Elect does not complete his/her term of office, the Council shall elect a member to serve as Chair-Elect.
The Faculty Advisory Council representatives will be the past Chair and Chair of the IFC. The Chair-Elect will serve as the alternate. If one of these representatives cannot serve, an alternate will be chosen by the IFC membership.
ARTICLE 6 Meetings
There shall be at least nine regular meetings of the Council in each calendar year. These shall be scheduled by the Chair.
Special meetings may be called by the Chair or on the written request of four or more members of the Council. Special meetings must be scheduled at least 72 hours in advance and on a regular working day.
The agenda for regular meetings shall include a call to order, determination of a quorum, approval of minutes of previous meeting(s), old business, new business, committee reports, and adjournment.
A quorum shall be at least one-third of the Council members representing at least four of the UTHSC-H schools.
The Secretary of the Council, appointed by the President, will provide for recording the minutes of all Council meetings.
ARTICLE 7 Committees
Standing committees shall be established that are functionally related to the purpose and responsibilities of the Council as delineated in Article 3.
The Governance and Academic Affairs Committee will deliberate on issues of governance and academic affairs. From time to time, the committee will assess the scope of faculty responsibility over governance and academic matters in the UTHSC-H and in each of the schools. When necessary, the committee will recommend to the President and the Council and/or individual school governance organizations that appropriate faculty-elected governance organizations be charged with assuming primary responsibility over designated areas that currently appear outside of their jurisdiction. The criteria for such assessment will be drawn from the UTHSC-H Statement on Governance. Academic matters that the committee will review include educational goals, curricula and procedures of student instruction in each of the schools.
The Faculty Status, Rights, and Responsibilities Committee will deliberate on issues of faculty status, rights, and responsibilities, and when necessary, investigate instances of curtailment of faculty prerogatives, infringement of faculty rights, interference in the discharge of faculty responsibilities, and/or attenuation of faculty status and welfare in the several schools and will recommend measures to the Council, the President, and faculty governance organizations for their support, protection and restoration.
The Administrative Affairs Committee will deliberate and make recommendations to Council as well as serve as a liaison between the faculty and the administration for dissemination and exchange of information on institutional strategic planning, operational budget planning and priorities, institutional management and effectiveness, performance appraisal of administrators, and other UTHSC-H-wide administrative activities. The committee will monitor, and when appropriate, represent faculty interests in deliberations over UTHSC-H-wide administrative policies and priorities.
The Coordinating Committee shall be composed of the Chair, Chair-Elect, Immediate Past Chair, and the elected chairs of the other standing committees of the Council. The function of the Coordinating Committee shall be to determine the agenda of Council meetings, develop operating procedures and/or bylaws as required, establish rapport and coordinate with external agencies or individuals to facilitate the work of the Council, and to provide guidance and direction to the Council.
The Nominating Committee shall be composed of the Council Chair and one representative from each school appointed by the chair. At the June meeting, the Nominating Committee shall present to the Council one or more nomination(s) for Chair-Elect. There may be additional nominations from the floor.
The Chair shall be empowered to appoint from time to time ad hoc committees to deliberate and make recommendations on issues of special interest to the Council. Ad hoc committees shall remain empanelled only until their business is completed.
ARTICLE 8 Amendments and Adoptions
Amendments shall be submitted in writing, must be presented at two consecutive meetings, and may be adopted at a regular or special meeting by a two-thirds vote of voting members provided that a quorum is present. Amendments will take effect immediately upon adoption.
Updated 07/04, 03/07, 08/08
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