NAU–Yuma Branch Campus Faculty Council Constitution

March 14, 2019

The preeminent focus of Northern Arizona University Yuma Branch Campus Faculty Council (NAUYFC) is improvement of student learning outcomes through facilitation of communication and coordination with students, faculty members, academic units, persons who administrate the academic process, staff who directly assist with the academic process, and other stakeholders in our academic process.

Other duties and activities derive from the NAUYFC focus on student learning outcomes. These duties include but are not limited to:

• Provide a focal point for communication of academic issues,
• Review of due process,
• Address academic freedom concerns,
• Review of Faculty concerns and suggestions,
• Review of curricular issues, and
• Development of documents and procedures that impact faculty and the academic process including but not limited to definition and adoption of the following
  
  • Academic Council Bylaws,
  • Curriculum Committees,
  • Grievance procedures,
  • Faculty rights and responsibilities,
  • Academic standards,
  • Conditions of Faculty Service (COFS),
  • Faculty Handbook.

Powers

The Faculty Council of Northern Arizona University Yuma Branch Campus has only those powers and duties delegated by the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) and their designees.

Representation to the Yuma Faculty Council

Representation to the Faculty Council of NAU, Yuma Branch Campus will be as follows:

• Faculty consisting of employees of NAU who teach full time in programs connected to the NAU–Yuma Branch Campus holding the ranks of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, senior lecturer.
• Part time faculty teaching a minimum of one course in the preceding academic year
• Clinical faculty meeting these ranks or teaching requirements
• Full time librarians holding academic professional rank.
• Part time faculty are welcome to attend meetings and will be on the mailing lists. Each discipline area shall have one vote per a representative determined by the department chair, in consultation with other department members.
• Departments represented in the Council: Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Nursing.

The sum of those represented by NAUYFC is the “Committee of the Whole”.

Membership

The NAUYFC body includes at least one member of each NAUYFC department as defined by the NAUYFC bylaws. Elected officers may be full or part-time faculty and academic professionals, i.e. librarians.

As specified in the by-laws, there may be need for lead faculty, such as department chairs, to fill a vacancy by selecting a voting member of the NAUYFC until the next election.

Officers include a chair and others as defined in the bylaws. NAUYFC members elect their chair and officers.

Elections

Elections will be held during the final meeting of each academic year for the positions of Chair, Vice Chair, and Northern Arizona University Faculty Senate.

All full-time faculty and academic librarians as identified in “membership “are eligible to vote in elections. Departments designate one part-time Council member as the voting representative for their discipline.

Council members have one vote per representative.

No member may hold more than one seat at the same time.

In the event there is a need to form an NAUYFC executive committee, those members are selected by NAUYFC committee members. The NAUYFC Chair will serve as chair to the executive committee.

Bylaws and Organization

The NAUYFC bylaws shall contain procedures for choosing and defining officers from among its elected members, for further organizing itself, and for conducting its business.

The bylaws shall contain regular and usual procedures by which any member of the NAUYFC community may obtain the schedule, agenda, and minutes of Council meetings and may attend Council meetings as a non-voting member.

Any eligible-to-vote member of the organization may submit agenda items. The member serving as current chair will determine the method by which agenda items will be submitted.

The NAUYFC bylaws shall contain procedures by which any NAU community member may address the Council concerning matters on the Council’s agenda.

In the case of any conflict in the NAUYFC Constitution or other NAUYFC documents, the following hierarchy applies:

1. Arizona Board of Regents policies,
2. NAU policies,
3. NAUYFC Constitution.

Meetings and Votes

As defined by the NAUYFC bylaws, meetings and voting may be in-person, remote, synchronous, asynchronous, or any combination thereof.

The NAUYFC will hold regular meetings with an agenda. As defined by the bylaws, the agenda of regular meetings will normally be distributed in a timely manner to all members prior to meetings.

A majority of members can call for a Committee of the Whole meeting to vote on a specific matter. The results of this vote take precedence over any previous NAUYFC decisions. Other matters arising from the reason for the special meeting will be available for vote after the initial item is discussed.

Amendments to the Constitution

The intent to change the NAUYFC constitution must be announced to all persons represented by the NAUYFC.

Any three members or a one-third majority of members may submit proposed amendments to this Constitution to the Chair. Any amendment thus submitted will appear on the agenda of either the next regularly scheduled Council meeting or a special meeting convened before the next scheduled meeting.

Any proposed constitutional amendment approved by a majority the members or two -thirds of the Council shall be adopted.

Respectfully submitted,

L. Ruth Whisler, Co-Chair
March 14, 2019