Faculty Bylaws of the College of Veterinary Medicine
I. Preamble
These bylaws set forth the organization, functions, responsibilities, and procedures of the Faculty of the College of Veterinary Medicine (hereafter noted as Faculty). The bylaws are intended to:
A. Ensure maximum communication through defined orderly procedures; and,
B. Clarify the means by which Faculty can effectively contribute to and identify with the affairs of the College of Veterinary Medicine (hereafter noted as College).
II. Membership 1
A. General Membership: GENERAL MEMBERSHIP will be given to all Faculty holding appointment within the College at the assistant or temporary instructor level and higher. This category will also include individuals who hold Emeritus status in the College.
B. Faculty Membership: FACULTY MEMBERSHIP will be restricted to:
1. Faculty at the instructor level who have held appointment as instructor, other than temporary or assistant instructor, for at least two years; and
2. Faculty above the instructor level, budgeted for five tenths (0.5) time or more in the College.
3. Faculty who meet the above criteria (paragraphs B1 and B2)7 have voting privileges.
C. Student and Staff:
1. Students and staff who are members of Standing Committees have voting privileges within their respective committees.
2. Student and staff appointments: The Dean or an appropriate administrative section leader appoints student and staff members. Recommendations to the Dean are made by the groups they represent.
D. Ex officio Membership:
1. Ex officio members of Standing, Special, or Administrative Committees do not have voting rights, but their opinions, skills and knowledge are frequently needed for Faculty to make informed decisions.
2. The Dean appoints Associate Deans, Assistant Deans, other administrative members of the Dean’s Office, or faculty to the ex officio positions.
III. Faculty Council7
A. Membership: The Faculty Council (hereafter noted as Council) shall consist of five Faculty members and the Dean (or a representative designated by the Dean). The Dean shall be an ex officio member of the Council.
1. There shall be one member representing each department, and two at large members. No more than two members shall be elected from any one department.
2. The term of office shall be for two years. Members will take office on July 1 of each year. Members shall be limited to two consecutive terms.
3. Instructors of less than two years service or members of the Administrative Council are not eligible for election to the Council.
B. Elections
1. All Council members shall be elected by the voting Faculty at the last meeting of the academic year. All nominations shall be received from the floor and the election shall be by anonymous ballot. Prior consent must be obtained before a Faculty member’s name may be placed in nomination.
2. The Chair and Secretary shall be elected annually by the Faculty from the elected Council members. They shall be chosen at the time of the Council election.
3. In case of a vacancy, a new member shall be elected at a special Faculty meeting called for this purpose (unless a regularly scheduled meeting will be held within the month). This will be considered year one of the first term of the newly elected Council member.7
C. Duties
1. The Council shall consider all matters presented by the Faculty for discussion.
2. The Chair and Secretary of the Council or, in their absence, another Council member, shall preside at all Faculty meetings and the Council shall prepare the agenda. All items to be considered at a Faculty meeting will be submitted to the Council.
3. The Chair shall be responsible for preparing the agenda after consulting with the Council and with the approval of the Dean and will distribute the agenda to the Faculty.
IV. Administrative Council
The Administrative Council of the College of Veterinary Medicine shall consist of the Dean, Associate and Assistant Deans, Heads of Departments, and Directors of the Veterinary Health Center and Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. The chair of the Faculty Council may be invited by the Dean to appropriate meetings.
V. Faculty Meetings7
A. Faculty meetings shall be held at least twice during each of the fall and spring semesters, and as needed during the summer for a total of five meetings each year. The Faculty may meet at such other times as deemed necessary by call of the Dean, the Council, or upon request of the majority of the College Faculty Senators. The Council Chair and the Dean will establish a working schedule before August 1 of each year.6 All items to be considered at a Faculty meeting will be submitted to the Council. The Chair shall be responsible for preparing the agenda after consulting with the Council and with the approval of the Dean. The Council Chair shall preside over all Faculty meetings. In the absence of the Chair, the Council will appoint a member of the Council to preside.
B. Faculty meetings may be held in a traditional, face-to-face format, or via an electronic means that allows all members access to all materials presented at the meeting and that allows all members attending the meeting reasonable access to deliberative processes.7
C. A quorum shall consist of all Faculty present for the meeting.
D. Voting
1. Recommendations of the Faculty shall be reached by a simple majority of the voting members present at any regular or special meeting, unless contrary to customary parliamentary procedure or otherwise specified. Polling will be conducted in electronic meetings by means similar to those practiced in face-to-face meetings including unanimous consent, viva voce, and/or anonymous ballot.
2. Any voting member of the College may issue a proxy to another voting member no more than six working days prior to the meeting. The Secretary of the Council shall verify and record in the minutes the number of Faculty present and the number of voting proxies issued.
3. Proxy votes – Voting members can designate another voting member to serve as their proxy at a Faculty meeting if the person designated to be a proxy carries a signed letter from the absent member and the letter of authorization is given to the secretary prior to the start of the meeting or vote on the issue. No person may have more than three proxy votes.
4. The minutes of the Faculty meetings shall be communicated to the Dean and be posted in the College’s intranet.
5. Robert’s Rules of Order (most recent authoritative edition) shall be used as a guide in conducting the Faculty meeting.
VI. Faculty Committees7
A. Constitution, organization, and general responsibility
1. The Chair of each Faculty committee shall present an oral report and file a written report of its deliberations and recommendations during the year. This shall be done at the last spring meeting.
2. Standing Committees are formed by the actions of the Faculty and deal with the Faculty governance in the College.
3. Formation of Standing Committees
a. All committee members shall be selected in the Spring of each year and will serve from 1 July through 30 June.
b. Members of a given Standing Committee shall serve for no more than two consecutive three-year terms. Terms of service shall be staggered to ensure that no more than three individuals leave a committee in any given year.
c. For each of the committees listed below, the Council representative(s), in consultation with the respective Department Head, shall propose members of the voting Faculty as candidates for appointment.
i. Department representatives: Names of proposed members will be forwarded by the Council Chair to the Dean. The Dean will appoint from these names the members of the committee.2
ii. At large representatives: At-large representatives will be elected during the spring Faculty meeting from those proposed by departments.2 The At-large representatives may serve two consecutive terms without re-election.7
iii. The Dean will appoint the chairperson of each Standing Committee from the proposed department representatives and the elected at-large representatives.2
d. Appointment by the Dean to serve as committee member or as committee Chair will be with the consent of the Faculty member and their Department Head.
e. A secretary will be elected by the committee.
f. In the event of a vacancy of a department representative, the affected Department will recommend to the Dean a replacement. This will be considered the first term for the replacement committee member.7 The individual so selected will be eligible for reappointment to a second term of service. In the event of an at-large representative, the Council will recommend a replacement to the Dean.2
4. General responsibilities of Standing Committees
a. All committees are responsible to the Dean and will carry out the duties assigned to them in these Bylaws, respond to the charges presented by the Dean, and address at their discretion, other matters that may fall within their area of responsibility.
b. The secretary of a committee shall provide a copy of the minutes of every meeting to the Dean and to the Council Secretary.
c. Administrative Committees are formed to respond to directives from administrative units of Kansas State University.2
5. Special Committees are formed to respond to unique tasks and needs from within or from outside the College. The Dean appoints the committee’s members and charges them with their duties or responsibilities.2
B. Standing Committees
1. Academic Standards and Re-Admissions Committee
a. This committee shall consist of one member from each department, two at-large members who are elected by the Faculty, and an ex officio member appointed by the Dean.3
b. This committee shall act as a review committee for any student dismissed for academic or professional reasons.
2. Admissions Committee
a. This committee shall consist of two members from each department and an ex officio member appointed by the Dean.
b. This committee shall interview and recommend students to be admitted to the professional curriculum.
3. Awards and Scholarship Committee
a. This committee shall consist of one member from each department and an ex officio member appointed by the Dean.
b. This committee shall consider matters pertinent to the selection and recipients of honors, scholarships, and awards.
4. Continuing Education Committee
a. This committee shall consist of one member from each department, one at large member based upon recommendations from the Continuing Education Committee, and an ex officio member appointed by the Dean.2
b. This committee shall be responsible for the continuing education programs of the College.
5. Curriculum Committee
a. This committee shall consist of two members from each department and an ex officio member appointed by the Dean.4 In addition, the student body shall recommend four members (one from each class) to be appointed by the Dean.2
b. This committee shall:
i. Conduct regular meetings throughout the year to oversee the professional curriculum.
ii. Make recommendations to the departments on areas that require evaluation.
iii. Consider proposed changes to current courses or new courses that are forwarded from a department’s curriculum committee to the College Curriculum Committee. The College Curriculum Committee will evaluate the course to determine if there are areas of overlap with currently offered courses. Proposals will then be forwarded to the Faculty for approval and forwarded to the appropriate university committee(s) for review and comment.
iv. Convene regular meetings of course coordinators, at least annually. The purpose of the meeting(s) will be to discuss content of each course and insure appropriate credit assignment.
6. International Activities Committee5
a. This committee shall consist of one member from each department, one member from the Diversity Committee, and an ex officio member to represent the Dean’s Office.
b. The mission of this committee is to promote internationalization of the College. This committee shall:
i. Advise the Council and Dean on College internationalization.
ii. Collate and disseminate information on College international activities within the College via website and other means.
iii. Coordinate College activities with the Office of International Programs (IP).
iv. Provide liaison with International Activities Council.
v. Develop and coordinate opportunities for international exchange programs for College students and Faculty.
vi. Promote and monitor international agreements; provide reports on College international activities.
vii. Facilitate visits to the College by international visitors.
7. Library Committee
a. This committee shall consist of one member from each department and an ex officio member appointed by the Dean.
b. This committee shall consider all matters relating to the library needs of the College.
8. Research Committee
a. This committee shall consist of two members from each department and an ex officio member appointed by the Dean.
b. This committee shall advise the Faculty and the Office of the Dean on matters related to research and research funding.
9. Student/Faculty Affairs Committee
a. This committee shall consist of one member from each department and an ex officio member appointed by the Dean. Students shall recommend four members (one from each class) to be appointed by the Dean.
b. This committee shall serve as a forum where students, faculty, and administrators can share concerns and coordinate activities. Disciplinary matters may be brought to the committee when appropriate by the Dean.
10. Technology and Web Advisory Committee7
a. This committee shall consist of one member from each department; one member from each of the following (CaTS, Library, VDL, VHC), and a representative from the Dean’s Office, the Alumni/Development Office and Instructional Technology & Design as ex officio members.
b. This committee shall:
i. Advise and assist in setting policies and procedures for the technology environment and web issues within the College. This includes issues of network connectivity, desk-side support, course multimedia development, hardware and software support, classroom equipment, college and departmental web page displays, and other technology-related issues.
ii. Seek input from faculty and staff, and recommend policies and procedures to the Administrative Council.
11. College Tenure & Promotion Committee6
a. This committee shall consist of one professor or associate professor selected by each department and two professors or associate professors selected by the Dean. Faculty selected by Departments will serve three-year terms (like other Standing Committee members). All committee members should hold tenure. Faculty appointed by the Dean will serve staggered two-year terms and cannot serve more than two consecutive terms, regardless of the selection method, by department or Dean.
b. This committee will advise the Dean on decisions pertaining to promotion and tenure within the College. Tenured-associate professors abstain from decisions that pertain to promotion to Professor rank.
C. Administrative Committees
1. College Committee on Planning (CCOP)7
a. In accordance with the Financial Exigency Plan established February 1981, for Kansas State University, the College establishes a College Committee on Planning (CCOP). This committee will represent all Faculty.
b. Membership
i. The committee will consist of one member from each department.
ii. Faculty members of the individual departments will elect their representatives to the CCOP. Members of the CCOP will be limited to and elected by tenured unclassified personnel as well as those with the rank of instructor or above not designated as temporary (this latter group includes persons on the tenure track and those with the same rights of notice as persons on the tenure track) that are assigned to a department. Department Heads are eligible to serve on and elect members to the CCOP. Those Faculty members with joint appointments will attach to one of their academic departments. The election will be carried out by May 15 of each year.
iii. The term of office will begin July 1st. The results of each election will be reported to the Dean of the College and to the Faculty Senate Committee on University Planning (FSCOUP) representative. The members of the CCOP will serve three-year terms. To provide for staggered terms of service, the initial CCOP will determine the initial periods of service for each member in order to provide for continuity within the CCOP. Succeeding terms will be for three-year periods.
iv. A person shall serve no more than two consecutive terms on the CCOP, but can be reelected following an interval of at least one year.
v. Vacancies on the CCOP will be filled through election by the Faculty of the affected department. The person elected to fill the vacancy will be considered to be serving their first term.7 It will be the responsibility of each department Faculty to ensure they are represented.
vi. The CCOP shall elect its own Chair annually and other officers as may be necessary.
c. The CCOP will meet at least once annually. Meetings may be called by the Dean of the College or by the Committee Chair.
d. Questions of procedure, or questions of compliance with, or interpretation of the Financial Exigency Plan for Kansas State University shall be referred to the FSCOUP.
e. The College committee member of FSCOUP is responsible for notifying the Faculty of departments needing to elect members of CCOP.
2. Multicultural Perspectives & Initiatives Committee7
a. The committee will consist of one faculty representative from each department, and one representative from the Administrative Council appointed by the Dean.2 One member of this College committee will also serve on the President’s Commission for Multicultural Affairs (PCMA) to discuss diversity issues and to obtain feedback from various College committees. An annual report prepared and submitted by the PCMA to the President includes the College committee activities. The PCMA report includes recommendations of various College committees.
b. The Diversity Committee, appointed by the Dean, is focused to increase the awareness of the multicultural affairs in the College. The committee shall:
i. Meet regularly to discuss and address the diversity issues in the College.
ii. Discuss with the administration means to develop a climate of inclusiveness and diversity in all aspects of the College.
3. Biosecurity, Environmental Health and Safety Committee7
a. The committee will consist of one Faculty representative from each of the following areas: Anatomy and Physiology, Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, the Small Animal Section, the Equine Section and the Food Animal Section. The CVM Associate Dean of Research and the Associate Vice-Provost for Research Compliance2 will serve as ex officio members. Department Heads will appoint the departmental representatives. The Dean will appoint the Chair from the departmental representatives. Committee members will be appointed for a term of three years and may be appointed for a second consecutive three-year term.
b. This committee shall:
i. Function as an administrative committee to advise the administration and Faculty on matters of biosecurity.
ii. Provide a central group to organize communication and assist coordination of appropriate response to biosecurity concerns, and provide central College coordination of departmental biosecurity committees.
D. Special Committees
a. The Dean shall appoint such committees as are deemed necessary.
b. The formation of an ad hoc committee may be recommended to the Dean by the Council at any time.
c. Where appropriate, notice of these committees and their membership shall be distributed to the Faculty.
VII. Amendments2
A. Any member of the Faculty may propose an amendment to these Bylaws to the Council. The Council will forward the proposed amendment to the Faculty for consideration and feedback at least one month prior to it being considered as New Business in a Faculty meeting.
B. The exact wording of a proposed amendment will be approved by the Faculty member who proposed the amendment and the proposed amendment will be included with the agenda distributed prior to a Faculty meeting.
C. Adoption of an amendment shall be by two thirds vote (including proxies) in a Faculty meeting.
1 Amended December 2005
2 Amended August 1999
3 Amended August 2004
4 Added November 2004
5 Added February 2006
6 Amended October 2017
7 Amended February 2022