History Department Bylaws

Updated Fall 2017

 

I.    Membership

A.    All full-time faculty, whether tenured, probationary, or holding full-time but temporary appointments, are voting members of the History Department.
B.    Part-time, visiting, and emeriti faculty are welcome to attend meetings as non- voting visitors. Only voting department members may be present during discussions of personnel matters.
C.    Members not on leave are expected to attend all department meetings.

II.    Purposes

The principal object of the Department shall be to plan, organize, and deliver a sound curriculum to students obtaining a Bachelor of arts degree in history from the University.

III.    Department Chair

A.    Election

The position of chair shall rotate among full time, tenured members of the Department for a term of two academic years, proceeding by seniority.

B.    Duties

1.    The chair shall represent the department in all dealings with the administration.
2.    The chair shall prepare the schedule of history courses in consultation with the department and submit it to the dean.
3.    The chair shall recruit and recommend adjunct and part-time faculty as needed, and should consult with the relevant faculty if possible.
4.    In the hiring of full-time term appointments, the chair should consult with the relevant members of the Department faculty.
5.    The chair shall represent the Department on the Arts Council and the College Council, and inform the department of the business of both councils, including by circulating minutes their meetings.
6.    The chair shall schedule a minimum of one department meeting per month during each semester. Agenda items originating with voting or non-voting members must be submitted to the chair in writing at least one week before each meeting. The agenda shall be published in a timely manner, but no later than three days before the meeting.
7.    The chair shall administer the department budget in consultation with the department and report the status of the budget at department meetings from time to time.

IV.    Meetings of the Department

A.    A quorum shall consist of one half plus one of active department members. In this single case, an "active department member" shall be understood to include all full-time department members who are members of the bargaining unit, and not on sabbatical or leave.
B.    The purpose of the meetings shall be to disseminate information and to consider matters pertaining to the curriculum, policies, or personnel of the department. Decisions shall be made by majority vote. The use of a secret ballot may be requested by a Department member for any vote.
C.    Robert’s Rules of Order, latest edition, shall be normative but not binding.
D.    Faculty who cannot attend Department meetings may submit their views on agenda items to all voting members of the Department. No one, however, may vote by proxy.
E.    In the event that a secret ballot is requested, each member will place his/her ballot in an    envelope in the chair’s mailbox, and the chair will tally the ballots.

V.    Committees

Committees may be created at department meetings as necessary.

VI.    Amendments and Revisions

These by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Department.

VII.    Subordination

No part of the Department’s by-laws or proceedings shall stand in contradiction to the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the University and the USF Faculty Association.