Loyola University Chicago

Faculty Council

Constitution

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Preamble

In 1964, the President approved an advisory body known as the Faculty Council. Consisting of members elected by the various faculties of the University, the Council functions as a two-way channel of communication between the University administration and the Corporate Faculty. It represents the Corporate Faculty to the University administration and may address itself to any matter of importance to the University in general and to the faculty at large. It will make policy recommendations where it regards this as appropriate in view of the situations with which it deals. The Faculty Council is responsive to the President of the University and communicates directly with the President.

ARTICLE I: Name 

Section A. The name of this body shall be the Loyola University Chicago Faculty Council.

ARTICLE II: Membership

Section A: Members.
The faculty members shall be elected from the Faculty Body (as defined in Article II, Section C, paragraphs i and ii infra), and shall continue to serve their terms so long as they retain their status as faculty members. Only faculty members shall vote on matters before the Faculty Council.

Section B: Alternates.
Any elected member who is unable to attend a meeting of the Council may appoint a full-time faculty member of the same division he or she represents as a substitute to attend that meeting, provided the elected member communicated in writing the name of the substitute to the Secretary before the beginning of that meeting. The alternate has the privileges of the floor but no vote.

Section C: Term of elected members.
Each of the university's colleges, schools, and divisions shall elect its members. Nominations and elections must be by the full-time faculty body. One-half of the representatives from each group shall be chosen each year.
i. As related to the Faculty Council, faculty body is defined as those full-time Instructors, Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, active participants in the Senior Professor program, Professors (plus those members of the Medical School who hold the rank of Associate), and professional Librarians, accorded faculty status by the President upon recommendation of the University Committee on Faculty Appointments.
ii. Faculty body excludes the following: all Vice-Presidents, the Dean of a College, or the Dean of a School. For others involved in administrative work, evidence of substantial scholarly and academic activity (other than administrative activity) is prima facie evidence of eligibility. "Substantial" is interpreted to mean approximately one-half or more of the person's University activity is scholarly and academic rather than administrative.
The Faculty Council is the final judge of the eligibility of any person to serve on the Council and can exclude a person from serving by a 2/3 vote of the entire membership of the Council. In practice, this means that no person excluded by this section may vote in a Council election, nor may he or she be elected to the Council.

ARTICLE III: Officers

Section A: List.
The Officers of the Faculty Council shall be a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson, and a Secretary.

Section B: Election.
These Officers shall be elected for one-year terms by a majority of the members present of the newly constituted Council as the last order of business at the last meeting of the Council in the spring. Newly elected members shall be invited to this meeting to participate in such elections together with those members of the Council whose terms of office do not expire at this final meeting. Each Officer shall serve in office until his or her successor shall have been elected and qualified.

The agenda of the final meeting of the year shall be constituted in order to assure that a formal election procedure may be followed. Election of officers shall be run by the Chairperson of the Elections Committee or a designated representative. Those eligible to vote (and hold office) are newly elected members of the Council and those continuing to serve.

Initial nominations may be made at the April meeting at which time electees have been invited to attend as observers. Nominations will be reopened at the time of balloting in the May meeting. Multiple nominations for each office will be sought. After a chair has been elected unsuccessful candidates are then eligible to be nominated for the next office to be determined; vice-chair, etc., until all seven positions on the Executive Committee are filled. In all instances of multiple nominations, the vote will be by secret ballot.

ARTICLE IV: Executive Committee 

Section A: Membership.
The Executive Committee of the Faculty Council shall consist of seven members, three of whom shall be the Officers of the Council; the remaining four shall be elected by the Council when it elects its Officers. A quorum of the Executive Committee shall be four members. Membership distribution should reflect the diversity of campuses as much as possible.

Section B: Function.
i. The Executive Committee shall serve primarily as: (a) an advisory board to the Chairman of the Council and the Council as a whole; (b) Council liaison with the President of the University.
ii. In addition, the Executive Committee has limited authority to act on behalf of the Council on matters which arise in circumstances which preclude the convening of the full Council. At least four members of the Executive Committee must agree that the circumstances preclude convening the full Council. The circumstances include (1) need for immediate action requested by the University President; (2) a need for limited dissemination on the matter. The Executive Committee shall report any such action to the Council as soon as possible and appropriate.

ARTICLE V: Powers and Jurisdiction

Section A: Jurisdiction.
i. The Council may make recommendations to the President, or to any other administrative official via the President, on matters of general University concern.
ii. The Council may also communicate directly with the Senior Vice-President and Dean of Faculties, the Executive Vice President for the Medical Center, the Executive Vice President, Chicago Campuses, or with the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, with notification to the President, on any matters of general University concern.
iii. While the Council recognizes the autonomy of the several divisions of the University in matters of their special concern, it reserves the right to review any actions of these divisions which affect the University and to make recommendations to the President concerning these actions.
iv. The Council may request necessary information from the President, and through the President from the Board of Trustees or other administrative officials of the University, in order to implement its responsibilities.

Section B: Non-acceptance of Council recommendations by the Administration.
If any recommendation of the Council is not acceptable to the President, to the Board of Trustees, or to any other administrator of the University, the President shall notify the Council in writing with the reasons for the adverse decision. The President and the Council agree that the President will ordinarily respond to a Council recommendation within three weeks of receiving it. It is the duty of the Chairman of the Council to follow up with the President any recommendation of the Council which has not been answered by the President by the twentieth day following its receipt.

Section C: Non-acceptance of Administration recommendations by the Council.
If any recommendation or request of the President or other administrator is not acceptable to the Council, the Council shall have the right of appeal to the Board of Trustees. The Council shall notify the President in writing with the reasons for their adverse decision. Such notification in all cases shall be given with all deliberate speed.

ARTICLE VI: Council Committees

There shall be two kinds of Committees, standing committees and ad hoc committees.

Section A: Appointment and term of office.
i. All committees of the Council shall be appointed by the Chairperson, who shall be advised by the Committee on Committees in regard to the personnel of the standing committees.
ii. The notices of appointment shall include the definition of the duties and responsibilities of the respective committees.
iii. The tenure of the standing committees coincides with the tenure of the Chairperson of the Council. However, any or all the members of a committee may be re-appointed.

Section B: Delegation of powers.
The consideration of any matters within the jurisdiction of the Council may be delegated by the Chairperson to committees, which shall be responsible to the Council.

ARTICLE VII: Meetings

Section A: Regular meetings.
The Faculty Council shall meet regularly during the academic year. The first meeting of each academic year shall be called by the Chairperson of the Council. At that meeting, the calendar of meetings for that academic year shall be adopted.

Section B: Special Meetings.
i. A special meeting of the Faculty Council can be called by the Chairperson.
ii. Special meetings of the Faculty Council must be called by the Chairperson upon the petition of a majority of the members of the Council.

Section C: Quorum.
A majority of the members of the Council shall constitute a quorum. The affirmative vote of the majority of the members present and voting at any meeting where there is a quorum shall constitute the act of the Faculty Council, except as this Constitution or the Council By-Laws shall otherwise provide.

ARTICLE VIII: Academic Integrity 

Section A. No Officer or other members of the Council shall, without prior approval of the Council, represent that any act or opinion of his or her is the act or opinion of the Faculty Council.

ARTICLE IX: Amending the Constitution 

Section A: Required vote.
This Constitution can be amended only by an affirmative vote of 2/3 of the total membership of the Faculty Council, at any duly scheduled meeting of the Council.

Section B: Submission of proposal.
The proposed amendment shall be submitted in writing to the members present and/or to the Secretary at the duly scheduled meeting of the Council prior to the one at which the amendment will be considered and voted upon.

Section C: Interval between proposal and vote.
A minimum of one week shall elapse between the meeting at which the amendment is submitted in writing and the meeting at which the amendment is voted upon.

Section D: Adequate notice.
The Secretary shall send a copy of the proposed amendment with the agenda for the meeting at which the amendment will be voted upon. 

Last amended: 5/23/99