Constitution of the Faculty

G3.01 Constitution of the Faculty

PREAMBLE 
In order to promote the general welfare of Missouri State University, to effect communication within the faculty of the university as well as between the faculty and the administration, the staff, the students, the alumni, and the Board of Governors; and in order to provide a means of collective action of the faculty in dealing with matters of concern to the Faculty, including matters of curriculum, this Constitution of the Faculty governance is affirmed.

ARTICLE  I.  CREATION OF THE FACULTY  SENATE
The faculty of Missouri State University acknowledge and accept the responsibility and authority for shared governance delegated to it by the Bylaws of the Board of Governors. Faculty governance at Missouri State University shall be defined to include the creation of the Faculty Senate.

ARTICLE II.   PURPOSE OF THE FACULTY  SENATE
The purpose of the Faculty Senate shall be to provide a forum for discussing matters of concern to the Faculty and to inform all segments of the academic community of the Faculty Senate's concerns, findings, and actions.

ARTICLE  III.   POWERS OF THE FACULTY  SENATE
The Faculty Senate shall have the power to establish policy in the areas of authority assigned to the faculty in the Bylaws of the Board of Governors and for such other areas or problems as may be assigned to it by the president of the university or the Board of Governors. Shared governance, as delegated by the Board in the Faculty Handbook, recognizes the essential interdependence of governing boards, administration, faculty, staff, and students. This shared governance is indispensable to the development of educated persons. 

The Faculty Senate shall have the power to establish specific functional bodies to carry out powers granted to the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Senate and its established bodies shall have the power to initiate action in such curricular and non-curricular matters as it deems fit, or in such matters as are brought to its attention by one or more members of the faculty. 

Faculty Senate Actions, as perfected and passed by the Faculty Senate, represent the collective reasoning of the faculty through its governance process as to policies and procedures to be followed by the University. Every Faculty Senate Action is subject to challenge by the faculty and subject to final approval by the president and, when necessary, by the Board of Governors.

ARTICLE IV.   MEMBERSHIP OF THE FACULTY SENATE
Eligible voting members of the Faculty Senate and associated councils, committees, and other established entities, shall be tenured faculty, tenure-track faculty, and non-tenure-track faculty with full-time academic appointments who are located on the Springfield campus of Missouri State University or belong to a college that is based on that campus. Part-time faculty, adjunct and/or per-course faculty, and other non-full-time faculty are not eligible to be voting members of the Faculty Senate, nor any associated councils, committees, and other established entities of the Faculty Senate. When a Parliamentarian is appointed, the Bylaws of the Faculty will identify the individual’s membership status and rights within the Faculty Senate and its established entities. 

Academic unit leaders, and those administrators above academic unit leaders, regardless of rank held, are not eligible to serve as voting members of the Faculty Senate. An exception will be considered for academic units that would have no voting members if the academic unit leader does not have that status. Additional exceptions to this rule may be made if the academic unit leader’s administrative appointment represents less than 25% of their FTE and a three-quarter (3/4) majority of the elected Senators and elected officers of the Faculty Senate vote via secret ballot to approve the representation.

ARTICLE V.  LEADERSHIP AND STRUCTURE OF THE FACULTY SENATE
The leadership of the Faculty Senate consists of the officers of the Faculty Senate. The officers of the Faculty Senate shall include the Chair, Chair-elect, and Secretary of the Faculty. 

The Faculty Senate includes councils and standing committees. Councils of the Faculty Senate are empowered by the Senate to manage the curriculum review process as described in the Bylaws. The establishment, operation, and specific duties of these councils are described in the Bylaws of the Faculty. Standing committees of the Faculty Senate will manage other areas of authority and tasks assigned to the Faculty Senate as defined by the Bylaws of the Faculty.

ARTICLE VI.  SESSIONS AND MEETINGS OF THE FACULTY SENATE
To execute the authority assigned to university faculty by the Board of Governors, the faculty shall operate as a Faculty Senate and meet at least once a month during the academic year at a time and place fixed by this body. This Faculty Senate shall organize monthly meetings of any councils of the Senate, standing committees of the Senate, and any ad hoc committees. A full session of the Faculty Senate consists of the monthly Faculty Senate meeting, combined with monthly meetings of all the Senate’s councils, standing committees, and ad hoc committees.

ARTICLE VII.  PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern sessions of the faculty, the Faculty Senate and established bodies of the Faculty Senate in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are consistent with the Bylaws.

ARTICLE VIII. AMENDMENT OF CONSTITUTION
There are two classes of constitutional amendments: substantive and non-substantive. A non-substantive amendment includes only editorial and/or terminological changes that do not affect the intent of this Constitution. The rules governing non-substantive amendments to this Constitution are the same as those governing amendments to the Bylaws of the Faculty Senate. Non-substantive amendments are therefore voted upon only by the Faculty Senate. If there is any question as to whether a proposed amendment is substantive, it must be treated as substantive.

A substantive amendment to this Constitution may be proposed by the Faculty Senate or upon petition to the Faculty Senate by at least fifty (50) faculty with full-time academic appointments and who would be eligible to be a voting member of the Faculty Senate. A report, which must include the exact wording of the amendment and a rationale, shall be placed on the agenda of the next Faculty Senate session, unless that would place it on the May agenda, in which case it shall be placed on the September agenda. The report is for information and debate only: the constitutional amendment may not itself be amended in any way on the floor of the Senate, nor may it be withdrawn, nor is it voted upon by the Senate. The report shall be distributed electronically to the faculty on the same day the report is presented to the Senate. Substantive amendments are voted upon electronically by all those faculty of the university who are eligible to serve as voting members of the Faculty Senate and its established entities. The polls shall open on the first business day not less than thirty (30) days following the report and shall remain open for a total of five (5) business days. An affirmative vote equal to a majority of the votes cast by all those faculty of the university who are eligible to serve as voting members of the Faculty Senate shall be necessary to make a proposed substantive amendment part of this Constitution.