Resolutions 2011-2012

Archived 2011-2012 Resolutions

Resolutions 2011-2012 ———————————————– 1. Feedback Prior to the Withdrawal Deadline 2. Membership of the University P&T Committee 3. Endorsement of Smoke-Free Campus Initiative 4. Staffing Joint Committees and Councils 5. Calling Meetings of Joint Committees and Councils 6. Emeritus Policy Revisions 7. SPOI Administration Period

Resolution 2011-2012-1 Feedback on Student Performance Prior to the Withdrawal Deadline

Whereas, it is important for faculty to provide students with feedback on their progress in a course prior to the withdrawal deadline, and

Whereas, beginning Fall 2011, the semester withdrawal deadlines have been moved, thereby allowing students additional time to make informed decisions about withdrawing,

Be it resolved that the Faculty Senate recommends that faculty provide feedback on progress to undergraduate and graduate students prior to the semester withdrawal deadline.

Approved by the Faculty Senate on September 22, 2011.
Transmitted to Provost Tony Waldrop on September 23, 2011.
Approved by Provost Waldrop on September 26, 2011.

Resolution 2011-2012-2 Modification of the Membership of the University Promotion and Tenure Committee

Whereas, the Faculty Senate endorsed the promotion of non-tenure-earning faculty members, clinicians and researchers, and

Whereas, the review of such faculty falls under the purview of the University Promotion and Tenure committee, and

Whereas, the current membership of the University Promotion and Tenure committee is comprised of only tenured faculty, and

Whereas, non-tenure-earning faculty members should be involved in the review of their peers,

Be It Resolved that the Bylaws of the Faculty Constitution be amended as follows to allow the inclusion of non-tenure-earning faculty members, clinicians, and researchers on the University Promotion and Tenure Committee:

P. University Promotion and Tenure Committee

1. Duties and Responsibilities.
   1. To review and evaluate all applications for promotion and/or tenure and make recommendations to the provost and executive vice president.
   2. To maintain the confidentiality of all personnel records and matters under its jurisdiction.
   3. To function as an advisory committee to the provost and executive vice president.
   4. To submit all policy concerns to the Faculty Senate Steering Committee and the provost and executive vice president.
   5. To submit an annual report of the committee’s activities to the chair of the Faculty Senate by the end of the spring semester, while complying with the rules set out by the Collective Bargaining Agreement relating to confidentiality.
2. Membership.
   1. Committee Membership for review of tenured and tenure-earning faculty for tenure and promotion:

      The committee shall consist of one faculty member from each college. Each member shall hold the rank of tenured professor and be an active scholar within his or her particular field. The committee members are elected at large from their respective colleges by tenured and tenure-earning faculty. The chair is elected annually by the committee members. No member of the committee may be a member of a college or department/school promotion and tenure committee. Terms of service shall be two years, staggered.

   2. Committee membership for review of non-tenure-earning ranked faculty, clinicians and researchers for promotion:

      Whenever a non-tenure-earning faculty member, clinician or researcher, hereafter referred to as non-tenure-earning faculty, is a candidate for promotion, the University Promotion and Tenure committee, as constituted in part P2A, shall be augmented by the addition of non-tenure-earning faculty who hold a rank higher than those faculty who are being reviewed. The role of additional committee members is limited to the review and evaluation of non-tenure-earning promotion candidates. Non-tenure-earning faculty shall not comprise more than one-third of the augmented total University Promotion and Tenure Committee membership. The non-tenure-earning committee members from each college that has non-tenure-earning faculty are to be elected at large by the non-tenure-earning faculty of that college. If there are fewer than ten non-tenure-earning faculty in the college, the tenured and tenure-earning faculty will also vote. Each additional member shall be an active teacher, clinician, or researcher within his/her particular field. No member of the committee may be a member of any college or department/school promotion and tenure committee. Terms of service shall be two years, staggered.

Approved by the Faculty Senate on January 26, 2012.
Transmitted to Provost Tony Waldrop on February 8, 2012.
Approved by Provost Waldrop on February 13, 2012.

Resolution 2011-2012-3 Endorsement of Smoke-Free Campus Initiative

Whereas, smoking can be defined as inhaling, exhaling, burning or carrying any lighted or heated cigar, cigarette, pipe or other inhalant device, and

Whereas, it has been determined that tobacco is a Class-A carcinogen and there exists no safe levels of exposure, and

Whereas, secondhand smoke has been shown to be a health risk to others, and

Whereas, more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States currently prohibit smoking on campus,

Be it resolved that the University of Central Florida Faculty Senate supports the university’s intention to prohibit smoking on all university owned, operated, leased, and/or controlled properties in order to maintain a healthy and safe environment for its faculty, staff, students, and visitors.

Be it further resolved that the prohibition of smoking will be non-punitive and smoking cessation resources will be readily available to those who smoke.

Approved by the Faculty Senate on January 26, 2012.
Transmitted to Provost Tony Waldrop on February 8, 2012.
Approved by Provost Waldrop on February 13, 2012.

Resolution 2011-2012-4 Guidelines for Staffing Joint Committees and Councils

Whereas, it is important to ensure that the responsibilities of Faculty Senate committee representatives are clear, and

Whereas, the identification of faculty for service on joint university committees and councils is the result of collaboration between the college Committee on Committees representative and a representative of the college dean, and

Whereas, the process whereby the members of the Committee on Committee and college dean’s representatives interact in identifying nominees to joint university committees and council should be clear,

Be it resolved that the Bylaws of the Faculty Constitution be amended as follows:

Bylaws Section VI.A.5.a

1. Committee on Committees.
   The senators from each academic unit shall elect their representatives to the Committee on Committees from amongst the unit’s Steering Committee members. Members of the Committee on Committees are elected at the first Senate meeting of the year to a one-year term. Should a vacancy occur on the Committee on Committees, the senators from the academic unit in which the vacancy occurs shall designate a replacement. This committee will be chaired by the Senate vice chair. The committee responsibilities are:
   1. To solicit committee preferences from senators for membership on the committees of the Senate and to review and recommend committee membership.
   2. To consult with the faculty and deans of their academic units to identify nominees for university joint committees and councils and to review and recommend committee membership.
      1. The identification of faculty for service on joint university committees and councils is the result of collaboration between the college Committee on Committees representative and a representative of the college dean. The Vice Chair of the Faculty Senate will notify both parties when a vacancy occurs, who will come to an agreement on the new appointee.
      2. Based upon the criteria for the committee position, both parties may solicit nominations from the college’s faculty or administrators. If the dean’s representative and the college Committee on Committees representative cannot agree on the new appointee, both the nominations will be reviewed by the full Committee on Committees, which will make the final determination.
      3. Once the new appointee has agreed to serve, the Committee on Committees representative shall inform the Office of the Faculty Senate of the appointment.
   3. To provide the Steering Committee of the Faculty Senate with a list of nominees for all Senate operational and curricular committees and the responsible university administrator with nominations for joint committees and councils. The Committee on Committees shall take into consideration minority and female representation, and to the extent possible, take into consideration approximate proportionate representation of the academic units to serve on Senate and joint committees.
   4. To determine the interest of faculty (by survey or other appropriate means) in serving on the various Senate and joint committees and to obtain names from department chairs, deans, and others of faculty members whom they believe have the requisite interest and experience to serve on specific committees.

Approved by the Faculty Senate on February 16, 2012.
Transmitted to Provost Tony Waldrop on February 23, 2012.
Approved by Provost Waldrop on February 29, 2012.

Resolution 2011-2012-5 Calling Meetings of Joint Committees and Councils

Whereas, it is important to ensure that the meetings of all joint committees and councils be scheduled in a timely manner, and

Whereas, it is currently unclear who is responsible for calling the meetings,

Be It Resolved that the Bylaws of the Faculty Constitution be amended as follows:

SECTION VIII. Joint Committees and Councils

Joint committees and councils have a broad range of responsibilities at the university level but do not report to the full Faculty Senate at each meeting. It is the responsibility of the joint committees and councils to report any policy change recommendations to the Faculty Senate Steering Committee for consideration and to comply with the relevant provisions of Article IV of this Constitution. All joint committees and councils will hold meetings at least once a semester during the regular academic year. The first meeting of the academic year will be held upon the call of the administrator(s) to whom the committee reports. Subsequent meetings will be held upon the call of the committee chair. If a meeting is not scheduled by the second month in the semester, the Faculty Senate chair will, upon the request of any member of the committee, arrange for a meeting location and time, and notify members. No action can be taken at committee meetings unless a majority of the voting membership is present.

Approved by the Faculty Senate on February 16, 2012.
Transmitted to Provost Tony Waldrop on February 23, 2012.
Approved by Provost Waldrop on February 29, 2012.

Resolution 2011-2012-6 Emeritus Policy Revisions

Whereas, the current policy governing emeritus status does not address the status of individuals who are on phased retirement, DROP, or who have been re-hired, and

Whereas, the current policy governing emeritus status does not consider the diversity of faculty titles, and

Whereas, the Commencements, Convocations and Recognition Committee has requested clarification on the qualifications to be considered when awarding emeritus status,

Be It Resolved that the Policy 4-502.1, Faculty Emeritus Status, be revised to reflect the following changes:

• Applicants for emeritus status must apply no later than five years after retiring from UCF
• Applicants must be fully retired from UCF (not in DROP or phased retirement)
• Applicants must have been a permanent employee at UCF for a minimum of five years
• The policy should not specify the titles/positions of those who are eligible to apply
• Non-tenure track faculty should hold the equivalent rank of eligible tenured faculty
• Qualifications for eligibility should include that applicants must have made major professional contributions in research/scholarship or teaching or service (including contributions and service to UCF and the UCF community)

Be It Further Resolved that:

• Applicants must provide their unit head with materials supporting their application
• Only faculty may vote on applications for emeritus status

Suggested wording is provided in the attached.

Approved by the Faculty Senate on March 15, 2012.
Transmitted to Provost Tony Waldrop on March 16, 2012.
Approved by Provost Waldrop on March 21, 2014.
UCF Policy 4-502.1 Emeritus Status updated November 28, 2016.

Resolution 2011-2012-7 Student Perception of Instruction Administration Period

Whereas, faculty have expressed concern over the low response rate to the online Student Perception of Instruction (SPOI), and

Whereas, Whereas, Resolution 1987-1988-16 currently mandates that SPOI be administered in the final ten days of instruction each term, and

Whereas, Faculty Senators have expressed concern that the SPOI not be administered during final exams,

Be It Resolved the online SPOI be administered during the last 15 days of instruction in each term, closing one hour before the official final exam period begins.

Approved by the Faculty Senate on March 15, 2012.
Transmitted to Provost Tony Waldrop on March 16, 2012.
Approved by Provost Waldrop on March 20, 2012.