EHPS Departmental Procedures

• The Department Chair is the presiding officer unless otherwise stipulated in Article III, Section A of these procedures. If the Chair is unavailable and the meeting must be held, the members present shall elect a chair pro tem for the duration of the meeting. It is the responsibility of the presiding officer to maintain order at the meeting, including adherence to the agenda as stipulated by the disciplines, use of proper motions, and establishment of a speaker's order for all discussions.
•  A schedule of departmental and committee meetings for the semester shall be established by the Chair at the beginning of each academic year and distributed to all department members. Meetings shall take place between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Meetings should be scheduled to maximize participation (i.e., avoid days and times when a large number of members have a scheduled class). If there is insufficient business or the Chair knows a quorum cannot be attained, the meeting may be canceled at the discretion of the Chair.
• At the Chair's discretion, special meetings of the department may be called in order to make decisions that cannot be postponed until a regularly scheduled department meeting. The specific agenda and the reason for the special meeting must be given to all members of the department. Notification must be given at least five (5) working days in advance of the special meeting. Department members should be contacted via their university email account.
• A written agenda, with all items and proposals to be considered, shall be distributed to all members of the department or committee at least five (5) working days in advance of the meeting. The members present at the meeting may vote to change the order of agenda items. Members of the department may submit items for the agenda to the Chair at least seven (7) working days prior to the meeting or from the floor at the meeting.
• A quorum is a majority of the eligible voting members of the department. Part-time faculty and faculty on any leave of absence on a full-time basis (e.g., sabbatical) are not eligible to attend department meetings except under the stipulations of Article I, Section I of these procedures. If a quorum is not present, discussion may occur but no votes may be taken.
• Voting is by a show of hands or a voice vote for everything except the election of the Department Chair, Program Chairs, and (following the restrictions of Article II.C of these 2 procedures) search committees, in which cases secret ballots shall be used. Votes by mail or email may be allowed when proposals have been submitted to all department members ahead of time. Proxy voting is not permitted under any circumstances. In accordance with Robert’s Rules, a majority vote is a majority of the votes cast when a quorum is present; abstentions are not votes.
• Minutes shall be taken by a secretary pro tem appointed by the Chair for the term of the meeting. Minutes will include the names of members present, motions adopted or not adopted, reports, and announcements. Unless points are made in discussion that clarify the motion or actions to be taken, discussion of motions are not summarized in the minutes. Minutes shall be signed by the secretary pro tem and distributed to all department or committee members within ten (10) working days after their approval. Minutes must be approved at the next department or committee meeting.
• If the Chair deems it necessary, and no member of the department objects, voting on a specific issue that would otherwise need to be handled via a special department meeting may be conducted via email so long as the issue is not one in respect of which confidentially is a concern.
• Non-voting guests (including part-time and full-time faculty and faculty on a leave of absence on a full-time basis, such as a sabbatical leave) may attend meetings at the invitation of the Chair or by majority vote of the members present at any meeting

General Provisions

The procedures for the recruitment of all faculty in the department shall conform to applicable Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity guidelines of the University, state and federal law, and the BHE/MSCA collective bargaining agreement.

These procedures shall only apply to the recruitment of full-time faculty, whether tenure track or temporary. The hiring of part-time faculty is conducted under the auspices of the Department Chair, who shall consult with the members of the discipline in question and to the best of his or her ability include faculty from this discipline in the interview process.

These procedures may be amended by a majority vote at a department meeting.

Job Descriptions

Each discipline shall be responsible for drafting a job description. The Department Chair shall discuss the job description at a regularly scheduled department meeting prior to submission to the administration.

Search Committees

The search committee shall have no fewer than three (3) members. The determination of the size of a search committee in excess of this minimum number is at the discretion of the chair in consultation with eligible faculty. Members of the department may submit their names for nomination to search committees. If more members are nominated than are required on the committee, then an election shall take place. (See Article I.F of these procedures.) Members of the department shall vote by secret ballot, and the Department Chair shall tally the votes before the assembled faculty.

Once constituted, the search committee shall elect its own chair. The search committee chair shall be responsible for communication with the members of the department, the  Department Chair, and the administration. The search committee chair shall ensure that the committee adheres to all procedures.

In compliance with appropriate University and collective bargaining requirements, the search committee shall devise its own method of reviewing job applicants, identifying those applicants to be interviewed, and gathering feedback regarding interviewed candidates from members of the department.

Only full-time members of the MSCA bargaining unit are entitled to the “added consideration” provisions contained in Article XX of the BHE/MSCA agreement.

Interviewing Candidates

All members of the department, including the Department Chair, shall be invited to participate in on-campus interviews with all candidates to be interviewed. Copies of applicant materials shall be made available to members of the department prior to interviews.

The Role of the Department Chair

The search committee shall recommend, simultaneously and in writing, the names of finalists to the department chair and the Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Officer, in accordance with university procedures. The department chair shall then discuss with the search committee the relative strengths and weaknesses of each finalist. When the Department Chair has prepared his/her recommendation regarding which candidate(s) should be offered the position, the Department Chair shall communicate that recommendation, in writing, to all members of the search committee at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to submitting the Chair’s and committee’s recommendation(s) to the administration.

At the request of either the search committee or the Department Chair, another meeting shall be held to discuss the chair’s and/or committee’s recommendation(s).

Notification Procedures

After the administration has informed the Department Chair that an applicant has  accepted an offer of employment, then, within five (5) working days thereafter, the chair shall inform the members of the department in writing of the name of the successful candidate. Upon the conclusion of the search, the search committee chair or designee shall notify all other candidates that the search has concluded. If for any reason a search fails, then the Department Chair shall notify the members of the department and all candidates for the position in writing as soon as practicable.

The department maintains the following standing and ad hoc committees.

Standing Committees

1. Curriculum Committee. The Curriculum Committee reviews and makes recommendations concerning the undergraduate curriculum of the department. The Curriculum Committee consists of all full-time members of the department who are not on a leave of absence on a full-time basis (e.g., sabbatical). Proposals should be pre-circulated for comment among relevant disciplines prior to submission to the curriculum committee by January 31.
2. Graduate Committee. The Graduate Committee oversees the curriculum of the History Master’s program. The Graduate Committee consists of all full-time history faculty who are not on a leave of absence on a full-time basis (e.g., sabbatical). The Graduate Chair is the presiding officer.
3. Economics Committee. The Economics Committee oversees the Economics curriculum. The Economics Committee consists of all full-time Economics faculty who are not on a leave of absence on a full-time basis (e.g., sabbatical).
4. History Committee. The History Committee oversees the History curriculum and advisement of all students including History 5-12 licensure candidates. The History Committee consists of all full-time History faculty who are not on a leave of absence on a full-time basis (e.g., sabbatical).
5. Political Science Committee. The Political Science Committee oversees the Political Science curriculum. The Curriculum Committee consists of all full-time Political Science faculty who are not on a leave of absence on a full-time basis (e.g., sabbatical).

 Ad Hoc Committees

1. Peer Evaluation Committee (see Article VII, Section N of the BHE/MSCA collective bargaining agreement).
2. Search Committees (see Article II, Section C of these procedures)
3. Other committees as appropriate. The constitution of such committees must include a description of the committee, goal, timeline, and workload expectations, be established by majority vote, and be chaired by a faculty member appointed by the chair.

Eligibility for Service on Departmental Committees

Only full-time members of the department who are not on a leave of absence on a full-time basis (e.g., sabbatical) are eligible to serve on departmental committees.

Nominations to Departmental Committees - Unless otherwise specified, Departmental committees shall have no fewer than three (3) members. The determination of the size of a given committee in excess of this minimum number is at the discretion of the Chair in consultation with eligible faculty.

1. Nomination Procedures for Faculty
   • Nominations may be sent in writing to the Chair or made at the department meeting where selections will be made. Members may nominate themselves; members shall not nominate others without the express consent of the other person.
2. Student Membership
   • Whenever appropriate or required contractually, students shall be appointed to serve on departmental committees. Unless otherwise specified, student nominees shall be fulltime, matriculated students majoring in a major offered by the department. In all cases, student members must be in good academic standing.
   • The Chair shall solicit from members of the department the names of student nominees.
3. Members may submit names of student nominees after obtaining permission from the
4. student to be nominated. Nominations may be sent in writing to the Chair or made at the
5. department meeting where selections will be made.

Election Procedures for Departmental Committees

The tenured and tenure-track members of the department eligible to vote in a departmental election shall elect the members of committees. Voting shall be done by a show of hands or voice vote. Election shall be by plurality. Tie votes will require a run-off election. The ballot shall list
only the names of the tied nominees.

Voting Eligibility

All members of a departmental committee are eligible to vote on business items. Only tenured and tenure-track members of the department are eligible to vote in the election of a search committee.

Recommendations (addendum added 2017)

With the exception of the Departmental Graduate Committee and any search committee, all recommendations from departmental committees shall be distributed to the members of the department no less than three (3) working days after submission to the Department Chair and no less than five (5) working days prior to discussion or action at a departmental meeting. If a recommendation needed to be submitted before the Department was able to meet as a whole, the Chair can solicit feedback from the department, and if there is no serious opposition the recommendation may be submitted.

Departmental Feedback to University Committees or Administration

Department members will relay their personal thoughts and concerns on University matters through our departmental representatives on FSU committees, or the Chair if appropriate. In those cases where the Department either on its own opts to offer feedback, or when a University committee specifically requests departmental feedback, a departmental response will be drafted via email with all departmental members able to contribute to crafting the response. The response will clearly state that it is coming from the department as a group, and thus will have to be approved by a majority vote by the department. If the response needs to be submitted before a department meeting will be taking place, the chair can ask for a vote via email to ensure that a majority of the department supports the proposal.

Election Procedures for Department Chairs

The procedures for selecting a Department Chair, declaring a vacancy in the Chair’s position, and recalling a Department Chair shall follow the relevant articles in the BHE/MSCA agreement. Only tenured and tenure-track members of the department, not on leave, are eligible to vote in the elections for Department Chairs. Where the contract is silent or refers to written departmental procedures, the department shall refer to the language in Article IV, Section B, of these procedures.

Election Procedures for Program Chairs

1. Eligibility - Every Program Chair shall be a tenure-track or tenured member of the department.
2. Terms of Office - The terms of office of all Program Chairs shall be of three (3) years’ duration. Every such term shall commence on July 1 and shall expire on the June 30 succeeding three (3) years thereafter. No person shall serve as a Program Chair for more than three (3) successive three (3)-year terms.
3. Procedures for Selecting Program Chairs - When a Program Chair is in his or her last year of office, the department will hold an election no later than April 1 to select a successor Program Chair. Election shall be by plurality. Tie votes will require a run-off election. The ballot shall list only the names of the tied nominees.

• Nomination Procedures - Nominations may be sent in writing to the chair or made at the department meeting where selections will be made. Members may nominate themselves; members shall not nominate others without the express consent of the other person.
• Notice of Election - The Department Chair shall issue notice via email and otherwise of the election of Program Chairs no less than ten (10) business days before the departmental meeting at which the selection shall be made.
• Eligibility to Vote - Only tenured and tenure-track members, not on leave, of the program that the Program Chair will serve are eligible to vote in elections for Program Chairs.
• Declaration of Vacancy - In the event of the resignation, death, or incapacity of a Program Chair, the members of the department shall hold an election at the next regularly scheduled or special departmental meeting. In the event that a Program Chair fails to perform his or her duties, and given ten (10) business days’ advance notice via email, any member of the department may lay out the case for the failure at a regularly scheduled or special departmental meeting, and the members of the department shall vote by a super-majority of 2/3 in a secret ballot to determine whether to remove the Program Chair. In the event that the vote to remove the Program Chair passes, the replacement will take place upon the election of the successor.
• Leaves of Absence - In the event that a Program Chair goes on a leave of absence, including a sabbatical leave, the department shall conduct an election to appoint an interim Program Chair.
• Method of voting - Votes may be conducted by show of hands unless there is a contested election for which a secret ballot shall be used. In secret ballot elections, voting will be conducted over several days with ballots cast using a ballot box in the department office.

Compliance with University Policies

The Fitchburg State University catalogue stipulates that all departments and programs shall make their policies and procedures for mediating/arbitrating student complaints readily available to students.

Procedure for Treating Student Complaints

1. Procedures for Chairs - The Department Chair shall notify faculty members of any signed – that is, not anonymous – complaints within twenty-four (24) hours via email and otherwise. If the student wishes to engage in mediation/arbitration, faculty shall be notified that they are entitled to (union) representation at such a meeting.
2. Procedures for Faculty - Faculty who receive complaints about colleagues shall first request that students take up their complaints with the colleague(s) in question. In the event that the student does not wish to address the complaint directly with the faculty member in question, faculty shall direct the student to address the complaint to the Department Chair.

The Department of EHPS recognizes that professional development can take many forms including but not limited to participation at national and regional conferences, travel to conduct research, invited lectures, service to regional and national professional associations, etc.

While all of the above will receive equal consideration, preference will be given to faculty members who have most recently used the least amount of professional development funding. It is anticipated that some may not receive money in any given year. Thus, proposals may be larger and limited only by the number of people seeking support in a given semester.

Sixty percent (60%) of the pool will be available for distribution in the Fall with the remaining balance available during the spring semester. All requests for fall support should be received by the department chair no later than October 1. Spring requests should be received no later than February 1.