B. Bylaws of the Faculty Senate

(Note: OLPM sections on this page may be cited following the format of, for example, "UNH.II.B.1.1". These policies may be amended at any time, do not constitute an employment contract, and are provided here only for ease of reference and without any warranty of accuracy. See OLPM Main Menu for details.)

1.   Elections

1.1   Half of the senators will be elected each year. The senate assistant will prepare ballots for those departments electing senators in a given year, with every tenure-track faculty member of those departments appearing on the ballot.

1.2   Departmental ballots will be sent to faculty members directly by the senate assistant during the first week of March. Ballots must be returned to the senate assistant by March 31.

1.3   A plurality of votes from the department will be sufficient for election. In the case of a tie, a run-off election will be held between April 1 and April 20.

2.   Membership of Committees

2.1   Standing Committees: In the summer of each year the Agenda Committee will appoint members to committees, after receiving indications of committee preferences. Should a vacancy occur on any committee during the ensuing academic year, the Agenda Committee may appoint a replacement. A vacancy results from a senator leaving the university or voluntarily resigning due to illness or other personal reasons. A senator who is absent due to work to rule and has not resigned is still a member. The Agenda Committee will appoint a chair to each of the standing committees.

2.2   Joint Committees: The Agenda Committee and the Faculty Senate will coordinate appointments and elections of faculty to all university-wide joint committees of faculty, administration and students, such as the ROTC Board of Governors, the MUB Board of Governors, the Affirmative Action Committee, the Instructional Technology Committee, and the Athletic Advisory Committee.

2.3   Professional Standards Committee: Members will be elected for two-year terms with half elected each year. The senate assistant will prepare ballots for those units electing members, with every tenured faculty member in the unit appearing on the ballot. The same procedure as in (1.B) and (1.C) will be followed.

3.   Meetings

3.1   The Agenda Committee will meet at least once a month during the academic year. The committee will call meetings of the full senate whenever agenda items arise, but normally at least once a month. Standing committees will converse regularly with the Agenda Committee about prospective agenda items.

3.2   The senate will have a regular meeting in September to discuss the future year's work and a regular meeting in May to organize the new senate.

3.3   A quorum must be present for the legal transaction of business, and a quorum will consist of a majority of the voting members. Voting members are defined as all faculty senators who have been elected by eligible departments. Departments that choose not to elect a senator are therefore not counted. A senator may designate another member of her/his department to act as proxy. If two small departments agree to share a senator, they may be represented by one senator with one vote. A proxy for the senator for the combined departments may be chosen from those combined departments. No senator or proxy may have more than one vote.

4.   Definition of Faculty Senate Members

4.1   For purposes of Faculty Senate membership, the following academic departments are eligible to elect senate members. The Agenda Committee is responsible for monitoring this list annually.

  • Accounting & Finance
  • Animal & Nutritional Science
  • Anthropology
  • Art & Art History
  • Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Chemistry
  • Civil Engineering
  • Communication Disorders
  • Communication
  • Computer Science
  • Decision Sciences
  • Earth Sciences
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Electrical Engineering
  • English
  • Family Studies
  • Geography
  • Health Management & Policy
  • History
  • Hospitality Management
  • Kinesiology
  • Languages, Literatures & Cultures
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Mathematics
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Microbiology
  • Music
  • Natural Resources
  • Nursing
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Philosophy
  • Physics
  • Plant Biology
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Recreation Management & Policy
  • Resource Economics & Development
  • Social Work
  • Sociology
  • Theater & Dance
  • Zoology
  • Library
  • Thompson School
  • UNHM, Humanities
  • UNHM, Sciences

5.   Faculty Senate Standing Committees and Corresponding Administrators

  • Academic Affairs: Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean's Council
  • Finance & Administration: Vice President for Finance and Administration
  • Student Affairs: Vice President for Student Affairs
  • Research & Public Service: Vice President for Research and Public Service
  • Campus Planning: Associate Vice President for Campus Planning & Real Property Management & Campus Planner
  • Library: University Librarian
This page last updated Wednesday, June 17, 2015. For information on the adoption and effective dates of policies please see explanation on the OLPM Main Menu.