As of January 6, 2008
Internal links within this combined document:
By-Laws of the University Senate
By-Laws: Senate Committees
Columbia University
Statutes, The University Senate
Rules of
Procedure of the University Senate
Columbia
University in the City of New York
OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE FACULTY
Relating to the Establishment ofBy-Laws of the University Senate
WHEREAS, the Trustees of Columbia
University in the City of New York, by their Resolution of May 13, 1969, have
authorized the Executive Committee of the Faculty “to promulgate such initial
By-Laws of the University Senate as shall not contravene the Charter or
Statutes of the University and which By-Laws may thereafter be amended as
provided in Section 26 of the Statutes of the University;” and
WHEREAS, the substance of the
By-Laws was overwhelmingly approved as part of the submission of the entire
plan for the establishment of the University Senate in a poll of the University
community in April of 1969 by a vote of about nine to one; and
WHEREAS, the University Senate is expected
to hold its first meeting before the end of the current academic year;
NOW THEREFORE, the Executive Committee of
the Faculty by RESOLUTION duly made, seconded and adopted by the unanimous vote
of its members hereby promulgates the following.
BY-LAWS OF THE
UNIVERSITY SENATE
Sec. 1: ORGANIZATION AND PROCEDURE.
(a) Rules.
Subject to the provision of these By-Laws, the Senate shall establish its own
rules of procedure.
(b) Presiding
Officer. The President of the University shall be the presiding officer
of the Senate. In his or her absence, or at his or her request, the Chairperson
of the Executive Committee shall preside as Speaker pro tempore.
(c) Meetings.
The Senate shall hold regular meetings at least once a month during the
academic year, and may meet more frequently by decision of a majority of its
members present and voting, at the call of the President of the University, at
the call of the Executive Committee, or at the call of one-third of all its
members. Meetings of the University Senate shall be open to members of the
University community, campus press, radio and other campus news media, unless
such meetings have been designated closed by the Executive Committee of the
Senate and such designation has not been overruled by a majority of the members
of the Senate present and voting thereon.
(d) Quorum.
One-half of the membership of the Senate shall constitute a quorum for the
conduct of the Senate’s business.
(e) Agenda.
The Senate shall prepare its own agenda, and the Executive Committee of the
Senate shall serve as the agenda committee. The Senate’s agenda shall include
all matters referred to the Senate by its various standing and special
committees, and all matters within its jurisdiction that may be referred to it
by the President, the Trustees, or the Executive Committee itself. A majority
of the members of the Senate may place an item on the agenda at any time.
(f) Introduction
of Proposals. Any senator may introduce proposals, including measures
and resolutions, from the floor of the Senate. Such proposals shall be referred
to the appropriate committee to be dealt with in accordance with Senate rules.
(g) Floor
Privileges. The Dean or Director of any Faculty, School, or
Administrative Board, whether or not he or she is a senator, shall have the
right to speak and participate in debate whenever any matter that is of special
concern to his or her particular Faculty or School is before the Senate.
The
student body in the following affiliated institution may elect one student
observer: Union Theological Seminary. If any of the affiliated institutions
elect such student observers, they shall be entitled to sit with the University
Senate but shall not vote or otherwise participate in its deliberations, unless
particular questions relevant to student interests in affiliated institutions
are the subject of Senate action, in which case, with the approval of the
Chairperson, they shall have a voice but not a vote.
When
the Senate considers the report of any standing committee of the Senate, or of
any committee, commission, or other group appointed by the Senate or by the
Senate Executive Committee, members of that standing committee, and members of
such committees, commissions, or groups, who are not members of the Senate may
sit with the Senate and have a voice but not a vote in the deliberations of the
Senate on that report.
(h) Committee
Reports: Discharge of Committees. The majority of the members of any
committee of the Senate may report on any matter before the committee. A majority
of the members of the Senate present and voting may require a committee to
report at the next regular meeting of the Senate, and one-third of the members
of the Senate present and voting may require the committee to report no later
than the second regular meeting of the Senate next following.
(i) Petitions
for Senate Action. Any matter may be placed on the agenda of any
appropriate committee of the Senate as determined by the Executive Committee by
petition signed by 150 members of the University community who are entitled to
vote for members of the Senate. Any Committee on Instruction may place a matter
on the agenda of an appropriate committee shall be disposed of by the committee
at the earliest time with due regard to other prior agenda items, and the
disposition shall be reported to the full University Senate.
(j) Minutes.
The Minutes of the Senate shall be widely disseminated, and shall be made
available to the campus and other news media. Copies of the Minutes shall be
posted in at least two prominent places on the Morningside Campus and at least
one prominent place in each of the divisions of the University not on the
Morningside Campus.
Sec. 2: FINALITY OF SENATE ACTION; CONCURRENCE BY TRUSTEES;
AMENDMENT OF BY-LAWS.
(a) Action of the Senate shall become final on
first passage unless Trustee concurrence is necessary pursuant to Section 25 of
the Statutes of the University.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of
sub-section (a), the President of the University may convene a special meeting
of the Senate within 15 class days of any Senate action, and may request it to
reconsider such action.
(c) The provisions of these By-Laws shall not
be subject to amendment except by a three-fifths vote of all incumbent members
of the Senate.
Sec. 3: COMMITTEES.
(a) Establishment. There shall be the
following standing committees:
Executive
Committee
Committee
on Alumni Relations
Committee
on Budget Review
Committee
on Education
Committee
on External Relations and Research Policy
Committee
on Faculty Affairs, Academic Freedom and Tenure
Committee
on Honors and Prizes
Committee
on Housing Policy
Committee
on Libraries and Digital Resources
Committee
on Physical Development of the University
Committee
on Rules of University Conduct
Committee
on Senate Structure and Operations
Committee
on Student Affairs
Research
Officers Committee
Committee on Information
and Communications Technology
(b) Additional
Committees. Such additional standing and special committees may be
established from time to time as deemed necessary.
(c) Periodic
Reorganization of the Senate. The regular organization of the Executive
Committee and other standing committees of the Senate and elections of
committee chairmen shall take place biennially, in odd calendar years,
following the spring election.
Each
outgoing Senate committee which considers that it has continuing business to be
conducted in the summer interim may so advise the incoming Executive Committee
and request it, under the Senate’s delegation of summer powers, to appoint
interim committees as necessary to conduct this business until the new
committees are constituted, and include in their membership such members of the
outgoing committee as are available for service.
(d) Responsibility.
Every committee of the Senate shall operate within the area of its jurisdiction
as an arm of the Senate and, except where expressly indicated otherwise in
these By-Laws, committees shall be responsible to the Senate and shall report
recommendations for consideration and action by the Senate as a whole.
(e) Committee
Membership. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this section,
persons who are not members of the Senate may serve as members of Senate
committees. At least a majority of every committee shall, however, be senators.
The membership of several committees, other than the Executive Committee, shall
be elected as follows: each member of the Senate shall submit to the Executive
Committee the first three choices for committee service in the order of his or
her preference; the Executive Committee shall then nominate the membership of
each committee so that, to the fullest extent possible, no member of the Senate
is nominated to a committee that is not among his or her first three choices;
after the Executive Committee has made its nomination, nominations from the
floor shall be in order, and the Senate as a whole shall elect the members of
each committee by majority vote.
(f) Committee
Chairmen. Each committee, other than the Executive Committee, shall
elect its chairperson from among its members.
(g) Absences.
If a member has more than two consecutive unexcused absences from committee
meetings scheduled at least one week in advance, the seat shall be deemed
vacant. Each committee shall determine the grounds for absence from its
meetings. When a member shall have accumulated two consecutive unexcused
absences, the chairperson of the committee shall notify the member and the
Executive Committee. The Executive Committee may recommend to the Senate that
the member be continued on the committee, or it may nominate a new member. The
Senate as a whole shall reappoint the member or elect a new member by a
majority vote.
(h) The composition and
jurisdiction of the several standing committees shall be as follows:
(1) Executive Committee
The
Executive Committee shall consist of 13 members apportioned as
follows: 6 tenured faculty, 2 non-tenured faculty, 2 administrators, and 3
students. All shall be members of the Senate. The two administration
representatives shall be the President and another officer of administration of
his or her choice. Elected members of the Executive Committee shall be chosen
as follows: each category in the Senate entitled to members on the Executive
Committee as here provided shall nominate the requisite number and the
membership of the Senate as a whole shall vote on each of the nominees; a
nominee who receives a majority of the total number of affirmative votes cast
shall become a member of the Executive Committee; if a nominee fails to achieve
a majority, the category that nominated him or her shall nominate another
person in his or her stead. Following the election of the Executive Committee,
the Chairperson of the Committee shall be nominated and elected from among the
tenured faculty members by the Senate as a whole.
The
Executive Committee shall be the Senate’s agenda committee and its committee on
committees. It may authorize standing committees without regular and recurring
duties, if they request to be put on a stand-by basis, to meet once a semester
and otherwise be on the call of the Senate or the Executive Committee or of a
majority of the Committee concerned as the need for the activity of such
committees may arise. The Executive Committee shall have the power to call the
Senate into extraordinary session, and shall have such powers, functions and
duties as the Senate may delegate to it during periods when the Senate is not
in session. The Executive Committee shall serve as a continuing liaison between
the University Senate and the central administration. The Executive Committee
may create subcommittees and may delegate any of its powers, functions, and
duties. The Executive Committee shall participate pursuant to the Statutes of
the University and the By-Laws of the Trustees, in the selection of University
Professors, the President of the University, the Provost or Provosts, and six
Trustees. In performing these functions, the Executive Committee or the
appropriate subcommittee thereof shall act in executive session and in a
confidential manner and shall not be required to report its deliberations or
actions to the Senate as a whole.
To
the extent possible, officers of instruction may be allowed a reduction in their
teaching loads and students may be granted appropriate credit for serving as
members of the Executive Committee.
(2) Committee on
Education
The
Committee on Education shall consist of 19 members apportioned
as follows: 8 tenured faculty, 3 non-tenured faculty, 4 students at least one
of whom will be a graduate student, 2
administrators, 1 alumnus and 1 library staff. The Committee on Education shall
review, and may from time to time recommend, plans and policies relating to the
educational system of the University. The Committee shall receive ideas,
recommendations, and plans for educational innovations from members of the
faculty and others. The Committee shall inform itself of conditions in the
several schools, faculties and departments, and propose measures needed to make
the most effective use of the resources of the University for educational
purposes.
The
Committee shall examine new online/distance learning and multimedia learning
applications to understand their broad academic implications and to recommend
policy, procedures, and monitoring in consultation with the committees on
Libraries and Digital Resources and on Information and Communications
Technology. It will evaluate the extent
to which these enterprises enhance the core mission of the University.
(3) Committee on Budget
Review
The
Committee on Budget Review shall consist of 12 members, all of
whom shall be members of the Senate. The membership of the Committee shall
consist of 5 tenured faculty representatives, 2 non-tenured faculty, 2 student
representatives, 1 alumnus, 1 officer of research, and the Chairperson of the
Executive Committee or his or her designee serving ex officio. The Budget
Review Committee shall review the annual budget of the University after its
adoption to assure its general conformity with short-range and long-range
priorities of the University and expressions of policy by the Senate. The
Chairperson of the Budget Review Committee or his or her designee may sit with
the appropriate committee of the administration when it formulates its budget
policy guidelines for the coming year and when categories of the budget are
discussed or adopted. The Budget Review Committee shall report its activities
to the Senate and shall bring to its attention any instance of non-compliance
of the budget with the existing priorities or policies and any other
allocations which, in the Committee’s opinion, are not in the best interests of
the University.
(4) Committee on Physical
Development of the University
The
Committee on Physical Development of the University shall
consist of 16 members apportioned as follows: 5 tenured faculty, 2 non-tenured
faculty, 2 administrators, 3 students, 1 alumnus, 1 library staff, 1 officer of
research, and 1 administrative staff.
The
primary mandate of the Physical Development Committee is to satisfy itself that
the processes for planning, reviewing, assigning priorities and implementing
the University’s physical development operate effectively. In addition, the
Committee will work with the administration and appropriate committees of the
Trustees in reviewing, with respect to the University’s academic goals, the
long-term physical development plans of the University, for the campus and for
off-campus properties, and the effects of those plans on the community. The
Committee shall meet periodically with the appropriate vice president and his
or her designates to discuss the status of planned and ongoing major capital
improvements for the University. In addition, the Committee shall regularly
receive reports from pertinent departments and committees charged with
academically relevant aspects of physical development. The Committee may also
advise the administration and the Trustees on faculty, student and staff
concerns, priorities and particular projects related to physical development.
The Committee on Physical Development shall work closely with the Committee on
Education so that developmental plans may bear close relationship to the
fulfillment of educational policies and purposes. The Committee shall also work
closely with the Committee on External Relations to minimize areas of conflict
and maximize areas of cooperation with the community. On behalf of the Senate,
the Committee shall also serve as a forum for reviewing reports of exceptional
difficulties experienced with the academic physical plant, buildings, grounds
and maintenance.
(5) Committee
on Faculty Affairs, Academic Freedom and Tenure
The
Committee on Faculty Affairs, Academic Freedom and Tenure shall consist of 17
members, of whom 13 shall be tenured faculty and 4 non-tenured faculty. One of
its members shall also be a member of the Committee on Rules of University
Conduct. It shall have jurisdiction of all matters relating to terms and
conditions of academic employment including, but not limited to, tenure and
academic freedom, academic advancement, sabbatical and other leaves, faculty
conduct and discipline, retirement, faculty housing and other faculty
perquisites. The Committee shall also review and, when appropriate, recommend
revision of policies governing the appointment of persons to named chairs.
The
Committee on Faculty Affairs, Academic Freedom and Tenure, or one of its
subcommittees shall also sit as board of appeal on faculty grievances. When
acting in such judicial capacity the Committee, or its subcommittee, shall
function in a confidential manner and shall not be required to report its
deliberations to the Senate as a whole. With the consent, or at the request of
the petitioner, however, the Committee or its subcommittee may make public its
recommendations and reasons therefore.
(6) Committee on Student Affairs
The
Committee on Student Affairs shall consist of all 24 student Senators, as well
as one non-Senator observer from Union Theological Seminary. One of its members
shall also be a member of the Committee on Rules of University Conduct. Its
jurisdiction shall cover matters of student life including, but not limited to,
student organizations, student housing, extracurricular activities and student
concerns in the community. The Committee’s jurisdiction, however, is restricted
to matters of University-wide student concerns, and to concerns of students in
more than one faculty or school. Where student interests are closely related to
the interests of other groups in the University, the Committee shall cooperate
with other appropriate committees of the Senate.
(7) Committee on External
Relations and Research Policy
The
Committee on External Relations and Research Policy shall consist of 18 members
apportioned as follows: 7 tenured faculty, 2 non-tenured faculty, 3 students, 2
administrators, 1 library staff, 1 alumnus, 2 officers of research. The
Committee shall review and recommend policies for the University’s external
relations involving instruction, research, and public affairs, including
community relations. The Committee’s purview will include the University’s
research strategies and its relations with private and public sponsoring
agencies, as well as the University’s strategies for enhancing its local,
national, and international reputation through its connections with other
academic institutions, governmental agencies, the media, and the surrounding
community. The Committee shall meet periodically with the Vice President for
Public Affairs and his or her designates.
(8) Committee on Rules of
University Conduct
The
Committee on Rules of University Conduct shall consist of 16 members
apportioned as follows: 4 tenured faculty, 2 non-tenured faculty, 5 students, 2
administrators, 1 library staff, 1 officer of research, and 1 administrative
staff. One of its members shall also be a member of the Committee on Faculty
Affairs, Academic Freedom and Tenure, and one shall also be a member of the
Student Affairs Committee. It shall have jurisdiction to review and recommend
revision of rules of University conduct, as well as the means of enforcing
those rules. In matters pertaining to rules of conduct and tribunals for
faculty, the Rules Committee shall consult with the Faculty Affairs Committee,
and in matters pertaining to such rules and tribunals for students, it shall
consult with the Student Affairs Committee. In matters pertaining to rules of
conduct and tribunals for research officers, the Rules Committee shall consult
with the Research Officers Committee. The Committee shall, to the extent
appropriate, incorporate its proposals in the form of amendments to the
University Statutes and shall submit the same to the University Senate as a
whole, to become effective upon adoption by the Senate with the concurrence of
the Trustees.
(9) Committee
on Alumni Relations
The Committee on Alumni Relations shall
consist of seven members apportioned as follows: 1 tenured faculty, 1
non-tenured faculty, 1 student, 1 administrator, 1 officer of research, and 2
alumni. The Committee shall encourage more effective communication with alumni.
The Committee shall stimulate alumni loyalty and support for the University and
shall serve as liaison between the University Senate and various alumni groups.
The Committee shall work with the administration in the furtherance of these
purposes.
(10) Committee
on Honors and Prizes
The Committee on Honors and Prizes shall
consist of 15 members apportioned as follows: 6 tenured faculty, 2 non-tenured faculty,
2 students, 2 administrators, 1 library staff, 1 officer of research and 1
alumnus. The Committee on Honors and Prizes shall recommend policies relating
to the award of University prizes and honors to persons who are not members of
the University. The Committee shall consider and report to the Senate standards
and policies (not inconsistent with such limitations as may legally bind the
University under specific endowments or grants) for the award of honorary
degrees, the University Medal for Excellence, the various categories of the
Pulitzer Prize and other similar evidences of academic recognition. The
Committee shall work with the President and the Trustees in the selection of
recipients for honorary degrees and prizes. In deliberating on nominations for
prizes and honors, the Committee may act in executive session and in
confidential manner, and shall not be required to report its deliberations or
actions to the Senate as a whole.
(11) Committee
on Libraries and Digital Resources
The Committee on
Libraries and Digital Resources shall consist of 17 members apportioned as
follows: 6 tenured faculty, 2 non-tenured faculty, 3 students at least one of
whom will be a graduate student, 2 administrators, 2 officers of the libraries,
1 officer of research, and 1 alumnus. The
Committee shall review and recommend University policies relating to the
University's libraries, information resources, and academic computing programs.
The Committee shall attend to all aspects of the University's storage,
accessing and retrieval of information whether in analog or in digital form,
and to all aspects of information services that support the academic work of
the University, in consultation with other Senate committees (e.g., the
Education Committee and the Committee on Information and Communications
Technology).
(12) Committee
on Senate Structure and Operations
The Committee on Senate Structure and
Operations shall consist of 13 members apportioned as follows: 6 tenured
faculty, 1 non-tenured faculty, 2 students, 2 administrators, 1 officer of
research, and 1 administrative staff. The Committee shall observe and review
the operations and effectiveness of the University Senate and make
recommendations for the improvement of the structure and operations of the
Senate, through statutory amendment and otherwise. The Committee shall be the
University Senate’s committee on the Senate’s rules and procedures.
(13)
Research Officers Committee
The Research Officers Committee shall consist
of 9 members, including all 6 elected senators representing Officers of
Research, and 3 other Officers of Research, who shall be nominated by the 6
research senators with a view to achieving balance among the different ranks of
officers in the constituency and among the campuses represented, and who shall
be approved by the Executive Committee. The Research Officers Committee shall
have jurisdiction to consider all matters relating to the terms and conditions
of research officers’ academic employment, including, but not limited to,
promotion, leaves of absence, retirement, academic freedom, academic
advancement, benefits, housing, the conduct and discipline of research
officers, and other perquisites of research officers.
(14)
Committee on Housing Policy
The Committee on Housing
Policy shall consist of 11 members apportioned as follows: 4 tenured faculty, 2
non-tenured faculty, 2 students, 2 administrators, and 1 research officer. The
student members shall be from among those housed by the Columbia corporation.
The Committee on Housing Policy shall review and recommend policies relating to
housing provided to University students, faculty and other employees, including
those pertaining to rent or occupancy charges, the assignment of housing, and
the condition and renovation of Institutional Real Estate and residence
buildings and units.
15) Committee on Information and Communications Technology
The Committee on Information and Communications Technology will consist
of 13 members including 5 faculty; 2 students, at least one of whom shall be a
graduate student; 1 alumnus/a; 1 officer of the libraries; 1 research officer;
1 administrative staff member whose work involves technology management; and 2
administration members at least one of whom works in technology management. One
of the faculty members shall be familiar with the University’s computing
facilities, and one student member shall be a graduate student and frequent
user of the University’s computer facilities.
The Committee shall review and recommend University policies relating
to the University's technology systems and services and network infrastructure.
The Committee shall attend to all aspects of the University's administrative
computing, telecommunications services, computing facilities, and hardware and
software systems that support the work of the University, in consultation with
other Senate committees (e.g., the Education Committee and the Libraries and
Digital Resources Committee).
UNIVERSITY
STATUTES, CHAPTER II
THE
UNIVERSITY SENATE
§20.
Membership The University Senate shall be a unicameral
body whose membership shall be composed of representatives from the following
categories:
a. Administration
members
l. The President
2. The Provost (or if there is
more than one provost, the provost designated by the President)
3. The dean of the faculty
of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
4. The dean of Columbia
College
5. Five members, who shall
be appointed by the President, from among officers of administration who are
part of the central administration and administrators of faculties
b. Faculty
members
l. Forty-two officers of
instruction having an appointment without stated term as professor or associate
professor as defined in Sections 60 and 61, to be elected from and by such
officers of instruction, subject to the provisions of Section 21
2. Fifteen officers of
instruction having an appointment for a stated term as defined in Sections 60
and 61 to be elected from and by such officers of instruction, subject to the
provisions of Section 21
c. Student
members
Twenty-two students as
defined in Section 381 to be elected from and by such students as provided in
Section 21, one student from Barnard College to be elected from and by the
students of Barnard College as provided in Section 21, and one student from
Teachers College to be elected from and by the students of Teachers College as
provided in Section 21
d. Affiliated
institution members
l. Two representatives of
the faculty of Barnard College
2. Subject to renegotiation
of the existing affiliation agreement with Teachers College, two
representatives of the faculty of Teachers College
3. Subject to renegotiation
of the existing affiliation agreement with the Union Theological Seminary, one
representative of the faculty of the Union Theological Seminary
e. Professional
library staff members
Two members who shall be
elected from and by those persons holding a full-time trustee or presidential
appointment to the professional library service
f. Research
members
Six members who shall be
elected from and by those persons designated as senior research scientist or
senior research scholar, research scientist or research scholar, associate
research scientist or associate research scholar, postdoctoral research
scientist, postdoctoral research scholar, or postdoctoral research fellow,
senior staff associate and staff associate, as defined in Section 62 of these
Statutes, and who are not entitled to vote as officers of instruction
g. Administrative
staff members
Two members who shall be
elected from and by those persons having an appointment from the President or
the Secretary of the University, or who are in Grade VII or above of the
University Personnel Classification System for officers of administration and
supporting staff and who are not entitled to vote in any other category for
members of the University Senate
h. Alumni
members
Two alumni members who shall
be chosen by the Alumni Council of the Alumni Federation of the University
§21. Elections, eligibility, recall, and term of
office
a. Election
of faculty members
l. The forty-two memberships
for officers of instruction having an appointment without stated term as
professor or associate professor as defined in Sections 60 or 61 shall be
apportioned by the University Senate biennially among the Faculties of the
Columbia Corporation in proportion to the number of such officers of
instruction; provided, however, that each such faculty, other than the
Faculties of Arts and Sciences and Health Sciences, which shall not be entitled
to elect any members, shall be entitled to elect at least one member; and for
the purposes of this paragraph (1), apportionment and election of members from
the Faculties of the College, General Studies and the Graduate School of Arts
and Sciences, treated as one group, shall be among the three disciplines of the
Social Sciences, Humanities, and Pure Sciences, respectively, as specified in
Section 153 of the Statutes.
2. The fifteen memberships for officers of instruction with stated term shall be apportioned by the University Senate biennially among the Faculties of the Columbia Corporation other than the Faculties of Arts and Sciences and Health Sciences. All such officers of instruction having an appointment as preceptor, associate, lecturer, instructor, and assistant professor, regardless of whether all such officers are full time or part time, shall be entitled to vote. Officers of instruction having an appointment with a stated term above that of assistant professor also shall be entitled to vote in this category. For the purposes of this paragraph (2), apportionment and election of members from the Faculties of the College, General Studies and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, treated as one group, shall be among the three disciplines of the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Pure Sciences, respectively, as specified in Section 153 of the Statutes.
b. Election
of student members
The twenty-four memberships for students shall be apportioned by the University Senate biennially as follows: twenty-two among the faculties of the Columbia Corporation; provided, however, that at least one student member shall be elected from each Faculty other than the Faculties of Arts and Sciences and Health Sciences; two additional student members shall be elected from the Faculty with the largest number of full-time students; one additional student member shall be elected from each of the Faculties with the next largest number of students, until the limit of twenty-two student seats for the Columbia Corporation is reached; one student member shall be elected from Barnard College; and one student member shall be elected from Teachers College. For the purposes of this subsection (b), the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences shall be treated as consisting of three separate faculties, comprised of the disciplines of the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Pure Sciences, respectively, as specified in Section 153 of the Statutes.
c. Election
of members from professional library staff and administrative staff
Two members shall be elected from and by the professional library staff and administrative staff.
d. Election of members from officers of research
The six memberships for officers of research shall be apportioned by the University Senate biennially as follows: four among officers of research members designated as senior research scientist or senior research scholar, research scientist or research scholar, and associate research scientist or associate research scholar; one additional research officer member shall be elected from those persons designated as postdoctoral research scientist, postdoctoral research scholar, or postdoctoral research fellow; and one additional research officer member shall be elected from those persons designated senior staff associate or staff associate.
e. Representatives
from affiliated institutions
Each of the affiliated institutions shall choose representatives from among their respective faculties to serve as members in such manner as each of them may determine.
f. Direct
and indirect elections
All members elected under subsections (a), (b), and (c) shall be chosen by direct election, except that student members may be chosen by indirect election as hereinafter provided. If the indirect election method is chosen, then the student member of the University Senate shall be elected by the elected student governing body of the faculty from which the student member of the University Senate is being chosen. Such choice shall be exercised only by a referendum of the students within such faculty and shall stand unless and until reversed by a succeeding referendum. If there is no elected student governing body of the faculty which is authorized to hold indirect elections, and if either a seat assigned to a student member has remained vacant for six months or longer, or elections have failed to fill such a seat, then a member may be elected from one or more departments within that faculty in rotation, as may be prescribed by the body designated of the University Senate, to administer University Senate elections.
g. Time
of election and term of office
There shall be two regular election periods each year, one in the spring and one in the fall. The regular term of office for each member shall be as follows:
l. For each member elected
in the spring elections, the term of office shall begin fourteen days before the
day of Commencement next following his or her election and shall be for two
years; provided that a member elected to a vacant seat shall assume office
immediately; and provided further that if the spring elections are not
completed by the date set for the beginning of his or her term, the member
shall assume office immediately upon the completion of the elections.
2. For each member elected in the fall elections, the term of office shall commence immediately upon election and shall expire fourteen days before the day of the second Commencement next following his or her election.
3. For each appointed member, the term of office shall commence immediately upon appointment and shall expire fourteen days before the day of the second Commencement next following his or her appointment.
It shall be the responsibility of each member to advise the commission supervising elections of members to the University Senate, as early as possible, if he or she will be unable to serve his or her full term. When such commission is so advised, provision will be made to vote, at the next election, for a member to fill the anticipated vacancy. The term of such member shall be the same as that of all other members elected in the same election period, except that if the seat is occupied at the time of election, the term shall commence upon the effective date of resignation of the retiring member. Except as provided in subsection (f), any vacancy occurring between election periods shall be filled in the same manner in which the original member was chosen, and the term of office for each member so elected shall commence immediately upon election and shall expire fourteen days before the day of the second Commencement next following the election. The Executive Committee of the University Senate may designate a day for the expiration of terms and beginnings of new terms different from the date set herein, if such a redesignation is necessary to allow for an orderly transition of the work of the University Senate from one session to the next. No person shall be disqualified from election because he or she will be a member of the category from which he or she is elected for less than two years. However, his or her membership shall terminate when he or she is no longer a member of the category from which he or she was elected.
h. Recall
Every elected member shall be subject to recall. Upon petition signed by one-fourth of the number of members of the category from which the member was elected, a recall election shall be held. A majority of votes cast for recall shall cause the recall of the member and his or her membership shall thereupon become vacant.
The provisions of subsection
(f) shall also apply to recall elections.
§22.
Duties It shall be the duty of the University Senate:
a. to report to the Trustees its opinion as to
any exercise of power proposed by a faculty under Section 35;
b. to submit such proposals to the Trustees or
to the president or to the several faculties as in its judgment may serve to
increase the efficiency of University work;
c. to consider any question that may arise as
to the conduct or efficiency of any officer of administration or instruction,
and to report thereon to the Trustees through the president.
§23. General
policies Subject to the reserve power of the Trustees
and the provisions of Section 25, the University Senate shall be a
policy-making body which may consider all matters of University-wide concern,
all matters affecting more than one faculty or school, and all matters
pertaining to the implementation and execution of agreements with the other
educational institutions that are now or may hereafter become affiliated with
the University. Without limitation by enumeration the University Senate shall
a. develop and review plans and policies to
strengthen the educational system of the University;
b. work on the long-range master plan for the
physical development of the University; recommend ways in which it can be
improved; and keep the same under continuing review;
c. work for the advancement of academic freedom
and the protection of faculty interests;
d. work for the promotion of student welfare
and the enhancement of student life;
e. initiate and review policies to govern the
University’s relations with outside agencies for research, instruction, and
related purposes;
f. foster policies for cooperative and mutually
beneficial relations with the neighboring community;
g. review by broad categories the annual budget
of the University after its adoption and advise the Trustees as to its general
conformity with the goals of the University;
h. consider and recommend policies relating to
the awarding of University prizes and honors, and assist the Trustees in the
selection of recipients of such prizes and honors;
i. promulgate a code of conduct for faculty,
students, and staff and provide for its enforcement;
j. initiate proposed changes in Chapter II of
these Statutes which have been passed by a vote of at least three-fifths of all
incumbent members of the University Senate.
§24. Powers The University Senate, subject to the reserve power of the Trustees and
the provisions of Section 25, shall have power, and it shall be its duty:
a. Academic
correlation: to secure the correlation of courses offered by the several
faculties and administrative boards; to adjust all questions involving more
than one faculty or administrative board;
b. Degrees: to prescribe, by concurrent
action with the appropriate faculty or administrative board, the conditions
upon which the following degrees shall be conferred and to recommend candidates
for such degrees:
Doctor of
Philosophy (Ph.D.) — Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and
Administrative Board of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Doctor of the
Science of Law (J.S.D.) — Faculty of Law
Juris Doctor
(J.D.) — Faculty of Law
Doctor of
Medical Science (Med.Sc.D.) — Faculty of Medicine
Doctor of
Medicine (M.D.) — Faculty of Medicine
Doctor of
Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) — Faculty of Dental and Oral Surgery
Doctor of
Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) — Faculty of Medicine
Doctor of
Nursing Practice (Dr.N.P.) — Faculty of Nursing
Doctor of
Nursing Science (D.N.Sc.) — Faculty of Nursing
Doctor of
Public Health (Dr. P.H.) — Faculty of Public Health
Doctor of
Education (Ed.D.) — Faculty of Teachers College
Doctor of
Social Welfare (D.S.W.) — Faculty of Social Work
Doctor of
Musical Arts (D.M.A.) — Faculty of the Arts
Doctor of
Library Science — Faculty of Library Service
Master of
Philosophy (M.Phil.) — Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and
Administrative Board of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Master of
Architecture (M. Arch.) — Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
Master of Arts
(M.A.) — Faculties of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Teachers
College, Journalism, Union Theological Seminary, and the Administrative Board
of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Master of Science
(M.S.) — Faculties of Medicine, Engineering and Applied Science, Teachers
College, Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Journalism, Dental and Oral
Surgery, Social Work, Business, Nursing, Public Health, and Continuing
Education
Master of
Business Administration (M.B.A.) — Faculty of Business
Master of
International Affair (M.I.A.) — Faculty of International and Public Affairs
Master of
Public Administration (M.P.A.) — Faculty of International and Public Affairs
Master of Laws
(LL.M.) — Faculty of Law
Master of
Public Health (M.P.H.) — Faculty of Public Health
Master of Fine
Arts (M.F.A.) — Faculty of the Arts
Master of
Comparative Law (M.C.L.) — Faculty of Law
Master of
Education (Ed.M.) — Faculty of Teachers College
Master of Arts in
Teaching (M.A.T.) — Faculty of Teachers College
Master of Arts
in Liberal Studies (M.A.L.S.) — Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences
Bachelor of
Arts (B.A.) — Faculties of Columbia College, Barnard College, General Studies,
and Teachers College
Bachelor of
Science (B.S.) — Faculties of General Studies and Engineering and Applied
Science
c. Certificates:
to prescribe the conditions upon which the following certificates, and such
other certificates as the University Senate may from time to time approve,
shall be awarded upon recommendation of the several faculties, administrative
boards, or committees:
Certificate in
Dentistry — Faculty of Dental and Oral Surgery
Certificate in
Advanced Education in General Dentistry — Faculty of Dental and Oral Surgery
Certificate in
Orthodontia — Faculty of Dental and Oral Surgery
Certificate in
Peridontia — Faculty of Dental and Oral Surgery
Certificate in
Pediatric Dentistry — Faculty of Dental and Oral Surgery
Certificate in
Prosthodontics — Faculty of Dental and Oral Surgery
Certificate in
Oral Surgery — Faculty of Dental and Oral Surgery
Certificate in
Endodontics — Faculty of Dental and Oral Surgery
Certificate in
Occupational Therapy — Faculty of Medicine
Certificate in
Physical Therapy — Faculty of Medicine
Certificate in
Psychoanalytic Training — Faculty of Medicine
Certificate in
Maternity Nursing — Faculty of Nursing
Certificate in
Critical Care — Faculty of Nursing
Certificate in
Nurse Anesthesia — Faculty of Nursing
Certificate in
Nurse Midwifery — Faculty of Nursing
Certificate in
Oncology — Faculty of Nursing
Certificate in
Primary Care (Adult) — Faculty of Nursing
Certificate in
Primary Care (Family) — Faculty of Nursing
Certificate in
Primary Care (Geriatric) — Faculty of Nursing
Certificate in
Primary Care (Neonatal) — Faculty of Nursing
Certificate in
Primary Care (Pediatric) — Faculty of Nursing
Certificate in
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing — Faculty of Nursing
Professional
Certificate in Social Work — Faculty of Social Work
Certificate of
East Asian Institute — Administrative Committee, East Asian Institute
Certificate of
Institute on Western Europe — Administrative Committee, Institute on Western
Europe
Certificate of
The Harriman Institute — Administrative Committee, The Harriman Institute
Certificate of
Middle East Institute — Administrative Committee, Middle East Institute
Certificate of
Institute of Latin American and Iberian Studies — Administrative Committee,
Institute of Latin American and Iberian Studies
Certificate Program
of East Central European Studies — Coordinating Committee, East Central
European Studies
Certificate in
Advanced International Reporting — Faculty of Journalism
Certificate in
Advanced Science Writing Program — Faculty of Journalism
Certificate in Advanced
Librarianship — Faculty of Library Service
Certificate in
Library and Archives Conservation — Faculty of Library Service
Teachers
College Professional Diploma — Faculty of Teachers College
Certificate for
Postdoctoral Respecialization in School Psychology — Faculty of Teachers
College
Certificate in
Advanced Social Welfare — Faculty of Social Work
Certificate in
Medieval and Renaissance Studies — Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences
Certificate in
Conservation Biology — Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Certificate in
Environmental Policy — Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
d. College courses: to prescribe, by concurrent action with the Faculties of
Columbia College, Barnard College, and General Studies, severally, the extent
to which courses offered by other faculties and leading to graduate or
professional degrees or diplomas shall be included in the programs of studies
under those faculties, and the conditions upon which such courses may be elected
by candidates for a nonprofessional first degree;
e. Barnard
College: to prescribe the manner in which the degree of bachelor of arts
conferred upon graduates of Barnard College shall be maintained at all times as
a degree of equal value with the degree of bachelor of arts conferred upon the
graduates of Columbia College;
f. Other
institutions: to adopt regulations, subject to approval by the Trustees,
providing for the proper execution, as regards educational matters, of
agreements that are now in existence or that may hereafter be made between the
University and such other educational institutions as are now or may hereafter
become affiliated with the University, and to prescribe what degrees, diplomas,
and certificates may be granted by said institutions and the conditions for
granting the same;
g. Summer
Session: to adopt regulations governing the relation of instruction in the
Summer Session to the other work of the University;
h. Fellowships
and scholarships: to determine the conditions upon which fellowships and
university scholarships shall be awarded, to appoint all fellows and university
scholars, and to make rules for their government, subject to such restrictions
as may be prescribed by the Statutes or by the terms upon which the several
fellowships and university scholarships are established;
i. Academic
Calendar: to fix, annually in advance the Academic Calendar, the dates for
entrance and final examinations, the date of Commencement, and the order of
Commencement exercises;
j. Research
bureaus: to encourage original research and to authorize the establishment
of research bureaus to be conducted by a faculty or by one or more departments
under such terms as the University Senate may prescribe;
k. Libraries:
to advise in such matters pertaining to the administration of the libraries as
may be laid before it by the provost or provosts or by the University
librarian;
§25.
Limitations of powers
a. Unless Trustee concurrence is required, acts
of the University Senate under Sections 22 and 23 shall become final on
passage. In all matters involving a change in budgetary appropriations;
involving the acquisition or disposition of real property, affecting
contractual obligations of the University, or as required by law, such
concurrence shall be required. In all other matters, the action of the
University Senate will be final unless the president shall advise the
University Senate not later than its next regularly scheduled meeting that
Trustee concurrence is necessary. Acts of the University Senate under Sections
22 and 23 shall be concurred in or not concurred in by the Trustees by the
second stated meeting of the Trustees following the submission of the
University Senate’s action to the Trustees, except when the Trustees shall
advise the University Senate of their need for a longer specified period of
time to consider such actions. Whenever the Trustees do not concur in an act of
the University Senate under Sections 22 and 23, they shall return the measure
to the University Senate with an explanation of the reason for their action.
b. No exercise of the powers conferred on the
University Senate by Section 24 which involves a change in the educational
policy of the University in respect to the requirements of admission or the
conditions of graduation shall take effect until the same shall have been
submitted to the Trustees at one meeting and another meeting of the Trustees
shall have been held.
c. Notwithstanding the provisions of
subsections (a) and (b), the president may convene a special meeting of the
University Senate within fifteen class days of any University Senate action,
and may request it to reconsider such action.
§26. Bylaws
and committees The University Senate shall have the power
to organize itself and to make all such Bylaws and regulations for its own
proceedings as shall not contravene the Charter of the University or these
Statutes. Such Bylaws shall be amended only by a three-fifths vote of all
incumbent members of the University Senate. Any such Bylaws and regulations may
provide for such committees as may be necessary or desirable. Such committees
shall include an Executive Committee. The Executive Committee of the Trustees
shall work with the Executive Committee of the University Senate in the
nomination of six Trustees as provided by the Bylaws of the Trustees. The
Trustees shall work with the Executive Committee of the University Senate in
the selection of a President of the University as provided in the Bylaws of the
Trustees. The president shall work with the Executive Committee of the
University Senate in the selection of the provost or provosts as provided in
Section 50. The Executive Committee of the University Senate shall participate
in the appointment of University Professors as provided in Section 61.
§27.
Meetings The University Senate shall meet regularly as provided in its Bylaws.
Special meetings shall be held on the call of the President and in accordance with
its Bylaws. The president shall be the presiding officer of the University
Senate. In the absence of the president, the chairman of the Executive
Committee of the University Senate shall preside.
§28. Staff The University shall furnish, to the extent provided for in the
University’s budget, assistance to the University Senate as a whole and to its
committees in connection with its official business, as may be authorized by
the Executive Committee of the University Senate.
RULES OF
PROCEDURE OF THE UNIVERSITY SENATE
The
Columbia University Senate is governed by the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order and, in
addition, by those rules appearing below which have a particular application to
this body.
RULE 1
MEETING TIME. Meetings of the Senate
shall be convened at 1:15 p.m.
and adjourned at 5:00 p.m. Prior
to 5.00 p.m., the Chairman may
entertain a motion for adjournment or for an extension of time. Unfinished
business shall be held over until, and placed on the agenda for, the next
regular or special meeting of the Senate.
RULE 2
WRITTEN RESOLUTIONS. Members making proposals or
amendments on the floor shall immediately transmit them in writing to the
President.
RULE 3
COMMUNICATION WITH
NON-SENATORS. Only members of the Senate and those persons specified in Section 1
(g) of the By-Laws may address the Senate when it is in session. Other persons
wishing to communicate with the entire body of the Senate may do so in writing,
and the Secretariat shall distribute such written communication to all Senators
provided that 125 copies are deposited with it at least 24 hours prior to any
particular session. On extraordinary occasions, the Senate may, by a two-thirds
vote taken at any session, schedule a convocation of the Senate to hear persons
who wish to address it or whom the Senate wishes to invite to address it. At
such convocation no business shall be transacted and no motion or vote shall be
in order. Upon recommendation of the Executive Committee, the Senate may
decide, by a two-thirds vote, to hear speakers not covered in the above
provision.
RULE 4
RECORD VOTE. By a one-third vote of the
members present and voting, a written and signed ballot may be taken on
substantive questions. Tellers will make an immediate count of the votes, and
after the result has been announced, the Secretariat will proceed to register
the individual members’ votes for release at the end of the meeting.
RULE 5
UNANIMOUS CONSENT. When the Committee on Education
reports to the Senate concerning minor changes in degree requirements or
degree-granting programs, it may ask that such resolutions be adopted by
unanimous consent. Copies of these resolutions must have been circulated in
advance to all members of the Senate and to the deans of all divisions of the
University. If, at the conclusion of the reading of the relevant resolution or
at any other time within 30 days following the sending out of such information,
no objection has been made by any senator, the recommendations of the Committee
on Education shall be regarded as having been formally adopted at the close of
the second plenary meeting following the original report.
RULE 6
SUSPENSION OF THE RULES. A motion to suspend the
rules, if there is objection, shall not pass except by a three-fifths vote of
all incumbent members of the Senate.