CHAPTER ONE: 1570

HISTORY, MISSION, GENERAL ORGANIZATION, AND GOVERNANCE

July 2011

1570

SECRETARY OF THE FACULTY

PREAMBLE: This section outlines the appointment, responsibilities, and duties of the Secretary of the Faculty (website:  http://www.uidaho.edu/facultysecretary).  The faculty secretaryship is a position of long standing in the university and this section appeared first in the 1979 edition of the Handbook. The first substantial revision was that of November, 1991, where the faculty secretaryship was redefined as a half-time position (allowing for the creation of a half-time ombudsman position) and the responsibilities of the office were substantially changed. The second substantial revision was done in 2003 to reflect current practice and responsibilities. In 2009 responsibility for vita preparation was removed from the Office of the Faculty Secretary and placed with the faculty.  Except where noted, the text remains as it was in 1996. For further information, contact the Office of the Faculty Secretary (208-885-6151). [ed. 7-00, 7-03, rev. 7-11]

CONTENTS:

A.  Appointment

B.  Responsibilities and Duties

C.  Nomination Process for Secretary of the Faculty

A. APPOINTMENT.

A-1. The secretary of the faculty (aka faculty secretary, policy coordinator see FSH 1460) is appointed on a fiscal-year basis by the president from among the tenured members of the university faculty or faculty emeriti [see 1520 II-1 and III-2]. The president appoints the secretary of the faculty from a list of candidates recommended by a nominating committee and ratified by the Faculty Senate [see C below]. [rev. 7-02, ed. 7-09]

 

A-2. Release time for the faculty secretary will be at least one-half time and may be greater, at the discretion of the president, depending on the circumstances, the needs of the Faculty Senate, and the needs of the faculty member appointed. [ed. 7-09]

 

A-3. The term of service is three years and is renewable. [rev. 7-02]

 

A-4. The faculty secretary serves at the pleasure of the president and reports to the chair of the Faculty Senate and to the provost. The provost, in consultation with the chair and vice chair of the Faculty Senate, conducts an annual review of the faculty secretary. Early in the third year of service, an in-depth evaluation is conducted by the provost and the chair of the Faculty Senate. Included are evaluations by the senate as a whole, by other appropriate administrators and faculty, and by the incumbent. A confidential evaluation report is given to the president for review and discussion with the incumbent by the first week in October in the third year of service. [rev. 7-02, ed. 7-09]

B. RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES. The Secretary of the Faculty shall: [rev. 7-02]

B-1. Prepare, with the president's approval, the agenda and supporting documents for each meeting of the university faculty; record and publish the minutes of meetings; forward reports of actions of the university faculty to the president; the Department of Special Collections and Archives in the University Library, and other interested parties with copies of the minutes of the university faculty meetings; and serve as a channel of communication to the members of the university faculty concerning administrative and regents' actions. [rev. 7-02, 7-11]

 

B-2. Serve as webmaster and/or supervisor for the Faculty Senate and Faculty Secretary websites. Oversee the placement of material on those websites. [add. 7-02, ed. 7-09]

 

B-3. Oversee the placement of Faculty-Staff Handbook sections and keywords on the UI policy and regulations website. [add. 7-02]

 

B-4. Serve as an ex-officio nonvoting member of the Faculty Senate and, as his or her primary responsibility, provide services on request for the Faculty Senate and other faculty bodies. [ren. 7-02, ed. 7-09]

 

B-5. Serve as secretary to the Committee on Committees. Oversee the process for solicitation of faculty members to serve on university-wide standing committees and the publication of committee function statements and membership lists. [ren. and rev. 7-02]

 

B-6. Cooperate with UI officials to ensure the accuracy of all published academic information. [ren. and rev. 7-02]

 

B-7. Serve as chair of the University Multi-campus Communications Committee, 1640.91 [add. 1-10]

 

B-8. Serve as the editor of the Faculty-Staff Handbook. Serve as a major resource to the faculty and administrators with respect to the contents of the handbook and participate in keeping it up-to-date. Serve as a liaison with the President's Office to ensure proper maintenance and publication of the handbook. Inform Faculty Senate of any additions or changes to the handbook. [ren. and rev. 7-02, ed. 7-09]

 

B-9. Prepare for publication General Policy Reports for distribution to the university faculty for review and approval. [add 7-02, ed. 7-11]

 

B-10. Serve as a source of information for UI personnel and students concerning policies, regulations, and procedures. [ren. 7-02]

 

B-11. Perform such other duties related to faculty governance as may be assigned by the president or the president's designee or the university faculty. [ren. 7-02]

 

C. NOMINATION PROCESS FOR SECRETARY OF THE FACULTY.

C-1. The chair of the Faculty Senate appoints a five-member nominating committee, with the concurrence of the Faculty Senate. The committee is composed of the provost and four other members of the senate. [ed. 7-09]

 

C-2. The nomination committee should seek out and give preference to nominees who have the following qualifications; (1) attained the rank of full professor or are faculty emeriti, (2) print and electronic publication editing skills, (3) supervisory experience, (4) have had extensive experience in university service, and (5) have a good understanding and commitment to the role and mission of the University of Idaho. [add. 7-02]

 

C-3. The committee advertises the position, solicits and accepts applications and nominations, and screens candidates. The committee functions in a confidential manner. [ren. 7-02]

 

C-4. The committee recommends a list of candidates for ratification by the Faculty Senate. The senate may meet in executive session to discuss candidates recommended by the nominating committee. The senate may not add names to those recommended by the nominating committee but may choose to delete any of the candidates nominated by the committee. [ren. and rev. 7-02, ed. 7-09]

 

C-5. The Faculty Senate forwards the names of nominees ratified by the Faculty Senate to the president. The president selects the faculty secretary from that list or requests that a new group of nominees be selected following the procedures outlined in C-1 through C-4. [ren. 7-02, ed. 7-09]

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