I.  University Libraries[1]

 

            University Libraries Faculty Council[2]

 

                                    Function:  The University Libraries Faculty Council shall serve as the chief faculty organization of the University Libraries; to assist in carrying out the University Libraries mission; to support faculty development and mentoring; to review faculty standing committee reports; to make recommendations to the Dean; and to represent faculty interests and concerns to the Dean.  The University Libraries Faculty Council operates in accordance with the bylaws and the faculty procedures of Grand Valley State University.

 

                        Powers and Duties:  Advise the Dean on academic and curricular support programs and educational policies of the University Libraries for the attainment of objectives; vote or otherwise take action on recommendations of standing committees; review bylaws biennially in the fall of even years and revise if necessary.[3]

                                                           

                                    Membership:  Faculty of the University Libraries who hold tenure or tenure track positions on a full or part-time (at least 50%) basis shall comprise the membership.  The Dean (or designee) will sit on the committee as a non-voting, ex-officio member.[4]

 

                                    Meetings:  University Libraries Faculty Council meetings will be held at least two times per semester (Fall, Winter, and Spring/Summer) or at the petition of 15% of the University Libraries faculty.

 

                                    Leadership:  The chair of the University Libraries Faculty Council shall be tenured, and elected by tenured and tenure-track faculty.  The term as chair will be one year.  The University Libraries Faculty Council Chair is entitled tomay request time on the agenda of any regular Library Council meeting, with the expectation that the request will be honored in a timely and appropriate manner.[5]

 

                                    Elections:  Election results will be determined by, or at, the final Winter semester meeting each year (for 2006-2007, the Faculty Council Chair and Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect will be elected during Spring/Summer 2006).  The University Libraries Faculty Council Chair will be elected to serve for 2006-2007; subsequent terms for the Faculty Council Chair will be for two years, one as vice-chair/chair-elect, and one as chair.  The vice-chair elected in 2006 will serve for one year as chair elect; the vice chair then moves into the role of University Libraries Faculty Council Chair for one year.

 

                        Terms:  All faculty governance offices commence with the start of the academic year.  The terms will run through the calendar year, to include the spring/summer as well as the academic year.  Current officers will assist in preparing the incoming officers during the months preceding that transition.

 

 

            Standing Committees and Other Committees[6]

 

            University Libraries Personnel Committee (LPC)[7]

                                    As specified in the GVSU Faculty Handbook, Chap. 4, Sect. 2.10.2; ex officio membership of the Dean is voted on annually by the faculty, as specified in the GVSU Faculty Handbook, same section.

 

University Libraries Faculty Development and Retention Committee[8]

            Function:  Coordinates activities relating to faculty orientation, training for effective teaching and professional performance, and scholarly activity assistance; fosters a community of faculty.  Recommends to the Faculty Council and the Dean on allocation of faculty development resources.[9]

 

            Membership:  [Number to be decided] tenured or tenure track faculty members[10] elected by the faculty serving staggered two-year terms, the Dean (or designee) as non-voting ex officio.  Chaired by a member elected from among the committee.

 

University Libraries Curricular Support and Assessment Committee[11]

                                    Function:  ??

 

                        Membership:  ??

 

University Libraries Ad Hoc Committees and Task Forces[12]

            Function:  University Libraries ad hoc committees and task forces may be appointed to carry out specific, short-range assignments, or to recommend action on special problems and/or issues; such committees shall report recommendations and/or findings to the Dean and Faculty Council.  Additional duties will be determined by the established ad hoc committee or task force, or constituting body (Dean or Faculty Council).

 

            Membership:  Membership is temporary and service is on an as-needed basis.  The Dean (or designee) shall be an ex officio member of all ad hoc committees and task forces.[13]

 

Appointment:  Ad hoc committees and task forces may be appointed by the Dean or by the University Libraries Faculty Council.  Tenure of an ad hoc committee or task force will be established in the committee’s charge and be subject to renewal, if the Dean or Faculty Council wishes to extend an ad hoc committee’s or task force’s deadline for completion of its business.

 

 

            Administrative Structure[14]

 

            University Libraries Faculty Assembly[15]

                                    Function:  To be a forum for information, discussion, and when necessary, formal resolutions to the Dean.  To be called at least once each semester to receive reports from the committees and from the Dean; to be called into special session by the Dean or by 15% of the University Libraries Faculty Council.[16]

 

                        Membership:  All University Libraries faculty, including visiting and adjunct appointees, are invited to attend Faculty Assembly meetings; to be chaired by the Dean.

 

            Library Council[17]

                                    Function:  Leadership team to advise the Dean on matters of concern to the faculty, staff, and students; coordinate administration of academic and service resources and operations; and develop policy recommendations.

 

                                    Membership:  Dean (chair), Division Directors, and others appointed by the Dean.  The Chair of the University Libraries Faculty Council is not a sitting member of the Library Council, but is may always entitled torequest time on the agenda of a regular Library Council meeting.[18]

 

            Unit Head[19]

                                    Function:  The Dean of University Libraries functions as the unit head in regards to the Library Faculty, and will generally delegate responsibilities as appropriate (Faculty Manual, Chap. 1.08, Sect. E); in particular the Dean will appoint a Designated Unit Head for Library Faculty Personnel Actions.

 

            Designated Unit Head for Library Faculty Personnel Actions[20]

                                    Function:  The Designated Unit Head for Library Faculty Personnel Actions is delegated by the Dean to carry out the responsibilities of a unit head in regards to conducting unit reviews for regular faculty appointment renewal, promotion, tenure,  and sabbaticals in accordance with the Faculty Handbook, Chap. 4.02.10.5-7 and Chap 4.02.10.8, Sect. A.4.  Additionally, collects nominations and prepares ballot for annual elections/nominations to faculty governance committees internal and external to the University Libraries.

 

                                    Appointment:  The dean shall appoint a Designated Unit Head for Library Faculty Personnel Actions, normally a nominee recommended by the faculty of the unit, following as a general model the guidelines for the appointment of unit heads specified in the Faculty Manual, Chap. 1.08, Sect. B-C.

 

            Unit

                        Membership:  All faculty and staff of the University Libraries.

 

           

Faculty Defined:[21]  For the purposes of voting and membership on University Libraries governance committees, faculty membership is defined as all faculty on regular and contract appointment in the University Libraries.  It does not include visiting or adjunct appointments.

 

                       

 

           


 

Notes / Discussion points

 

With the newly implemented University Libraries administrative structure only recently in place, this is an opportune time for the Library Faculty to be presented with a proposed faculty governance structure, and to begin to hold discussions between the Dean and the faculty with the goal of finalizing a “faculty bylaws” for the University Libraries.  The draft document in hand is in early stages of creation, and in part proposes structures and organizational flows that don’t as yet exist:  much is up for discussion, as is reflected in the notes below.  The draft at this stage does reflect initial input from the Provost’s Office (J. Nagelkerk), which guides or requires certain items; and input from the Dean.

General note:  the focus of this document is on the unit’s faculty, and the relationship of the faculty body to the unit’s Dean and administrative organization.  Since the expansion of the Library’s staff to include non-librarian professional staff (APs), the AP staff have been included in regular “Library Faculty and Professional Staff” or Librarian/AP meetings.  Some consideration should perhaps be given to whether there is an appropriate forum and rationale within the proposed faculty governance structure for including AP staff; or whether separate Librarian/AP meetings may continue to take place much as they have up to now, if they still serve a purpose.


[1] The underlying premise of shared governance at GVSU can be summarized as “guaranteed access to the Dean,” and the goal of creating a formal faculty governance structure for the unit may be seen as establishing an effective mechanism for ensuring that the Dean will be bound to give the faculty a hearing on an ongoing basis.  The University Libraries are acknowledged by the Provost to be differently focused than the Colleges, and so our organizational plan and faculty governance bylaws will reflect that.  This document will serve to establish the relationships between the Library Faculty, GVSU faculty governance, and the operational management structure which the Dean has implemented within the unit (i.e. Library Council and administrative positions created to form a reporting structure). 

 

[2] The proposed University Libraries Faculty Council should not be confused with the proposed University Libraries Faculty Assembly (this comes later in the document).  Whereas the Council is a voting and recommending body comprising the tenured and tenure line faculty, and is chaired by an elected faculty member, the Assembly is an occasional discussion and feedback forum open to all types of faculty and is chaired by the Dean.  Models include:  “Faculty Governance Council” and “COE Assembly” (College of Education); “Faculty Council” and “Faculty Meetings” (College of Health Professions).  As the faculty grows, we might want to remain aware of the possibility that the Faculty Council could in future be re-configured (by vote of the faculty, and approval of the Dean and the Provost’s Office) to be an elected body rather than a committee of the whole – this would depend on how the function of the Faculty Council evolves, and the nature of the business it transacts.  Alternatively, we could for the present omit University Libraries Faculty Assembly, include all faculty categories in the University Libraries Faculty Council, and specify that only the tenured/tenure line faculty are eligible voters on any faculty governance issues (e.g. committee appointments).

 

[3] Is this “Powers and Duties” scope accurate? sufficient? Is it redundant or conflicting with the “Function” paragraph; should they be re-written to co-exist better?

 

[4] It is required by the Provost’s Office that the Dean, or Dean’s designee, be included ex officio on the Faculty Council to represent administrative interests in the shared governance structure. –What if the Dean wishes to designate a tenure/tenure-track faculty member? wouldn’t that person then be a voter by definition? do we have to spell out an exception to “non-voting, ex officio”?  good questions!  I don’t know the answers, but we will need to!

 

[5] This is the proposed mechanism for direct representation of Library Faculty concerns at the level of the University Libraries’ uppermost management.  For further discussion, see the note in the section on the Dean’s Library Council under ‘Administrative Structure.’

 

[6] Each College is primarily responsible for managing their curriculum and the faculty who deliver it, and for establishing mechanisms for acquiring, developing, and retaining excellent faculty; beyond that, there is a good deal of latitude to establish additional standing committees, and whatever ad hoc committees, etc. which we find useful.  The University Libraries are acknowledged by the Provost to be different from the Colleges, and so our organizational plan and faculty governance bylaws will inevitably reflect that.

 

[7] University Libraries Personnel Committee is defined in the Administrative Manual / Faculty Handbook, and we may not have much latitude to make and seek approval for changes.  Kirkhof College of Nursing, which is also a somewhat smaller unit, also has a composition defined in the Administrative Manual / Faculty Handbook, and their bylaws also simply reference the appropriate paragraph in those documents.

 

[8] The name, function, and membership for this “Faculty Development and Retention Committee” is strictly hypothetical and up for discussion.  See:  “CLAS Faculty Development Committee” (CLAS); “Intellectual Contributions Committee” and “Teaching and Learning Committee” (Seidman College of Business); “Professional Development Committee” (Padnos College of Engineering and Computing); “Faculty Recruitment and Retention Committee” (Kirkhof College of Nursing).  Should we form such a standing committee?  What would its function be, what purpose would it serve?  Who should be eligible to sit on it?

 

[9] What should be the extent of the function of a “Faculty Development and Retention Committee”? 

 

[10] How many members should this standing committee have? An odd number? Should there be a requirement that a majority of this standing committee be tenured?

 

[11] The name “University Libraries Curricular Support and Assessment Committee” is strictly hypothetical and up for discussion.  Such a standing committee is suggested as a parallel to the Colleges’ curriculum committees; it might somewhat combine the educational program function of a college curriculum committee and other program support elements which some colleges have established in the form of a “Curriculum and Standards Committee” (College of Education), “Academic Assessment Committee” (Padnos College of Engineering and Computing), “College Evaluation Committee” (Kirkhof College of Nursing).  Should we form such a standing committee?  What would its function be, what purpose would it serve—is it, in fact, even desirable, given the responsibilities already written into the job descriptions of the “Director of Research & Instructional Services” and “Director of Administrative Services” positions?  Who should be eligible to sit on it; would it be desirable to emulate the internal+external composition of the Library Personnel Committee? or would this seriously complicate the process of identifying members who will be active participants?  Would external participation conflict with, or complement, the Dean’s Library Advisory Committee?

 

[12] Details of the function, membership, and appointment of ad hoc committees is open to discussion and refinement, based on the underlying assumption that we will want to have this capability.  Many of the Colleges make various provision for them, and have been liberally selected from as models.

 

[13] The Provost’s Office will probably expect, for consistency’s sake, that the shared governance model be supported in ad hoc committees as well, by including at least the option for the Dean, or a designee, to be included or identified among the members of such committees.

 

[14] The model for including an “Administrative Structure” section is the College of Education’s document.  In the case of the University Libraries, it serves to establish the relationships between the Library Faculty, faculty governance, and the operational management structure which the Dean has implemented within the unit.

 

[15] The proposed University Libraries Faculty Assembly should not be confused with the proposed University Libraries Faculty Council.  Whereas the Council is a voting and recommending body comprising the tenured and tenure line faculty, and is chaired by an elected faculty member, the Assembly is an occasional discussion and feedback forum open to all types of faculty, and is chaired by the Dean.  Models include:  “Faculty Governance Council” and “COE Assembly” (College of Education); “Faculty Council” and “Faculty Meetings” (College of Health Professions).

 

[16] What percentage of the Faculty Council should be sufficient to call for a special session of the University Libraries Faculty Assembly?  As proposed, this would be a situation where some percentage of the tenured/tenure track faculty feel the need for a meeting between the Dean and all faculty in any categories.  Should this percentage relate at all to that selected for petition of the faculty for an additional meeting of the University Libraries Faculty Council?

 

[17] At least two Colleges appear to have an administrative body similar to the University Libraries’ Library [administrative] Council:  “Executive Committee” (Padnos College of Engineering and Computing); “Leadership Team” (College of Education).  The latter is the closest parallel to the proposed University Libraries structure, including a Faculty Governance Council, a Faculty Assembly, and a dean’s Leadership Team.

 

[18] If we followed the example of the College of Education, we would include the Chair of the Faculty Council as a regular member of the Library Council, thus having a specifically faculty-governance-designated seat in the unit’s top administrative body.  The Dean sees a conflict between her conception of the role and function of the Library Council, comprising her direct reports and appointee(s), and the addition of an annually rotating faculty representative.  If we feel that this is an important point to debate, we will have to be extremely compelling.  The alternative is to find mutually agreeable language guaranteeing the Chair of the Faculty Council access to the Library Council in specific ways.

 

[19] Unit Head:  This paragraph is added for clarification for readers both inside and outside of the unit.  Because the unit is led at the Dean level, but has only one recognized academic unit within it, the Dean is, in effect, both Dean and Unit Head.  Ordinarily, in appointing unit heads (department chairs, etc.), certain duties for which the Dean has ultimate responsibility are routinely delegated to the unit heads; in the absence of units and unit heads in the University Libraries, the Dean will delegate or handle these responsibilities herself, as she sees appropriate.  In one instance it is not possible for her to handle the necessary responsibilities without delegating:  i.e. carrying out the faculty review process; and so there is provision for the appointment of a Designated Unit Head for Faculty Personnel Actions.

NOTE:  There is an open question as to whether the “Unit Head” and “Designated Unit Head for Faculty Personnel Actions” paragraphs are appropriate to include in the unit bylaws which will be approved by the Provost’s Office and the Faculty Senate, and posted as part of the Administrative Manual / Faculty Handbook.  On the one hand, these address activities which are managed at the discretion of the Dean, not the faculty, and so could change or should perhaps be spelled out only as internal unit practices; on the other hand, the Provost’s Office is looking for greater transparency and openness in the faculty-related governance activities of all the Colleges and the University Libraries.  Further guidance from the Provost’s Office and University Council is forthcoming.

 

[20] Are the function and appointment of the Designated Unit Head for Faculty Personnel Actions spelled out sufficiently and accurately? are they agreeable to the Dean and the faculty, and the Provost’s Office and University Council?

 

[21] “Faculty defined”:  several colleges have chosen to make a specific reference to a definition of “faculty” which should be always be assumed when the context is voting, or appointment to membership on a faculty governance committee.—Models:  “Elections” (1.), (5.) (CLAS); Padnos College of Engineering and Computing; College of Health Professions; “Section III. Membership” (Kirkhof College of Nursing).