Home About the Program

WS Minor

Faculty and Affiliates Events Resources Contact Us The Quilts of Gee's Bend

Bylaws

I. Faculty

A. Membership
1. The membership of the women's studies program is open to all faculty members who have an interest in women's studies
2. The list of members will be drawn from periodic mailings to all faculty at AU. The list of active faculty will be composed of those who indicate an interest in being affiliated with the program.
3. All faculty affiliated with the program will have voting status.
4. Interested members of the community may also be members of the program but they will not have voting status.
B. Duties
1. Faculty will be responsible for teaching, administrative and outreach activities sponsored by the Program.
2. Faculty will establish and change Program policies and procedures.

II. Director

A. Selection and Term
1. The Program Director shall be elected by a majority vote of the faculty.
2. The term of office of the Director shall be three years, renewable once.
3. To qualify for the position of Director a faculty member must be a tenured associate or full professor.
4. Nominations for the position of Director will be solicited by the Nominations Committee no later than October 15 of the third year of the Director's term.
B. Duties
1. The Director has general administrative responsibility for all aspects of the Program, convening and chairing Program and Advisory Committee meetings, and ensuring the appointment of members of the standing committees. The Director will serve as an ex-officio member of all Program Committees.
2. Activities of primary importance include: The Director proposes and manages the Program's budget; supervises the support personnel of the Program; represents the Program to University administrators; promotes a facilitative context for teaching, research, and outreach, including Friend's of Women's Studies; promotes effective relationships with other units within and without the University; and recommends and administers policies and procedures pertinent to achievement of the Program's goals.
3. The Director is responsible for initiating and maintaining fund raising activities for the purpose of providing student scholarships.
C. Evaluation

1. The Director and the Program shall be evaluated by the faculty at least bi-annually in the fall semester so that the results of the evaluation can be used for planning. The evaluation will be designed and administered by the Advisory Committee Chair.

III. The Advisory Committee

A. Membership

1. The Advisory Committee shall be composed of the Director, the chair of the Nominations Committee, the chair of the Program Committee, the chair of the Curriculum Committee, the chair of the Membership Committee, and a student representative who will serve ex-officio. The student member of the advisory committee will recuse her/himself from personnel discussions.
2. The Chair of the Advisory Committee shall be elected by secret ballot from among its members annually.

B. Duties

1. The Advisory Committee must be consulted in decisions including but not limited to the following topics: curriculum planning and scheduling, budget allocations and major expenditures, fund raising, and program planning.
2. Meetings of the Advisory Committee shall be called by the Director at least once a semester.
3. The Advisory Committee shall oversee the process of evaluating the Director and the Program.

IV. Committees

A. Committee Structure

1. Standing Committees of the Program shall include the Program Committee, the Curriculum Committee, the Nominations Committee, and the Membership Committee. Additional standing committees may be established by a majority vote of the faculty. Ad hoc committees may be established by the Director, the Advisory Committee, or a majority vote of the faculty. Committees that fail to meet in any twelve month academic year shall be considered to have been abolished.
2. Staggered terms of membership on standing committees shall be for three academic years; committee membership shall be recommended by the Director to the Program faculty early in the fall semester for ratification.
3. All committees will have either 3 or 5 members.

B. Committee Duties

1. The Program Committee will be responsible for identifying and coordinating the visits of outside speakers to campus and developing educational outreach programs, as well as overseeing a local brown bag series annually.
2. The Curriculum Committee will approve existing courses for Women's Studies credit and develop new courses.
3. The Membership Committee will oversee the periodic mailings to identify active faculty and they will assist in organizing a fall reception annually to welcome new faculty.
4. The Nominations Committee will be responsible for identifying nominees for Director and for conducting elections and counting ballots. The results of elections will be given to the Director who will announce them. The Nominations Committee will also assist in identifying nominees for committee appointments.

V. Program Meetings

1. The Program faculty will meet at least once a year in the spring semester, at which time a full presentation of the budget will be made.
2. Meetings shall be called at least two weeks in advance.

VI. Voting Procedures

1. All motions shall be adopted by a simple majority of those voting.
2. Voting shall normally be by a show of hands, except when the vote is on a personnel or policy issue or when requested by nay active, voting member present at the meeting, whereupon the vote shall be by secret ballot.
3. Votes may also be taken by mail ballot with the advise and consent of the Advisory Committee.

VII. Approving and Changing the Bylaws

1. Any new article of the bylaws or amendment of a previously approved bylaw cannot be proposed or approved in a single meeting of the program faculty.
2. A new article of the bylaws or an amendment of a previously approved bylaw shall be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the active members of the faculty who vote.

Return to the top