Agenda for the Faculty Senate Meeting
February 21, 2007
Room B-113 Robinson Hall
3:00-4:15 p.m.
I. Call
to Order
II. Approval
of the Minutes of January 24, 2007
III. Announcements
IV. Unfinished
Business
V. New
Business - Committee Reports
A. Senate Standing Committees
Executive
Committee
Academic
Policies--Motion from the committee Attachment
A
Budget
& Resources
Faculty
Matters--Motion from the committee Attachment
B
Organization
& Operations
Nominations
B. Other
Committees
Task
Force on Salary Issues--Motion from the committee
Attachment
C
Handbook
Revision Committee
VI. Other
New Business
Report
on “Green Resolutions”
University
Policy on Copyright Attachment
D
VII. Remarks
for the Good of the General Faculty
VIII. Adjournment
ATTACHMENT A
Absence for Religious Observances or Participation in
University Activities
It is Mason's policy to make every reasonable effort to allow members of the
campus community to observe their religious holidays, or participate in
University sponsored activities (e.g., Intercollegiate Athletics, Forensics
Team, Dance Company, etc.) without academic penalty. Absence from classes
or exams for these reasons does not relieve students from responsibility
for any part of the course work required during the absence. Students who
expect to miss classes, exams, or other assignments as a consequence of their
religious observance or for participation in a university activity will
be provided a reasonable alternative opportunity to complete their academic
responsibilities. It is the obligation of students to provide faculty with
reasonable notice of the dates of major religious holidays on which they will
be absent. Faculty should take religious observances into consideration when
constructing class schedules and syllabi. Students requesting an excused
absence for participation in a University sponsored activity must provide
documentation to the instructor prior to the scheduled absence when known in
advance, and as soon as possible when not known in advance.
The Colonial Academic Alliance concluded that all member
institutions should have similar policies regarding absences due to
participation in university activities, and the Academic Integrity Committee of
this university's Athletic Council proposed the policy stated above in order to
make GMU have a policy in line with the policies of other members of the
alliance. (The Academic Integrity Committee voted to approve the proposed
policy on Jan. 31, 2007.)
While it has been observed that for the most part GMU faculty are reasonable
with regard to not penalizing students who miss a class or exam due to participation
in a recognized university activity, it has also been observed that some new
faculty and adjunct faculty seem reluctant to make reasonable accommodations.
Perhaps in some cases the reluctance is due to a desire to do things "by
the book" and avoid making exceptions, and in such instances it may be the
case that having an official policy regarding absence due to participation in
university activities may be helpful.
It strikes some students and faculty members as odd that GMU has a policy
regarding absence due to religious observance but not one covering absence due
to participation in university activities.
It can be noted that the proposed policy does not specify what is meant by
making a reasonable effort to accommodate students who will miss a class or
exam, allowing individual faculty members to for the most part decide for
themselves what is appropriate for their classes.
ATTACHMENT B
Draft of
Noncompetitive (Waived Search) Hire Policy
Policy. In keeping with Section 1.3 of the Faculty Handbook that states, “In accordance with the best traditions of American universities, the faculty plays a primary role in…faculty personnel actions,” the faculty role in noncompetitive hires is equal to that in competitive searches and hires. This policy concerns all noncompetitive hires of instructional term, tenured, and tenure-line faculty.
Noncompetitive or direct hires are hires in which the search process is waived. When hiring term, tenured and tenure-line faculty, competitive searches should be used except in very special circumstances. These circumstances are normally limited to situations (a) when the candidate has already established a national/international reputation, the program has a unique opportunity to hire the targeted candidate, and the area of specialization complements those of faculty already in the program; (b) when the candidate is a close family member (spouse, parent, child, or sibling) of a candidate being hired through formal search procedures and the university is attempting to accommodate the family member; and (c) when an administrator is hired and is considered for acceptance in a specific local academic unit (LAU). While an administrator is normally hired using a competitive process at the administrative level, this policy applies because s/he is not part of a competitive process at the level of the LAU. Instructional term faculty may also be hired without a search when classes must be staffed immediately due to an unexpected resignation, death, or illness of a member of the teaching faculty. Waiver of a search in this situation is usually only valid for up to one year.
Procedures. Faculty in the LAU review the credentials of any individual who is a candidate for noncompetitive hire using the same procedures as review of competitive hire candidates. These include at a minimum the opportunity to examine a curriculum vitae, meet with the candidate, attend a job seminar or formal presentation by the candidate, and review letters of reference. The LAU faculty then vote to accept or reject the candidate. The hiring process moves forward only when a majority of the LAU faculty who are eligible to vote accept the candidate.
If a candidate for noncompetitive hire is to be tenured upon hiring, s/he must be reviewed by both the LAU faculty and the college- or school-level promotion and tenure committee. The LAU review requires a majority positive vote by eligible faculty for tenure in addition to the vote to accept the candidate into the program. If the LAU faculty vote is positive and the chair approves of the candidate, the dossier is then sent to the college or school promotion and tenure committee. As with all tenure reviews, independent external letters from recognized experts in the candidate’s field must be obtained in a manner consistent with other tenure reviews, and candidates are held to the same standards as other candidates in that LAU. Since noncompetitive hires may be made outside the normal annual promotion and tenure cycle, college and school promotion and tenure committees must develop procedures for reviewing candidates out of cycle.
ATTACHMENT C
The Task Force on Salary Issues moves:
That the Vice-President for Human Resources
promptly provide to the Task Force the administrative
salary data from the College & University Professional Association for
Human Resources (CUPA-HR) salary surveys to enable the Task Force to report to
the Senate on issues related to the compensation of Mason’s
administrative faculty.
Discussion
Access to the CUPA salary survey data
is by subscription only and subscriptions are only available to college and
university human resource units.
George Mason’s Human Resources Office purchases an annual
subscription to the CUPA salary survey data with university funding from the
taxpayers of the Commonwealth. CUPA
officials have confirmed that Mason’s administration may share this data
with the Task Force without violating its subscription agreement. The Task Force on Salary Issues must
have access to this data in order to perform its charge.
ATTACHMENT D
University Policy Number 4002 – Copyright in University Works is submitted by Matt Kluger, Vice President, Research & Economic Development, for review and approval by the Faculty Senate. The policy will be submitted to the Board of Visitors for its approval following the Senate’s consideration.
The principal purposes on the revised policy, as stated in the policy itself, are to –
Please click the link to read the full text of the policy.