Faculty Senate Resolution #08-30

Approved by the Faculty Senate: April 22, 2008

Approved by the Chancellor: May 21, 2008

General Guidelines for Writing and Revising A Unit Code of Operation

Unit codes should be developed according to ECU Faculty Manual, Appendix L. East Carolina University Code. Units should include descriptions of procedures followed in the unit that are not covered in Appendix L and other Appendices of the ECU Faculty Manual. In addition:

1. Codes should be submitted on line numbered paper. All pages should include page number and date: e.g., new codes: 1:10/05/94; revised codes: 1: 10/10/94 rev.

2. Amendments must be made by following the amendment procedure of the current unit code. When submitting amendments, Unit Code Committees should briefly describe the reason for the change and indicate the line numbers affected, as well as provide copies of the affected pages in the current code with proposed changes underlined. They should also submit the revised amendments along with the original text. Amendments will be treated by the Faculty Senate Unit Code Screening Committee in isolation.

3. Comprehensive Code Review. Every seven (7) years, the Faculty Senate Unit Code Screening Committee will review a unit’s entire code according to the following cycle: (latest current code in force approval date in parenthesis.):

2008/09 Anthropology (97), English (97), Sociology (97), History (98), Philosophy (99), Political Science (99), Foreign Languages (99), Music (99), Biology (00), Theatre and Dance (00),

2009/10 Medicine (01), Geography (01)

2010/11 Physics (03), Chemistry (03), Academic Library Services (03)

2011/12 Social Work (04), Child Development and Family Relations (04),

Interior Design (04), Economics (04), Criminal Justice (04)

2012/13 Technology and Computer Science (05) Education (05), Art and Design (06), Allied Health Sciences (06), Business (06),

Math (05)

2013/14 Geology (07), Nutrition and Dietetics (07), Health and

Human Performance (07)

2014/15 Nursing (08), Psychology (08), Communication (08), Hospitality

Management (08), Health Sciences Library (08)

One year prior to this date, code units will be asked by the Chair of the Faculty, to form a unit code committee to determine whether the current code still reflects current practice and is in compliance with university regulations, to propose changes (if any), to the tenured faculty of the unit. In the following year, representatives will be asked to meet with the Faculty Senate Unit Code Screening committee to discuss the current code and any amendments approved by the tenured faculty. All unit codes must comply with applicable portions of the Code of the University of North Carolina, the Code of East Carolina University, as well as relevant North Carolina and Federal Statutes.

4. Submit fourteen (14) copies of the code and amended code, if appropriate, to the Faculty Senate office with Attention to the Unit Code Screening Committee Chair. The new/amended code will be placed on the web at the Faculty Senate Unit Code Screening Committee site.

5. Codes should be submitted with a cover letter (see I. below)

6. Codes should be submitted with a cover page (see II. below)

I. Cover letter

The cover letter should state that the code was approved by majority of permanently tenured faculty members of the unit. See Appendix L, Sect C 1.

A. First Codes: Cover letter should state that it is the first code from the unit. Explain how the unit was established, for example by dividing one unit into two. See Appendix L, Sect D 2b “dividing a code into two or more code units.” OR

B. Amended Codes: Clearly indicate the changes that are being proposed and why. Amended codes should include copies of the current code and the proposed code with amended sections underlined. Units may ask to amend only sections of the code.

II. Cover page

The cover page should include the name of the unit, Unit’s school or college, East Carolina University, and the signatures of the appropriate university officials and chairs with the effective date of the unit’s code. See “Cover Page Example”. Refer to Appendix L, Sect C 6.

Note: The Unit Code Screening Committee should be notified when a code status is changed, for example when a Department from the College of Arts and Sciences is transferred to the School of Education, the smaller unit’s code is no longer in use. Refer to Appendix L, Sect D Code Unit Changes.

III. Checklist

This checklist will be used by the Unit Code Screening Committee to insure that codes comply with the appropriate ECU Faculty Manual Appendices. Refer to Appendix L, Sect C 3. New or amended unit codes being submitted to the Unit Code Screening Committee should:

___A. Include a cover letter and cover page.

___B. Include the unit’s preamble

___C. Define the unit’s faculty, graduate faculty, voting faculty, and who votes on a given issue.

___D. Define the unit’s administrative organization.

___E. Define the membership, terms and duties of standing committees, and state to whom committees report or make recommendations.

F. Include in the process of faculty evaluation:

___ 1. procedures and criteria in the evaluation of faculty members annually and otherwise for all personnel actions, including recommendations for merit awards, reappointment, promotion, and the award of permanent tenure (see Appendices C and D,)

___ 2. a statement regarding relative weights for teaching, creative

activity/research, service, patient care/clinical and reassigned time to be used in the unit administrator’s annual performance evaluation of faculty members.

___G. Include procedures for holding meetings within the unit.

___H. Define procedures for unit faculty members to indicate in a timely fashion and by vote their approval or disapproval of the unit’s major planning documents, assessment documents and other major reports of unit operation prior to their submission in final form to person(s) outside the unit.

___I. Include procedures for discussing with its unit administrator the unit’s annual budget request and annual report.

___J. Include procedures for developing criteria for salary increases.

___K. Include amendment procedure.

___L. Be as specific as possible when explaining procedures, for example if “input” is received explain the process used.

___M. State where recommendations are directed, to what person or body.

___N. State, “Unit administrators should ensure that code procedures are followed”.

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CODE FORMAT

Name of Unit

PREAMBLE

THIS CODE ALLOWS FOR FACULTY PARTICIPATION IN AND ESTABLISHES

PROCEDURE FOR THE UNIT’S INTERNAL AFFAIRS AND IS CONSISTENT

WITH ALL APPLICABLE APPENDICES OF THE EAST CAROLINA

UNIVERSITY FACULTY MANUAL.

Section I. Objectives/Mission

Objectives/Mission may be stated here or reference made to another document.

Section II. Organization/Composition

A. Definitions of voting faculty members.

1. Pertains to the unit’s nominating committee for appointment of administrative officials, for making recommendations on code content to the permanently tenured unit faculty members, and for evaluations of the effectiveness of unit administrators. Refer to Appendix L, Sect A and Appendix D, Sect IV.

2. Pertains to making recommendations for appointments, reappointments, promotion, and the conferral of permanent tenure to faculty. Refer to Appendix D, Sect IV.

B. Administrative organization of the unit and its subdivisions. Give the titles and responsibilities of administrative officials, including coordinators and directors. Also, for administrative officers, include appointment procedures, terms of office and evaluation procedures. Refer to current University policies.

C. Unit administrator will discuss with faculty the unit’s annual budget request and annual report. Refer to Appendix L, Sect C 3h.

Section III. Standing Committees

Include titles of committees, membership, method of selection, term of office duties/responsibilities/functions, where recommendations are forwarded. Committee membership should be included with each committee. Refer to Appendix L, Sect C 3d.

Section IV. Faculty Personnel Actions

(Do not repeat the procedures outlined in Appendices C or D)

A. Selection and Appointment of New Faculty. Refer to

Appendix C, Sect I.

B. Teaching Assignments and Reassigned Time. Refer to Appendix C,

Sect II.

C. Faculty Evaluation

1. Establish criteria for conducting procedures outlined in Appendix L, Sects C 5, E, F, and G.

2. Include a statement regarding relative weights and how they are used to evaluate faculty. Refer to Appendix C, Sect III and Appendix L, Sect 3e.

D. Reappointment and Professional Advancement. Establish criteria for each faculty rank. Refer to Appendix C, Sect III an Appendix L, Sect C 3e.

E. Merit Award/Salary. Establish criteria for the evaluation of faculty for merit salary raises. Refer to Appendix C, Sect V and Appendix L, Sect C 3e.

F. Personnel/Evaluation Files. Refer to Appendix C, Sect VI.

G. Tenure and Promotion. Refer to Appendix D and Appendix L,

Sect C 3e.

Section V. Meetings

Include requirements and procedures for calling meetings, and by whom,

agenda requirements and reference to conduct by Robert’s Rules of

Order, Newly Revised. Refer to Appendix L, Sect C 1.

Section VI. Evaluation of Unit, Unit Administrator(s) and University Administrators

Develop procedures for:

A.         Faculty to indicate in a timely fashion and by vote their approval or disapproval of the unit’s major planning documents, assessment documents, and other major reports of unit operations, such as evaluations of administrative officials prior to their submission in final form to person(s) outside the unit. Refer to Appendix L, Sect C. 3g. and University policies.

B. Program evaluation. Refer to Appendix L, Sect C 3e.

C. Unit administrators evaluations. Unit administrators shall be evaluated in accordance with established University policies.

D. University administrators evaluations. University administrators shall be evaluated in accordance with established University policies.

Section VII. Unit’s Annual Budget and Report

Develop procedures for discussion with unit administrator the unit’s

A. Annual budget request

B. Annual report

Section VIII. Criteria for Salary Increases

Develop procedures for developing criteria for salary increases

Section IX. Other Policies and Documents

Include a list or summary of content and location of other governing policy documents used in the unit, if appropriate.

Section X. Enabling

Upon the approval by a majority of the permanently tenured faculty members of the unit by secret ballot and after approval by the Faculty Senate and the Chancellor. Refer to Appendix L, Sect D 1.

Section XI. Amendment of Code

Include procedures for amending code, how much prior notice is required, and what kind of vote is required (majority, 3/5, etc.). Refer to Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised “Bylaws,” #55, Article IX. “This Code MUST be approved by a majority of the permanently tenured faculty members of the unit.” (Appendix L. C. 1.)

********************************************************************************************COVER PAGE EXAMPLE

Effective date: ___ Latest Rev. date ___

UNIT CODE OF OPERATIONS

DEPARTMENT OF/UNIT NAME _________________

SCHOOL/COLLEGE OF _____________________

EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

Initial Code Approval

1. Approved by the tenured faculty of the Unit:

Chair, Unit Code Committee: ________________ Date: __________

2. If changed, reapproved by tenured faculty:

Chair, Unit Code Committee: ________________ Date: __________

3. Submitted to Dean for advice: ________________ Date: __________

4. Reviewed/recommended by Faculty Senate Unit Code Screening Committee:

Chair: ________________ Date: __________

5. Approved by the East Carolina University Faculty Senate:

Chair of the Faculty: ________________ Date: __________

6. Approved by East Carolina University Chancellor/or designee:

Chancellor: ________________ Date: __________

(Effective Date)

Revision of Code: ____ Complete; or ____ Part(s) Effective ____