East Carolina University Faculty Manual

APPENDIX L.

EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY CODE

C. Development, Screening, and Implementation of Unit Codes

1. Each autonomous, self-governing unit shall democratically develop a code of operations. This code must be approved by a majority of the permanently tenured faculty members of the unit. The code will provide for the conduct of unit affairs according to Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised. . Each code will be submitted to the Faculty Senate and the chancellor for review and ratification. In the colleges and schools electing to organize into self-governing, autonomous units at the department level, codes shall be submitted to the appropriate dean for advice prior to submission to the Faculty Senate. After consultation with the Provost or Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences, the chancellor shall ratify a code or shall return the code document to the code unit for revision and appropriate approval.

2. The faculty may democratically decide to organize into self-governing, autonomous units at the department, school, or college level in accordance with guidelines established by the Faculty Senate. A school's or college’s proposal to organize into self-governing, autonomous units will be reviewed by the Faculty Governance Committee. If the Faculty Governance Committee finds the proposal conforms to the guidelines, the proposal will be forwarded to the Faculty Senate for their consideration. If the Faculty Senate acts favorably, the proposal will be forwarded to the Chancellor. With the Chancellor's approval, codes of operation for the individual units shall be democratically developed. Upon approval of the codes, the code of the school or college will become null-and-void. Said school or college may democratically develop a constitution as a governance document. However, this constitution may not conflict with the authorities, responsibilities, and characteristics of the constituent units. If faculty members of schools or colleges do not choose to organize into self-governing, autonomous units, faculty in individual departments may democratically develop rules for the internal organization and operation of their departments. (Faculty Senate Resolution #03-51, December 2003)

3. To provide consistency unit codes should be developed following an approved outline that includes at least:

a. a preamble

b. definitions of the unit's faculty, its voting faculty, its graduate faculty

c. the administrative organization of the unit

d. the membership, terms, and duties of standing committees

e. a section that states regulations, criteria, and weights governing 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 (ECU Faculty Manual, Appendices C and D).

f. procedures for meetings within the unit

g. procedures for the unit's 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 prior to their submission in final form to person(s) outside the unit (Faculty Senate Resolution #03-37, October 2003)

h. procedures for discussing with its unit administrator the unit's annual budget request and annual report

i. procedures for developing criteria for salary increases (Faculty Senate Resolution #05-08, April 2005)

j. amendment procedures.

4. Each faculty member within a unit should have the most recent version of the unit's code.

5. With each quadrennial evaluation the unit administrator and the appropriate committee reviewing the unit's code should report to the Faculty Senate that the unit's code meets the current Faculty Senate guidelines for codes.

6. Unit codes that have been reviewed and approved by the Unit Code Screening Committee, the Faculty Senate, and the Chancellor should be deposited in the Faculty Senate office. The original should include a page containing the signatures of the chair of each reviewing body and the Chancellor or the Chancellor's delegate. If the Chancellor upon reviewing the unit's code requires changes in the code, the document should be returned to the unit for the required revisions and should continue through the review cycle until no further changes are required.

7. Immediately prior to the unit's quadrennial evaluation of its unit administrator, the Chancellor shall remind the unit's faculty and administrator that they must follow the unit's code.

8. The Chair of the Faculty and the Chancellor, or the Chancellor's delegate, shall arrange and schedule an orientation program for newly appointed administrators, to be conducted during the fall semester of each academic year.