Revised November 15, 2005

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences

Bylaws

Persuaded that a constituted system of procedures for self-governance is desirable, the members of the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences adopt and affirm the following articles and bylaws:

Article I – NAME

The body here constituted is the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences of the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater.

Article II – PURPOSE

The purpose of the body is to aid the members to fulfill individually and collectively the stated missions and goals of the University, of the College of Letters and Sciences, and of the Department.

Article III – MEMBERSHIP

3.1 All Mathematical and Computer Sciences faculty and academic staff holding one year teaching and/or administrative appointments equivalent to at least six credits per semester in the Department, as well as persons on leave of absence holding such an appointment immediately prior to their leave, are voting Department Members.

3.2 Emeritus Faculty are non-voting Department members.

Article IV – OFFICERS

Officers are Chair of the Department and Recording Secretary.

4.1 Chair: The Chair of the Department shall serve as the Chief Administrative Officer of the Department, and is expected:

a) To oversee the operations of the Department, address day-to-day problems, and institute new policies and procedures as needed.

b) To represent the Department Faculty to the College, University, and Community. c) As much as practical to consult with the Department on matters that affect the Department.

d) To implement College and University policy within the Department.

e) To encourage high professional standards.

f)To enforce these bylaws.

4.2 Recommendation of Department’s Chair:

The following rules shall be a guideline recommending a Chair:

a) Qualifications: The Chairperson must be a tenured, full-time faculty member in the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences.

b) The Chair is chosen by, and serves in accordance with the policies and procedures of the College and the University and with these bylaws of, the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences.

c) Procedure to facilitate the recommendation of the Department Chair: Three weeks prior to the consultation of the Department members with the College Dean, the Elections Committee seeks nominations for the Chair position. For the Department members to learn more about the candidates and their vision for the Department, the Elections Committee shall do the following:

(1) The Committee shall ask each candidate to provide his/her vision in a position paper within one week. The Committee shall then distribute the candidates’ statements among the Department members by Monday of the second week.

(2) The Committee shall arrange one or more Department meetings at which candidates present their ideas and answer questions from the Department. These meetings must take place before the consultations with the Dean.

d) Chair’s Term: The term for Chairperson will be three (3) years, and it shall end on June 30th. A Chairperson shall not serve more than two consecutive terms.

4.3 Recording Secretary: The Recording Secretary for both Department General and Tenured faculty meetings is elected from among tenured faculty. The electee shall be elected in the Spring semester to serve for the following academic year. The Secretary will maintain accurate records of the meeting deliberations and distribute the minutes at least three school days before the subsequent meeting.

Article V – MEETINGS

5.1 All meetings will be conducted according to Robert’s Rule of Order unless otherwise specified in these bylaws.

2 5.2 The body shall meet at the call of the Chair of the Department. The agenda for the meeting shall be distributed to the members three school days in advance of the meeting. Business not on the agenda may be conducted during the meeting either by adoption of suspension of rules to receive it, or under a “New Business” heading on the agenda subject to the State Open Meeting rules. There will be a minimum of two Department meetings per semester.

5.3 Special meetings may be called by the Chair of the Department.

5.4 The Department Chairperson, or his/her designate, shall be the presiding officer at meetings of the Department.

5.5 Upon a request of at least five Department members, the Chairperson shall schedule a Department meeting within ten school days of the request.

5.6 A quorum shall consist of a majority of the Department voting members.

5.7 Meetings of the Tenured Faculty of the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences shall be governed by the same rules of conduct that govern the Department as a whole.

5.8 The method of voting shall be at the discretion of the person presiding, unless law, policy, consensus, or a call from the floor determines otherwise, subject to Article V (5.1).

Article VI – COMMITTEES

6.1 The following statements shall apply to all committees unless otherwise specified in the bylaws:

a) Committee terms shall be two years.

b) All Committees shall have staggered terms.

c) There shall be no limit on the number of consecutive terms a member may serve on the same Committee unless otherwise specified in these bylaws.

d) Committees shall elect their own Chair.

e) When a vacancy appears on an elected Departmental Committee, the Chair of the Department, in consultation with the Committee, may appoint Department members to fill the vacancy until the next election.

f) A quorum of a Committee shall consist of one-half of the membership, not counting vacant memberships.

g) Members of the academic staff may serve on any Committee, except those from which these bylaws debar them, but they shall not be required to serve on any Department Committees.

h) Election shall be held every year at the beginning of each Fall semester for all Committee positions needed.

3 i) Committee members shall be considered voting members of the Committee only if they are voting members of the Department.

6.2 Ad Hoc Committees

Ad Hoc Committees may be established from time to time, their functions and membership being defined at the time either by the Chair in a memorandum or by the Department in a Department meeting.

6.3 Faculty Hiring Committees

There will be a new Hiring Committee formed for each tenure-track position the Department is allowed to advertise. The size and composition of each committee shall be determined by the full department. A majority of each committee shall be department tenured faculty members. The department shall elect the members of each committee. Terms will be for one year.

The Committee shall prepare the job descriptions and submit it to the Department faculty for approval. Proposed job descriptions must be circulated to the faculty at least two school days prior to the meeting where they will be discussed. Upon authorization of the position search by the College and University administrations, the corresponding hiring Committee shall continue to serve as a Search and Screen Committee of the position and function in accordance with the University Personnel Rules, Article III, B.

6.4 Peer Review Committees

There shall be one peer committee for each probationary faculty member. Each committee shall have three members appointed from among the tenured faculty by the department chair. Committee membership shall be for the entire probationary period of the probationary faculty member. The department chair may appoint replacement members for the committee when vacancies occur. The tenured faculty may vote to disband a peer committee at which point the department chair shall appoint a new peer committee. Each peer committee shall elect their own committee chair.

Each peer committee shall assist and advise its probationary faculty member with the goal that the probationary faculty member will grow as a teacher, become a productive researcher, find appropriate service opportunities and eventually earn tenure and promotion. Each committee member must observe classes taught by the probationary faculty member at least one time each academic year and submit a written review of each visit for the probationary faculty member’s file. The peer committee shall prepare annual written reviews of the progress toward earning tenure made by the probationary faculty member. The reviews shall be presented to the tenured faculty to be considered when the probationary faculty member is reviewed.

6.5 Audit and Review Committee

4 There will be an Audit and Review Committee consisting of three elected members, of whom at least two are tenured faculty of the Department. Terms shall be non-staggered and shall extend from the time of election until the completion of the next audit and review.

The committee shall oversee the preparation of an Audit and Review report, and periodic up-dates to existing reports as required by the University. The committee may delegate related tasks to faculty not on this committee as it sees fit, in order to draw upon the knowledge and skills of the department as a whole.

The Committee shall meet at the call of the Chair, and report its results to the Department as a whole, so that revision of the report may be an ongoing process open to all.

6.6 Standing Committees

The following Standing Committees shall be created from among the members of the Department faculty. These Committees shall report directly to the faculty. The Chair of each Standing Committee shall be prepared to report at Department meetings, when notified by the Chair in advance, as to the process, actions, and recommendations of the Committee on matters under its responsibility.

a) Constitution Committee

The Committee shall consist of five elected members, of whom at least three are tenured faculty of the Department.

The Committee shall conduct an annual review of the bylaws and submit their recommendations to the Department. The Committee will review any proposal for an amendment to the bylaws and make recommendations to the Department within two weeks of receipt.

b) Standards Committee

The Department representative to the College of Letters and Sciences Standards Committee shall serve as Chair of the Committee. The tenured and tenure-track faculty shall elect four additional members from the tenured and tenure-track faculty. At least four members of the Committee must be from the tenured faculty. The Committee term shall be two years. Members of the Committee seeking promotion shall retire from the Committee and be replaced. Members seeking retention shall absent themselves while their applications are being considered.

The Committee shall carry out the functions required by the University Personnel Rules, Article III, A, (2), and by instructions issued by the Standards Committees of the College of Letters and Sciences and the University with regard to promotion, tenure decisions, and the re-appointment of tenure-track faculty. It shall also assist members who seek help with the preparation of their promotion or re-appointment applications. The Committee will make recommendations to the tenured faculty.

c) Academic Staff Review Committee

5 The Committee shall consist of five tenured faculty elected from the Department. A member shall not serve more than two consecutive terms.

The Committee shall assist newly appointed academic staff to become fully functional members of the Department. The Committee is responsible for making class visitations and reviewing Academic Staff. The Committee shall advise the Chair regarding the hiring and re-appointing Academic Staff. The Committee shall implement College and University personnel rules regarding Academic Staff, submitting the report to the tenured faculty for review and action. d) Elections Committee

The Committee shall consist of three elected voting members. The Elections Committee shall be elected in the Spring semester and shall be responsible for preparing the Department elections scheduled for the following Fall semester.

The Committee shall seek nominations, prepare ballots, hold elections, and adjudicate the election results. The Committee shall assure that the membership of Department Committees conform to the bylaws. The Committee shall report the results of elections to the Department. e) Budget and Planning Committee

The Department Chair shall be the Chair of the Committee. Other members shall be one appointee of the Chair and three elected by the Department.

The functions of the Committee shall be to plan and oversee the Department budget and to prepare one, five and ten year planning documents.

The Committee shall meet at the call of the Chair and at least once each semester to prepare budget requests as necessary, consider requests for funds from members of the Department, and advise generally on the disposition of the budget. The Chair shall report the budget to Department members at the end of each fiscal year. f) Merit Committee

There shall be three members elected from the tenured faculty. A member shall not serve more than two consecutive terms.

The Chair of the Department may be invited by the Committee to sit in consultation with it, but shall not be a voting member. A member having a conflict of interest shall recuse himself/herself so long as that member’s interests are under discussion.

The functions of the Committee shall be to develop a standard evaluation form, to collect and evaluate the claims for merit by Department members, and to apportion to each member of the Department their share of the available Department merit money.

The Chair of the Department shall determine the merit points for the Merit Committee members using the standard form and procedures.

6 g) Scheduling Committee

The Committee shall consist of three elected tenured members. A member shall not serve more than two consecutive terms.

The functions of the Committee shall be to meet regularly to plan and oversee the Department course schedule and to review periodically the Department’s course rotation plan. The Committee shall meet each semester to analyze faculty scheduling requests, prepare schedule planning documents as necessary, review the scheduling needs of the Department, and advise generally on the course schedule in consultation with the Department Chair. h) Faculty Development Committee

The Committee shall consist of five elected members, four tenured, and one tenure-track member, if available.

The Committee’s function is to review sabbatical applications, to prepare, in consultation with the chair, the annual staffing report and make its recommendation to Tenured Faculty, and to advise members who seek aid in researching, preparing or submitting material for publication. i)Curriculum Committee

The Department representative to the College of Letters and Sciences Curriculum Committee shall serve as Chair of the Committee. There shall be four additional members elected from Department faculty.

The Curriculum Committee shall review periodically the curriculum of the Department, edit and update the Department bulletin copy, propose curricular changes to the Department, review curricular proposals and changes from Department members and submit such proposals to the Department for action with a recommendation about their merit, review all proposals for Special Studies (496), and ensure that all curricular proposals are in correct form. j)Assessment Committee

There shall be five elected Department members.

The Assessment Committee shall implement the Department’s Plan for the Assessment of Department programs, keeping appropriate records of its evaluations, and submitting a report of its findings and recommendations to the Department each year. k) Students and Scholarships Committee

There shall be five elected Department members on the committee.

The Students and Scholarships Committee shall work to build esprit de corps among the students

7 in the Department, shall be the body to determine the recipients of such grants as the Schlicher, Beck and Flanagan Scholarships, and shall take steps it sees fit to attract additional good students. l) Grievance Committee

There shall be five elected Department members. Members of the Merit Committee and of the

Standards Committee are ineligible. Should a Committee member become a person who has a grievance for the Committee to hear, the member shall resign. The Department shall elect a new member to complete the term.

The Committee shall deal with faculty, student, and other grievances as outlined in the Faculty Personnel Rules and Student Grievance Procedures. m) Colloquium Committee

The Committee shall consist of three elected Department members.

The functions of the Committee shall include scheduling the talks for Speakers from within and outside the Department, and seeking financial assistance from campus resources, such as L&S Lecture Series Committee, to fund travel expenses for outside invited Speakers. n) Academic Staff Hiring Committee

There will be an Academic Staff Hiring Committee formed for academic staff positions the Department is allowed to advertise. The committee shall consist of three elected faculty members at least two of whom are tenured. Terms will be for two years.

For all non-emergency searches for academic staff the Committee shall prepare the job descriptions and submit it to the Department faculty for approval. Proposed job descriptions must be circulated to the faculty at least two school days prior to the meeting where they will be discussed. Upon authorization of the position search by the College and University administrations, the corresponding hiring Committee shall continue to serve as a Search and Screen Committee of the position(s) and function in accordance with the University Personnel Rules, Article III, B.

For emergency searches for academic staff the Committee shall, at the request of the department chair, advise and assist the department chair in finding suitable job candidates for the position. o) Subject Area Committees

The Department shall form subject area Committees for:

 Mathematics Proficiency  Finite Business Mathematics  Calculus  Computer Science  Statistics

8  Mathematics Major  Mathematics Education

The Chairs of these Committees shall be elected from among the voting Department members. Other members of each Committee shall consist of all faculty currently teaching one or more of

the courses covered by the Committee, as well as any other interested Department member.

Each Committee shall be responsible for:

i) Reviewing and recommending textbook selections.

ii) Ensuring uniformity in content and standards for courses typically offered in multiple sections, and for courses which are prerequisite for other courses offered by the Department.

iii) Maintaining a suggested syllabi to assist faculty teaching a course for the first time.

iv) Developing and maintaining course objectives.

v) Ensuring that teachers remember to assign appropriate writing assignments in those courses where writing assignments are required.

Article VII – DEPARTMENT REPRESENTATIVES

Department members are elected to represent the Department to:

 College Curriculum Committee  College Standards Committee  University Graduate Council  University of Wisconsin Mathematics Placement Test Committee  Other representatives of the Department as needed

Qualifications for representatives will be determined by rules of membership the committee involved.

Article VIII – ADOPTIONS AND AMENDMENTS

Adoption of these bylaws shall take effect as soon as they are approved. Approval requires a two-thirds majority vote at two consecutive Department meetings. At the second meeting, absentee ballots shall be acceptable.

These bylaws may be amended. Any Department member may propose an amendment to the bylaws. The written proposal shall be submitted to the Constitution Committee. The Committee shall submit the proposal and its recommendations to the Department.

9 Passage at two consecutive Department meetings by a two-thirds majority of the Department shall complete the procedure. At the second reading, absentee ballots shall be acceptable. Proposed amendments shall be the first item on the agenda.

______

10