By-Laws of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Boston University
Revision of August, 1995

            Whereas the administration of Boston University and the faculty of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences wish to provide for a single, integrated administration of these two academic units, and

            Whereas the faculty of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences wishes to organize its internal governance as a common enterprise,
           
             These By-laws are created to define the policies and regulations governing the common administration of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Boston University.

I.            NAME AND AUTHORITY

The College of Arts and Sciences (formerly the College of Liberal Arts) and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences exist formally as distinct academic units within the University under previously approved constitutions and with the authority and responsibilities provided in the Charter, Statutes, and By-laws of Boston University. 

The following abbreviations are used throughout this document:

            “College” refers to the College of Arts and Sciences;

            “Graduate School” refers to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences;

            “Faculty” refers to faculty appointed in either the College or the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; and

            “Dean” refers to the Dean of Arts and Sciences, who is dean of
            both the College and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

II.            MEMBERSHIP

A.            All Professors, Associate Professors, and Assistant Professors holding appointments in the College shall also hold membership in the Graduate School and be considered voting members of the Faculty.

B.            A  member of a faculty of another School or College at Boston University may become a voting member of the Faculty upon nomination by an academic unit of the College or Graduate School and with approval of the Dean of the nominee’s School or College and of the Dean.

III.             ORGANIZATION

A.            The College and Graduate School shall be organized into the following types of academic units:

1. Academic Departments which offer programs of study leading to academic degrees.
   
   
2. Centers or Programs of Study that offer interdepartmental academic programs leading to degrees.
   
   
3. Centers that support research and academic programs for faculty and students.
   
4. The Division of Religious and Theological Studies, a unit belonging to the Graduate School, which includes among its members faculty in the School of Theology participating in the M.A. and Ph. D. degree programs in Religious and Theological Studies.  Faculty members of Boston University active in this Division shall be entitled to become voting members of the Faculty according to the procedure specified in Article II, Section B.

B.             There shall be further classification of the Departments into three principal divisions, namely Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences and Mathematics, for the purpose of electing candidates to the Dean’s Advisory Committee and the Academic Policy Committee, as specified in Article IX, Section A, and Article X, Section B, respectively, and for the purpose of appointing faculty to the appropriate Curriculum Committees, as specified in Article XIV, Section A.

IV.             FACULTY MEETINGS

A.             There shall be regular faculty meetings, at least twice each semester.  The time and place of every faculty meeting shall be fixed by the Dean, who shall have the responsibility to set the agenda for each meeting.  There shall be a written agenda for each faculty meeting; it shall be distributed no later than seventy-two hours in advance to all voting members.

B.            Special faculty meetings may be called by the Dean whenever, in the Dean’s judgment, such meetings are necessary or useful.  Furthermore, such special meetings must be convened by the Dean on petition of at least fifty members of the Faculty, provided that no more than twenty-five of the petitioners belong to any one academic unit.  Special meetings must be called at least twenty-four hours in advance.

C.            The size of the quorum at all faculty meetings shall be fifteen percent of the voting membership.  The quorum shall be determined annually by the Secretary of the Faculty prior to the first meeting of the academic year.

D.            Except by unanimous consent, with quorum present, an item not on the written agenda may not be put to a binding vote at any meeting, but must be re-presented at the following meeting.

E.            The Secretary of the Faculty shall keep minutes of all faculty meetings, copies of which shall be distributed by mail to all faculty members.  The Secretary of the Faculty shall be its parliamentarian, and in this capacity shall, on request, advise the presiding officer on questions of parliamentary rules.  Robert's Rules of Order shall be the governing parliamentary law.

V.            THE DEAN OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

A.             The Dean shall be a voting member of the Faculty and the chief executive officer of the College and the Graduate School.

B.             The Dean shall

1. preside at all faculty meetings or, when unable to preside, designate another officer or a faculty member to preside;
   
   
2. preside at meetings of the Dean’s Advisory Committee or, when unable to preside, designate another officer or a faculty member to preside;
   
   
3. preside at meetings of the department chairmen or, when                                     unable to preside, designate another officer or a faculty member to preside;
   
   
4. appoint the members of the Nominating Committee, with the approval of the Dean’s Advisory Committee, as specified in Article XI, Section A;
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5. appoint the Secretary of the Faculty for a three-year term, as specified in Article VIII, Section A;
   
   
6. appoint the members of the Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure Committee, with the approval of the Dean’s Advisory Committee, as specified in Article IX, Section D;
   
   
7. appoint the faculty members of all committees listed in Article XIV, with the exception of the Curriculum Committees;
   
   
8. on the recommendation of appropriately-appointed search committees in each particular case, nominate for appointment to the Provost of the University:  the Associate Dean for the College, the Associate Dean for the Graduate School, and the chairmen or directors of academic units when vacancies occur in these offices; and
   
   
9. appoint the chairmen of all standing and ad hoc committees of the Faculty, except for the Dean’s Advisory Committee, of which the Dean is chair.

VI.             THE ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR THE COLLEGE

A.             The Associate Dean for the College shall be a voting member of the Faculty, and its officer directly responsible for the undergraduate academic programs, including student advising and student services.  The Associate Dean shall, in consultation with the Dean, the department chairmen, and the Academic Policy Committee, have responsibility for the initiation and supervision of all undergraduate academic programs.  The Associate Dean shall report to the Dean.

B.            The Associate Dean for the College shall appoint the undergraduate student members of all faculty committees whose membership includes such students, inviting nominations from representative student organizations.

VII.   THE ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

A.            The Associate Dean for the Graduate School shall be a voting member of the Faculty, and its officer directly responsible for the academic programs at the graduate level and for scholarly work carried out by voting members of the Faculty.  The Associate Dean shall, in consultation with the Dean, the department chairmen and the Academic Policy Committee, have responsibility for the initiation and supervision of all graduate academic activities, and for the encouragement and support of research and scholarship.  The Associate Dean shall report to the Dean.

B.            The Associate Dean for the Graduate School shall appoint the graduate student members of all faculty committees whose membership includes such students, inviting nominations by representative graduate student
organizations.

VIII.            THE SECRETARY OF THE FACULTY

A.            The Secretary of the Faculty shall be a member of the Faculty and shall be appointed by the Dean for a three-year term.

B.            The Secretary shall

            1.            keep minutes of all faculty meetings;

            2.            act as a parliamentarian at all faculty meetings;

            3.              keep a record of these By-laws and any amendments                                                 thereto;

            4.              keep a record of all faculty legislation on academic                                                  matters; and

            5.            determine the size of the voting membership of the Faculty                                     annually prior to the first faculty meeting of the academic year.

IX.            THE DEAN’S ADVISORY COMMITTEE

A.            The Dean’s Advisory Committee shall consist of three chairmen of academic units, one director of a graduate program or center not represented among the department chairmen, four faculty members elected at large by the Faculty, the chair of the Academic Policy Committee, the Associate Dean for the College, the Associate Dean for the Graduate School, and the Dean, who shall  preside at all meetings.  The Secretary of the Faculty shall be a non-voting member ex officio of the Dean’s Advisory Committee.

B.            The three chairmen-members and the one director shall be elected by the department chairmen.  One chair-member shall be chosen from each of the three principal divisions of the Faculty as defined in Article III, Section B.  Chairmen-members and the one director-member shall serve for one-year terms, up to a limit of three consecutive terms.

C.            The four at-large members of the Dean’s Advisory Committee shall be elected by the Faculty for three-year terms.  Election to at-large membership shall be on nomination by the Nominating Committee.  The ballots for such an election shall have at least two candidates for every vacancy.

D.             The Dean’s Advisory Committee shall function as an advisory body to the Dean.  In this capacity it shall advise the Dean on matters which may include, but not be limited to:  the reappointment of chair of academic units; the membership of the Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure Committee;  matters of budget; and issues of academic standards and conduct. 

E.            The Dean’s Advisory Committee shall approve the membership of the Nominating Committee and the Appointments, Promotion and Tenure Committee.

F.            The Dean’s Advisory Committee shall review all proposed amendments to these By-laws and shall present such amendments with its recommendation to the Faculty.

X.            ACADEMIC  POLICY COMMITTEE

A.            The academic policies of the College and Graduate School shall be supervised by the Academic Policy Committee.  This Committee shall have the authority to review all educational policies at both the undergraduate and the graduate levels, to recommend changes in these policies to the Faculty, and to take action on those matters for which the Faculty has delegated authority to the Committee.  The Academic Policy Committee shall meet on a regular schedule.

B.            The Academic Policy Committee shall consist of nine faculty members, the Dean, the Associate Dean for the College, the Associate Dean for the Graduate School, two undergraduate students and two graduate students.  The undergraduate student members shall be of junior or senior standing.  The faculty members on the Committee shall be elected by the Faculty to three-year terms on nomination by the Nominating Committee.  Furthermore, the ballot for election to fill vacancies on the Committee as they occur shall be designed so that at any one time, each of the three principal divisions of the Faculty, as defined in Article III, Section B, shall be represented by no fewer than two faculty members. 

C.            The Dean shall appoint one elected faculty member of the Academic Policy Committee as chair of the Committee for a one-year term, up to a limit of three consecutive terms.  The chair shall

            1.            convene meetings of the Committee;

            2.            prepare the agenda for such meetings;           

            3.            preside at all such meetings;

            4.            report to the Faculty periodically on actions taken by the                                                 Committee; and

            5.            act as agent of the Committee in proposing motions to the                                     Faculty for changes in, or additions to, Faculty legislation on academic matters.

XI.             NOMINATING COMMITTEE

A.            The Nominating Committee shall consist of three faculty members appointed by the Dean with the approval of the Dean’s Advisory Committee.  Members of the Nominating Committee shall be appointed for one-year terms, up to a limit of three consecutive terms.

B.            The Nominating Committee shall solicit from the Faculty nominations of candidates for election to fill vacancies in the at-large membership of the Dean’s Advisory Committee and to fill vacancies on the Academic Policy Committee.

C.            The Dean shall appoint one member of the Nominating Committee to serve as chair.

XII.            COMMITTEE ON APPOINTMENT, PROMOTION, AND TENURE

A.            The Committee on Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure shall consist of no fewer than nine faculty members appointed by the Dean with the advice of the Dean’s Advisory Committee.

B.            Members of the Committee shall be appointed for one-year terms, up to a limit of three consecutive terms.

C.            The Dean shall annually appoint one of the faculty members of the Committee to serve as its chair.

D.            The Committee shall review all proposals for the award of tenure to, and promotion in rank of, voting members of the Faculty.  The Committee shall make written recommendations to the Dean for action to be taken in each case.

XIII.            THE DEPARTMENT CHAIRMEN

A.            The Dean shall meet regularly with the chairmen of departments.  Such meetings shall be called by the Dean, who shall preside.  The Dean may allow other members of the administration or other voting members of the Faculty to attend such meetings from time to time as appropriate.

B.            The department chairmen shall elect three chairmen of academic units and one director to one-year terms as members of the Dean’s Advisory Committee.  Such elections shall be subject to the provisions of Article IX, Section B.

XIV.            STANDING COMMITTEES

The functions of the Standing Committees shall be to implement policies and programs set forth by the Faculty and by the Academic Policy Committee and to review regularly such policies and programs.  The chair of each committee shall report at least annually to the Faculty.  The Standing Committees shall include the following committees:

A.      Committees on Curriculum:  Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

1. The Committees on Curriculum in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences and Mathematics shall consist of one faculty member from each appropriate department, one graduate student, and one undergraduate student. Faculty members shall be appointed by their departments and shall serve for staggered three-year terms.  Undergraduate student members shall be appointed by the Associate Dean for the College for one-year terms, with nominations solicited from representative undergraduate student organizations.  Graduate student members shall be appointed by the Associate Dean for the Graduate School for one-year terms, with nominations solicited from representative graduate student organizations. One faculty member of each Committee shall be appointed chair of that Committee by the Dean for a one-year term.
   
   
2. The Committees shall
                                      
   a. review and recommend to the Faculty, if                                                                         appropriate, new or revised courses;
   
   b. review and recommend to the Academic Policy Committee changes in requirements for existing undergraduate concentrations and graduate degree programs; and

c. make or provide for periodic reviews of departmental curricula according to guidelines established by the Academic Policy Committee and the curriculum committees and make or provide for special reviews when occasions require.  Reports of such reviews are to be submitted to the Faculty of the units under review, to the Dean, and to the Academic Policy Committee.

B.      Committee on Graduate Academic Standards and Conduct

1. The Committee shall consist of six faculty members, two from each of the principal divisions, appointed by the Dean to staggered three-year terms, and two graduate students appointed by the Associate Dean for the Graduate School to one-year terms.  The Dean shall appoint one faculty committee member as chair.  A quorum shall be three members, including two faculty and one student member.
   
   
2. The Committee shall

a. act on petitions from graduate students requesting limited modifications of academic regulations when such petitions have been duly recommended and endorsed by faculty representatives in one of the academic units;

b. advise the Faculty and the Associate Dean for the Graduate School on matters concerning academic standards for graduate students and the recording of their grades, the evaluation of requests by graduate students for transfer of credit, the fulfillment of requirements for advanced degrees, and the termination or reinstatement of graduate students for academically valid causes;

c. serve as a review and appeals committee on behalf of the Faculty at large for graduate students requesting reconsideration of actions taken by one of the academic units; and

d. consider evidence pertaining to academic misconduct of graduate students, such as plagiarism, misrepresentation, gross deception, and other unethical practices.  Appropriate action shall be recommended by the Committee to the Associate Dean for the Graduate School in each case.

C.      Committee on Undergraduate Academic Conduct

1. The Committee shall consist of eight faculty members appointed by the Dean to staggered three-year terms and four undergraduate students of junior or senior standing appointed by the Associate Dean for the College to one-year terms.  The Dean shall appoint one faculty committee member as chair.  A quorum for proceedings shall be five members, including no fewer than two faculty and two student members.
   
   
2. The Committee shall

a. consider evidence pertaining to academic misconduct of undergraduate students, including cases involving plagiarism, misrepresentation, gross deception, and other unethical practices.  Appropriate action shall be recommended to the Associate Dean for the College in each case;                       

b. promulgate regulations in regard to examinations and the enforcement of such regulations; and
                                   
c. review rules, procedures, and regulations concerning academic conduct and recommend changes to the Faculty.

D.      Committee on Honors, Scholarships, and Fellowships

1. The Committee shall consist of four faculty members appointed by the Dean to staggered three-year terms.  The Dean shall appoint one member as chair.
   
   
2. The Committee shall

a. recommend to the Academic Policy Committee criteria for granting honors at graduation to qualified undergraduate students and nominate such students annually for such honors;

b. recommend to the Academic Policy Committee the policies that govern the award of the Bachelor's Degree with Distinction, and carry out such policies;

c. select candidates for prizes to be awarded at graduation;

d. review and recommend to the Faculty policies to be followed in the award of scholarships, fellowships, and prizes; and           
                                   
e. oversee the College Honors Program.

E.      Committee on the Augustus Howe Buck Education Fund

1. The Committee shall consist of six faculty members appointed by the Dean; the Dean shall appoint one member as chair.
   
   
2. The Committee shall

a. interview and evaluate prospective candidates for Buck scholarships and recommend appointments to such scholarships;

b. determine the financial need of each scholarship holder and recommend grants in appropriate amounts; and

c. encourage the maintenance of high scholastic standards by the scholarship holders.

XV.            ADVISORY BOARDS OR COMMITTEES

A.      Advisory Boards consisting of faculty members shall be appointed by the Dean.  The number of faculty members to serve on each Board, their terms of appointment, and the specific charge of each Board shall be determined by the Dean.

B.      The creation of the following Boards shall be authorized:

            1.            Prelaw Advisory Board;

            2.            Premedical and Predental Advisory Boards; and

            3.            Seven-Year Medical Joint Advisory Board.

XVI.   AMENDMENTS TO THE BY-LAWS
                       
A.            Any proposal for amendments to these By-laws shall be reviewed by the Dean’s Advisory Committee, which shall then submit the amendments to the Faculty with its recommendation.  Proposals for amendments to the By-laws shall be made in writing and shall be circulated to the Faculty at least one month prior to the Faculty meeting at which the amendment is to be debated.

B.            A two-thirds vote of the Faculty present at the meeting shall be required for approval of an amendment to these By-laws.

C.            A call for a mail ballot or other appropriate form of balloting shall require a majority vote of those present at the meeting.  A two-thirds vote of those voting in mail ballot (or other form of balloting) is required for approval of an amendment to these By-laws.

XVII. ADOPTION OF THE BY-LAWS

The Dean shall consider these By-laws to be in effect when approved by a two- thirds majority of those responding in a mail ballot sent to all members of the Faculty.

XVIII.  STATUS OF PRIOR FACULTY LEGISLATION

            All policies, rules, procedures, and actions on academic matters taken by the Faculty prior to the adoption of these By-laws shall remain in force unless specifically revoked or altered by the Faculty in accordance with the procedures set forth herein.  This provision specifically pertains to existing joint graduate programs among two or more of the affected faculties, where membership on advisory committees should include at least one member from each participating faculty.