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The Indianapolis Campus Bylaws of the Indiana University Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering

Last updated: December 4, 2016

Article I. The Faculty Council

The Faculty Council constitutes the governing body of the faculty of the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at the Indianapolis campus (Luddy Indianapolis).

Article II. Faculty Rights and Responsibilities

Section 1. The Authority of the Faculty Council

Subject to the Constitution of the Indiana University Faculty and the Constitution of the Indiana University Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering (hereafter, School Constitution), the Indiana University Faculty have granted the Faculty Council authority pertaining to the School in the following areas:

  1. Legislative Authority
    1. the School’s academic mission;
    2. the School’s structure of faculty governance, consistent with consistent with IU academic, faculty, and student policies;
    3. the standards and procedures used in the creation, reorganization, merger, and elimination of academic programs and units within the School;
    4. authority over academic units within the School and relations between them;
    5. the conferring of degrees;
    6. the curriculum;
    7. the academic calendar, with only such deviation from University and campus calendars as made necessary by special curricular or accreditation requirements;
    8. the admission and retention of students in the School;
    9. standards for student academic performance;
    10. student conduct and discipline, consistent with the IU Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct; and
    11. the standards and procedures used in the appointment, promotion and tenure, compensation, conduct and discipline, and grievances of the School’s faculty, consistent with IU academic, faculty, and student policies, a guide for IUI faculty, the IUI chief academic officer’s promotion and tenure guidelines, and faculty appointments and advancement procedures.
  2. Consultative Authority
    1. the School's facilities and budgets;
    2. the School’s short-term and long-term planning;
    3. appointment and review of the School's academic officers (except the Dean of the School) and administrative officers affecting the School’s academic mission, consistent with IU academic, faculty, and student policies and a guide for IUI faculty; and
    4. other matters affecting the academic mission of the School, subject to the legislative authority of the University and campus faculty.

Section 2. Voting on Policies and Procedures

  1. Policies and procedures shall be forwarded to the Faculty Policy Committee for review in preparation for a vote by the Faculty Council.
  2. The voting process is specified in Article II, section 3 of the School Constitution and is briefly outlined below:
    1. A vote shall pass with a simple majority and a yea vote by at least 30% of the Voting Members of the Faculty Council.
    2. Open voting typically involves voting during a period of at least five Indiana University working days.
    3. Voting conducted solely during a Faculty Council meeting requires a quorum of 50% of the Voting Members.
    4. The President, Executive Associate Dean, Dean, School-wide Faculty Policy Committee, Luddy Indianapolis Faculty Policy Committee, 40% of any department, or 10 faculty members of the School may call for a Luddy Indianapolis vote.

Section 3. Promotion and Tenure

Policies and procedures concerning promotion and tenure shall adhere to the Luddy Indianapolis chief academic officer’s promotion and tenure guidelines. School-specific policies and procedures are described in the Indianapolis Campus Promotion and Tenure Guidelines of the Indiana University Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. Any conflict between campus and School promotion and tenure guidelines shall be resolved in favor of the campus promotion and tenure guidelines.

Section 4. The Role of the Executive Associate Dean

  1. The Executive Associate Dean is the chief administrative officer of the Indiana University School of Informatics and Computing at the Indianapolis campus and may appoint the persons necessary to assist in the discharge of the duties of the office.
  2. The Executive Associate Dean shall perform the following duties for the Faculty Council:
    1. The annual certification of the faculty in accordance with Article III, section 4.
    2. Report to the Faculty Council at each meeting, either in person, remotely, or through a designee. https://academicaffairs.indianapolis.iu.edu/Faculty-Affairs/PromotionTenure

Article III. Faculty Council Membership

Section 1. Voting Members

  1. The Voting Members of the Faculty Council shall consist of the voting faculty of the School whose main appointment is at the Indianapolis campus.
  2. For tenure-track faculty, main appointment is determined by the tenure home.
  3. For nontenure-track faculty, main appointment is defined as a full-time equivalent (FTE) percentage greater of than 50%.
  4. Article II, Section 1.B of the School Constitution defines the voting faculty of the School as all
    1. tenure-track faculty (Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, and Full Professors);
    2. clinical faculty (Clinical Assistant Professors, Clinical Associate Professors, Clinical Full Professors);
    3. Professors of Practice;
    4. faculty at the lecturer rank (Lecturers, Senior Lecturers); and
    5. Research Scientists with a full-time equivalent (FTE) appointment at any percentage within Luddy Indianapolis.
  5. Article II, Section 4.B section of the School Constitution state that each voting member of the School as defined by Article II, Section 1 has voting rights in at least one unit, namely, the unit of his or her main appointment.

Section 2. Nonvoting Members

  1. The Nonvoting Members of the Faculty Council shall consist of
    1. those who hold adjunct appointments in Luddy Indianapolis and have tenure homes elsewhere;
    2. administrative officers of Luddy Indianapolis who do not have a full-time equivalent (FTE) faculty appointment within Luddy Indianapolis; and, within Luddy Indianapolis,
    3. visiting faculty;
    4. emeritus faculty; and
    5. Research Associates.
  2. Nonvoting Members shall have a voice but no vote in the meetings and committee meetings of the Faculty Council.
  3. Nonvoting Members shall receive the notices, agendas, minutes, and other written communications of the Faculty Council.

Section 3. Duties of Voting Members

As part of their service responsibilities, Voting Members of the Faculty Council are expected to attend all Faculty Council meetings when duties permit, and participate in Faculty Council votes.

Section 4. Certification of the Faculty

By October 1 of each year, and thereafter as appointments by the Board of Trustees occur, the Secretary of the Faculty Council shall secure from the office of the Executive Associate Dean the names, rank, tenure status, full-time vs. part-time status, and Department of all persons holding academic appointments in Luddy Indianapolis.

Article IV. Faculty Council Officers and Committee Chairs

Section 1. Faculty Council Officers

The officers of the Faculty Council shall be the President, Past-President, and Secretary.

Section 2. Duties of the President

The President shall

  1. schedule regular and special meetings of the Faculty Council;
  2. preside over all regular and special meetings of the Faculty Council;
  3. oversee the work of the Standing Committees and ad-hoc committees of the Faculty Council;
  4. deliver a President’s report including, but not limited to, actions of the Faculty Policy Committee, at each meeting of the Faculty Council;
  5. appoint a Secretary-Pro Tempore in the absence of an elected Secretary;
  6. appoint the necessary ad-hoc committees to meet the mission and goals of the Faculty Council;
  7. serve ex officio as Chair and presiding officer of the Faculty Policy Committee;
  8. serve ex officio as the School’s representative to the IUI Faculty Council or appoint a representative;
  9. serve ex officio on any Luddy Indianapolis administrative steering committee; and
  10. prepare and electronically disseminate an annual report of the Faculty Council.
  11. In the absence of the President the Faculty Council shall elect a chair to preside over the meeting.

Section 3. Duties of the Secretary

The Secretary shall

  1. preside at meetings of the Faculty Council or otherwise perform the duties of the President when the President is absent;
  2. act as a recording secretary of meetings of the Faculty Council and the Faculty Policy Committee or appoint a recording secretary;
  3. maintain a list of the current membership of the Faculty Council;
  4. notify the President whether a quorum exists;
  5. prepare and distribute the agenda and minutes of each meeting to members of the Faculty Council;
  6. archive electronically all permanent records of the Faculty Council; and
  7. archive electronically and post on the School website official versions of all documents governing Faculty Council bylaws, policies, and procedures.

Section 4. Duties of Committee Chairs

The chair of a Standing Committee shall

  1. schedule committee meetings and forward the schedule to the Secretary;
  2. prepare and circulate the agenda and minutes of committee meetings;
  3. appoint a recording secretary to take minutes and keep a record of proceedings;
  4. preside over all scheduled committee meetings or designate an alternate;
  5. report to the Faculty Council on the progress and recommendations of the committee;
  6. submit a brief report, which includes the minutes, to the Secretary after each meeting describing the actions taken by the committee and the status of uncompleted work; and
  7. submit a cumulative report to the Secretary at the conclusion of the academic year describing the actions taken by the committee and the status of uncompleted work for distribution to the faculty.

Section 5. Duties of Past President

  1. Step in when President is not available;
  2. assist President with his/her duties as needed; and
  3. serve as an ex officio member of the Faculty Policy Committee.

Article V. Parliamentarian and Parliamentary Authority

Section 1. Parliamentarian

  1. The President may appoint a Faculty Council Parliamentarian as an advisor on parliamentary procedures to the President and to the Chairs of the Standing Committees.
  2. The Dean and Executive Associate Dean may not serve as Parliamentarian.

Section 2. Parliamentary Authority

Parliamentary authority shall be governed by the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, except in such cases as are covered by the School Constitution, these Bylaws, or rules adopted by the Faculty Council.

Article VI. Meetings

Section 1. Regular Meetings

There shall be a minimum of two Faculty Council meetings per academic year. Faculty shall be notified of regular meetings at least 10 Indiana University working days in advance.

A special meeting of the Faculty Council may be called by the President, the Faculty Policy Committee, 40% of any department, 10 faculty members of the School, the Executive Associate Dean, or the Dean.

Article VII. Committees

All committee appointments are the responsibility of the Department Chairs and the Executive Associate Dean.

Section 1. Standing Committees

  1. The Standing Committees shall be the
    1. Unless otherwise stated, terms of service on a committee shall be 2 years, beginning in August after nominations in April, and members may be re-appointed. This does not apply to the Promotion and Tenure Committee;
    2. Faculty Policy Committee;
    3. Budgetary Affairs Committee;
    4. Promotion and Tenure Committee;
    5. Academic Affairs Committee (i.e., the Curriculum Committee of the School Constitution); and
    6. Awards and Scholarships Committee.
  2. Faculty Policy Committee
    1. The Faculty Policy Committee shall
      1. manage the business of the Faculty Council;
      2. set goals for the Faculty Council;
      3. place items on the agenda of Faculty Council meetings;
      4. refer issues to the appropriate bodies or committees;
      5. assign tasks to standing and ad-hoc committees and oversee their progress; and
      6. report directly to the faculty on issues requiring its immediate consideration.
    2. The Faculty Policy Committee shall
      1. serve as a liaison between the faculty and the administration by conducting regular meetings with administrators to review all School, campus, and University developments relevant to faculty rights and responsibilities or affecting faculty work and opportunities to advance School, campus, and university goals; and
      2. advise the School’s deans and Department Chairs on faculty policy, diversity issues, and conflicts of interest or commitment.
      3. Should a conflict of interest or commitment occur, the committee shall investigate, as a board of review, the matter and make findings and recommendations to the School administration in accordance with university, campus, and School policies.
    3. The Faculty Policy Committee shall
      1. nominate and obtain the consent of qualified candidates for Faculty Council offices in March for the next academic year;
      2. solicit School candidates for campus and University committees; and
      3. elect three of its members to represent the Indianapolis campus on the School-wide Faculty Policy Committee.
    4. The Faculty Policy Committee shall draft, review, and oversee policies, procedures, and bylaws affecting the conditions of faculty work and recommend them to the Faculty Council for voting, such as
      1. issues of faculty governance;
      2. academic freedom;
      3. definitions of faculty work by category of appointment;
      4. professional development;
      5. conflicts of interests and conflicts of commitments;
      6. sabbaticals and administrative leaves;
      7. faculty evaluations and annual review;
      8. review of administrative officers; and
      9. mediation of faculty grievances.
    5. The Faculty Policy Committee shall serve as the point of contact for individual faculty members and committees wishing to bring votes before the Faculty Council.
    6. The FPC serves as the point of contact for faculty members wishing to present a formal grievance against a colleague or administrator. Grievances must be presented to the FPC chair, who shall verify that other informal processes to resolve the issue have been exhausted before the formal process can proceed. Upon that verification, the FPC shall select three voting faculty members from the School to form a Board of Review for each grievance. The FPC shall select from the two departments NOT involved in the case, a (2 from one department and 1, from the other.) At least one shall be tenured, and at least one shall be at the rank of the person bringing the grievance.
      Both the person bringing the grievance (grievant) and the respondent can bring a companion of their choosing to the Board meeting. Grievance proceeding are confidential. Recommendations from the Board are delivered only to the Executive Associate Dean.
    7. The membership of the Faculty Policy Committee shall consist of
      1. the President;
      2. the Past President;
      3. the Secretary; and
      4. one or two elected Representatives consisting of voting faculty from each Department.
    8. The Faculty Policy Committee shall elect its Chair from among its membership. In the absence of the elected chair the FPC shall elect a temporary chair.
    9. The Secretary is the only nonvoting member of the committee.
    10. The committee shall meet at the discretion of the President.
    11. The Chair may request the attendance of deans, Department Chairs, and Chairs of Standing Committees or their designees when meeting to set the agenda of Faculty Council meetings.
  3. Budgetary Affairs Committee
    1. The Budgetary Affairs Committee shall
      1. consult with the School’s deans and Department Chairs on all matters concerning the School’s budget, facilities, and resources, including information technology and library resources;
      2. draft, review, and recommend to the Faculty Council policies and procedures concerning the School’s budget, facilities, and resources to advance the goals of the School; and
      3. identify effective ways to increase the School’s budget and to improve the School’s budget planning, expenditure, and audit, and communicate them between the faculty and administration.
    2. The membership of the Budgetary Affairs Committee shall consist of the
      1. Chair elected from among the Budgetary Affairs Committee membership; and
      2. one or two Department Representatives from each Department.
    3. The Chair may request the attendance of the School’s fiscal officer.
  4. Promotion and Tenure Committee
    See the Promotion and Tenure Guidelines.
  5. Academic Affairs Committee
    1. The Academic Affairs Committee shall draft, review, and recommend policies and procedures governing the academic affairs of the School, and recommend them to the Faculty Council for voting.
    2. The Academic Affairs Committee shall also manage issues related to academic affairs in consultation with programs, Departments, the Executive Associate Dean, and the appropriate campus committees.
    3. Academic affairs include, but are not limited to,
      1. the review of curricula;
      2. the creation, revision, and elimination of courses, programs, and degrees;
      3. the coordination of joint program initiatives;
      4. the resolution of disputes between programs;
      5. the development of admissions standards and academic requirements;
      6. academic placement;
      7. honors programs;
      8. academic probation, dismissal, and reinstatement;
      9. instructional improvement; and
      10. the academic implications of administrative decisions and policies, such as those involving budgetary issues, facilities management, and nonacademic staffing.
    4. Departments shall initiate proposals for changes, revisions, and eliminations of courses, programs, and degrees.
    5. The committee must abide by the accreditation requirements of accredited degrees.
    6. The committee shall review the remonstrance list and manage all issues related to remonstrance.
    7. All the functions listed above, when pertaining to graduate programs, are performed by the Chair and Department Representatives who are graduate faculty.
    8. The membership of the Academic Affairs Committee shall consist of the
      1. Chair, appointed by the Executive Associate Dean, serving ex officio (e.g., a dean responsible for academic affairs); and
      2. one or two Department Representatives from each Department, at least one of whom must be from the graduate faculty.
  6. Awards and Scholarships Committee
    1. The Awards and Scholarships Committee shall
      1. ensure that notable achievements in the scholarship of research, creative activity, teaching, service, or civic engagement are recognized and publicized to Luddy Indianapolis, the campuses, and the University;
      2. identify, review, and recommend faculty, staff, and students who have notable achievements in the aforementioned areas or in academic performance and are thus deemed worthy or eligible for School, campus, or University awards and scholarships;
      3. confer or recommend awards or recognitions of special achievement in the aforementioned areas based on confidential voting; and
      4. review policies and procedures related to School awards and scholarships.
    2. The membership of the Awards and Scholarships Committee shall consist of the
      1. Chair elected from among the Awards and Scholarships Committee membership; and
      2. one or two Department Representatives from each Department.
    3. The Chair may request the attendance of the School’s fiscal officer.

Section 2. Ad-hoc Committees

Ad-hoc committees of the Faculty Council shall be created by either the Faculty Council President or the Faculty Policy Committee in consultation with the administration when a problem or need arises that does not fall within the purview of a Standing Committee or to accomplish a specific task. Each ad-hoc committee shall report and be responsible to the Faculty Council. Ad-hoc committees are disbanded by the Faculty Council President upon completion of their charge. The administration may also appoint its own standing and ad-hoc committees which may include, but are not limited to, the faculty, staff, and students of the School (e.g., the School-wide and Luddy Indianapolis Leadership Council, the Dean’s Advisory Council).

Article VIII. Department Committees

  1. Each Department shall have a 1) Faculty Policy Committee, and 2) a Promotion and Tenure Committee (see Promotion and Tenure Guidelines), both of which are restricted to tenured Voting Members of the Department.
  2. The department Faculty Policy Committee shall be charged with holding elections within the Department in April for Department Representative positions on Standing Committees for the next academic year.
  3. The department Faculty Policy Committee may establish additional department standing or ad-hoc committees in consultation with the department Chair.
  4. The department Faculty Policy Committee shall draft and review the policies, procedures, and bylaws of the Department.
  5. Department policies, procedures, and bylaws must be approved by the majority of the Voting Members of the Department.

Article IX. Elections

Section 1. Nominations

  1. Faculty Council Officers
    1. In March, the Faculty Council shall solicit nominations for President and Secretary for the next academic year.
    2. Voting Member of the Faculty Council may be nominated for President.
    3. Voting members of the faculty may be nominated to serve as Secretary.
    4. Deans, Associate Deans, and Chairs may not be nominated as President or Secretary.
  2. Standing Committee Members
    1. In March, the Faculty Policy Committee of each Department shall solicit nominations for Department Representatives to each Standing Committee.
    2. Any Voting Member of a Department may be nominated as a Department Representative to the following committees: Budgetary Affairs, Academic Affairs, and Awards and Scholarships; however, for Academic Affairs, at least one Department Representative must be from the graduate faculty.
    3. Voting Members of the Faculty Council may be nominated as a Department Representative to the Faculty Policy Committee.

Section 2. Elections

  1. Faculty Council Officers
    1. In April, the Faculty Council shall hold an election for President and Secretary for the next academic year.
    2. The choice of open voting or voting during a Faculty Council meeting rests with the President; voting procedures are specified in Article II, section 3 of the School Constitution.
    3. If the office of President becomes vacant before the term of office completes, the Faculty Council shall elect a President to serve out the remainder of the term in a special election held by the Faculty Policy Committee within 10 Indiana University working days.
    4. If the office of Secretary becomes vacant before the term of office completes, the President shall appoint a Secretary-Pro Tempore to serve out the remainder of the term.
  2. Committee Members
    1. In April, the Faculty Policy Committee of each Department shall hold an election for Department Representatives among the Voting Members of that Department.
    2. Each Department shall have one or two Department Representatives on the following committees: Faculty Policy, Budgetary Affairs, Academic Affairs, and Awards and Scholarships.
    3. With the exception of the Faculty Policy Committee and Academic Affairs Committee, the Chair of each Standing Committee shall be elected by its members at its first meeting, as called by the President.
  3. General
    1. In the event of a tie, a runoff vote shall be held.
    2. The President, Faculty Policy Committee, Department Chairs, and Executive Associate Dean shall reserve the right to appoint faculty to vacancies left unfilled by an election process.

Section 3. Terms of Office

  1. The President and Secretary shall have a term of office of one academic year.
  2. Department Representatives on Standing Committees shall have a term of office of two academic years.
  3. In the first academic year in which these Bylaws are in effect, every second Department Representative shall have a term of office of one academic year to stagger terms of office.
  4. A committee Chair shall serve in that capacity for the duration of the term of office.
  5. Consecutive terms of office are permitted; however, the President is limited to three consecutive terms.

Article X. Amendments

Amendments to these Bylaws shall require at least a two-thirds majority vote in a regular or special faculty meeting or by electronic open voting called by the President. The faculty must be given a copy of the proposed amendment at least 10 Indiana University working days before the meeting.