Departmental Constitution Terminology In this document, the word 'Department' shall mean the Department of Mathematics of the University of Michigan, and the word 'Faculty' shall mean the Faculty of the Department. The word 'Chair' shall mean the Chair of the Department and the words 'Executive Committee' shall mean the Executive Committee of the Department. The word 'Dean' shall mean Dean of the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, and the word 'Regents' shall mean the Regents of the University of Michigan. I. Purposes It is the purpose of the Department to offer programs and courses in mathematics to students from the several schools of the University who seek instruction. On the undergraduate level, such courses shall be offered on both an honors and a regular basis; on the graduate level, there shall be offered general and special programs for master's degrees, and programs leading to doctoral degrees. It is a further purpose of the Department to engage in mathematical research and in the communication and development of mathematics on local, national, and international levels. II. Membership Visitors, Lecturers, Instructors, Assistant Professors, Associate Professors and Professors in the Department shall constitute the Faculty. Those members of the Faculty present in the Department and holding, or having held, an appointment (or consecutive appointments) with total term exceeding one year, but excluding Emeritus faculty, shall constitute the Voting Faculty. Faculty who are appointed to a multi-year appointment in which renewal is expected but contingent on performance may vote even in the first year. All Faculty, including Emeritus Faculty, are welcome to attend Faculty meetings. The Chair, or the Voting Faculty by majority vote of those present at a meeting, may admit representatives from other groups of the mathematical community as observers or participants without vote at Department meetings, or as members of Department committees. III. Chair and Associate Chairs The Chair is appointed by the Dean and Regents in consultation with the Faculty. The Chair, in consultation with the Faculty, shall recommend to the Dean on the appointment of the Associate chairs, and shall assign their duties. The Chair may invite Associate Chairs to attend meetings of the Executive Committee without vote. The Chair shall preside over all meetings of the Faculty and of the Executive Committee, or shall designate an Associate Chair to preside if the Chair is absent. The Chair and the administrative personnel shall be responsible for all execution of policy and administrative matters in the Department that are not specifically allotted to other groups. IV. Meetings The Faculty shall meet at such regular times as it shall establish or upon the special call of the Chair or of any twelve voting members. Notice of special meetings shall be at least two class days. An agenda shall be published at least one class day in advance of each meeting by the Chair. Members of the Faculty shall have the right to place business on the agenda of regular meetings. V. Executive Committee The Executive Committee shall consist of the Chair and six elected members of the Voting Faculty. Of these six, one shall serve for a one-year term, and it is intended that this member be one of the younger or newer members of the Voting Faculty. The others shall serve two-year terms, except when they serve as substitutes for other members. Terms shall be arranged so that a total of at least three members are elected each year. The six elected members of the Executive Committee and the Chair shall act for the Department regarding appointments to non-tenure positions, budget, salary and other personnel matters. They shall make recommendations on reappointments, tenure-track and tenured appointments to the tenured faculty for that group's consideration and they shall make recommendations on appointments to the rank of full professor to the full professors for that group's consideration. At all times they shall act in accordance with Departmental policy (Article VII). At the last regular meeting of the Winter Term, the Voting Faculty shall elect the one-year member and the two-year members of the Executive Committee as positions become vacant. The newly elected members of the Executive Committee shall assume their duties when the Chair directs, but not later than the beginning of the succeeding Fall Term. (For election procedures, see Bylaw III.) No one except the Chair may serve on the Executive Committee for more than 30 consecutive months. VI. Reappointment, Tenure, and Promotion Recommendations It is the duty and responsibility of the tenured faculty to determine who shall be recommended to the College for a tenured position or reappointment within the Department. It is the duty and responsibility of the full professors to determine who shall be recommended to the College for the rank of full professor in the Department. VII. Departmental Policy and Voting In all determinations of what constitutes a quorum at a meeting or a majority of those eligible to vote either at a meeting or by ballot over a period of some duration, those faculty who are on leave or who are on fractional appointments shall not be counted towards determining the necessary quorum of majority unless they are present (in the case of a meeting) or vote (in the case of an election by ballot over a period of some duration). This principle shall apply to all election procedures described in the Constitution and Bylaws, including votes on tenure-track and tenured hiring and promotion. In all cases where a certain percentage of those voting is required for passage of motion, proposal, or to make an appointment, the number voting is to be interpreted as the number voting for or against: specifically, abstentions are not to be counted in that number. The Executive Committee may propose and formulate new policies and act upon them. Policy decisions of the Executive Committee shall be reported to the Faculty as soon as possible. At a Faculty meeting such policies may be changed by the Faculty. It shall require either 60 per cent of the voting members at a meeting, or a majority of the Voting Faculty, whichever is smaller, to change such Executive Committee proposals. If not thus modified, the policy is considered enacted. A member of the Voting Faculty may move a policy proposal at a Faculty Meeting, and the Voting Faculty may pass policy proposals by majority vote at a Faculty Meeting. The Executive Committee, if it opposes such a decision, may present a counter-proposal at a future meeting, to be treated as in paragraph 3). The Chair and the Executive Committee shall make available to any voting member of the Faculty any pertinent information at their disposal concerning current issues not related to personal matters, including the current salary structure of the Department. In each year, ordinarily at the beginning of the Fall semester, there shall be a discussion of budget policy at a Faculty Meeting or a written report to the Faculty on such policy. All policy decisions are to be publicized to the Faculty as soon as they are made. Moreover, a formal collected record of all policy decisions currently in force shall be kept in such a manner as to be readily accessible to all faculty. VIII. Committees The Executive Committee, and the Faculty itself, may form committees for specific purposes. Committee members may be appointed by the Chair and the Executive Committee, or elected by the Faculty. The Executive Committee and the Chair shall appoint a Personnel Committee to discharge such duties as the Executive Committee and the Chairman direct in connection with recruitment of new members of the tenure-track and tenured Faculty. There shall be various area committees, each with a leader appointed by the Chair in consultation with the members of the area. These committees shall submit recommendations concerning courses in their areas, and may submit recommendations concerning staffing to the Personnel Committee and the Executive Committee. The Chair and Executive Committee shall appoint several standing committees to deal with various Departmental concerns. There shall be an Education Committee which has regard for all educational concerns in the Department and which shall maintain liaison with area committees and, when appropriate, other standing committees. The Education Committee shall approve course offerings and have responsibility for making teaching assignments. There shall be standing committees whose concerns include the various graduate level degree programs, graduate admissions and fellowships, the undergraduate program including curriculum and honors, liaison with the School of Engineering, the awarding of prizes, the library, Departmental decor, and other aspects of the Department. While all of the concerns of the Department should be addressed by these committees, their detailed structure may be changed without constitutional amendment. Reports and recommendations of committees, except those dealing with personal matters, shall be available to all members of the Faculty. IX. Amendments Each proposed amendment to this Constitution must be publicized at least two weeks in advance of action upon it. To be passed, it must be affirmatively voted on at two meetings of the Faculty at an interval of not less than one month. An affirmative vote on an amendment shall be interpreted to mean a vote for passage by either 60 per cent of the voting members at a meeting, or a majority of the Voting Faculty, whichever is smaller. X. Bylaws Each bylaw proposal or bylaw amendment shall be publicized at least two weeks before it is acted upon. A bylaw or amendment thereto is passed by an affirmative vote at a meeting of the Faculty. An affirmative vote is interpreted to mean a vote for passage by the same minimum number of voting members as for amendments to the Constitution.