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CONSTITUTION OF THE VALENCIA
COMMUNITY
COLLEGE FACULTY ASSOCIATION
Preamble
The faculty of Valencia Community College, committed to the
philosophy that the faculty be provided with a
formal voice in the development of the college, does establish this
Constitution. In recognition of the
faculty role in the college's shared governance model, the Faculty Council,
defined below, shall serve as the voice of the Association as a governing
council of the college.
Article I Name and Purpose
Sect A. This organization shall be
known as the Valencia Community College Faculty Association.
Sect B. The purpose of the organization
shall be:
1. to advise the
President of the college on matters of college improvements and faculty
related interests,
2. to promote communication and mutual
understanding within the faculty and between the faculty and other groups,
and
3. to provide a democratic means of
formulating questions and articulating problems and solutions.
Sect C. "Association" shall
mean the Valencia Community College Faculty Association.
Sect D. There
shall be a Faculty Council (defined in Articles III and IV) that shall act as
the voice of the Association in the college's governance model. "Council" shall mean the Valencia Community
College Faculty Council.
Article II Members of the
Association
Sect A. Full-time professors,
librarians, counselors and other professionals who devote at least sixty (60)
percent of their regularly assigned duties to instructing or counseling
students shall be members of the Association.
1.
A member of the Association placed on a contract of less than
full-time for a portion of the year remains a member of the Association for
the remainder of the academic year that member is employed part-time by
Valencia Community College.
2. A member of
the Association fully reassigned for no more than one academic year from
instructional or counseling duties to work on faculty or instructional issues
shall remain a fully vested member of the Association.
3. A member of
the Association fully reassigned for a term of more than one academic year
shall relinquish his/her Association status until he/she returns to regular duties.
Consecutive reassignments for a period of more than a year shall require a
member to relinquish his/her Association membership.
4. A member of the
Association reassigned to work in an administrative capacity shall relinquish
his/her Association status until he/she returns to regular duties. If an Association member's reassignment
status is unclear, his/her status will be determined by a majority vote of
the Faculty Council.
Sect B. The President
and Vice-President (President-Elect) of the Association must have earned
tenure before taking office.
Article III Campus Faculty
Organizations
Sect A. A campus faculty organization
shall include the members of the Association whose place of employment is on
that campus. The
membership of the campus faculty organization may include representatives of
faculty non-members of the Association as specified in the by-laws of the
campus faculty organization.
Sect B. The by-laws of a campus faculty
organization may contain such additional or implementing matters of internal
organization as are deemed appropriate to that campus provided they are not
in conflict with this Constitution.
Sect C. The purposes of a campus
faculty organization shall be consistent with Article I, Section B and in
addition shall be to advise the chief administrative officer on that campus.
Sect D. A campus faculty association
with officers shall elect its representatives to the Faculty Council in
either November or December of each year. These representatives will begin
serving on the Council in January.
Sect E. The duty of campus senators/representatives will be to
share the perspectives of the faculty at their campus with the campus senate
and at meetings of the Faculty Council.
Sect F. The campus senate will make
recommendations for appointments of faculty from its campus as requested by
the Council.
Sect G. A "campus" is
defined as a place of instruction with representation on the Executive
Council or equivalent. The current campuses are East Campus, Osceola Campus,
West Campus, and Winter Park Campus.
Article IV Faculty Council and
Officers of the Association
Sect A. There
shall be a Faculty Council composed of the President of the Association, the
Vice-President (President-Elect) of the Association, and at-large
representatives selected by the campus faculty organizations. Each campus faculty organization shall
select elect two at-large members to
the Board of Directoone at-large representative as a member of the
Faculty Council for every thirty full-time faculty members employed on that
campus; one more will be selected for any remainder of full-time faculty
members in excess of thirty. Any
campus organization representing fewer than thirty-one full-time faculty
members shall select a second representative on the Board of Directors. The
President and the Vice-President of each campus faculty organization will be
the first two selected representatives of the campus's faculty to the Faculty
Council.
Sect B. The Faculty Council shall serve as the official voice
of faculty in college governance, and as a governing council, to take actions for the
Association, with the exception of decisions reserved for the Association as
a whole. Decisions specifically
reserved for the Association include policy-level decisions regarding compensation,
benefits, workload conditions, and constitutional revisions (see Article
VIII).
Sect C. The Faculty Council has the right to defer some
decisions to the Association when it deems appropriate.
Sect D. At-large representatives from
each campus shall hold office for two (2) years or until the election and
installation of a successor in the case of removal or resignation. Elections
for at-large members shall be staggered. All other members of the Faculty Council
shall hold office commencing with the installation of the new members of the
Faculty Council and lasting for one year or until the election and
installation of a successor in the case of removal or resignation. A vacancy
on the Faculty Council shall be filled at the earliest convenience by the
campus faculty organization in a manner determined by the members of the
campus faculty organization.
Sect E. The officers of the Faculty Council shall be a
President, a Vice President (President-Elect), and a Secretary. Only a member
of the Association can be an officer of the Council.
Sect F. No more than seven days before the March meeting of the Council,
members of the Council must communicate the name of any Council member they
wish to nominate for president to the current president. After nominations are made at the March
meeting, the president will send all faculty the
names of all nominees for Faculty Association president.
Sect G. Before the April meeting of the
Faculty Council , the candidates will prepare a one-page document explaining
their experience at the college and in governance as well as any other
pertinent information.
Sect H. Within two weeks after the April Council meeting, a
secure election must be held in which all Association members will be
eligible to vote for one president from the slate of candidates. The candidate receiving the most votes will
assume the position of Vice President (President-Elect) of the Association at
the May Council meeting.
Sect I. At the May meeting of the Council the current Vice
President of the Association shall automatically assume the office of
President of the Association.
Sect J. Officers of the Association
shall hold office commencing with their election at the meeting of the
Faculty Council in May and lasting for one year or until the election and
installation of a successor in the case of removal or resignation.
Sect K. The procedures of selection of
nominees for president of the Association shall be as specified by the
Faculty Council.
Sect L. In the event the office of President of the Association becomes
vacant, the Vice President of the Association shall assume the office of
President for the remainder of the term. If the remainder of the term assumed
by the Vice President is less than four months, the Vice President shall also
automatically assume the office of President for the ensuing calendar year.
Any other vacancy of the presidency of the Association shall be filled at the
earliest convenience by the Faculty Council in a special election with full
vote of all Association members on nominees selected by the Council.
Sect M. The immediate past President of
the Association shall act as an advisor to the current President of the
Association and to the Faculty Council and shall attend all meetings of the
Faculty Council as a non-voting member.
Article V Meetings and Duties of
the Faculty Council
Sect A. The Faculty Council shall hold
regular meetings once each month during Sessions 1 and 2. The Council shall
meet at least twice in Session 5.
Special meetings of the Council may be called by the President of
the Association. Upon a call or petition to the President by at least
twenty-five (25) percent of the membership of the Council, the President
shall call a special meeting of the Council.
Sect B. A quorum for any meeting of
the Faculty Council shall consist of a majority of the members of the Faculty
Council, including one member from each campus.
Sect C. It shall be the duties and functions of the Faculty Council to:
1. represent
the Association in all matters of faculty interest;
2. hear, discuss, coordinate and recommend action on
the various reports of Association committees and of campus faculty
organizations;
3. disseminate to the members of the Association
appropriate information regarding issues affecting all members of the
Association;
4. advise the President of the College on all
matters of college improvement or other matters of faculty interest that may
affect the operation of the college; and
5. act on all other matters of business which are
not specifically reserved for the Association members and which are necessary
and proper in order to carry out the foregoing duties and functions.
Sect D. If a member of the Faculty
Council misses two (2) consecutive regular meetings or three (3) meetings
during the course of a calendar year, 2/3 of the total membership of the
Council may vote to remove that Council member.
Article VI Duties of Officers of
the Association
Sect A. The President shall:
1. preside
at all meetings of the Association;
2. preside at all meeting of the Faculty Council;
3. serve as spokesman for the Association on all
matters pertaining to the concerns of the Association;
4. call special meetings as provided for in Article
V and in Article VII, Sect A;
5. appoint all committees of the Association at the direction of the Faculty
Council;
6. make
provisions for the discharge pro tempore of necessary duties of absent
members;
7. carry out instructions given to the President by
directive of the Association and/or Faculty Council;
8. perform such other duties as pertain to the
office of the President;
9. provide appropriate files and other materials to
the incoming President to assist in the transition of office;
10. issue notices and agendas for Association and Faculty Council meetings;
11. be a voting member of the College Planning
Council, College Learning Council, and College Executive Council, and
Learning Leadership Team;
12. represent the
Association with voice at meetings of the Board of Trustees of the college;
13. represent faculty
(or appoint a proxy to) at all meetings of all councils, work groups, task
forces and other gatherings at which issues affecting faculty are discussed;
and
14.
manage any budget of the Board in accordance with
the wishes of the Board membership.
Sect B. The Vice President shall be an
aid to the President and, in case of the absence or disability of the
President, shall pro tempore perform the duties of the President. The Vice President shall also attend all meetings
of the Council Officers and other meetings in place of the President when so
directed by the President.
Sect C. The Secretary shall:
1. record
the proceedings of all Association and Board of Directors meetings; and
2. maintain a file of the minutes and, if requested
by the President, maintain files of the minutes and membership of
college-wide committees and faculty committees.
Article VII Association Meetings
Sect A. One regular meeting of the
Association may be held each year, the time and place to be determined
by the Faculty Council. The Faculty Council by majority vote may direct the
President of the Association to call a special meeting of the members of the
Association. Twenty-five (25) percent of the membership of the Association
may, in writing, direct the Association President to call a special meeting
of the Association. A simple majority of a campus senate or campus
association may direct the Association President to call a special meeting of
the members of the Association.
Sect B. All members of the Association
shall be notified in writing of the time, place, and purposes of a special
meeting.
Sect C. A quorum for a regular or
special meeting shall be the number of members of the Association present.
Article VIII Decisions
Reserved for Association Membership
Sect
A. All policy-level decisions regarding compensation, member benefits,
workload conditions, or constitutional revision shall be made by the full
Association membership.
Sect B. The decisions or opinions of
members of the Association shall be obtained by a majority vote of those
present at a regular or special meeting when the issue to be decided has been
submitted to the members of the Association in writing prior to the meeting.
Sect C. Between meetings, the
decisions or opinions of members of the Association shall be obtained by a
majority vote of those responding to a written ballot or questionnaire
distributed by the Faculty Council.
Article IX Constitution and By-Laws
Sect A. This Constitution may be
amended by a majority vote of the members of the Association provided that
written or printed notice of the proposed amendment is given to all members
of the Association at least two weeks prior to the balloting.
Sect B. Bylaws of this Association may
be adopted by a majority vote of the members of the Association, provided
that previous notice is given. After the bylaws are adopted, they shall be
amended only in accordance with the provisions set forth in the bylaws.
Revised December 1994
BC6 1/98
Revised
September/October, 2004
Final Revision November
19, 2004
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