Constitution
Amended Spring, 1999
Amended November 1, 1999
Amended May 1, 2006
Amended May 7, 2007
Amended May 5, 2008
The departmental constitution and regulations are supplementary and subservient to all University rules, CLA constitution and regulations, rules of the Graduate School, actions of the Board of Regents, and all higher authority. In cases of conflict, the Chair and faculty are bound by the higher rule; and any University, College, or Graduate School regulation made subsequent to the adoption of the departmental constitution or rules automatically modifies or rescinds any portion of these latter which are inconsistent with the higher principle.
I. Full Faculty Membership
II. Adjunct and Clinical Department Membership
III. Department Chair
IV. Executive Committee
V. Department Program Policy Decisions
VI. Faculty Meetings
VII. Discussions Concerning Salary
VIII. New Appointments to Departmental Staff
IX. Grievance Procedure within the Department
X. Major Decisions Over Summer
XI. Chair's Communications with Dean
XII. Amendments to this Constitution
I. Full Faculty Membership
A) A full faculty member of the Department of Psychology is defined as a person who is on the academic staff at the rank of assistant professor or above, budgeted for at least half salary as a regular item, not designated "T" (temporary), in the Department budget.
1) This provision is to be considered met if an individual has such an item although temporarily paid from funds outside (e.g., a federal research or training grant), provided that the Department is committed to picking up the item when these outside funds cease to be provided, or if the individual is in a phased retirement and otherwise qualifies for full faculty membership.
B) At such time as a Faculty Member ceases to fulfill this condition, that member shall revert automatically to Adjunct status without special action by the faculty or Executive Committee.
C) In addition to the Full Faculty Members of the Department defined in A above, Full Faculty Membership with all its rights, privileges, and responsibilities will be extended to 2 of 8 the two elected representatives of the Graduate Faculty of the Department. The term of membership for these elected representatives shall be two calendar years. After serving a two-year term, a representative shall not be eligible for re-election until at least a year has passed following the previous term. Nomination and election of these representatives shall be by secret ballot and shall be held toward the close of the spring semester. All members of the Graduate Faculty in the Department of Psychology, except those who already hold Full Faculty Membership in the Department, shall be eligible to stand for election and to cast one vote for the Graduate Faculty representatives. The two individuals receiving the largest number of votes will be elected. The elected representatives are elected to serve as liaison persons between the Graduate Faculty and the Full Faculty Members of the Department.
D) Hereinafter the terms "Faculty" or "Faculty Member", when not qualified, shall be taken to mean "Full (voting) Faculty Member" as defined above. "Adjunct (non-voting) Faculty" will herein always be designated as such.
II. Adjunct and Clinical Department Membership
Psychologists and members of related disciplines on the University staff or in the non-University professional community who do not fulfill the above conditions for Full Faculty Membership, but who make significant contributions to the Department in the teaching of courses or in the supervision of graduate students' clinical or research experience, may be given an Adjunct rank (title) in the Department of Psychology by majority vote of the Faculty. The term of the appointment is three years, and may be renewed by majority vote of the faculty.
Individuals whose primary employment is in other units of the University are eligible for Adjunct appointments which will continue for the duration of University employment if in existence on the date this provision is approved (10-8-78), but will have a term of three years if made subsequently. Individuals whose primary employment is outside of the University are also eligible for Adjunct appointments by majority vote of the Faculty.
Affiliate Graduate Faculty Status: Persons with Adjunct rank in the Department of Psychology are eligible for recommendation for Affiliate Graduate Faculty membership in Psychology, by the Program Area and DGS, if they hold Graduate Faculty status in their home department.
For departments that do not confer the Ph.D. (e.g. departments in the Medical School), but where faculty participate in training graduate students in Psychology, Affiliate Graduate Faculty membership in Psychology can be recommended to the Graduate School on the basis of a majority vote of the Full Faculty of the Department of Psychology. The term of appointment is for three years and may be renewed by the Chair after consultation with faculty in the related sub-area and with the Executive Committee.
Admission of students to the graduate program by Adjunct Faculty with Affiliate Graduate Faculty membership requires a co-adviser from the Psychology faculty, and is subject to the normal review procedure of the appropriate program area.
III. Department Chair
A) The Department Chair is appointed by the Dean of the College. The term of the appointment is three years with the possibility of renewal. Nominations for the position of Chair will be made to the Dean by the Executive Committee. In determining nominees, the Executive Committee will consult with each member of the Faculty and with any other individuals with whom it feels consultation is relevant.
B) One or more associate chairs may be selected by the Chair in consultation with the Executive Committee and with the approval of the Dean of the College. The Associate Chair(s) serves at the pleasure of the Chair.
C) The Chair will appoint the Directors of Honors and Undergraduate Studies,
IV. Executive Committee
A) From time to time administrative decisions are required in which the Chair would prefer to share responsibility, but which are either not so major as to need faculty action, or cannot wait for a faculty meeting to be called. For this purpose an Executive Committee is provided. When the Chair has reason to doubt whether a decision can appropriately be made by the Executive Committee without a faculty meeting, he/she shall so inform the Committee; and part of their action in such cases shall be the decision as to whether or not a faculty meeting is required.
Each Fall Semester, the Executive Committee shall review the department’s Constitution and Regulations. At their discretion, they may propose amendments for consideration by the faculty.
B) Nomination and election of Executive Committee members shall be held toward the close of the spring semester.
C) Election of Executive Committee
1) Eligibility for nomination and election to the Executive Committee shall consist of Full Faculty Membership.
2)The Executive Committee shall have six members, one of these members being the Department Chair, the other five being elected. Each of the five elected members shall serve for a two-year term, and shall not be eligible for re-election until at least a year has passed since the previous term ended. Any Associate Chair shall serve as an ex officio member of the Executive Committee with the concurrence of the elected members and the Chair.
3) The two-year terms shall be "staggered" so that two new members are elected in even numbered years and three new members are elected in odd-numbered years.
4)Executive Committee members are to be elected by a secret ballot. Five names obtained from nominations by all Full Faculty are to be submitted for election. No person may be nominated who has served on the Executive Committee during the current (concluding) year. All Full Faculty Members will vote for two candidates. The two (even-numbered years) or three (odd-numbered years) nominees receiving the largest number of votes are elected.
5) If a hold-over member goes on leave during the second year or if a newly elected member is unexpectedly absent from the campus during the fall and spring semesters of a term, a special election shall be held.
V. Department Program Policy Decisions
While recognizing that "decisions" by "area" faculty concerning matters within the "area" (size of program, curriculum, prelim requirements, thesis, practicum facilities) are always subject to review by the Full Faculty Membership, the usual custom is that strictly "intra-area" questions be decided by the faculty within the area and honored by the larger group. Some classes of intra-area "decisions" are intrinsically recommendations by area faculty to the Full Faculty Membership (e.g., priority ranking of a new faculty position in the Department's plans). Employing the generic term "decision" to cover both kinds of intra-area action:
A) Decisions as to the management and direction of a Psychology Department Program (e.g., Cognitive and Biological, Social, Clinical) shall be made by vote of the Full Faculty Members in that area. The area's Full Faculty Members shall consult with appropriate Adjunct Faculty, but such Adjunct Faculty shall not vote on the decision.
B) All proposals to institute new Departmental Programs (e.g., to start a Psychobiology Program), to change markedly the size or goals of an ongoing program, or to eliminate
VI. Faculty Meetings
A) The Chair is required to call at least one faculty meeting of the Full Faculty of the Department of Psychology per semester. The exact time shall be scheduled and requests for agenda sent at least two weeks in advance.
B) Additional meetings may be called at the Chair's discretion.
C) The Chair shall call a meeting upon written request of three Full Faculty Members, or upon written request of two Executive Committee members.
D) In the case of regular meetings, and for special meetings not of such an emergency character that pressure of time prevents, the Chair shall announce the meeting with a written request for any items to be put on the agenda. Written agenda shall be sent by e-mail to each member at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting time.
E) A quorum shall consist of two-thirds (2/3) of the Full Faculty Members who are in residence during the semester when the meeting is called. A Department Member shall notify the Chair if it is not possible to attend a meeting, and may give to the Chair or some designated individual a proxy vote. A proxy shall count toward the quorum count if presented in writing or by e-mail.
F) Each Member of the Department shall be notified of all meetings and have one vote on all questions. Consultation by the Chair of a subset of members is to be viewed as an administrative act "with advice," but as taken on the Chair's own responsibility.
G) Although maximum informality in conducting the meetings is to be desired, in case of unresolved disagreement, the parliamentary procedure used shall be that of Robert's Rules of Order (latest edition), except as specified otherwise in the Constitution or Regulations.
H) Minutes of the meetings shall be distributed electronically to the faculty. The names of those making or seconding motions shall normally be entered on the Minutes (except as provided in VII-E below). Discussion and names may be kept "off the record" by majority vote.
I) The Chair may make proposals and suggestions and participate actively or lead discussion, but shall not make formal motions.
J) In accordance with the CLA Constitution, the Chair is a voting member of the Department, and this right to vote is not confined to the case of breaking a tie.
A ballot vote shall be taken:
1) If the Chair believes the issue demands one.
2) Upon the request of any Member either before the meeting or during it.
3) If the issue is a faculty member's status (e.g., promotion, salary raise meeting offer).
4) If the issue is a student's status (e.g., reinstate Ph.D. candidacy, drop from program for cause).
5) If the issue is amending this Constitution.
6) Upon the hiring and/or appointment of staff who would become, as a result of such action, Full Faculty Members.
VII. Discussions Concerning Salary
A) Recommendations on matters of general concern regarding Department budgets shall be made to the Dean via the appropriate Associate Dean by the Chair after consultation with the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee may recommend that certain matters be brought to the faculty.
B) In considering possible changes in salary or appointment type or structure to meet a competing offer, the Chair MUST consult with the Executive Committee. The Chair should also consult with pertinent senior faculty and/or the area director for the person under consideration. If the Chair disagrees with the majority view on salary, the Chair's recommendations may be presented to the Dean; but the Executive Committee judgment shall also be conveyed to the Dean, including the actual vote if there was one.
C) In all salary discussions pertaining to merit review as well as retention, the Chair shall make available to the Executive Committee information as to salary, time in service at each rank, publications, number of advisees, teaching load, etc.
D) Merit review of all faculty will be conducted by the elected members of the Executive Committee and the Chair. The Chair will use these reviews, along with equity considerations, in making salary determinations.
E) The department shall have a set of guidelines for the elected members of the Executive Committee to use in evaluating merit and for the Chair to use in determining faculty salary based on merit and equity. These guidelines should be developed by the Chair and the elected members of the Executive Committee and reviewed periodically.
VIII. New Appointments to Departmental Staff
A) The Full Faculty Membership shall review regularly Departmental priorities for staffing. If a position is open, the Faculty shall establish priorities for the position by ballot at the earliest feasible Faculty meeting. If a position remains unfilled by the following Fall, a reballoting on priorities shall be conducted to determine changes, if any, in staffing needs. When a vote on priorities takes place too late in the academic year for a position request to be dealt with by the College, a waiver of the first Fall reassessment may be included in the balloting.
B) The Department Chair, after consultation with the Executive Committee, shall appoint a search committee. The Appointments Committee shall include at least three faculty members, at least one of whom is not a member of the program seeking the new faculty person. A search committee shall be established for all appointments (except visiting professor) at the assistant professor level or higher. Responsibilities of the search committee include: collecting applicant materials and ranking candidates on quality variables. Criteria related to marital status or number of dependents will not be among the criteria for selection. Materials on all applicants shall be made available to the faculty prior to a meeting at which information on the most favorable candidates is presented to the Full Faculty Membership.
C) The individual chairing the Appointments Committee should meet with the Department Chair and with the departmental EEO-Disability-Minority Recruitment Officer Affirmative Action Committee to review procedures required by the University before beginning the work of the Search Committee. If the search yields candidates eligible for equal opportunity/affirmative action employment (e.g., minorities, women, physically handicapped) within the highly qualified listing, the highest rank candidates so eligible, if not already at the top three candidates, will be invited to visit the Department in a manner fully consistent with the visits of those recommended for top priority by the Search Committee.
D) Visitation procedures for final candidates shall include a formal colloquium, widely publicized and open to all faculty and students; an informal social gathering; and interviews with faculty in small groups. Also a period shall be scheduled during which students may discuss with the Committee/committee member their views of the candidates.
E) The Full Faculty Membership shall convene upon completion of candidate visits. A written or oral report of student concerns shall be presented at this time. After discussion, written ballots shall be obtained from a quorum of faculty with final selection based upon a majority vote.
F) Salaries for new continuing appointments will be discussed by the Executive Committee, and if the Committee considers it advisable, may be referred to a faculty meeting for consideration.
IX. Grievance Procedure within the Department
A student, faculty member, or staff member having a grievance should make every effort to resolve the problem informally. If the matter cannot be resolved informally, the grievant may pursue the matter through the appropriate University grievance channels. The University Grievance Office can be accessed via the web at http://www1.umn.edu/ugo/ (amended 5/3/99).
X. Major Decisions Over Summer
A) It is to be expected that, over the summer, emergency decisions may arise which would normally be handled by faculty action. Some greater leeway is to be allowed here to the Chair or Acting Chair, in consultation with the faculty in residence or easily accessible by phone or e-mail.
B) Policy decisions which require immediate action but with consequences extending beyond the summer should be taken up with the regular Chair and the Executive Committee, by e-mail if necessary. The Chair or Acting Chair and Committee may decide whether or not all available faculty must be contacted in regard to a certain matter.
XI. Chair's Communications with Dean
It is in the nature of administration and leadership that, from time to time, the Chair will wish to convey to the Dean, in confidence, individual views about faculty members, overall department trends and development, long-range plans, and the like. However, the Chair has an obligation to indicate very clearly in any such conversations when the views are personal, or those of a sub-group of the Department members, rather than the views held by "the Department." If there are any doubts as to what the consensus is, it either should be made clear to the Dean that the consensus is really not known, or the consensus should be obtained from an exhaustive sampling in private conversations or from faculty discussion in an open, scheduled meeting, or by anonymous questionnaire or balloting.
XII. Amendments to this Constitution
Amendaments to this Constitution may only be made by advance written notice of a least one week followed by:
A) Full Department meeting for discussion.
B) Vote delayed until the next Full Faculty Meeting, not sooner than one week after A., with opportunity for further discussion during this second meeting. This vote shall be by ballot.
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C) A two-thirds (2/3) vote of all Full Faculty Members (i.e., not merely of a quorum) is necessary to pass such amendments.
D) The Executive Committee may not suspend any provision of the Constitution. However, in the matter of faculty appointments, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of all Full Faculty Members, the Faculty may delegate to the Chair and the Executive Committee together the ad hoc authority to act in the appointment of a stipulated person. In such cases, the decision of the Executive Committee must be unanimous.
Note: Promotion and tenure regulations were adopted by the Department of Psychology on June 9, 1986 (amended June 1997, November 1999, February 2007), in response to directives from the central administration. These regulations govern departmental procedures in this area and are printed in a separate document titled "Department of Psychology Statement of Standards for Promotion and Tenure."