Wayne State University
Warrior strong
Login
Search
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Political Science

Bylaws

Department of Political Science

Article I Relationship to the College and University

Section 1: These by-laws exist under the authority and within the limits of the Statutes of Wayne State University, the Constitution of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and operative agreements between the University and the appropriate bargaining agent for the faculty of the University.

Article II The Faculty of the Department

Section 1: The regular faculty of the Department of Political Science is defined as all faculty employed by Wayne State University, one-half fractional time or more, holding the ranks of Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor of Political Science.

Section 2: The tenured faculty are all regular faculty members of the department holding continuing tenure in the University.

Section 3: The regular teaching faculty of the Department of Political Science consists of all regular faculty of the department who have accepted specific responsibility for the teaching of at least one credit-carrying course in political science during the academic year.

Regular faculty on academic leave will retain their status as members of the regular teaching faculty provided 1) they have been members of the teaching faculty during that academic year prior to their leave, and 2) they are expected to resume teaching upon their return.

  1. Regular faculty who are not available for teaching courses in political science during the academic year for reasons other than academic leave shall not be considered members of the teaching faculty during that academic year.

Section 4: The graduate faculty of the Department is defined as all regular faculty holding appointments to the Graduate Faculty as recognized by the Dean of Graduate Studies. Appointments are made to the Regular Graduate Faculty or the Associate Graduate Faculty in accordance with procedures established by the Office for Graduate Studies.

a. Recommendations for appointments to the regular graduate faculty are initiated by the Chairperson of the Department in consultation with the Graduate Committee. The Chairperson shall propose candidates to the Graduate Committee for their consideration during the spring term prior to the academic year in which the appointments would begin.

b. Proposed candidates for appointment as associate graduate faculty will be presented to the Graduate Committee for their consideration each term. The specific purposes of each proposed appointment will be explained in detail and the appointment shall be limited to the purposes so specified.

Article III Vesting of Departmental Authority

Section 1: The authority and responsibility of action on all matters properly the concern of the Department of Political Science as a whole (except as provided by the statutes and regulations of Wayne State University an the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, or as agreed, under an operative agreement, between the University and the appropriate bargaining agent for the faculty of the University, or as provided herein) shall reside in the regular faculty of the Department.

Article IV Departmental Meetings

Section 1: The regular faculty shall meet at least once a term at the call of the Chairperson of the Department and shall meet as often as necessary to determine matters of academic policy. A Departmental meeting may be called at any time upon petition of 20 percent of the regular faculty.

Section 2: A quorum for a Departmental meeting is defined as a majority of the Department's regular faculty.

Section 3: Departmental meetings shall be chaired by the Department Chairperson and the proceedings shall be recorded by a Secretary, elected at the first Departmental meeting of each academic year by majority vote of the regular faculty present and voting.

Section 4: Matters of Departmental policy and procedures brought before a Departmental meeting shall be decided by majority vote of the regular faculty present and voting, unless otherwise specified herein.

Article V Departmental Offices

  1. The Department Chairperson

Section 1: The Chairperson of the Department of Political Science is appointed by the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for a term determined by the Dean in accordance with procedures provided by the Dean and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Section 2: The Department Chairperson

  1. Supervises the administration of all Department activities.
  2. Schedules and staffs all courses offered by the Department.
  3. Recommends all new regular faculty appointments and reappointments to the Dean, upon receiving recommendations from the appropriate committees of the Department in accordance with Article VI.
  4. Transmits to the Dean applications for sabbatical and other leaves of absence; and upon receiving recommendations from the Policy and Personnel Committee, submits independent recommendations.
  5. Recommends to the Dean appointments to the graduate faculty upon receiving recommendations from the Graduate Committee.
  6. Recommends to the Dean appointments of graduate assistants upon receiving recommendations from the Graduate Committee.
  7. Recommends to the Dean appointments of Administrative Assistant, secretarial and clerical staff, and part-time faculty.
  8. Appoints Department administrative officials and all non-elected committees.
  9. Transmits to the Dean promotion and tenure recommendations of the Promotion and Tenure Committee for faculty seeking promotion and/or tenure in Political Science, and submits independent recommendations.
  10. Transmits to the Dean selective and equity salary increase recommendations of the Salary Committee.
  11. Approves applications by regular faculty members for grants and fellowships and transmits them to the Dean.
  12. Administers the general Department budget and special Department accounts in accordance with established department procedures and practices.
  13. Serves as ex officio member of all Department committees, including the Policy and Personnel Committee with voice but not vote, the Promotion and Tenure Committee which he/she chairs with voice but not vote, and the Salary Committee which he/she chairs with vote.
  14. Call meetings (with as much prior notification as possible) of the regular and/or part-time faculty and presides at these meetings.
  15. Calls initial meeting of the newly elected Policy and Personnel Committee and presides at the meeting until a Chairperson of the Committee is selected.
  1. The Graduate Adviser and Graduate Program Coordinators

Section 1: The Graduate Adviser and Program Coordinators for specific graduate degree programs are appointed by the Department Chairperson for a term determined by the Chairperson.

Section 2: The Graduate Adviser

  1. Supervises the administration of all graduate degree programs in consultation with the Program Coordinators and under policies established by the Graduate Committee and the Department within the overall framework of University and College requirements.
  2. Authorizes admissions to all graduate programs in consultation with the Program Coordinators under policies established by the Graduate Committee or upon specific instructions of the Committee in special or contested cases.
  3. Calls and chairs meetings of the Graduate Committee and reports its recommendations to the Department.
  4. Supervises the general operations of the Department Graduate Office in terms of files, records, correspondence, and reports.

Section 3: Graduate Program Coordinators

  1. Administer specifically assigned graduate degree programs in consultation with the Graduate Adviser and under policies established by the Graduate Committee and the Department within the overall framework of University and College requirements.
  2. Makes admissions recommendations to the Graduate Adviser.
  3. Serve as ex officio members of the Graduate Committee with vote.
  4. Supervise the Departmental Graduate Office in terms of files, records, correspondence, and reports pertaining to specifically assigned programs.
  1. The Undergraduate Adviser and Undergraduate Program Coordinators

Section 1: The Undergraduate Adviser and Program Coordinators for specific undergraduate programs are appointed by the Department Chairperson for a term determined by the Chairperson.

Section 2: The Undergraduate Advisor

  1. Supervises the administration of all undergraduate degree programs in consultation with the Program Coordinators and under policies established by the Undergraduate Committee and the Department within the overall framework of University and College requirements.
  2. Calls and Chairs meetings of the Undergraduate Committee and reports its recommendations to the Department.
  3. Supervises the general operations of the Departmental Undergraduate Office in terms of files, records, correspondence, and reports.

Section 3: The Undergraduate Program Coordinators

  1. Administer specifically assigned undergraduate programs in consultation with the Undergraduate Adviser and under policies established by the Undergraduate Committee and the Department within the overall framework of University and College requirements.
  2. Serve as ex officio members of the Undergraduate Committee with vote.
  3. Supervise the Departmental Undergraduate Office in terms of files, records, correspondence, and reports pertaining to specifically assigned programs.

Article VI Department Committees

  1. Policy and Personnel Committee

Section 1: The Policy and Personnel Committee consists of five members of the regular Political Science teaching faculty elected at large by that faculty in accordance with procedures in Article VII.

  1. The Policy and Personnel Committee is elected annually in the spring term for a term beginning at the end of the spring term and running until the end of the academic year.
  2. The Chairperson of the Policy and Personnel Committee is selected by the Committee from its elected members at its initial meeting which is convened by the Department Chairperson immediately following the election of the Committee. Subsequent meetings of the Committee are called by the Committee Chairperson, after consultation with the Department Chairperson.
  3. The Department Chairperson attends meetings of the Policy and personnel Committee with voice but not vote.

Section 2: The Policy and Personnel Committee

  1. Advises the Department Chairperson on matters relating to general Departmental practices and procedures and submits general policy recommendations to the Department and the Department Chairperson.
  2. Supervises recruitment of new regular faculty members and recommends candidates for appointment to the Department Chairperson and the Dean.
  3. Receives applications for leaves of absences and sabbatical.
  1. Promotion and Tenure Committee

Section 1: The Promotion and Tenure Committee shall consist of all members of the tenured faculty.

  1. The Department Chairperson is an ex officio member of the Promotion and Tenure Committee and chairs the Committee without voice.
  2. A Committee Representative shall be elected from among the bargaining unit members of the Committee to serve as spokesperson for the Committee. The Committee representative shall accompany the Department Chairperson whenever he or she appears before the College Promotion and Tenure Committee.

Section 2: As provided by the according to provisions of the AAUP contract, the Promotion and Tenure Committee:

  1. Reviews and delineates, as far as is practical and subject to the approval of the Dean, those factors that will be considered in the evaluation of a candidate's qualifications for promotion and tenure.
  2. Evaluates applications for tenure and, upon a two-thirds affirmative vote of the membership of the Committee, submits recommendations for tenure to the Department Chairperson and the Dean.
  3. Evaluates applications for promotion and, upon a two-thirds affirmative vote of those members of the committee of a rank higher than the applicant's current rank, submits recommendations for promotion to the Department Chairperson and the Dean.
  4. Evaluates candidates for reappointment and makes recommendations to the Department Chairperson
  5. Reviews the status of non-tenured faculty and the appropriateness of the ranks held by members of the Department.
  1. Salary Committee.

Section 1: The Salary Committee consists of five members of the regular teaching faculty elected during the fall term for a one year term. In accord with the AAUP contract, four members of the Salary Committee shall be elected from the members of the Political Science faculty serving on the Promotion and Tenure Committee by the regular Political Science teaching faculty. That faculty shall also elect one member to the Salary Committee from among those not serving on the Promotion and Tenure Committee. These elections will be held simultaneously and shall be governed by the procedures prescribed in Article II.

Section 2: The Salary Committee

  1. Distributes selective salary funds allocated to the Department under the terms of the AAUP contract to eligible members of the Department and submits recommendations to the department Chairperson and the Dean for additional selective and equity salary adjustments.
  2. Consults with the Department Chairperson, insofar as practicable, regarding initial salaries of prospective members of the Department.
  3. The Graduate Committee

Section 1: The Graduate Committee is composed of members of the regular teaching faculty appointed by the Department Chairperson from the Department's graduate faculty and student members selected in accordance with Departmental policy on student representation and Article VII of these by-laws.

  1. Meetings of the Graduate Committee are called and chaired by the Graduate Adviser. The Committee shall meet at least once a term during the academic year and must meet upon the request of the Department Chairperson or any two members of the Committee.

Section 2: The Graduate Committee

  1. Oversees the operations of the Department's graduate programs.
  2. Reviews proposed changes in graduate course offerings and submits recommendations for changes in accordance with established University and College procedures. (Faculty members desiring to add permanent courses to the graduate curriculum must present written proposals describing course content to the committee for consideration.)
  3. Reviews proposed appointments to the graduate faculty and submits recommendations to the Department Chairperson.
  4. Reviews proposals for changes in the Department's graduate programs, policies, and regulations and submits recommendations to the Department.
  5. Acts upon requests for waiver of regulations and other petitions from graduate students, presenting recommendations to the Department as necessary.
  1. The Undergraduate Committee

Section 1: The Undergraduate committee is composed of members of the regular teaching faculty appointed by the Department Chairperson from the faculty and student members selected in accordance with Departmental policy on student representation and Article VIII of these by-laws.

  1. Meetings of the Undergraduate Committee are called and chaired by the Undergraduate Adviser. The Committee shall meet at least once a year and must meet upon the request of the Department Chairperson or any two members of the Committee.

Section 2: The Undergraduate Committee

  1. Oversees the operations of the Department's undergraduate program.
  2. Reviews proposed changes in undergraduate course offerings and submits recommendations for changes in accordance with established University and College procedures (Faculty members desiring to add permanent courses to the Undergraduate curriculum must present written proposals describing course content to the Committee for consideration.)
  3. Reviews proposals for changes in the Department's undergraduate program, policies, and regulations and submits recommendations to the Department.

Article VII Eligibility for Committee Assignments and Procedures

Governing the Filling of Positions on Elected Committees

Section 1: Eligibility for committee assignment, through election or appointment, is limited to regular teaching faculty living in the Detroit Metropolitan Area and available for active membership in Department committees.

Section 2: Vacancies on Departmental committees filed through election by the regular teaching faculty shall be governed by the following procedures:

  1. To be elected on the first ballot, eligible candidates must receive the votes of a majority of those voting.
  2. If a second ballot is necessary, the candidates shall be those having the highest number of votes among those not elected on the first ballot. The number of candidates on the second ballot shall be twice the number of vacancies remaining on the committee (or in the event of ties, that number in excess of twice the number of vacancies necessitated by the ties). A simple plurality shall be sufficient for election on a second ballot (or any subsequent ballots occasioned by ties).
  3. On all ballots, each elector may vote for any number of candidates up to and including the number of vacancies.

Article VIII Student Participation

Section 1: Student participation in the Department is governed by Article IV, section 5 of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Constitution (February, 1970) which reads: Tenure members of a department may extend to fulltime graduate and undergraduate student departmental majors, subject to annual review, the privilege of committee membership with vote, except in matters dealing with promotion, tenure, and recommendations for compensation. Normally no committee composed of four or more members should have student representation in excess of 25 percent. Should any department wish to adopt a higher percentage of student-to-faculty representation, it must secure approval from the Liberal Arts and Sciences Council.

Section 2: Student representatives shall be selected in accord with Departmental policy on student representation from Departmental majors who are fulltime students as defined by the University and who have completed a minimum of 24 hours of credit in the Department.

Section 3: Student participation shall be restricted to matters of policy, programs, procedures, and regulations. Students shall be excluded from participation on matters pertaining to individual faculty members and other students, unless such participation is specifically requested by the faculty.

Article IX Rules Governing Departmental and Committee Meetings

Section 1: Departmental and Departmental Committee meetings shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order.

Article X Amendments to these By-Laws

Section 1: Proposed Amendments to these by-laws shall be submitted in writing and signed by at least three members of the Departments regular faculty to a meeting of the Departmental faculty.

Section 2: copies of any proposed amendment shall be distributed to all regular members of the faculty for consideration at its next special or scheduled meeting, to be held not less than 30 days after the distribution of the proposed amendment.

Section 3: A two-thirds vote of the regular faculty present and voting shall be required for its adoption.

Article XI Procedures for Peer Evaluation of Teaching

Every full-time faculty member of the Department of Political Science will have a peer review of his/her teaching practices in one course in the second, fourth, and tenth year of service. The results of the review are confidential shared only by the faculty member and the observer. An outline of the peer review process is detailed below:

a. The faculty member will select a course and an observer in consultation with the Department Chair and/or his/her designee.

b. Pre-observation meeting:

1. The faculty member schedules an observation session with the observer.
2. The faculty member briefs the observer about the contents and goal of the course.

c. Classroom Observation:

1. The faculty member teaches the class, while the observer attends.
2. The observer assesses the faculty member's instruction.

d. Post-observation meeting:

1. The observer prepares a written report of the evaluation of the faculty member's instruction.
2. The faculty member and observer meet to discuss the classroom observation and the observer's report.
3. After the post-observation meeting, the observer sends the report to the faculty member.
4. The faculty member uses the report to guide future curriculum construction and professional development.

(6/1/2005) (reaffirmed 2/23/2011)