Bylaws
Table of contents
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 Assistant Professor of Teaching, Associate Professor of Teaching, Professor of Teaching, 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 graduate faculty of the Department is defined as all regular faculty holding appointments to the Graduate Faculty as recognized by the Dean of the Graduate School. Appointments are made to the Graduate Faculty in accordance with procedures established by the Graduate School. Applications for appointment to Graduate Faculty status or renewal will be reviewed by the Chairperson of the Department in consultation with the department’s Policy and Personnel committee.
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 and 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 semester 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 beginning of each Departmental meeting by majority vote of the regular faculty present and voting or otherwise by the drawing of lots.
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
A) 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
- Supervises the administration of all Department activities.
- Schedules and staffs all courses offered by the Department.
- 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.
- 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.
- Recommends to the Dean appointments to the graduate faculty upon receiving recommendations from the Policy and Personnel committee.
- Recommends to the Dean appointments of graduate assistants upon receiving recommendations from the Graduate Committee.
- Recommends to the Dean appointments of administrative staff, academic staff, and part-time faculty.
- Appoints Department administrative officials and all non-elected committees.
- 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.
- Transmits to the Dean selective and equity salary increase recommendations of the Salary Committee.
- Approves applications by regular faculty members for grants and fellowships and transmits them to the Dean.
- Administers the general Department budget and special Department accounts in accordance with established department procedures and practices, and provides an annual budget report, and other updates upon request, to the Policy and Personnel Committee.
- 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 she/he chairs with voice but not vote, and the Salary Committee which he/she chairs with vote.
- Calls meetings (with as much prior notification as possible) of the regular and/or part-time faculty and presides at these meetings.
- Calls the initial meeting of the newly elected Policy and Personnel Committee and presides at the meeting until a Chairperson of the Committee is selected.
B) The director of graduate studies and director of graduate programs in public administration
Section 1
The Director of Graduate Studies and Director of the Graduate Programs in Public Administration are appointed by the Department Chairperson for terms determined by the Chairperson.
Section 2: The director of graduate studies
- Supervises the administration of all graduate degree programs in consultation with other Program Directors and under policies established by the Graduate Committee and the Department within the overall framework of University and College requirements.
- Authorizes admissions to the MA, JD/MA, and PhD programs under policies established by the Graduate Committee, or upon specific instructions of the Committee in special or contested cases.
- Calls and chairs meetings of the Graduate Committee and reports its recommendations to the Department.
- Supervises the general operations of the Department Graduate Office in terms of files, records, correspondence, and reports.
Section 3: Director of graduate programs in public administration
- Administers specifically assigned graduate degree programs in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and under policies established by the Graduate Committee and the Department within the overall framework of University and College requirements.
- Authorizes admissions to specifically assigned graduate degree programs.
- Serves as ex officio member of the Graduate Committee with vote.
- Supervises the Departmental Graduate Office in terms of files, records, correspondence, and reports pertaining to specifically assigned programs.
C) The director of undergraduate studies
Section 1: The Director of Undergraduate Studies is appointed by the Department Chairperson for a term determined by the Chairperson.
Section 2: The director of undergraduate studies
- Supervises the administration of all undergraduate degree programs under policies established by the Undergraduate Committee and the Department within the overall framework of University and College requirements.
- Calls and chairs meetings of the Undergraduate Committee, convenes relevant subcommittees and reports their recommendations to the Department.
- Administers specifically assigned undergraduate programs in consultation with the Undergraduate Academic Advisor.
- Works closely with the Undergraduate Academic Advisor to maintain the general operations of the Departmental Undergraduate Office in terms of files, records, correspondence, and reports.
Article VI: Department committees
A) Policy and Personnel Committee
Section 1: The Policy and Personnel Committee consists of five members of the regular Political Science faculty elected at large by that faculty in accordance with procedures in Article VII.
- The Policy and Personnel Committee is elected annually at the end of the Winter semester for a term beginning in the spring semester and running until the end of the following academic year.
- 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. Subsequent meetings of the Committee are called by the Committee Chairperson, after consultation with the Department Chairperson.
- Program Directors (the Director of Graduate Studies, the Director of Undergraduate Studies, and the Director of Graduate Programs in Public Administration) who are not elected to the committee are welcome to attend Policy and Personnel Meetings ex officio with voice but not vote.
- The Department Chairperson attends meetings of the Policy and Personnel Committee with voice but not vote.
Section 2: The Policy and Personnel Committee:
- 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.
- Serves as the department’s budget advisory committee, providing counsel to the Departmental Chairperson concerning the general budgetary priorities of the unit, and advising the Departmental Chairperson on general travel policies and priorities.
- Supervises recruitment of new regular faculty members and recommends candidates for appointment to the Department Chairperson and the Dean.
- Receives applications for leaves of absences and sabbatical.
- Advises the Department Chairperson with respect to the nomination of members of the regular faculty and staff for college and university awards.
B) Promotion and Tenure Committee
Section 1: The Promotion and Tenure Committee shall consist of all members of the tenured faculty.
- The Department Chairperson is an ex officio member of the Promotion and Tenure Committee and chairs the Committee with voice but no vote.
- 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 she/he appears before the College Promotion and Tenure Committee.
Section 2: As provided by the AAUP contract, the Promotion and Tenure Committee:
- 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.
- Evaluates applications for tenure and, upon a two-thirds affirmative vote of the membership of the Committee, submits written recommendations for tenure to the Department Chairperson and the Dean.
- 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 written recommendations for promotion to the Department Chairperson and the Dean.
- Evaluates candidates for reappointment and makes recommendations to the Department Chairperson
- Reviews the status of non-tenured faculty and the appropriateness of the ranks held by members of the Department.
C) Salary Committee
Section 1: The Salary Committee is constituted in accord with the AAUP contract. The Salary Committee consists of four members of the regular faculty elected during the winter semester for a one-year term. Three members of the Salary Committee shall be elected from the members of the regular faculty serving on the Promotion and Tenure Committee. One member shall be elected from among those members of the regular faculty 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: Under the terms of the AAUP contract, the Salary Committee submits recommendations to the department Chairperson and the Dean for selective and equity salary adjustments.
D) The Graduate Committee
Section 1: The Graduate Committee is composed of members of the regular 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.
- Meetings of the Graduate Committee are called and chaired by the Director of Graduate Studies. The Committee shall meet at least once a semester 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:
- Oversees the operations of the Department's graduate programs.
- 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.)
- Reviews proposals for changes in the Department's graduate programs, policies, and regulations and submits recommendations to the Department.
- Acts upon requests for waiver of regulations and other petitions from graduate students, presenting recommendations to the Department as necessary.
E) The Graduate Public Administration (GPA) Committee
Section 1: The GPA Committee is composed of members of the regular faculty who teach core courses of the NASPAA-accredited MPA program. Members are appointed by the Department Chairperson in consultation with the Director of the Graduate Programs in Public Administration.
- Meetings of the GPA Committee are called and chaired by the Director of Graduate Programs in Public Administration. The Committee shall meet at least once a semester during the academic year and must meet upon the request of the Department Chairperson or any two members of the Committee.
Section 2: The GPA Committee:
- Oversees the operations of the Department's Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management (GCNPM) programs.
- Works to maintain MPA program accreditation by following and implementing the standards promulgated by the Committee on Peer Review and Accreditation (COPRA) of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA).
- Reviews proposed changes in graduate public administration course offerings and submits recommendations for changes in accordance with established University and College procedures, and in consultation with the Graduate Committee. (Faculty members desiring to add permanent courses to the graduate curriculum must present written proposals describing course content to both committees for consideration.)
- Reviews proposals for changes in the Department's graduate public administration programs, policies, and regulations and submits recommendations to the Department.
- Acts upon requests for waiver of regulations and other petitions from students in the public administration programs, presenting recommendations to the Department as necessary.
F) The Undergraduate Committee
Section 1: The Undergraduate Committee is composed of members of the regular 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.
- Meetings of the Undergraduate Committee are called and chaired by the Director of Undergraduate Studies. 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:
- Oversees the operations of the Department's undergraduate programs.
- 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.)
- 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 faculty who are available for active membership in Department committees.
Section 2: Vacancies on Departmental committees filled through election by the regular faculty shall be governed by the following procedures:
- To be elected on the first ballot, eligible candidates must receive the votes of a majority of those voting.
- 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).
- 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: Departmental program committees (Graduate, Graduate Programs in Public Administration and Undergraduate) may extend to graduate and undergraduate student departmental majors, subject to annual review, the privilege of committee membership with voice but not vote.
Section 2: Student representatives shall be selected from Departmental majors who have completed a minimum of 18 hours of credit in the Department for undergraduates, or a minimum of 12 hours of credit in the Department for graduate students.
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.
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 bylaws
Section 1: Proposed amendments to these by-laws shall be submitted in writing and signed by at least three members of the Department’s 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 15 calendar 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.
Section 4: In accordance with the AAUP contract, any amendments to the department by-laws must be reviewed and approved by the Dean and Provost.
As amended approved Apr. 19, 2024.
Approved by the Dean's Office Jan. 23, 2025.
Approved by the Provost's Office Feb. 10, 2025