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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Urban Studies & Planning

Bylaws

Article I: Vesting of departmental authority and supersession

Section 1

The authority and responsibility of action on all matters properly the concern of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning as a whole (except as provided by the statutes and regulations of Wayne State University and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, under an applicable collective bargaining agreement) shall reside in the faculty of the department. Hereafter, the term department shall refer to the tenured and tenure-track faculty [and academic staff members] of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning.

Section 2

Nothing in these bylaws is intended to be inconsistent with present or future Board of Governors statutes or executive orders or other university policies or regulations that have been duly issued or any applicable collective bargaining agreement. Where there may be an inconsistency between these bylaws and present or future Board of Governors statutes, other University policies or regulations or policies that have been duly issued or any applicable collective bargaining agreement, the latter shall prevail.

Article II: Administrative structure

Section 1: Chairperson

  1. The chairperson is the chief administrative officer of the department, who also works within the university and broader community to advance the interests of the department.

  2. Duties: Schedules and staff courses offered by the department.

  3. Duties: Administers the general department budget and special department accounts.

  4. Duties: Recommends new faculty appointments to the dean, upon receiving recommendations from the faculty (or the Search Committee if approved by the majority of departmental faculty members at a meeting) and submits an independent recommendation.

  5. The chairperson also serves as the director of the Master of Urban Planning program.

  6. The chairperson is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of, the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

  7. The department favors rotation of executive responsibility. The chairperson normally serves no longer than two full terms without formal discussion by the Departmental Committee of alternatives to additional service.

  8. When a new chairperson is to be appointed, the department shall elect N representatives to a Chairperson Selection Advisory Committee, as outlined in the collective bargaining agreement, in order to seek and recommend candidates to the dean. Tenured and tenure-track faculty [as well as academic staff members] of the department will be eligible for election.

  9. When an acting chairperson is to be appointed or re-appointed, the department (the tenured and tenure-track faculty [and the academic staff members]) shall elect three representatives to a Departmental Acting-Chairperson Appointment Advisory Committee, as outlined in the collective bargaining agreement. Tenured and tenure-track faculty [as well as academic staff members of the department] will be eligible for election.

Section 2: Director of undergraduate studies

A. The director of undergraduate studies (DUS) supervises the administration of the department's undergraduate degree program and other matters pertaining to undergraduate majors. The DUS presides over the Undergraduate Committee. The DUS is appointed by the chairperson in consultation with the faculty and serves at the pleasure of the chairperson.

Section 3: Director of graduate studies

A. The departmental chairperson serves as the director of graduate studies (DGS) in his/her capacity as director of the Master of Urban Planning program (M.U.P.) and accordingly supervises the administration of the Master of Urban Planning and other matters pertaining to graduate majors.

Article III: Strategic planning and accreditation

Section 1: Strategic planning

A. The Departmental Committee shall, in conjunction with the departmental chairperson, undertake a regular review of the department, its programs, courses offered, research and engagement activities to complete and update its Strategic Plan. Such a plan shall be approved by the faculty as a whole.

Section 2: Accreditation

A. On a schedule set by the Planning Accreditation Board, the departmental chairperson shall establish a sub-committee of faculty (and where necessary support staff) to prepare the required self-study and the site visit for the continuing accreditation of the graduate program in Urban Planning. This will be based on and connected with the above-mentioned regular strategic planning and the resulting Strategic Plan.

Article IV: Faculty of the department

Section 1

The faculty of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning is defined as all full-time faculty employed by Wayne State University, holding the ranks of lecturer, instructor, visiting professor, assistant professor, associate professor, professor and distinguished professor.

Section 2

The tenured faculty includes all full-time faculty members of the department holding continuing tenure in the university.

Section 3

The tenure-track faculty includes all full-time faculty members of the department whose employment contracts make them eligible to receive continuing tenure in the university.

Article V: Departmental meetings

Section 1

The 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 50% of the full-time faculty as defined in Article III, Section 1.

Section 2

A quorum for a departmental meeting is defined as a majority of the department's full-time faculty not on leave in a given term.

Section 3

The chairperson of the department shall preside at departmental meetings. An agenda shall be distributed to all faculty members at least 24 hours in advance of departmental meetings. Meeting proceedings shall be recorded by a secretary (normally a member of faculty), to be designated by the chairperson.

Section 4

Matters of departmental policy and procedures brought before a meeting of the department shall be decided by majority vote of the faculty present and eligible to vote, unless otherwise specified herein.

Section 5

Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall apply to all meetings held under the auspices of the department, except where inconsistent with these bylaws, in which case the latter shall prevail.

Section 6

All persons eligible to attend departmental meetings have the liberty to speak for the record, except in settings where these bylaws expressly prohibit participation by individuals or groups.

Article VI: Voting eligibility

Section 1

All full-time faculty members may participate in departmental decisions and vote within departmental meetings or convocations, except where specifically excluded herein.

Section 2

Eligible voters must be present at meetings to cast ballots, except for promotion, tenure or new appointment decisions, for which absentee ballots are allowed or when the department employs online voting.

Section 3

Full-time faculty members on leave may participate or vote on promotion, tenure or new appointment decisions but not on other matters.

Section 4

Full-time faculty members teaching in-load during spring and/or summer terms may participate or vote on all matters.

Article VII: Undergraduate Committee

Section 1

The Undergraduate Committee shall review the department's undergraduate degree program and events and make recommendations to the department as a whole. It shall also make decisions with respect to undergraduate courses and course alterations and awards for undergraduate majors.

Section 2

The departmental chair shall appoint as committee members an appropriate number of tenured and tenure-track faculty. New faculty members are eligible at once.

Section 3

The director of undergraduate studies is the presiding officer for the committee.

Article VIII: Graduate Committee

Section 1

The Graduate Committee shall review the department's graduate degree programs and events and make recommendations to the department as a whole. It shall also make decisions with respect to fellowships, assistantships, approval of new graduate courses and course alterations and awards for graduate majors.

Section 2

The departmental chair shall appoint as committee members an appropriate number of tenured and tenure-track faculty. New faculty members are eligible at once.

Section 3

The departmental chairperson, as director of the Master of Urban Planning program, is accordingly director of graduate studies and is the presiding officer for the committee.

Article IX: Promotion and Tenure Committee

Section 1

The Promotion and Tenure Committee shall vote with finality on all recommendations emanating from the Policy Committee for granting promotions, tenure, appointments to tenure-track positions, reappointments to tenure-track positions and reappointments to non-non-tenure-track positions.

Section 2

The committee shall consist of all tenured faculty, excluding administrators above the unit and in the reporting line.

Section 3

No member of the committee may participate in or vote on recommendations for promotion to ranks higher than his or her own rank.

Section 4

All recommendations for granting promotion, tenure or appointment to tenure-track positions require a vote of two-thirds of the ballots cast. All votes must be cast by secret ballots. Absentee ballots may be cast. Failure of eligible members to cast ballots shall not be regarded as negative and shall not affect the outcome.

Section 5

The chairperson shall preside at all meetings, without vote. Section 6:

  1. A member of the Promotion and Tenure Committee shall be elected by tenured and tenure-track faculty, except those excluded by Section 2, to serve as a spokesperson before the College of Liberal Arts and Science Promotion and Tenure Committee.

  2. If the first spokesperson disagrees with a particular committee recommendation, an alternative spokesperson shall be elected.

Article X: Personnel Committee (committee of the whole Departmental Committee)

Section 1

  1. The Departmental Committee shall annually evaluate the "Statement on FACTORS" delineating as far as possible those factors that will be considered in the evaluation of potential candidates for promotion or tenure. The statement shall be based upon excellence in teaching and scholarly professional achievement, while consideration shall also be given to non-instructional service to the department, college, university, planning profession and the community.

  2. The committee shall evaluate all potential candidates for promotion or tenure, including new appointments to tenured positions and shall make recommendations thereon to the Promotion and Tenure Committee.

  3. The Departmental Committee shall oversee the departmental mentoring program for non-tenured faculty members. Each tenure-track faculty member of the department will be assigned a tenured mentor who shall advise and assist such members as they prepare for third-year review and tenture. The mentor will be appointed by the department chairperson after consulting with the Departmental Committee, the mentor and the mentoree. The appointment will take place before the end of the non-tenured member's first semester in the department, whether the new member is in residence or not.

    1. A non-tenured faculty member may request, at any time and without explanation, that they be assigned a different Mentor.

    2. Non-tenured members of the department are encouraged to actively seek the advice and counsel of their mentors. They may also seek the advice and counsel of other individuals within the department, college and university.

    3. Mentors shall assist non-tenured faculty members as they prepare for Third Year and Tenure reviews. This assistance may include, but need not be limited to, the preparation of appropriate packets for relevant committees. Responsibility for accumulating and presenting a record of

      achievement of sufficient quality and extent as to merit Tenure, however, ultimately rests with the non-tenured faculty member.

    4. At the end of each academic year, mentors will submit a one-page written report to the Personnel Committee and provide a copy for the candidate. The reports shall not evaluate the candidate's suitability for continuance or tenure but rather shall describe what mentors have done in support of mentorees.

  4. The Departmental Committee shall prepare a written review by the end of each academic year for any bargaining unit member holding a term appointment. The Departmental Committee will consult with the member's mentor in advance of such review. The committee shall forward all written reviews to the chair for distribution to the affected faculty. Copies will be placed in the member's personnel file.

  5. The Departmental Committee shall undertake a review of each candidate for advancement toward tenure during his or her third year (hereafter designated the third-year review). The purpose of the third-year review is to assist non-tenured faculty in advancing toward tenure. For administrative purposes, the review is advisory; it does not bind the department or any of its committees, to any future course of action. Affected department members will compile a full dossier, analogous to the tenure review dossier but without external letters. Third-year reviews shall be undertaken before the end of the fall semester of the third year; the mentor will assist in this process. The third-year review shall be delivered to the member before the end of classes in the third year, in writing and in conversation with both the mentor and mentoree. A copy of the review will be placed in the non-tenured faculty member's personnel file. The non-tenured faculty member shall be permitted to respond in writing to the review and a copy placed in his or her personnel file.

  6. The Departmental Committee shall oversee the conduct of formative peer evaluations of teaching for full-time faculty members in the department; the chair will administer the process. Peer evaluations will be conducted during the second, fourth and tenth years of each member's service with the university. Peer evaluations shall include at least one classroom observation in addition to a review of the faculty member's teaching portfolio. The peer evaluator shall prepare a written report of the evaluation for the faculty member. This report will be confidential and provided only to the faculty member. The chair will be informed of the date on which the evaluation was completed and will report to the Committee that the evaluation has been completed. Peer evaluations will not be part of the promotion and tenure process or the annual Selective Salary process.

    Individual faculty members may also request a peer evaluation of their teaching at other times in the interests of improving the quality of their teaching and the department encourages this.

  7. The Departmental Committee shall evaluate all sabbatical leave applications.

  8. The chairperson shall seek the advice of the Departmental Committee, as far as practicable, in making appointments for Lecturers.

  9. The chairperson shall preside at meetings, without vote.

Article XI: Search committees

Section 1

When the college authorizes the department to make new appointments to tenured or tenure-track positions, the chairperson shall appoint appropriate tenured or tenure-track faculty members to committees that shall conduct those searches. Tenure-track faculty may participate on search committees but may vote only on appointments at the rank of assistant professor or lecturer. The chairperson shall appoint committee chairs in consultation with the faculty.

Section 2

The departmental chairperson may participate as an ex officio member of search committees, with vote.

Section 3

All search committees shall forward recommendations to the department (the faculty as a whole).

Article XII: Student participation

Student participation in the department is governed by Article IV, Section 5 of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences bylaws that reads:

"The Department Committee may extend to full-time undergraduate and graduate 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%. Should any department wish to adopt a higher percentage of student-to-faculty representation, it must secure approval from the Liberal Arts and Sciences Faculty Council."

By vote of the majority of the departmental faculty members, student membership may be extended for any committee except the Promotion and Tenure Committee. Students also shall be excluded from participation in matters pertaining to personnel matters. Student participation shall be restricted to matters of policy, programs, procedures and regulations. In order to be a student representative, the person must be a full-time student majoring in urban studies or planning, currently enrolled in the semester of service and in good standing with the university. No election will be held. Rather, selected students will be asked to serve on a particular committee.

Article XIII: Other committees

Section 1

The chairperson may appoint additional ad hoc committees as necessary to conduct departmental business.

Article XIV: Amendment of bylaws

Proposed amendments to these bylaws must be submitted in writing at least one regular departmental meeting prior to the vote. Approval requires the vote of two-thirds of those voting, provided there is a quorum.

Last Revised: March 2012