These bylaws establish regulations for the governance and policy-making procedures of the School of Literatures, Cultures & Linguistics, hereafter referred to as "the School" or as "SLCL." Bylaws of the School shall be consistent with those of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and with the University Statutes.

I.  Mission Statement and Organization

A.  Mission Statement

The School of Literatures, Cultures & Linguistics (SLCL) supports and promotes the study and teaching of languages, literatures, and other cultural practices from around the globe, and makes significant contributions to the understanding of a diverse human experience. SLCL brings together a group of diverse departments and programs and fosters interdepartmental and interdisciplinary initiatives. The School's collaborative environment promotes world-class research agendas, innovative teaching, opportunities for outreach and community service, and enhanced learning experiences for our students. 

The School is an educational and administrative unit, and as such is governed in the manner specified in Article III, Section 4 of the University Statutes. The faculty of each unit in the School shall have the power to determine its own internal organization in matters that do not affect relations with other units in the School, in accordance with the University Statutes, the bylaws of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the bylaws of the School.

B.  Voting Faculty

The voting faculty of the School consists of all academic staff with a minimum 50% appointment in the School, including tenure-stream (faculty who hold the title of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor and are tenured or receiving probationary credit toward tenure), specialized faculty, and academic professionals. In School-wide votes, faculty holding joint appointments in two or more units in the School may vote only once. Emeriti, visiting faculty, and faculty with only a 0% appointment in one or more units of the School may not vote on School matters. 

II.  Governance

A.  Director

The Director is the chief executive officer of the School and serves as liaison between the School and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, as well as to other administrative units of the University, with the responsibilities and duties outlined in the University Statutes, Article III, Section 5.

At the time of appointment, the Director must have the rank of Professor in a unit of the School. The Director is appointed by the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The performance of the Director will be evaluated at least every five years, in accordance with University regulations, specified in Provost’s Communication 24. As part of the formal review, the Dean will solicit input from the School faculty, students, and staff.

The Director also shall be reappointed annually by the Dean, with the input of the School’s Executive Committee, in accordance with University Statutes III.5 (b).

Associate Director. The Director may appoint an Associate Director to respond to the growth of School activities, to improve School management, and/or to ensure a broader representation in the governance structure of the various fields and disciplines that make up the School. The Associate Director’s main appointment must be in a different unit of the School than that of the Director. The Associate Director will assume the duties and responsibilities assigned by the Director and report to the Director. The Associate Director must be a tenured faculty member in SLCL. The Associate Director is a non-voting ex officio member of the Executive Committee, and School Initiatives Committee.

B.  The Executive Committee
Membership
  1. The Executive Committee shall have six members who have tenure at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor, at least three of whom are Professors. No unit may have more than one member on the committee.  Executive Officers of units may not be members of the committee. Membership in the Executive Committee shall rotate through all the units, with members serving staggered two-year terms and changing three members each year.
  2. A member of the Executive Committee may not succeed himself/herself.
  3. At the beginning of each academic year, each unit with a seat on the Executive Committee will designate its member through internal processes to be determined by the unit.
  4. The Director is an ex officio member of the Executive Committee of the School and its Chair. The Associate Director is an ex officio member of the Executive Committee.
Responsibilities and Duties
  1. The Executive Committee shall function in accordance with the University Statutes, Article III, Section 4.d.3. It shall work with the Director to develop and execute policy and transact such business as may be delegated to it by the faculty or by the Director. It shall advise the Director on all significant proposals and initiatives, including, but not limited to, significant financial commitments of the School, academic initiatives, and on the appointment of all standing and ad hoc committees. The Executive Committee advises the Director on recommendations for appointment, reappointment, non-reappointment, and tenure and promotion, originating in the home unit of the individual involved. A formal vote shall be taken in each case, and this vote shall become part of the case documentation. In cases of tenure and promotion, only those members of rank equal to or higher than that being considered for the candidate may participate in the review process. Executive Committee members must recuse themselves from considering the appointment and promotion of candidates from their own unit.
  2. The Executive Committee reviews third-year evaluations of faculty.
  3. The Executive Committee advises the Director on the allocation of SLCL fellowships, awards and major co-sponsored events, as well as on new initiatives, commitments or other matters of substance that impact the School’s units.
Meetings
  1. The Executive Committee meets once a month during the academic year. A meeting of the Executive Committee may be called by the Director or by a majority of its members. An agenda and minutes shall be posted to the Committee one week prior to each meeting. The Director shall not have a vote in the recorded votes of the Executive Committee.
  2. No meeting of the Executive Committee shall be held absent a quorum of four or more members.
C.  Standing Committees

The Standing Committees of the School are:

1.  Senior Leadership Committee – Executive Officers of the Units. The Director and the Executive Officers will meet once a month during the academic year, and the Executive Officers will provide advice to the Director on matters pertaining to all units, shared services and issues that concern the entire School. 

2.  School Initiatives Committee. This committee facilitates communication across the units with respect to curricular, programmatic and engagement initiatives. Its function is to initiate, facilitate, coordinate, and integrate interdisciplinary and interdepartmental initiatives and programming. Members are nominated or can self-nominate. This committee will have two to three members, plus the Associate Director.

3.  Appeals Committee. This committee shall consider appeals of decisions at the School level concerning personnel in the following areas: rollbacks, promotion and/or tenure, sabbatical leaves, leaves of absence without pay, and non-reappointment. The committee also considers student appeals of unit-level decisions. The Appeals Committee shall consist of four members at the rank of Professor or Associate Professor. Members may be nominated or self-nominate. Members are elected by the voting faculty for two-year terms, with two elected each year. Members must come from different units of the School. No unit may be represented by more than one member. A member may not succeed himself/herself. If a faculty member must recuse themselves from the committee, the committee work proceeds with the three remaining members.

D.  Appeals

A faculty member may appeal an adverse decision of the Director on matters that include, but are not limited to, a recommendation for non-reappointment or denial of sabbatical leave. An appeal must be initiated by written notification to the Director within 15 days of the decision (as stipulated in Provost’s Communication #10). The Director must notify the Appeals Committee of the appeal within 10 days of receipt of the appeal. The Appeals Committee is responsible for hearing the appeal.

The Director may not attend meetings relating to the appeal. The Appeals Committee must make a timely recommendation to the Director. If the Director declines to reverse the original decision, the faculty member may appeal to the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, according to the bylaws of the College.

E.  Departments, Programs, and Units

Each department, program, and unit:

  1. Provides evaluations and makes recommendations for promotion of faculty within that unit. Faculty with joint appointments shall receive such evaluations and recommendations from each unit
  2. Forwards to the Director recommendations on appointments of faculty within that unit
  3. Is responsible for its respective budgets, including initiation of recommendations for salary increases for faculty and academic staff
  4. Is responsible for its respective undergraduate and graduate programs
  5. Has the right to appeal to the Dean, if necessary, on matters concerning actions by the Director and/or the Executive Committee. Such appeals may be taken only after the academic unit concerned has notified the Director and the Executive Committee of its intent to appeal.
F.  Meetings of the Faculty

The faculty of the School meets annually. A simple majority of the eligible faculty (half plus one) is required for any action to be considered during a meeting of the School faculty, except as regards the revisions of the bylaws, which call for a two-thirds majority of those who vote (see below). If a quorum is reached, a simple majority of those who vote will carry a motion.

III.  Revision of the Bylaws

A. These bylaws will be reviewed every five years by the School Executive Committee. 

B. Changes in the bylaws may also be initiated by a petition from at least 20% of the faculty. The proposed changes shall be discussed by the faculty at a regular or special faculty meeting to be held no earlier than ten days after notification of the faculty of the proposed change and meeting date.

C. The faculty will vote by secret ballot on proposed changes and revisions, as modified if relevant. Voting members will have up to five business days after the close of the meeting to register their vote. The deadline for receipt of ballots will be clearly posted on the agenda of the meeting at which revisions will be presented for a vote.

D.  Passage of the final changes and revisions requires a two-thirds majority of the faculty who vote.

Approved May 6, 2021