Adopted January 19, 1988
Revised: April 11, 1996 and May 11, 2006
These Bylaws constitute the rules for the governance of the faculty of the College of Law of Georgia State University as provided in the Statutes of Georgia State University. These Bylaws of the faculty of the college of Law supplement and are subject to the Statutes of Georgia State University and the Bylaws and Policies of the Regents of the University System of Georgia. These Bylaws must be read in the light of these basic governing documents of the University. To avoid duplication, many provisions of the University Statutes applicable to the governance of the College have been omitted or incorporated only by reference.
The faculty of the College of Law shall consist of the Dean of the College, the Associate Dean, and all persons holding faculty rank. Adjunct members of the faculty, professors emeriti, visiting faculty and ex officio members may participate in faculty meetings and may vote subject to the conditions set forth in Article IV, Section 5 of these Bylaws. All voting members of the faculty must have been awarded the degree of Juris doctor or its equivalent. The President and the Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs of Georgia State University are ex-officio members of the faculty of the College of Law.
Section 1. The faculty shall exercise all legislative functions dealing with the general educational policy of the college; develop and approve all curricula; define requirements for the degree of Juris doctor consistent with the requirements of any governing accrediting institution; grant approval for all full-time faculty appointments before the Dean makes recommendations to the Board of Regents; initiate and adopt resolutions on matters relevant to the general welfare of the College; and define standards for the admission, retention, readmission, discipline, and graduation of students enrolled in the college.
Section 2. The faculty shall certify all candidates for degrees and diplomas prior to graduation. No degree or diploma shall be awarded in the name of the college, and no candidate shall be graduated without the prior approval and certification of the faculty.
Section 3. The standards, requirements, and procedures for reappointment, promotion and tenure of the faculty of the College are governed by the College's Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure Document.
Section 1. The powers and duties of administrative officers of colleges, schools, and institutes are defined in Article VIII of the Statutes of Georgia State University. These provisions are applicable to the College of Law.
Section 2. The Dean of the College of Law is the chief executive officer of the College. The Dean shall have all powers and responsibilities as set forth in Article VIII, Section 2 of the Statutes of Georgia State University for heads of freestanding academic units and powers and responsibilities set forth in Article X, Section 2 of those statutes for department chairmen. The administrative organization of the Dean's office is the responsibility of the Dean. The administrative organization may include associate and assistant deans appointed and evaluated annually by the Dean. These officers shall, in general, have such powers and responsibilities as may be delegated to them by the Dean. The Dean shall communicate annually to the faculty matters involving the administrative structure and duties of the principal administrators of the College.
Section 3. The Dean shall appoint the chair and members of the all standing committees of the faculty except the Advisory Committee, and may establish ad hoc committees and appoint chairs and members for such committees as the Dean deems necessary. Members of the Advisory Committee shall be chosen in accordance with Article V, Section 1 of these Bylaws. Members of the Faculty Grievance Committee shall be elected in accordance with Article V, Section 7 of these Bylaws. The chair of the promotion and tenure committee shall be elected annually in accordance with the procedures set out in the College's Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure Document.
Section 1. The Dean shall preside over all meetings of the faculty in accordance with these Bylaws. In the Dean's absence, the Associate Dean shall preside over faculty meetings. In the absence of both the Dean and the Associate Dean, the Dean's designee shall preside over faculty meetings.
Section 2. The faculty of the College of Law shall hold at least one regular meeting during each term of the academic year. The regular meeting dates for faculty meetings shall be determined by the Dean. Special meetings may be called by the Dean at the Dean's discretion and initiative. The Dean shall inform the faculty of all regular and special meetings by written communication at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the scheduled meeting.
Section 3. The order of business at all meetings, unless suspended in accordance with Section 7 below, shall be in accordance with the Dean's agenda which shall be distributed by the Dean at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the scheduled meeting.
Section 4. A quorum of the faculty is needed for any regular or special meeting at which matters for faculty action will be put to a vote. A quorum is defined as a majority of the voting members of the faculty who hold the rank of assistant professor or higher.
Section 5. Non-Tenure Track Faculty
(a). Non-tenure track faculty who hold the rank of Instructor in the Research, Writing and Advocacy (RWA) Program may attend general faculty meetings and may vote on policy issues, but may not vote on personnel matters. RWA Instructors may not attend or vote when the faculty meets as the Promotion and Tenure Committee.
(b). Non-tenure-track faculty who hold the rank of Clinical Faculty may attend general faculty meetings and vote on all issues raised at such meetings (including issues about the hiring and retention of the Dean) but may not vote on personnel decisions related to tenure-track faculty. Non-tenure track clinical faculty may attend and vote when the faculty meets as the Promotion and Tenure Committee only if the issue under review relates to RWA lecturers or to clinical faculty of particular rank as outlined in the College of Law’s Promotion and Tenure Document.
Section 6. A favorable vote by a simple majority of the faculty present and voting shall constitute approval of a motion made at a faculty meeting. The faculty may, however, by the affirmative vote of a majority, determine that the favorable vote of a larger percentage will be required to pass a specified motion. Voting on matters of reappointment, promotion and tenure shall be governed by the Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure Document of the College of Law.
Section 7. The minutes of the faculty meetings shall be taken by a person designated by the Dean and shall be kept by the Dean. Copies of the minutes shall be submitted to the faculty at least twenty-four hours in advance of the next regular meeting.
Section 8. Requests for action by the faculty may be made by motion from the floor or through a proposal from the Dean, the faculty, or a standing or ad hoc committee. In the absence of specific rules adopted by the faculty, the proceedings of each meeting shall be conducted according to the rules set out in Robert's Rules of Order.
Section 1. General Considerations. The composition, chairs, and number of members of all committees whether standing or ad hoc shall be determined and appointed by the Dean at the beginning of each academic year except that the members of the Faculty Grievance Committee, the chair of the Promotion and Tenure Committee, and at least three (3) members of the Advisory Committee shall be elected by vote of the faculty. The faculty vote for these elected committee positions shall be held during April or May of the prior academic year. In appointing members of the Education Technology Committee, the Dean will assure that faculty's technical expertise is represented on the Committee. The standing committees of the College of Law shall be the Advisory Committee, Admissions Committee, Faculty Recruitment Committee, Curriculum Committee, Educational and Informational Technology Committee, Student Affairs Committee, Library Committee, Promotion and Tenure Committee, Faculty Honor Code Committee, Scholarships Committee, Academic Enrichment Committee and the Faculty Grievance Committee. Each committee shall me at least once every term of the academic year, except for the Faculty Honor Code Committee, which shall meet when required under the terms of the College of Law's Honor Code, and the Faculty Grievance Committee, which shall meet when required under the procedures specified in Article V, Section 11 of these Bylaws. A quorum of a committee shall consist of a majority of the voting members. All recommendations of a committee shall be made by a majority vote of the voting members in attendance. All faculty committees shall report to the faculty on their activities at least annually including any action by the Dean affecting their subject matter.
Section 2. Standing Committees
A. Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee shall be responsible for responding the requests for advice from the Dean on various policy questions under consideration, including those concerning education and employment policies at the College. The committee also may initiate agenda items concerning such policy issues.
B. Admissions Committee. The Admissions Committee shall be responsible for recommending policies and making decisions concerning admissions, student transfers, and financial aid.
C. Faculty Recruitment Committee. The Faculty Recruitment and Development Committee shall be responsible for screening faculty applicants, arranging interviews, and making recommendations to the faculty for filling faculty positions.
D. Curriculum Committee. The Curriculum Committee shall be responsible for reviewing the curriculum, and for making recommendations to the faculty on the approval of new courses on proposed changes in existing courses and on designation of course credit.
E. Educational and Informational Technology Committee. The Educational and Informational Technology Committee is responsible for (1) making recommendations to the faculty regarding computer hardware and software, training programs on use of technology for faculty and staff, provision of computer lab equipment, local and wide are networking, and internal and external e-mail; (2) coordinating provision of Internet information services through the College's Internet server; and (3) promoting the appropriate use of technology throughout the College.
F. Student Affairs Committee. The Student Affairs Committee shall be responsible for making recommendations to the faculty regarding academic standards and standing, supervising student organizations and student affairs, advising the Placement Director, and making recommendations to the Dean regarding readmission decisions.
G. Library Committee. The Library Committee shall serve in an advisory capacity to the Director of the Library to assure that concerns of faculty and students are addressed.
H. Promotion and Tenure Committee. The responsibilities of the Promotion and Tenure Committee shall be governed by the College's Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure Document. The Promotion and Tenure Committee shall consist of all full-time faculty at or above the rank of assistant professor, subject to the additional restrictions on voting eligibility set forth at Section I, Section 3 of the Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure Document.
I. Faculty Honor Code Committee. The responsibilities of the Faculty Honor Code Committee shall be governed by the College of Law's Honor Code. This Code provides that the Faculty Honor Code Committee shall be responsible for determining all violations of the College's Honor Code, except for cases specifically assigned to the student Honor Court. The Faculty Honor Code Committee shall consist of five members of the full-time faculty, who shall be appointed to serve three year terms. No appointee who has served a full three year term shall be eligible for reappointment to the Committee until one year after termination of his or her last term.
J. Scholarships Committee. The Scholarships Committee shall identify potential recipients of student scholarships and shall make recommendations to the Dean about such matters. The Scholarships Committee also shall help to provide information to students about scholarship opportunities. The membership of The Scholarships Committee shall include the chairs of the Admissions and the Student Affairs Committees, at least one faculty member who teaches a course in the first year curriculum, and the Associate Dean.
K. Academic Enrichment Program Committee. The Academic Enrichment Program consists of a series of tutorials offered throughout the academic year in substantive required courses. The tutorials are open to all students, but targeted students are strongly encouraged to apply. Students are targeted based on an assessment of certain predictors of academic performance. The Academic Enrichment Committee shall assist the Director of the Program and the Coordinator in the supervision of this program. Membership on the committee shall include faculty members appointed by the Dean and, as ex officio members, the Associate Dean, the Chair of the Admissions Committee, and the College's Student Life Coordinator. The chair of the Academic Enrichment Program Committee shall serve as the Director of the Program, and the Director of Admissions shall serve as the Coordinator.
L. Faculty Grievance Committee. The Faculty Grievance Committee shall consist of three members of the faculty elected by the faculty. The Faculty Grievance Committee shall provide an impartial hearing to any member of the faculty who lodges a complaint with the Dean on any matter concerning that faculty member's employment relationship with the College of Law and the University other than matters involving removal of a faculty member for cause or nonrenewal of a faculty employment contract. When a faculty member has lodged a complaint with the Dean and is not satisfied with the decision thereon, such faculty member shall, on written request to the Faculty Grievance Committee, have the right to a fair and impartial hearing before the Committee. The conduct of the hearings shall be in accordance with Article XI, Section 25 of the Statutes of Georgia State University. Procedures for hearings before the Grievance Committee shall be developed by the Committee and published to the faculty.
Section 3. Student Participation on Faculty Committees
A. There will be non-voting student members on the following faculty committees: Advisory, Curriculum, Student Affairs, and Library. The SBA President will appoint one student to serve on each of these committees pursuant to procedures developed by the SBA. These students will receive notice and agendas of committee meetings and there will be a presumption that students will participate fully in the deliberations of these committees. The chair of these committees, however, has the discretion to exclude the student members from committee meetings (or parts of committee meetings) should the chair feel that student involvements at such meetings would be inappropriate.
B. There will be student liaisons on the following faculty committees: Admissions, Recruitment, Scholarships, and Academic Enrichment. The SBA President will appoint one student to serve as liaison on each of the committees pursuant to procedures developed by the SBA. These students will receive notice and agendas of committee meetings to the extent deemed appropriate by the committee chair. Students will attend meetings of these committees when the meetings are devoted to broad policy issues. When such meetings (or parts of meetings) deal with specific individuals or other issues the chair feels are inappropriate for student involvement, the liaisons will not be asked to participate.
These Bylaws of the College of Law may be amended at any meeting of the faculty by a two-thirds vote of the members present provide there is a quorum and that the proposed amendment has been presented to the faculty in writing at least seven (7) days in advance of the meeting at which it is to be voted upon. Any faculty member may submit a proposed amendment to the Bylaws.
The Policies of the Board of Regents and the University System of Georgia, the Statutes of Georgia State University, and the Bylaws of the University Senate prevail and take precedence over these Bylaws.
