Constitution

Department of Educational Policy and Administration
College of Education and Human Development
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Adopted May 05, 2003

Equal Opportunity

The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation. In adhering to this policy, the University abides by the Minnesota Human Rights Act, Minnesota Statute Ch. 363; by the Federal Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. 2000e; by the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; by Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; by the Executive Order 11246, as amended; by 38 U.S.C. 2012, the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1972, as amended; and by other applicable statutes and regulations relating to equality of opportunity. Inquiries regarding compliance may be directed to Director, Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, University of Minnesota, 419 Morrill Hall, 100 Church Street S.E., Minneapolis, MN.

Preamble

The Department of Educational Policy and Administration is a collegial body in the College of Education and Human Development. The Department values the participation by regular faculty, non-regular faculty, professional and administrative staff, civil service/bargaining unit staff and students in the governance of the Department. It is organized in accordance with the policies established by the Board of Regents and is consistent with the Constitutions of the College of Education and Human Development and the Graduate School. This Constitution is not part of the employment contract between the University and its employees, and does not establish terms and conditions of employment.

ARTICLE I. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION

This is the Constitution of the Department of Educational Policy and Administration in the College of Education and Human Development of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus, hereinafter referred to as the “Department.”

SECTION 1. Purposes

The primary purpose of the Department shall be to advance theory, policy and practice concerning educational organizations and to provide access to and excellence in learning experiences for leaders and scholars in local, national and global educational settings.

The Department advances knowledge in the fields of educational policy, leadership and administration, prepares personnel for positions in educational policy, leadership and administration at all educational levels and types of educational institutions both in the United States and globally, and provides opportunities for leadership development to individuals in educational institutions.

The Department shall be of service to persons interested in the disciplined study of education, and to educational organizations, agencies and associations through diverse activities which bridge scholarly inquiry and practice.

SECTION 2. Powers and Rights

The Department shall exercise all powers and rights accorded to it by the regulations of the Board of Regents, the University Senate, the Twin Cities Assembly of the University of Minnesota and the College of Education and Human Development. This Constitution is not part of the employment contract between the University and its employees, and does not establish terms and conditions of employment.

SECTION 3. Name

The name of the Department may be changed without modification of the basic organization, purpose or membership requirements of the Department.

SECTION 4. Programs

The Department consists of the following named instructional programs: Comparative and International Development Education, Educational Administration, Evaluation Studies and Higher Education.

ARTICLE II. CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT

SECTION 1. The Chair

The Chair is the academic leader and primary executive officer of the Department and is also a member of the faculty of the Department and its governance system.

SECTION 2. Authority and Responsibility of the Chair

1. Academic Leader of the Department. The Chair shall be the academic leader of the Department, and as such shall have responsibility for:
   1. strengthening the Department and maintaining and enhancing the quality of its programs and
   2. providing collegial leadership in formulating policies, introducing research, instruction and outreach proposals, and stimulating discussions in the Department leading to improvement in research, instruction, and service and outreach.
2. Chief Executive Officer of the Department. The Chair shall be the chief executive officer of the Department, and as such shall:
   1. have final authority to make budgetary recommendations to the Dean after consultation with program coordinators and other appropriate individuals in the Department,
   2. have final authority to make recommendations to the Dean on all faculty appointments, promotions, tenure, and salary adjustments, and on the appointment of other departmental administrators following established procedures in the Department, College and University for review of promotion and tenure, including the consultative procedures established in the Department,
   3. establish procedures for the systematic and periodic review of instructional programs in the Department and
   4. assume those responsibilities of the Chair as specified by the Board of Regents’ policies on Delegation of Authority and as assigned to the Chair by the Dean. (Link)
3. Member of the Faculty. The Chair shall be a member of the faculty of the Department and its governance system and as such shall work with the faculty, staff and students in furthering the goals of the Department. To this end, the Chair shall involve faculty, staff, and students in decision making processes whenever feasible, including:
   1. Consultation. The Chair shall involve faculty, staff and/or students in discussions or in other ways seek their views.
   2. Advisory Processes. The Chair shall seek advice from departmental groups of faculty, staff and/or students who may make non-binding recommendations to the Chair.
   3. Delegated Authority. The Chair shall at times delegate authority to groups of faculty, staff and/or students to make decisions on specified matters. These decisions are subject to the review by the Chair, but will be altered only in unusual circumstances.
   4. Shared Responsibility. The Chair shall as appropriate share authority for decision making on specified matters with groups of faculty, staff and/or students, either though joint discussions or separate deliberations that result in the exchange of written recommendations for action. In cases where agreement cannot be reached, the issues may be appealed in written form to the next administrative level for a decision.

SECTION 3. Appointment and Term of Service of the Chair

The Chair of the Department shall be appointed by the Dean of the College, after consultation with the faculty, staff and/or students in the Department and other appropriate members of the communities affected by the Department. The Chair’s initial term of service shall be for a period of three years.

SECTION 4. Reappointment Following Review

The Chair may be appointed for subsequent terms by the Dean following a review initiated by the Dean midway into the third year. An earlier review may be initiated by the Dean or by a two-thirds vote of the faculty. In all cases, the Chair’s performance shall be evaluated based on input from faculty, staff and/or students.

ARTICLE III. OTHER DEPARTMENTAL ADMINISTRATORS

SECTION 1. Other Departmental Administrators

Other departmental administrators shall include instructional program coordinators, the Director of Graduate Studies, the Coordinator of Graduate Studies, and heads of other units housed in the Department.

SECTION 2. Authority and Responsibilities of Other Departmental Administrators

1. Instructional Program Coordinators. The authority and responsibilities of program coordinators shall be those specified by the Chair to assist her/him in the role of academic leader of the Department and as the chief executive officer of the Department.
2. Director of Graduate Studies. The Director of Graduate Studies shall fulfill the roles and responsibilities of the position as outlined in the Constitution of the Graduate School. The Director functions as the chair of the Department’s Graduate Studies Committee.
3. Coordinator of Graduate Studies. The Coordinator of Graduate Studies shall fulfill the responsibilities assigned by the Chair and the Director of Graduate Studies, and shall include oversight of the Educational Policy and Administration Student Association (EPASA).
4. Heads of Other Administrative Units. Heads of other units in the Department shall have the authorities and responsibilities as specified by the Chair.

SECTION 3. Appointment and Terms of Office of Other Departmental Administrators

1. Instructional Program Coordinators. Instructional program coordinators shall be appointed by the Chair, following consultation with faculty and/or students in the respective program area.
2. Director of Graduate Studies. The Director of Graduate Studies shall be recommended for appointment by the Dean of the Graduate School following consultation with faculty, staff and/or students in the Department. The Director shall be a tenure-track or tenured, voting member of the graduate faculty in the Department. The Director is required to place on file with the Graduate School the procedure for choosing the name(s) in nomination and the length of term in office. The Dean of the Graduate School shall have the authority to appoint and remove the Director. The voting graduate faculty and the Director shall have the authority to administer and govern the respective graduate programs in the Department. The Director shall be a member of and serve as the Department’s representative on the Policy and Review Council for Education and Psychology of the Graduate School.
3. Coordinator of Graduate Studies. The Chair, in consultation with the instructional program coordinators and the Director of Graduate Studies, shall have the option of appointing a Coordinator on an annual, renewable contract.
4. Heads of Other Units. Heads of other units in the Department are appointed by the Chair after consultation with the Dean and faculty, staff and/or students associated with the respective unit in the Department. Their terms of office shall be as specified by the Chair at the time of appointment.

SECTION 4. Reappointment Following Review

Other administrators in the Department may be appointed for another term by the Chair, following a review by the Chair midway in the final year of the appointment. The Chair or any member of the faculty may initiate a review by petitioning the faculty and gaining majority approval. In all cases, reasonable efforts shall be made to afford an opportunity for faculty, staff and/or students to participate in each review.

ARTICLE IV. COMPOSITION OF THE DEPARTMENT

The Department consists of the following groups: faculty members, academic professional and administrative (P&A) staff, civil service/bargaining unit (CS/BU) staff and the student body.

SECTION 1. Faculty

The faculty of the Department consists of regular and “term” faculty, and such other departmental faculty as may be designated members of the Department faculty under those circumstances defined in the Bylaws.

1. Faculty. Regular faculty are those individuals who hold tenured or regular probationary tenure-track appointments as professor, associate professor, or assistant professor in the Department as defined in the Board of Regents’ Policy “Faculty Tenure.” Only members of the tenured faculty participate in tenure decisions, and only regular faculty members at higher ranks participate in promotion decisions.
2. “Term” Faculty. Term faculty are those individuals who may be designated members of the Department faculty under circumstances defined in the Bylaws.
3. Graduate Faculty. The graduate faculty will be appointed within their academic programs and confirmed by the Graduate School according to Article III of the Constitution of the Graduate School. The Dean of the Graduate School has the authority to define the graduate faculty appointment categories and to approve appointments for individuals following recommendations by the nominating graduate program. (Link) The categories of membership of a Graduate School are described as follows in the Graduate School Constitution: Senior Member, Member, Affiliate Senior Member, and Affiliate Member. (Link) The responsibilities and authority of each category of membership are those specified in the Constitution of the Graduate School.

SECTION 2. Academic Professional and Administrative (P&A) Staff

The academic professional and administrative (P&A) staff are those individuals who hold positions in classifications (93XX, 96XX and 97XX) as listed in Appendix I A of the University’s “Academic Professional and Administrative Manual” (October 15, 1990, or the most current subsequent version) and who hold their primary appointment in the Department.

SECTION 3. Civil Service/Bargaining Unit (CS/BU) Staff

The civil service/bargaining unit (CS/BU) staff are those individuals who hold positions in civil service or bargaining unit classifications as defined by current University policy, and who hold their primary appointment in the Department. Participation by CS/BU staff in program governance is confined to matters which affect working conditions or working assignments of civil service/bargaining unit staff.

SECTION 4. Student Body

The student body of the Department consists of all students registered in the Department or in the Graduate School in majors, licensure programs, certificate programs, and off-campus cohort programs of the Department. Participation by students in program governance is confined to matters of general administrative and educational policy and shall not extend to considerations of applications, petitions or evaluations which relate to the employment or academic status of individual students, or to the specification of student examinations.

ARTICLE V. ORGANIZATION OF THE DEPARTMENT

The Department shall be organized into two major structures: an Administrative Structure, and a Departmental Governance Structure.

SECTION 1. Administrative Structure

The Administrative Structure shall consist of:

1. The Chair, and may also include an associate and/or an assistant chair. The Chair and associate/assistant chair shall maintain regular contact with one another and with the Departmental Standing Committees as specified in the Bylaws (see Article VII).
2. Instructional Programs. The instructional program is the basic organizational structure within the Department.
3. Departmental Centers. The Department may have research and/or service and outreach centers that report directly to the Chair and that have specified and direct administrative and budgetary responsibilities.
4. Chair’s Committees.
   1. Standing Committees shall include a Graduate Studies Committee, an Administrative Committee, a Post-tenure Review Committee, and a Grievance Committee. The members of these committees shall be appointed by the Chair after consultation and according to election procedures as specified in the Bylaws.
      1. The Chair shall establish a Graduate Studies Committee composed of the Director of Graduate Studies, instructional program coordinators, the Coordinator of Graduate Studies and others whom the Chair may designate. The Graduate Studies Committee shall interpret the policies of the Department regarding academic progress and determine the academic progress of students as required by the Graduate School. The Committee shall also interpret Department policies regarding the requirements for degrees and shall authorize each adjustment in the curriculum by exemption, substitution or examination, or other appropriate means as are in the best interests of the student and the Department.
      2. There shall be an Administrative Committee composed of the coordinators of the Department’s instructional programs, and others whom the Chair may designate. The duties of the Administrative Committee shall be to advise and assist the Chair in interpreting and implementing Department policies related to instructional, research and service and outreach programs and as related to faculty, academic professional and administrative (P&A) staff, civil service/bargaining unit (CS/BU) staff and students. The Chair or a person designated by the Chair shall serve as the Chair of the Administrative Committee.
      3. The Chair shall appoint a standing Post-tenure Review, which shall be composed of only tenured faculty in the Department, following election procedures specified in the Bylaws.
      4. The Chair shall appoint an ad hoc committee of the faculty for the purpose of reviewing materials and preparing recommendations concerning individual faculty members for the purpose of granting promotions and/or tenure. The ad hoc committee prepares review materials to be presented to the appropriate tenured faculty in the Department to be used. The Chair may also empower an ad hoc committee to conduct promotion and/or tenure reviews of P&A staff members, provided that the Chair in such cases appoints appropriate P&A representatives to the committee ad hoc.
      5. The Chair shall appoint an ad hoc Salary Advisory Committee, based on the election procedure specified in the Bylaws, for the purpose of reviewing annual faculty accomplishment reports to be used by the Chair in making annual salary recommendations to the Dean.
      6. The Chair shall appoint a standing Grievance Committee, which shall be composed of at least six members and alternates, broadly representative across programs in the Department and broadly representative of faculty, P&A staff, civil service/bargaining unit staff and students.
5. Coordinators’ Committees
   Instructional coordinators shall establish committees as needed to fulfill specific responsibilities related to the instructional program.

SECTION 2. Departmental Governance Structure

Departmental governance authority rests with the faculty of the Department, and other persons designated by the Department in its Bylaws and its standing committees.

1. Departmental Meetings. The Department shall hold at least one regularly scheduled meeting during each semester of each academic year.
2. Unit Governance Procedures. As required by the Academic Unit Governance Policy, approved by the University Senate on February 19, 2003, the Department shall provide for participation in unit governance by all appropriate groups in the decision-making processes of the Department. Although the regular faculty hold ultimate authority for governance in the Department, it is expected that this final authority would be exercised only rarely, and as a last resort, if the Department is divided over a fundamental issue or unable to reach a decision about the issue through the use of its normal processes.
3. Participation in the College Senate. Two members of the Department shall be represented on the College Senate (Link) according to procedures specified in Article IV, section 3 of the Bylaws of the Department.
4. Representation on Standing Committees of the College Senate. The Chair shall appoint, as appropriate, members of the faculty and academic professional and administrative staff to the standing committees of the College Senate according to procedures specified in Article IV, section 4 of the Bylaws of the Department.

SECTION 3. Changes in Organization

Proposals for the establishment of new academic programs or for other major changes in the organization of the Department shall be referred to members of the Department for review and action. Such action will become effective when approved by the Department according to procedures defined in the Bylaws.

SECTION 4. Membership in Departmental Structures

1. Instructional Programs. Instructional programs are composed of individuals from one or more of the following as identified in Article IV: faculty members, academic professional and administrative (P&A) staff and other persons designated by action of the program.
   1. Faculty. Faculty are members of the instructional program to which their position is aligned. In some instances, faculty members may be affiliated with more than one instructional program.
   2. Students. For purposes of participating in governance within the Department, elected student representatives are considered to be members of the Department.
2. Departmental Centers. Centers are composed of individuals from one or more of the following as identified in Article IV: faculty members, academic professional and administrative (P&A) staff, civil service/bargaining unit (CS/BU) staff, graduate assistants, students and other persons designated by the Center.

SECTION 5. Participation of Departmentally Budgeted Academic Professional and Administrative (P&A) Staff and Civil Service/Bargaining Unit (CS/BU) Staff in the Affairs of the Department

There shall be academic professional and administrative (P&A) and civil service/bargaining unit (CS/BU) staff on committees of the Department, which directly affect the welfare of such staff and as deemed appropriate by the Chair. This representation shall apply to discussion on matters pertaining to planning, employment-related affairs, the revision of the Department Constitution and Bylaws, or on other matters affecting staff welfare and morale. Such participation is to be regarded as a normal part of working at the University, with released time to permit such participation and appropriate recognition given such efforts at the time of staff members’ annual evaluations.

SECTION 6. Departmental Student Associations

The Department shall permit the forming of student associations following procedures outlined in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE VI. DEPARTMENTAL REPRESENTATION IN UNIVERSITY SENATE AND TWIN CITIES ASSEMBLY

SECTION 1. Representation in the University Senate

Individuals in the Department may serve as representatives from the College to the University Senate according to the manner of election prescribed under University Senate regulations and as defined in the Bylaws of the College.

SECTION 2. Representatives to the Twin Cities Campus Assembly

Those individuals in the Department who are elected by the College to the University Senate shall also serve as the elected representatives from the College to the Twin Cities Campus Assembly.

ARTICLE VII. GRIEVANCE AND APPEALS PROCEDURES

SECTION 1.

The Department shall have an established procedure, as specified by the College in its Bylaws, for responding to:

1. Faculty and student grievances on matters of academic freedom and responsibility; and
2. Faculty grievances on matters of change in rank or status.

SECTION 2.

The Department shall follow written procedures, as specified in its Bylaws, for responding to grievances brought by academic professional and administrative personnel.

SECTION 3.

The Department shall follow written procedures, as specified in its Bylaws, for responding to grievances brought by nonacademic personnel.

ARTICLE VIII. ADOPTION OF BYLAWS

SECTION 1.

To supplement this Constitution, the Department shall adopt Bylaws, which are consistent with this Constitution.

SECTION 2.

Bylaws or amendments to them may be proposed by any member of the Department at any regular or special meeting of the Department, provided that written notice of the bylaws or amendments has been circulated to members of the Department ten days prior to the meeting when they are proposed for action. They may be adopted, repealed, or amended by a simple majority of the members present and voting, or by mail ballot as provided in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE IX. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

SECTION 1.

Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed either by a majority vote of the Department, acting at one of its regular or special meetings or by mail ballot provided in this document, or by petition delivered to the Chair which has been signed by at least ten voting members of the Department including faculty and academic and administrative staff. Written notice of the proposed amendment shall be sent to all members of the Department at least ten days prior to the date for action. Amendments to this Constitution shall be adopted when approved by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting at a regular or special meeting of the Department or by mail ballot as provided for in the Bylaws.

SECTION 2.

Amendments to this Constitution that are adopted by the Department shall be effective as of the day following their approval by the Department.

ARTICLE X. EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS CONSTITUTION

This Constitution shall be in effect as of the day following its approval by the Department.