To promote the growth and improvement of higher education at the University of North Alabama and in the State of Alabama; to facilitate communication and cooperation among administrative and faculty personnel; and to insure the continuing development of our educational programs and policies, we, the faculty, do hereby adopt this Constitution and establish the Faculty Senate.

The name of this organization shall be the Faculty Senate of the University of North Alabama. As used in this Constitution, the term "faculty" means those who are eligible to vote for nominees for election to the Senate as specified in this Constitution.

It shall be the purposes of the Faculty Senate: (1) to achieve effective participation by the faculty in the governing of the University; (2) to exercise leadership for the faculty in developing proposals and making recommendations for the promotion, initiation, and implementation of sound policies and plans and to review periodically the policies and programs of the University; (3) to be available for consultation with the President and the Board of Trustees. Upon request, (4) to serve as an executive committee in fulfilling the purposes and function herein stated and in performing such other duties as may be assigned to the Senate by the faculty.

A. The Faculty Senate of the University of North Alabama shall have its membership drawn from the following sources:

1. The Vice President of Academic Affairs shall be a non-voting member of the Faculty Senate.

1. Each department offering academic credit shall elect from its members who are employed full time by the University in positions that are at least two-thirds non-administrative one representative for every seven (7) members or major fraction thereof eligible to vote, provided that for the purposes of apportioning representation and voting, the Information Technologies Area professional staff and Kilby School teaching staff shall each be counted as a department. Fractional teaching loads of part-time faculty members shall be considered in determining the number of representatives from a department. In no case shall a department gain or lose a Senator as a result of one of its members being on leave. Each department shall be allowed to have at least one representative.

B. The term of service shall be for three years, except as provided for in Article III, Section F, below.

C. Senators shall be eligible for re-election.

D. Nominees for election and electors in each department shall be faculty members employed full-time by the University in positions that are at least two-thirds non-administration.

E. Election shall be by secret ballot in each department or staff. In the event that a department or area is electing more than one Senator, separate ballots shall be held for each Place as designated by the secretary in accordance with Article IV, Section D, of this Constitution. Senators shall be elected by a majority of votes cast.

F. For the purpose of establishing staggered terms in departments with more than one Senator, when the Secretary has designated Places in accordance with Article IV, Section D, of this Constitution, elections for Place One shall be for a full three-year term, elections for Place Two shall be for an initial term of two years, and elections for Place Three shall be for an initial term of one year; after the initial terms, elections for each Place shall be for a full three-year term.

G. Election of Senators to the Faculty Senate shall take place during the last week in April.

H. Newly elected Senators shall take office on May 1.

I. Any unexpired term shall be filled by special election in the department involved. Changes in organization of the University, changes in departmental assignments, or reduction in the staff of a department that cause the department to have too many Senators to the Faculty Senate shall be cause for such department to elect from its Senators with continuing terms of office the number of Senators it is entitled to have.

J. Senate membership, excluding the officers, shall expire on April 30; the terms of officers who will no longer be Senators will expire May 31, with the possible exception of a President-Elect. The President-Elect will assume the position of President even is his/her term as Senator has expired. Officers whose Senate term has expired will not have a vote in any Senate matter after April 30, except that the President may vote to break a tie.

K. Representation in the Faculty Senate shall be determined on the basis of the faculty employed during the spring semester.

L. Departmental assignments of faculty members shall be determined by the Vice President for Academic Affairs .

M. If a Senator is absent and fails to provide a proxy for three consecutive scheduled meetings of the Faculty Senate (within one year beginning May 1), the President shall declare the position vacant and shall instruct the department concerned to elect a replacement to complete the unexpired term. The person having been removed will not be eligible for such election.

A. Election of Officers. During the last regularly scheduled meeting of the academic year, the Senate shall elect its officers from its elected membership. The officers shall be elected by a majority of votes cast by secret ballot. They shall take office on the next June 1 and shall serve until their successors assume office, but if an officer’s term as an elected Senate member has expired before he/she is superseded as an officer, he/she shall not be allowed to vote.

B. Duties of the President. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Senate and of the Executive Board and perform other functions necessary to his/her office.

C. Duties of the President-Elect. The President-Elect shall act in the absence of the President and shall become President of the Senate in the event that the President is unable to complete his/her term of office, in which case the Executive Board of the Senate shall select an interim President-Elect. The President-Elect shall normally assume the office of President on the second June 1 following his/her election.

D. Duties of the Secretary. The Secretary shall keep a permanent record of the minutes of all meetings of the Senate and of the Executive Board. He/she shall be responsible for the distribution of copies of the minutes as directed by the Senate.

The Secretary shall survey each department or area early in the spring semester to establish the number of seats to which it is entitled for the next academic year. In the event that two or more Senators are to be elected from a department, the Secretary shall designate the seats by Place number.

E. Duties of the Board Members. The Board Members shall attend and have power to vote in Executive Board meetings, shall assist the other officers, and shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the Executive Board.

A. The President and/or President-Elect shall be available for consultation in the preparation of agenda an programs for regular and called meetings of the faculty and staff presided over by the President of the university or his/her designated representative. The Senate or Executive Board may request the President or his/her designated representative to call a faculty meeting. The President of the Senate, upon the specific authority of the Senate, may call and preside over a meeting of the faculty.

B. The President of the Senate or anyone authorized by him/her shall report to the faculty on policy recommendations or other Senate matters included in the agenda of regular or called meetings of the faculty.

C. The Senate shall receive for study, recommendation, and/or action any matter referred to it by action of the faculty. Such reference is to be encouraged especially when matters are presented for faculty action without adequate informational preparation.

A. The Senate shall: (1) report to the faculty on its own initiative or at the direction of the faculty: (2) establish such Senate committees as it deems desirable and determine the appropriate means for the selection of adjunct personnel to serve on such committees; (3) consult with the University Administration for the purpose of avoiding unnecessary duplication and providing for proper coordination and cooperation among committees and between the committees of the Senate and such other University committees as may operate separately and distinctly from those established by the Senate; may operate separately and distinctly from those established by the Senate; (4) develop and continuously evaluate formal statements of recommended principles, practices, and procedures for more effective operation of committees; (5) make studies and develop recommendations regarding matters of faculty interest and welfare such as salary schedules, fringe benefits, leaves of absence, standards for promotions in rank, academic freedom, tenure policies, research teaching load, course and curriculum requirements, academic standards, and requirements of re-admission, retention, and graduation.

B. The Senate shall meet once each month of the fall and spring semesters and at such other times as necessary. Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern the conduct of all business of the Senate and its Executive Board except as otherwise provided by the Senate.

C. When unable to attend a meeting of the Senate because of illness, assigned duties, or other good cause, a Senator may appoint from among the members of his/her department a proxy to attend the meting in his/her stead. The Senator must send to the President or Secretary a written statement, signed by him/her, stating the reason for his/her absence and giving the name of the proxy. The written statement may be brought to the meeting by the proxy. In no case shall a proxy be seated until such a statement has been received by thee President or Secretary. Upon being seated the proxy shall have, during that meting, all the privileges of membership (making motions, debating, voting, etc.), restricted only by the Senate’s rules of procedure and by any specific instructions given him/her by the Senator for whom he/she is a proxy.

4. Committees:

1. The President shall appoint four standing committees to serve one-year terms beginning June 1:

a. Committee on Faculty Affairs - this committee shall consist of seven faculty members including a Chairperson; its duties shall consist of considering and preparing a written report of its recommendations on any matter assigned to it by the Senate or by the Executive Board of the Senate.

b. Committee on Academic Affairs - this committee shall consist of seven members including a Chairperson; its duties shall consist of considering and preparing a written report of its recommendations on any matter assigned to it by the Senate or by the Executive Board of the Senate.

c. Faculty Attitude Survey Committee – this committee shall consist of five members including a Chairperson; its duties shall consist of preparing and administering a faculty attitude Survey during the spring semester of each year and reporting on the results of such survey to the Senate.

d. Committee on Elections – this committee shall supervise departmental elections for the Senate at the request of the President or a department.

  e. Members of standing committees do not have to be Senators; vacancies shall be filled by appointment of the President of the Senate.

f. The Chairperson of each standing committee shall be elected by members of that committee from among their group at their first meeting, the time and place to be set by the President of the Senate.

2. The Senate may elect or direct the President to appoint such additional committees as it deems appropriate.

4. The incoming President shall appoint a member of the faculty to serve a one-year term as Parliamentarian, such term to begin June 1; the duties of the Parliamentarian shall be to interpret the application of Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, in those instances when called upon by the President or other presiding officer.
5. 1. In addition to the regular meetings (as provided in Article VI, Sec. B), the Senate shall hold an election meeting during the period May 1 - May 31 for the purpose of electing officers of the Senate and members of various Senate and University committees and panels.

2. The Senate shall elect a Nominating Committee at its regular April meeting (preceding the elections meeting provided above); this committee shall consist of three Senators elected by the Senate and shall report its nominations for officers of the Senate for the coming year at the elections meeting. Nominations for members of the Nominating Committee shall be made from the floor of the Senate and voting shall be done for one position at a time. Current Senate officers shall be ineligible for election to the Nominating Committee.

This Constitution shall be become effective when adopted by a two-thirds majority vote of the faculty present and voting at a faculty meeting called for the purpose, provided that two-thirds of the faculty are present at such meeting and provided that all faculty members will have been given at least ten (10) days in which to examine this constitution, and when after such approval by the faculty, it is approved also by the President of the University.

1. This Constitution shall become effective when adopted by a two-thirds majority vote of the faculty present and voting at a faculty meeting called for the purpose, provided that two-thirds of the faculty are present at such meeting and provided that all faculty members will have been given at least ten (10) days in which to examine this Constitution, and when after such approval by the faculty, it is approved also by the President of the University.
2. Proposed amendments, if any, shall be introduced to the faculty by the Senate. Any member of the faculty or administration may propose an amendment in writing to the Senate.

(Approved by vote of the faculty on November 10, 1971. Made effective on December 9, 1971 by approval of the President.)

(This copy of the Constitution incorporates the amendments adopted by the faculty in 1973, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1985, 1991, and 1999 It also reflects the change in name of the institution from Florence State University to The University of North Alabama.)