Responsibility for the academic program of the College has by tradition and agreement been delegated to the faculty by the Board of Trustees and its chief administrative officer, the President of the College.
It is through the system of standing committees that the faculty organizes its work in order to meet this responsibility. It is the intent of the faculty that the composition of the standing committees reflect the diversity of the faculty body to the extent that is possible. To assure that all segments of the College community are properly involved in the work of the committees, students and administrative officers are also expected to serve on several of the committees.
As the presence of administrators on faculty committees suggests, the faculty understands that the work of the College requires close cooperation between members of the faculty and members of the administration. Cooperation may not always mean agreement, however, and the faculty recognizes that in fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities the administration may sometimes need to act contrary to faculty advice or recommendation. The administration recognizes in turn that the governance system is designed to assure that where it is appropriate faculty advice will be offered only after careful deliberation by designated representatives. The faculty therefore expects that the administration will respond to such advice in a timely, informative, and relevant manner.
The faculty through its committees establishes policies and procedures which give form and character to the collegiate program. The committees regularly review these policies and procedures to evaluate their effectiveness, but implementation of policy and responsibility for monitoring the application of rules rests with the appropriate administrative officers and/or faculty members. It is important for the committees to maintain close working relationships with those persons on the campus who are charged with policy implementation and to consult with them when considering questions which relate to their responsibilities. It is equally important for those carrying out committee policies to report to the appropriate committee from time to time on the performance of their tasks.
Helping to establish policies and procedures which can be clearly understood and applied by all members of the College is a major responsibility of the standing committees. In order to assure that legislation proposed for action by the faculty is in an advanced stage of preparedness, preliminary discussion should occur in one of the committees. When it is not clear which committee is most appropriate, the Executive Committee will assist individuals or groups in making referrals to committees.
By the end of the academic year the chair of each standing committee submits a written report to the Secretary of the Faculty, summarizing the work of the committee during the year. These reports shall become part of the cumulative record of the faculty's business filed in the Provost's office. Copies of the report are sent to the President and to the senior administrator who serves with that committee.
Each committee shall take care to review, evaluate, and recommend improvements in the policies and procedures that fall within its responsibility.
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3.2.1 Membership on Standing Committees
(amended Sept 2013)
Members of standing committees are elected by the faculty meeting from those of its membership referred to in section 3.1.1, categories A and D. Some administrative officers are ex officio members of standing committees, as provided below. Student membership is determined and provided by Student Council. Members of the faculty become eligible for service on standing committees after one year of service to the College. The term of service for faculty members is normally two years. Normally, standing committees are chaired by a tenured member of the faculty with one year of prior service on that committee. The faculty meeting elects chairs of standing committees unless otherwise specified. A member of the faculty under review for appointment without limit may be elected to chair a standing committee, but may serve as chair only if tenured.
Student representation on faculty committees shall consist of two student members on the Committee on Academic Standards and two student members on the Curricular Policy Committee. These student representatives shall have full voting privileges on their respective committees. The Student Council shall be responsible for sending student representatives to faculty committees, early in the fall. The faculty encourages diverse and representative student participation on faculty committees.
On standing committees of the Faculty, only teaching members of the Faculty and student members vote. The chair of each standing committee must be tenured, or pending for tenure when elected.
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3.2.2 Election Procedures
(amended October 1997)
Elections are conducted by the Executive Committee whenever a faculty position on a standing committee needs to be filled. Chairs of the standing committees are elected prior to the March meeting of the faculty. Prior to the April meeting, the Executive Committee conducts elections for regular members of committees, the Senate, and the GLCA Academic Council. Committee members are elected on a rotating basis, with approximately half of each committee elected each year. Division and program representatives on the Executive Committee (see section 3.2.3) shall have been selected and announced prior to this meeting. To assure an element of continuity in the work of the Resource Allocation and Assessment Subcommittee of the Executive Committee, these five representatives will be selected for three-year terms on a staggered schedule. While the Executive Committee prepares the nominations for standing committee positions, provision will always be made for nominations from the floor of the faculty meeting.
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3.2.3 Executive Committee
(amended March 2000)
Members:
- Four faculty, elected by the divisions (3 year term)
- One faculty, selected by directors of interdisciplinary programs (3 year term)
- Chairs of Committee on Academic Standards, Curricular Policy Committee, Faculty Affairs Committee, and Senate Co-Chair
- Chair and Secretary of the faculty
- President, Provost, Associate Provosts
Ex Officio:
- Dean of Students
- Vice President for Library and Information Services
Duties:
- Policy deliberation: raise, explore, and resolve questions of collegiate interest
- Consult and advise on long-range planning and budget-making
- Advise the President on creation of tenure-track positions
- Coordinate work of standing and ad hoc committees
- Advise on and control creation of ad hoc committees
- Prepare policy and nominations for honorary degrees
- Plan and supervise faculty elections
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3.2.4 Curricular Policy Committee
(amended March 2000)
Members:
- Four faculty plus chair
- Two students
- Associate Provost
Ex Officio:
- Provost
- Vice President for Library and Information Services
- Registrar
Duties:
- Maintain quality of academic program
- Propose curricular initiatives for faculty action
- Supervise course approvals and academic programs
- Evaluate and review use of academic facilities and services, including the libraries, the audio-visual department, information and computing services, and the bookstore.
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3.2.5 Faculty Affairs Committee
(amended March 2000)
Members:
- Four faculty plus chair
- Associate Provost
Ex Officio:
Duties:
- Advise the President on matters of compensation
- Review conditions of employment
- Evaluate and supervise programs designed to enhance faculty development
- Review and update Faculty Handbook
- Supervise recruitment policies
- Oversee research proposals involving the use of human subjects
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3.2.6 Committee on Academic Standards
(amended March 2000, edit June 2018)
Members:
- Four faculty plus chair
- Two students
- Associate Provost
- Dean for Academic Advising
- Registrar
Ex Officio:
- Dean of Admissions
- Dean of Students
- Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Director of Financial Aid
- Director, Center for Global Engagement
- Director of Student Accessibility and Support Services
- Director of Athletics
Duties:
- Maintain academic standards
- Oversee admission and financial aid
- Supervise off-campus study programs
- Oversee student grant and fellowship programs
- Review orientation and advising programs
- Oversee and receive reports of Academic Infractions Board
- Review and approve competition schedules for varsity sports
- Evaluate and act on student petitions
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3.2.7 The Resource Allocation and Assessment Subcommittee of the Executive Committee
(May 1999)
Members:
- Four divisional representatives elected to the Executive Committee
- One interdisciplinary representative on the Executive Committee
- Provost
Ex Officio:
- Associate Provost who acts as Assessment Coordinator
- President
- Chair of the Faculty
- Chair: Appointed by the Chair of the Faculty from among the other faculty members of the subcommittee
Duties of the Subcommittee:
- Consult and advise on long-range planning and budget-making
- Advise the President on the creation of tenure-track positions
- Advise the President and the Executive Committee on the possible termination of faculty positions in the event of a financial exigency
- Discuss the assessment reports of departments and programs and make recommendations for long-range planning and budget-making when appropriate
Duties of the Assessment Coordinator:
- Collect the assessment reports of departments and programs
- Conduct preliminary analysis of the assessment reports to identify issues and assist the subcommittee in evaluating the reports for planning purposes.
- Respond to requests from the subcommittee for further information
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3.2.8 The Grievance Committee
(amended 1986)
The functions of the Grievance Committee include:
- receive grievances brought against the College by a member of the faculty as described in section 2.5;
- receive allegations from faculty members of unfair treatment regarding matters of professional life;
- receive allegations of unprofessional conduct brought by one member of the faculty against another member on behalf of any member of the College;
- provide written reports of the Committee's activities as these occur. (These reports, typically included in the FAC PAC, must not name the parties of particular grievance, but should take account of all grievances filed and indicate the manner in which they were handled, whether by informal consultation, mediation, investigation, or a hearing. In cases in which a panel has judged for the aggrieved, the reports should indicate whether the College has complied with the decisions.)
Members:
- three regular members, one of whom serves as chair, and
- three alternate members.
The chair and other faculty members of the committee will be elected by the faculty during the elections for faculty committees in the spring. Each must be a tenured member of the faculty and not a department chair or administrative officer. No two may be from the same department. Regular members and alternate members must include at least one member of each sex, whenever the composition of the faculty makes it possible. Except as provided in procedures for hearing grievance, alternate members participate fully in the work of the committee.
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3.2.9 Ad Hoc Committees
The President, the Provost, or the standing committees may request of the faculty, through the Executive Committee, that an ad hoc committee be appointed to study a particular matter. In this way, the special interests and abilities of others can be used for a limited time when questions which require comprehensive study arise. An ad hoc committee reports its findings and recommendations to the officer or committee which requested it and to the Executive Committee. The faculty, through the Executive Committee, or the Executive Committee acting on its own may create an ad hoc committee to study any question of unusual import which does not clearly fall into the domain of a standing committee, and to report directly to the faculty. The Executive Committee controls creation of and appointment to ad hoc committees.
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3.2.10 Institutional Review Board (IRB)
The Kenyon College Institutional Review Board is hereby established, in compliance with Federal regulations (45 CFR 46), to review and approve all research involving human subjects performed at its facilities, by its agents, representatives and affiliates, or under its auspices. IRB approval is required before any human subjects research including, but not limited to, research utilizing questionnaires, interviews, and other means of gathering attitudes, opinions, and views, as well as research involving direct biological or behavioral interventions or interactions with living persons, may be undertaken.
This legislation supercedes Sec 3.2.5 of the Faculty Handbook insofar as such rules vest in the Faculty Affairs Committee the responsibility for overseeing research proposals involving the use of human subjects. It is the policy of the College that no research conducted under its jurisdiction should be contrary to the mission of the institution.
All Kenyon College researchers (faculty, administrators, or students), research advisors, department/program chairs, and heads of administrative divisions, must complete the prescribed online Human Subjects Protection Training prior to submission of proposals to the IRB from or through such departments or divisions of the college.
Members: Members of the IRB are appointed by the Provost in consultation with the Associate Provosts and the chairs of departments and programs. To assure an element of continuity in the work of the IRB, faculty members will normally serve a three-year term. The terms may, at the election of the Provost, be renewed or continued.
The IRB consists of the Associate Provost, who chairs the board, and, as required by federal regulation, at least five members with varying backgrounds including a Kenyon College administrator, at least one member of the community unaffiliated with the College, and three faculty members, representing different academic divisions of the college. No two faculty members on the IRB may be from the same department. The board must include at least one member of each sex, with a goal of achieving gender balance whenever the composition of the faculty and administration makes it possible to do so.
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