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CoBE Faculty Senate

Charter of the Senate of the College of Business and Economics

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Updated May 7, 2009.

Article I. Name and Purpose

Section 1

The name of this organization shall be the College of Business and Economics Senate (hereinafter called the Senate).

Section 2

The Senate is the academic policy recommending body of the College of Business and Economics (hereinafter called the College). Academic policy recommendations from the Senate will be acted upon by the Dean of the College of Business and Economics within 30 days of their presentation to the Dean. The Dean's action will be communicated to the Senate within the same 30 day period. All adverse decisions by the Dean will be accompanied by a formal written explanation of the reasons for the adverse decision. Senate academic policy recommendations that are not acted upon by the Dean within the required 30 days will thereafter be the policy of the College. The Senate has the responsibility of recommending changes in the policies of the College in areas including, but not limited to the following: academic programs, college admission requirements, college graduation requirements, internal organization of the college, college budget and planning, personnel, student affairs at the college, college curriculum, college development, and external affairs.

Section 3

The Senate shall serve as the appellate body for faculty or student appeals of decisions rendered by its committees.

Section 4

The Senate may make recommendations to the University Congress on matters affecting more than one college within the University.

Article II. Membership

The membership of the Senate shall consist of all full-time faculty members of the College in grades 1-2 through 1-5 with the exception of faculty members with visiting, acting, temporary, or otherwise non-continuing appointments. The Dean of the College of Business and Economics shall be a nonvoting, ex-officio member of the Senate. Two students, one Business Administration Major and one Economics major will be selected jointly by the Dean and the Chair of the Senate to serve as non-voting representatives of the student body. "Excluded" faculty as defined under Hawaiʻi's collective bargaining law (HRS89) are ineligible for membership in the Senate.

Article III. Officers

Section 1

The CoBE Senate Chair and Vice Chair positions will be filled by all tenured faculty for one-year terms, on a rotational basis. After a one-year term the Senate Vice Chair will become the Senate Chair for one year. Rotation will be on an alphabetical basis. Department Chairs will be exempt from the rotation during their Department Chair term.

Section 2

The Chair of the Senate shall be the presiding officer and the official representative of the Senate for the next academic year.

Section 3

Proposals for consideration by the Senate from the Dean and Department Chairs shall be submitted to the Chair and sent to committees or to the Senate as appropriate.

Section 4

The Vice-Chair will convene the Senate in the absence of the Chair. The Vice-Chair will take the minutes of the meetings, and monitor the posting of the minutes on the Senate website.

Section 5. The Chair may be recalled by vote of two-thirds of the members eligible to vote. A motion to recall can only be considered on submission of a petition asking for a recall election signed by one-half of the members eligible to vote. If the Chair is recalled, the Vice-Chair will assume the duties of the Chair.

Article IV. Meetings

Section 1

The Senate will meet at least once each semester and will recess in the summer. Meetings may take place in person or by electronic means such as through teleconferencing, e-mail or the Internet. The form of meeting shall be at the discretion of the Chair, in consultation with the Senate. The Faculty Senate acknowledges that electronic meetings are especially important when urgent matters arise and physical meetings of the members are impracticable. In the event that two or more voting members of the faculty senate request to the chair that the meeting be held face to face, then the chair will call a face to face meeting to resolve the issues.

Section 2

Faculty Senate meetings held in person will be conducted collegially and informally as an academic body. At the request of any member followed by a majority affirmative vote of those present, the Senate will observe Robert's Rules of Order, Revised (Latest Edition) for the issue under discussion, where this is not inconsistent with the Charter or the by-laws.

Section 3

Faculty Senate meetings held via email or other electronic or virtual means will be coordinated and conducted by the Chair. The Chair may delegate this responsibility to the Vice-Chair if the Chair is unable to fulfill this duty for any reason. The use of Robert's Rules of order for virtual or electronic meetings shall be at the discretion of the individual conducting the meeting.

Section 4

The quorum necessary for the conduct of Senate business shall consist of one-half of the total membership of the Senate.

Article V. By-Laws

The Senate may adopt such by-laws as it deems necessary or appropriate. Adoption, revision, or repeal of by-laws shall require a simple majority vote of the total membership of the Senate after two readings.

Article VI. Committees

The Senate shall establish standing and ad hoc committees as it deems necessary or appropriate. The memberships and functions of standing committees shall be defined in the By-Laws, while those for ad hoc committees shall be created by procedures in the By-Laws.

Article VII. Charter Amendments

Amendments to this Charter may be made by the Senate when, after two readings, a 3/5 majority of the total membership of the Senate votes in the affirmative.

Article VIII. Administrative Evaluation

Each January the Chair will distribute to all Senate members an administrative form of its own choosing for evaluation of the Dean of the College of Business and Economics.

Evaluation forms are to be distributed with directions that they be returned directly to the Chancellor's office.

Article IX. Ratification

Ratification of this Charter will be by two-thirds of the faculty members in Business and Economics eligible for Senate membership as defined in Article II. Upon ratification, the Dean will serve as convener of the Senate. The Senate will elect a chair and vice-chair at its first meeting.

Signed

  • Terrance Jalbert, Ph.D., Chair, College of Business and Economics Faculty Senate, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
  • Marcia Sakai, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Business and Economics, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
  • Philip Castille, Ph.D., Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
  • Rose Tseng, Ph.D., Chancellor,University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, Senior Vice President, University of Hawaiʻi