SDSU College of Engineering Bylaws - 170427

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College of Engineering

CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

Eighth Draft for Review by the College of Engineering Constitution and Bylaws Committee

27 April 2017


CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I.  NAME AND STANDING

1.1  The name of the college shall be the College of Engineering, referred to in this document as CoE.

1.2  The CoE is one of the colleges of San Diego State University (SDSU).

1.3  SDSU is one of the universities that constitute the California State University (CSU).


ARTICLE II.  VISION AND MISSION

2.1  The vision of the CoE is:

  • To educate a diverse group of college students to become engineering innovators, and

  • To contribute to enhancing the technical knowledge of society at large.

2.2  In line with the aforementioned vision, the CoE's mission shall be to provide innovative education, research, and dissemination of knowledge. Accordingly, graduates of the CoE will strive to develop the critical thinking and associated skills which are necessary to:

  • Recognize human and societal needs,

  • Design innovative, sustainable engineering solutions,

  • Embrace an international perspective, and

  • Create lasting value through fostering entrepreneurship.

2.3  The CoE recognizes that excellence in teaching, research, and service shall be the overriding objective of faculty development.

2.4  The CoE recognizes the CSU's statutory dual responsibility in teaching and instructionally related research. Thus, it encourages and actively supports its faculty to strive for balanced achievements in both areas, as an effective way of fulfilling its mission.


ARTICLE III.  ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS

3.1  The CoE shall have the following academic departments:

  • Aerospace Engineering (AE)

  • Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering (CCEE)

  • Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)

  • Mechanical Engineering (ME).

3.2  The CoE's academic departments offer Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Master of Science (M.S.), and Master of Engineering (M.E.) degrees, and certificate programs in their respective fields.

3.3   In collaboration with the University of California San Diego, the CoE offers a joint doctoral program in Engineering Science (Ph.D.), with the following specializations:

  • Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

  • Bioengineering

  • Electrical and Computer Engineering

  • Structural Engineering


BYLAWS

ARTICLE IV.  ORGANIZATION

4.1  All CoE policy decisions shall be voted and decided upon at officially constituted meetings of the Faculty Assembly, hereafter FA (Articles 5.1 and 5.2).

4.2  The executive officer of the CoE is the Dean of the college, hereafter "the Dean". The Dean is appointed by the President of the University.

4.3   The Dean shall provide leadership such that a quality academic program, supported by the collective efforts of the faculty, can be effectively and continuously maintained.

4.4  The Dean shall appoint full-time or part-time Associate and Assistant Deans. The terms and responsibilities of these appointments shall be determined by the Dean.

4.5  The Dean's responsibilities shall be the following:

  • To provide leadership in all matters pertaining to the administration of the college, including academic policy and planning, curriculum development, program accreditation, strategic planning, personnel management, and resource allocation.

  • To work with the campus' Council of Deans in the general administration of the University in all matters, including policy, planning, curriculum, personnel, and resource management.

  • To supervise the hiring of CoE faculty and staff and make recommendations to the President of the University through the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

  • To supervise faculty and staff as appropriate to ensure the fulfillment of the college's mission.

  • To chair the CoE Executive Committee.

  • To chair the CoE Faculty Assembly.

  • To lead the college's endeavors in strategic planning, the pursuit of excellence in teaching, the securement of externally funded research, and the maintainance of effective ties with the local, regional, state, national, and global communities.

  • To review and approve faculty and staff workloads.

  • To mentor new faculty as appropriate.

  • To practice shared governance and foster a collegial atmosphere in all college affairs.

  • To act on all other matters of a supervisory nature which may come to his/her attention.

4.6  The Department Chair is the executive officer of an academic department.

4.7  The responsibilities of a department chair shall be the following:

  • To supervise faculty and staff.

  • To represent the department in ExComm meetings, as well as in other college and university meetings.

  • To prepare the department's teaching schedule, in close coordination with departmental and college staff.

  • To administer the department's financial and budgetary matters, in close coordination with departmental and college staff.

  • To lead in the formulation of the department's teaching and research vision.

  • To lead the departmental efforts in strategic planning, the securement of external research funding, and the maintainance of effective ties with the community.

  • To lead the department's efforts in obtaining timely and effective accreditation of all departmental programs.

  • To mentor new faculty.

  • To foster a collegial atmosphere in all departmental affairs.

  • To act on all other matters of a supervisory nature which may come to his/her attention.

4.8  The Dean shall be assisted and advised in the formulation of policy and in the general administration of the college by an Executive Committee, hereafter ExComm.

4.9  The membership of the ExComm shall consist of: (a) the Dean, (b) the Department Chairs, and (c) the Associate and Assistant Deans (ex-officio, i.e., non-voting, members).

4.10  Should the Dean be unable to attend an ExComm meeting, he/she may appoint an acting chair to preside over the meeting.

4.11  Should a department chair be unable to attend an ExComm meeting, he/she may appoint a tenured/tenure-track member of the department to act as his/her representative, with full voting privileges.

4.12  The meetings of the ExComm are scheduled at the Dean's discretion.


ARTICLE V.  THE FACULTY ASSEMBLY

5.1  The Faculty Assembly (FA) shall meet to deliberate and act on issues regarding policy and the general welfare of the college.

5.2  Membership in the FA shall consist of all CoE tenured/tenured-track faculty members, each with full voting privileges. In accordance with university policy, faculty not in residence are especifically excluded.

5.3  The officers of the FA are: (i) Chairperson, (ii) Secretary, and (iii) Parliamentarian.

5.4  The chairperson of the FA is the Dean or, in his/her absence, the Dean's designee.

5.5  The FA Secretary and Parliamentarian shall be elected in the first meeting of an academic year. For each of these positions, the term of the appointment is two (2) years. Both positions shall be eligible for reelection.

5.6  The Policy File is the collection (or sum total) of all policies and resolutions adopted by the FA to complement the present Bylaws.

5.7  The duties of the Secretary shall be the following:

  • To distribute the agenda for the FA meetings.

  • To keep the minutes of the FA meetings.

  • To keep a master file of the FA meeting minutes.

  • To keep current a master file of the CoE Constitution and Bylaws.

5.8  The duties of the Parliamentarian shall be the following:

  • To chair the Constitution and Bylaws Committee (CB).

  • To provide advice regarding parliamentary procedure.

  • To assist in the interpretation of Robert's Rules of Order, to assure an orderly conduct of all deliberations.

5.9  The FA shall meet at regularly scheduled intervals, during the academic year. The length of the interval shall be determined by the Dean. For the meeting to be officially constituted, a quorum of more than fifty percent (50%) of the eligible membership is required. In the absence of a quorum, no decision requiring a vote of the assembly shall be taken.

5.10   The FA shall conduct its affairs with the aid of standing committees, which are permanent.

5.11   In addition to the standing committees, ad-hoc committees may be established for a specific purpose and with an established timeframe.

5.12  Extraordinary meetings of the FA shall be convened at the request of:

  • The Dean;

  • A group of faculty, constituting more than 15% of the membership. In this case, the faculty shall select one of its members to preside over the meeting; or

  • A standing committee of the College, when expressly necessary to promote or advance the business of the committee.

5.13  An agenda for the FA meetings shall be distributed to the Faculty at least five (5) working days prior to every meeting. In exceptional cases, this five-day rule may be waived by a two-thirds majority (67%) of the eligible membership.

5.14  The Secretary shall be responsible for the timely and accurate preparation of the minutes, which shall accurately reflect all important decisions adopted. Once approved in the subsequent meeting, the Minutes shall constitute the official position of the Faculty Assembly.

5.15   Upon request by any member, the Secretary shall make the minutes available for examination.


ARTICLE VI.  STANDING COMMITTEES

6.1  The FA shall have the following standing committees :

  • Academic Policy and Planning Committee (AP&P)

  • Constitution and Bylaws Committee (C&B)

  • Curriculum Committee (CC)

  • Computer Policy Committee (CP)

  • Honors and Awards Committee (H&A)

  • Reappointment, Tenure and Promotion Committee (RT&P)

  • Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Committee (RS&CA)


6.2  The Academic Policy and Planning Committee (AP&P) shall make recommendations to the Ex Comm and FA on policy and planning issues.

6.2.1  The responsibilities of the AP&P Committee shall be:

  • To periodically review CoE policy and planning in order to formulate and prioritize its educational goals.

  • To facilitate communication between the sources of university policy (the University Senate, the SDSU Administration and the CSU Chancellor's Office) and the FA.

  • To assist in the coordination of college and departmental responses to actions taken by higher levels of the University in the area of policy.

  • To support the work of the Senate AP&P Committee.

  • To review proposals for new academic programs as well as proposals for modifications to existing programs.

6.2.2   The membership of the AP&P Committee shall consist of:

  • One (1) elected representative from each academic department, and

  • The Dean of the CoE, who shall act as ex-officio member.

6.2.3   Each member of the AP&P Committee shall serve a two-year term. The members of the AE and CEE departments shall be renewed in odd years; the members of the CCEE and ME departments shall be renewed in even years. Memberships up for renewal shall be renewed in the beginning of the academic year. Members shall be eligible for reelection.

6.2.4   The chair of the AP&P Committee shall be elected at the beginning of each academic year.


6.3  The Constitution and Bylaws Committee (C&B) shall be responsible for all recommendations to the FA regarding additions, modifications, or ammendments to these Bylaws.

6.3.1  The membership of the C&B Committee shall consist of:

  • One (1) elected representative from each academic department, and

  • The FA Parliamentarian, who shall act as chair.

6.3.2  Each member of the C&B Committee shall serve a two-year term. The members of the AE and CEE departments shall be renewed in odd years; the members of the CCEE and ME departments shall be renewed in even years. Memberships up for renewal shall be renewed in the beginning of the academic year. Members shall be eligible for reelection.

6.3.3  Action on changes to these Bylaws may originate as motions passed by the FA and referred to the C&B Committee for a recommendation. Any change to these Bylaws shall require a referral to and subsequent recommendation of the C&B Committee.

6.3.4  Following a request by the FA, an interpretation of these Bylaws by the C&B Committee shall be considered binding, unless subsequently reversed by action of the Faculty Assembly.


6.4   The Curriculum Committee (CC) shall make recommendations on all matters regarding the CoE curriculum. The CC shall consult with relevant academic departments across the campus, for the purpose of assuring that their course offerings are substantially in agreement with the curricular needs of the college.

6.4.1  The responsibilities of the CC shall be:

  • To review departmental curriculum committee recommendations, and recommend, in accordance with procedures established by the University Senate, new courses, changes in course title and/or content, modifications to degree requirements, and new degree or non-degree programs.

  • To review and make recommendations on all curricular matters brought to its attention, across the college and university, by one or more academic departments.

6.4.2  The membership of the CC shall consist of one (1) elected representative from each academic department.

6.4.3   Each member of the CC Committee shall serve a two-year term. The members of the AE and CEE departments shall be renewed in odd years; the members of the CCEE and ME departments shall be renewed in even years. Memberships up for renewal shall be renewed in the beginning of the academic year. Members shall be eligible for reelection.

6.4.4   The chair of the CC shall be elected at the beginning of each academic year.


6.5  The Computer Policy Committee (CP) shall make recommendations on policy and strategies for the proper use of computer-related college resources.

6.5.1  The responsibilities of the CP Committee are:

  • To initiate, establish, and periodically review college computer policies in the areas of hardware, firmware, software, and staffing.

  • To make recommendations concerning the use of computers and computer-based instructional technologies.

6.5.2  The membership of the CP Committee shall consist of:

  • One (1) elected representative from each academic department,

  • An Associate Dean, designated by the CoE Dean, who shall act as ex-officio member. and

  • The CoE Information Technology Manager, who shall act as ex-officio member.

6.5.3   Each member of the CP Committee shall serve a two-year term. The members of the AE and CEE departments shall be renewed in odd years; the members of the CCEE and ME departments shall be renewed in even years. Memberships up for renewal shall be renewed in the beginning of the academic year. Members shall be eligible for reelection.

6.5.4   The chair of the CP Committee shall be elected at the beginning of each academic year.


6.6  The Honors and Awards Committee (H&A) recommends faculty and students for honors, awards, scholarhips, and other distinctions.

6.6.1  The responsibilities of the H&A Committee are:

  • To select students to be awarded college-wide and campus-wide scholarships. Each committee member shall select only student nominees belonging to his/her own department.

  • To select students to receive such honors and awards as may be offered by the University or by any other organization whereby students are not restricted to a particular department. The nomination and selection process shall be determined by the H&A Committee, unless it has been explicitly stated otherwise by the award donor.

  • To select faculty members to receive such honors and awards as may be offered to the faculty, and to forward the nomination to the Dean in a timely manner. The nomination and selection process shall be determined by the H&A Committee, unless it has been explicitly stated otherwise by the award donor.

6.6.2  The membership of the H&A Committee shall consist of one (1) elected representative from each academic department. Only tenured faculty members are eligible for membership on the H&A Committee.

6.6.3   Each member of the H&A Committee shall serve a two-year term. The members of the AE and CEE departments shall be renewed in odd years; the members of the CCEE and ME departments shall be renewed in even years. Memberships up for renewal shall be renewed in the beginning of the academic year. Members shall be eligible for reelection.

6.6.4   The chair of the H&A Committee shall be elected at the beginning of each academic year.

6.6.5  Annually, the H&A Committee shall solicit nominations from the engineering student body for the Outstanding Teacher Award.


6.7  The Reappointment, Tenure and Promotion Committee (RT&P) shall be responsible for the timely review and recommendation concerning each faculty member under consideration for reappointment, tenure, and promotion.

6.7.1  The RT&P Committee shall operate in accordance with procedures and criteria set forth in the SDSU Senate's Policy File and pertinent direction from the Office of Faculty Affairs.

6.7.2   Membership of the RT&P Committee shall consist of one (1) elected representative from each academic department. Only tenured faculty members who hold the rank of Professor are eligible for membership. Faculty members not in residence throughout the year, due to a sabbatical or other type of leave, are not eligible for membership.

6.7.3   Each member of the RT&P Committee shall serve a two-year term. The members of the AE and CEE departments shall be renewed in odd years; the members of the CCEE and ME departments shall be renewed in even years. Memberships up for renewal shall be renewed in the beginning of the academic year. Members shall be eligible for reelection.

6.7.4   The chair of the RT&P Committee shall be elected at the beginning of each academic year.

6.7.5  Voting in all RT&P Committee personnel decisions shall take place by secret ballot. Every eligible member may choose to exercise his/her right to vote, including the committee chair. Abstentions and null votes are not counted.

6.7.6  During a given review, should a certain RT&P Committee decision be contrary to the recommendation of a given department, the committee shall take the following actions:

  • Inform the subject departmental RT&P (or personnel) committee of its decision, in writing.

  • Confer with the departmental committee within ten (10) working days.

  • Following the meeting with the departmental committee, the college RT&P Committee shall review its original decision, forwarding the Committee's final recommendation to the next higher level.


6.8  The Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Committee (RS&CA) shall evaluate the intramural grant proposals submitted by CoE faculty members. The Committee shall rank the proposals, and where appropriate, recommend proposed funding levels.

6.8.1   Each member of the RS&CA Committee shall serve a two-year term. The members of the AE and CEE departments shall be renewed in odd years; the members of the CCEE and ME departments shall be renewed in even years. Memberships up for renewal shall be renewed in the beginning of the academic year. Members shall be eligible for reelection.

6.8.2  The chair of the RS&CA Committee shall be elected at the beginning of each academic year.

6.8.3   The RS&CA Committee shall formulate and disseminate criteria for the evaluation of proposals that come to its attention.

6.8.4  The RS&CA Committee shall perform a ranking of sabbatical leave applications, following established university procedures.


ARTICLE VII.  RECOGNITIONS, HONORS, AND AWARDS

7.1  Graduation with Honors shall be granted to those students who have achieved a sufficiently high grade-point average in accordance with the following timelines: (i) by the beginning of the Fall Semester for December graduates, and (ii) by the end of the Fall Semester for May and Summer Session graduates.

7.2  To be eligible for distinction, a student must have a minimum 3.5 average grade-point average (GPA) in the upper division major and a minimum 3.0 average GPA in his/her overall academic record.

7.3   The grade-point average shall be computed on the basis of work done at SDSU, except that if the grade-point average for work at other institutions is lower, those grades shall be included in the computation.

7.4  Upon recommendation of his/her department, a student doing superior work may be graduated with distinction.

7.5   By April 15 of each academic year, each department shall select from the graduating classes (December, May, and August) the one individual to receive the Departmental Award of Outstanding Graduate in the Department.

7.6   By April 30 of each academic year, the FA shall select among that year's departmental outstanding graduates, the one individual to receive the award of Outstanding Graduate in the College of Engineering.


ARTICLE VIII.  ASSIGNED TIME

8.1  Assigned Time refers to the number of weighted teaching units (WTU) for which an individual faculty member shall be released from teaching in a given semester for the pursuit of research, teaching, or service-related activities.

8.2  To be considered for assigned time, a faculty member shall submit to his/her respective department chair(s) an Annual Report by the end of the first week of the Spring Semester, covering his/her activities during the previous calendar year.

8.3   Individual departments shall establish a committee for the purpose of evaluating the annual report(s) and making recommendations on the equitable allocation of assigned time. This committee shall include the department chair as ex-officio member.

8.4   Assigned time shall be based on the evaluation of activities spanning the previous four calendar years.

8.5   The department chair shall recommend to the Dean the allocation of assigned time.

8.6   In accordance with CSU policy and practice, the normal work assignment (teaching load) shall be a total of fifteen (15) weighted teaching units (WTUs) per semester. Three (3) teaching units serve as assigned time for student advising and related service. Therefore, the normal teaching load for classroom instruction shall be twelve (12) WTUs per semester.

8.7   At least six (6) weighted teaching units (WTUs) of classroom instruction per semester shall be required of all faculty, unless: (a) buyout is provided from a research grant; or (b) when assigned time is provided for critical university activities.

8.8   In any given semester, the amount of assigned time shall not exceed six (6) WTUs. Howewer, in extraordinary cases, additional units may be awarded by the Dean at his/her discretion.


8.9  Assigned time for research and scholarly activities shall be awarded to individual faculty members when warranted.

8.9.1  Three (3) WTUs of assigned time shall be awarded to faculty members who are able to show satisfactory completion of items (a) and (b) of the following list, plus one (1) of the three (3) (c) items listed below:

  • Supervision of SDSU undergraduate or graduate student research. Under this provision, qualifying undergraduate research is subject to approval by the department chair.

  • Author or coauthor of at least one (1) peer-reviewed publication (paper) in a scholarly or professional journal per calendar year, averaged over the previous four (4) years.

  • Choose one of the following items:

    • c1. Scholarly productivity at an exceptional level, e.g., (i) authorship or coauthorship of at least two (2) peer-reviewed publications per calendar year; or (ii) authorship or coauthorship of a research monograph or textbook published by a reputable publishing company, professional society, or university press, per calendar year.

    • c2. Submission of at least one (1) external grant proposal per calendar year, with the faculty member being the principal investigator (PI) or co-principal investigator (Co-PI), responsible for project performance and administration.

    • c3. Ongoing externally funded research, with the faculty member being the principal investigator (PI) or co-principal investigator (Co-PI), responsible for project performance and administration.

8.9.2  In any one semester, faculty awarded three (3) WTUs of assigned time under Section 8.9.1 may be awarded up to three (3) additional WTUs, provided they are able to show satisfactory activity in at least three (3) items from the following list:

  • Two (2) peer-reviewed publications per calendar year, averaged over the previous four (4) years.

  • Conducting ongoing externally funded research for at least two (2) of the previous four (4) calendar years, either as the PI or co-PI.

  • Submission of two (2) or more grant proposals per calendar year, averaged over the previous four (4) years. At least one of the grants shall feature full indirect costs at the federally negotiated rate. In addition, the grants shall include full academic-year support for graduate students at graduate teaching/research assistantship (GTA/GRA) levels.

  • Supervisory teaching units amounting to at least one (1.0) WTU per year, averaged over the past two (2) years. for advising graduate students in their theses (0.5 WTU awarded per student), or advising undergraduate students in their research projects (0.3 WTU awarded per student).


8.10  Assigned time for one or more significant pedagogical or service activities may be awarded to a faculty member upon his/her request. Up to three (3) WTUs may be assigned, provided that: (i) the planned activities encompass a minimum of 40 hours of work per WTU awarded, over and above the normal service expectations; and (ii) the said activities are expected to make a significant contribution to the mission of the college or the university.

8.10.1  A significant pedagogical activity may include:

  • Developing a new course,

  • Making extensive changes to an existing course or courses,

  • Producing additional teaching material and tools,

  • Testing innovative teaching techniques,

  • Advising a large number of undergraduate students,

  • Advising several student chapters,

  • Performing substantial service activities related to program accreditation,

  • Performing substantial service activities at the university level, and

  • Performing substantial service activities in the local community.

8.10.2   It is incumbent upon the faculty member requesting service-related assigned time to justify the time expenditure and contribution(s) to be expected.


8.11   The teaching load for a new tenure-track faculty member shall be negotiated at the time of initial appointment, after which the faculty member shall be subject to the normal teaching assignment.

8.12   A faculty member may request a reconsideration of the assigned time by means of a written communication to the department chair, with copy to the Dean, explaining his/her reasoning. To be timely and valid, such a request shall be made no later than four (4) weeks after the information about assigned time was communicated to the faculty.

8.13   The chair shall review the request for reconsideration and consult with the Dean regarding the appropriate course of action. The decision shall be communicated in writing to the subject faculty member within two (2) weeks of the date of initiation of the request.

8.14   Faculty members shall be responsible for a detailed reporting of the activities for which they had been granted pedagogical or service assigned time. A report no longer than two (2) pages in length must be submitted detailing the accomplishmens and/or status of the activity or activities, no later than the last day of classes, for each semester for which assigned time was granted. Such reports shall constitute the primary basis for evaluating future requests for assigned time.


ARTICLE IX.  VOTING

9.1  Unless specifically stated otherwise, all FA voting shall be by simple majority, that is, more than fifty percent (50%) of those members present and voting, including proxies and excluding abstentions and/or null votes. The chair is eligible to vote only when his/her vote will make or break a tie.

9.2  Voting in all personnel decisions shall be by secret ballot. In this case, every member of the assembly may exercise his/her right to vote, including the chair. Abstentions and/or null votes are not counted.

9.3  Voting normally requires physical presence, unless a proxy is submitted in writing to the FA Secretary prior to the voting. If a member of the asssembly has to leave a meeting early and a certain vote is pending, he/she may submit his/her proxy to the FA Secretary.


ARTICLE X.  PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

10.1  The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Revised (RROR) shall govern the conduct of the deliberations in all FA and ExComm meetings.

10.2  The FA Parliamentarian shall have available a copy of the applicable RROR, for consultation upon demand.

10.3   All efforts shall be made to conform with established parliamentary procedures. An exception is warranted when a specific RROR rule is inconsistent with these Bylaws, in which case the latter shall prevail.


ARTICLE XI.  IMPLEMENTATION, AMENDMENT, OR REPEAL

11.1  These Bylaws supersede all other bylaws of the CoE. They shall become effective immediately after their adoption, at a regular meeting of the FA, by approval of a two-thirds majority of the eligible membership. Faculty on authorized leave or deputation are excluded from the majority count.

11.2  These Bylaws may be amended or repealed, in part or in whole, at a regular meeting, by a two-thirds majority of the eligible membership. Faculty on authorized leave or deputation are excluded from the majority count.

11.3  The motion to ammend or repeal shall be communicated, in writing, to the members of the FA at least two weeks prior to the meeting when the decision is to be voted upon.


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