I. Conduct of Meetings of the Academic Council

A. The Academic Council shall meet on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month from September to May.  The Chair may cancel or reschedule meetings of the Council subject to the restriction that two consecutive meetings shall not be cancelled except with the approval of the Executive Committee.  Special meetings may be called by the Chair of the Executive Committee as needed throughout the calendar year.

B. The agenda for regular Council meetings, the minutes of the previous meeting, and the Committee Status Report shall be distributed to Council members, campus media, departmental chairs and the President’s Office by the Friday preceding the meeting.  The Secretary shall maintain a complete file of Council activities in the office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

C. Decisions of the Council shall be by a majority of those present and voting provided a quorum exists.

D. All non-procedural items that appear on the agenda that do not require action by a standing committee may not be passed on the first reading.

E. In cases not covered by these Rules, Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall be the authority.

A. Proposals from the Academic Deans/Director or the Dean of the Library involving a curriculum change shall be accompanied by the recommendation to that dean/director from a Collegiate Curriculum Committee composed of elected faculty. 

B. Items submitted too late to appear on the printed agenda will be added to the agenda of the meeting only by the approval of the Executive Committee.

A. Members chosen by the Faculty Senate and the Student Government Association should be chosen prior to the organizational meeting on the first Thursday in May.

B. At least one of the elected representatives from each college shall be a member of the Graduate Faculty.

C. Elections for Vice Chair and Secretary and the two elected representatives of the Executive Committee shall be held at an organizational meeting on the first Thursday in May.

D. A member of the Council may send a substitute to meetings of the Council or committees of the Council.  The substitute shall present a letter from the absent member before the meeting.  However, no member of the Council may substitute for another member and no person shall substitute for more than one member at a time.

IV. Operation of Standing Committees

A. Selection of members of the Undergraduate Studies Committee, Graduate Studies Committee, and the Library and Academic Support Systems Committee.

1. The five Academic Deans and School Director shall serve rotating two year terms on these committees, two on each committee at one time.  The Chair will set up the original division and plan of rotation. 

2. The representatives from each College shall determine the remaining collegiate committee assignments.

3. The three remaining units–the Faculty Senate representatives, the students and the Library–shall each determine their representatives to these committees.

B. Conduct of Standing Committees

1. At its first meeting in May, each committee shall elect from among its voting members, a chair who shall serve until the following May.

2. Standing committees shall meet at least once a month during the academic year.  Special meetings shall be called by the committee chair as dictated by the workload.

3. A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of voting members of the committee.

4. Decisions of the committee shall be by a majority of those present and voting provided a quorum exists.

5. Each standing committee shall adopt such other rules as are necessary for the conduct of business so long as such rules are not in violation of the University Governance document, the Bylaws of the Council, or the Standing Rules of the Council.  In absence of specific rules, Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall be the authority.

 C. Reports and Recommendations of Standing Committees

1. All proposals considered by the Undergraduate Studies Committee, the Graduate Studies Committee, or the Library and Academic Support Systems Committee shall be presented with the recommendations to the full Council for discussion and vote. 

2. Standing Committees shall make reports to the Council as necessary and shall file annual reports with the Secretary of the Council.

V. Information and Secretary’s File Items

A. The following curricula and program changes shall be brought to the Academic Council, appended to the Executive Committee Status Report, and recorded in the minutes as information items:

  1. Change in a course number
  2. Change in a course prefix
  3. Change in a course description (with former description)
  4. Change in course title
  5. Deletion of a course
  6. Addition of a course
7. Changes in areas of concentration, majors, minors or associate degree programs when such changes do not substantially alter the nature or direction of a student’s course of study.

All other changes in academic programs, requirements or policies shall be brought to the Academic Council and dealt with as provided for in the Bylaws, Standing Rules and University Governance Document.

B. Secretary’s File Items—Administrative publications and reports of existing academic programs and courses, unless such publications and reports contain information which, in the judgement of the Vice Chair of the Council, should be presented as action or information items to the full Council.  In such cases, the publication or report should be presented to the full Council.

A. This report will be distributed with the agenda and the minutes of the previous meetings and includes a list of proposals under consideration by Council Committees.

 A. Presentation in writing at least one week in advance.

 B. Approval by an absolute majority of the Council.

Adopted by the
Academic Council 
February 18, 1982
Revised May 1983
Revised November 2000