Faculty Handbook
Revised April 4, 2017
DISCLAIMER
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SECTION IV, THE LANGUAGE USED IN THE LANDER UNIVERSITY FACULTY
HANDBOOK DOES NOT CREATE AND IS NOT INTENDED TO CREATE AN EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT BETWEEN
THE EMPLOYEE AND LANDER UNIVERSITY. THIS HANDBOOK IS INTENDED FOR GUIDANCE ONLY, WITH THE
EXCEPTION OF SECTION IV. LANDER UNIVERSITY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REVISE THE CONTENTS OF THIS
HANDBOOK IN WHOLE OR IN PART.
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Section I. Bylaws of the Lander University Board of Trustees
I.
Board Organization
1.1
In accordance with the statutes of the State of South Carolina, the final authority and
responsibility for the governance of Lander University is vested in the Lander
University Board of Trustees.
1.2
The membership of the Board of Trustees is established by statute and consists of one
member from each of the congressional districts in South Carolina and eight members
at large, elected by the General Assembly for terms of four years each; one member
appointed by the Governor; and one ex-officio member who shall be the Governor (or
his/her designee).
1.3
The Board of Trustees shall elect from among its members a chair, a vice-chair, and a
secretary, each of whom shall serve for two-year terms. No officer shall serve more
than two full terms in succession. The chair shall preside at all meetings of the Board
of Trustees. In the event of the absence of the chair at a Board meeting, the vice-chair
shall preside. In the event neither is present, the secretary of the Board of Trustees
shall preside.
The election of officers shall take place at the last regularly scheduled Board meeting
in June of each odd-numbered year, or as soon thereafter as practical. At a time
reasonably in advance of the election, the Chairman shall appoint a nominating
committee consisting of at least three (3) people other than him or herself who shall
submit a board slate. In making its selections the committee should not poll the
membership but should contact potential nominees in advance of making its
nominations. No members of the committee shall be one its nominees. Nominations
may also be made from the floor. It is contemplated that the Vice Chair will become the
Chair when the next succession occurs.
Officers shall serve a two-year term commencing on July 1 of the year of election and
ending on June 30 of the next election year or at such time as a successor has been
elected. In the event of a vacancy, that vacancy may be filled by election at a
subsequent board meeting or the Board may leave the office vacant until the next
regular election. Any person elected to fill an unexpired term shall serve the
remainder of that term and shall not be disqualified from serving two full terms.
1.4
The Board of Trustees may elect a recording secretary who need not be a member of
the Board.
1.5
An Executive Committee shall be formed consisting of the chair, the vice-chair, the
secretary, and the committee chairs. The past chairs shall serve as non-voting
members of the executive committee.
1.6
The chair, vice-chair, secretary, recording secretary or any of the Executive Committee
members may be removed from their offices by a majority vote of the entire
membership of the Board of Trustees.
1.7
The Board of Trustees shall establish such Standing Committees from among its own
members and/or of the administrative officers and faculty of the University as it deems
necessary or advisable for the best discharge of its responsibilities in supervising the
operation of the University. The Board Chair shall appoint committee members and
committee chairs. No Board members shall serve on more than one Standing
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Committee at any one time. Such committees shall meet as necessary for the discharge
of their responsibilities.
1.8
Ad Hoc Committees may be established by the Board of Trustees or the Chair for
specific and limited purposes. In order for a committee to be deemed ad hoc, a
majority of Board members present and voting must so approve. Ad hoc committee
members and chairs shall be appointed by the Board Chair. Such committees shall
meet as necessary for the discharge of their responsibilities.
1.9
At least four regular meetings of the Board of Trustees shall be held each year,
scheduled as the business of the University may require. These meetings, if possible,
shall be scheduled quarterly. All meetings of the Board of Trustees and its committees
shall be conducted in full compliance with the South Carolina Freedom of Information
Act. Any meeting may be continued by adjournment from day to day, or there may be
an adjournment sine die. At regular meetings any business relating to the University
may be discussed and transacted.
1.10 Besides the regular meetings, the Chair of the Board of Trustees shall have power to
assemble the Board at any time in special meetings, and it shall be his/her duty to do
so upon the written request of three members of the Board or of the President of the
University.
1.11 Voting shall be by voice and shall not be recorded by yeas or nays. Any member may
request a divided vote by a show of hands, prior to the results of the voice vote being
announced. Five members may request a roll call of each member to be recorded
provided the roll call is requested prior to the results of the vote being announced.
Voting may also be conducted via teleconferencing if deemed necessary by the Board
chair.
1.12 On any action taken by the Board of Trustees involving tuition or general fee increases,
a recorded vote is required.
1.13 No member shall vote or participate in discussion on any issue in which that member
has a personal, professional or financial interest. Prior to action having been taken by
the Board of Trustees on a specific issue, any member may raise the issue of conflict of
interest of any other member and the Chair shall rule. The Chair’s ruling may be
appealed to the entire Board of Trustees with the majority of those in attendance
deciding.
1.14 Procedure in all meetings shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order as revised,
except when such rules conflict with these Bylaws.
1.15 A majority of the total membership of the Board of Trustees shall constitute a quorum.
1.16 The President of the University shall be expected to be present at all meetings of the
Board of Trustees, unless the Board meets in Executive Session and, by majority votes,
he/she is specifically excluded.
1.17 A designated faculty member (elected by the faculty as a whole) may sit with the Board
in open session and, when recognized by the Chair for such purpose, may speak on
matters of which he/she has special knowledge and which may be of concern to the
faculty. He/she is not deemed to be a member of the Board and shall have no vote.
1.18 Any member of the Board of Trustees is subject to being removed from office by the
Governor of South Carolina if that member is guilty of malfeasance, misfeasance,
incompetency, absenteeism, conflicts of interest, misconduct, persistent neglect of
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duty in office, or incapacity pursuant to Section 1-3-240 of the South Carolina Code
of Laws.
II.
Administration of the University
2.1
Vesting of Authority
The authority for the administration of Lander University is vested by the Board of
Trustees in the Office of the President and such subordinate officers as may from time
to time be appointed by the President.
2.2
Appointments and Terms
The President is appointed by the Board of Trustees to serve for such term and on such
conditions as they consider appropriate.
2.3
The President
(a) The President is the chief executive officer of the University and Chair of the
Faculty. He/she is vested to act for the Board of Trustees in administering the
University, and he/she is responsible for achieving the stated purpose of the
University and for its ongoing operations. To this end, the President shall have
the foregoing general powers, the specific powers as defined elsewhere in this
document, and all powers commonly associated with and required for the
discharge of the duties of a chief executive of a university.
(b) In his/her role as the guardian of the interests of the Board of Trustees, he/she is
responsible for monitoring all actions of staff and faculty to ascertain if they are
in accord with the stated purposes, policies and bylaws of the University. He/she
has the authority to annul any action of the staff or faculty when in his/her
judgment such action is not in harmony with the purposes, policies and bylaws of
the University or when he/she judges such actions to be unwise. If he/she annuls
any action of the faculty he/she will present his/her reasons for the annulment in
writing to the Board and to the faculty. By a majority vote of the faculty as a whole,
the President’s annulment of a faculty action may be appealed to the Board.
(c) Certain powers and duties herein given to or required of the President may be
delegated appropriately by the President to other University officers; however,
under no circumstances does this delegation of authority reduce the
responsibility of the President to the Board of Trustees for any and all acts
performed as a result of his/her delegation of authority.
(d) The President, in consultation with the Board, will review the University’s
mission statement at least every third year and approve needed changes to the
statement, in accordance with policy established by the South Carolina
Commission on Higher Education.
(e) The President shall serve as the official agent of communications between the
Board of Trustees and the University: faculty, administrative officers, individual
members of the staff, university organizations, student organizations, and
students.
(f) Generally, the President or his/her designee shall represent the University in its
relationships with related associations, other institutions, the news media,
government agencies, alumni, and the general public.
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(g) The President is a member of the Faculty and the President or, in his/her absence,
the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, presides at its formal
meetings. He/she reports regularly to the Board of Trustees on the condition of
the University and proposes programs and courses of action requiring Board of
Trustees’ approval.
(h) The President, along with the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs,
shares with the Faculty the responsibility for proposing educational programs
and policies. He/she is also responsible for the orderly implementation of
educational programs and policies.
(i) The President is responsible for the orderly management of fiscal and personnel
affairs and the auxiliary enterprises of the University, including fund raising, as
well as for the maintenance and development of its financial and physical
resources.
(j)
The President is responsible for the formulation of policies regarding the
operation and development of the library, including the allotment of budgeted
funds to particular departments and other units as well as the implementation of
the selection and use of library materials (subject to the general responsibility of
the staff and faculty in the selection and use of library materials).
(k) The President is responsible for the orderly conduct of the intercollegiate athletic
programs of the University. The President has the powers necessary to discharge
this responsibility, to propose policies and programs, and to implement them.
(l) The President is responsible for the development of policies and programs which
will enhance the quality of campus life in its broadest scope. To this end, the
President is authorized to employ administrative officers and staff personnel to
conduct social and cultural programs and to make provisions within annual
budgets for the support of these programs.
(m) The President is responsible for the development and administration of policies
governing student conduct on campus and the use of University facilities.
(n) The President is expressly empowered to approve the conditions under which
initial appointments are made, renewals of appointments, promotions in rank,
compensation, conferral of tenure, and the termination of faculty and staff
members in accordance with the stipulations set forth in this document. If
requested by the President, the appropriate vice president or other officer of the
University is responsible for making recommendations to the Presidents in
respect to all such matters.
(o) It will be the responsibility of the President to develop procedures for the annual
evaluation, in writing, of the other officers of the University.
2.4
Other Officers of the University
(a) Subject to approval of the Board, the President may establish such other officers
of the University as he/she may deem appropriate.
(b) Such officers shall be appointed by the President and serve at his/her pleasure.
Such officers shall have the duties, powers, and reporting responsibilities as
designated by the President.
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(c) The President will periodically furnish to the Board a description of the duties,
powers, and reporting responsibilities of all officers of the University.
III.
The Faculty of the University
3.1
Membership
The Faculty consists of the President of the University, the Provost and Vice President
for Academic Affairs; and anyone holding the rank of Instructor, Assistant Professor,
Associate Professor, or Professor, including “Visiting” positions.
3.2
Duties of the Faculty
(a) The Faculty has the principal responsibility for the instructional programs of the
University. The chief duty of each faculty member is to teach effectively the subject
matter of the courses which he/she is assigned. He/she shall also serve on such
committees as he/she may be elected to or appointed to by the appropriate
authority. By precept, example, and in all his/her relations with students, he/she
shall encourage scholarship, good citizenship, and campus cohesiveness, and shall
be responsible for furthering all the programs and aims of the University.
(b) While effective teaching, scholarship and service are the primary obligations of its
members, the faculty is also concerned with recommending academic policies and
enhancing the quality of the performance of its members through professional
development.
(c) Other areas in which the faculty shares responsibility for policy include
admissions, curriculum, academic standards, promotion, tenure, and graduation
requirements.
IV.
Retained Authority
4.1
General
Although authority for administration of the campus is delegated to the President, the
Board of Trustees reserves its right to intervene in all matters pertaining to the
University.
4.2
Appeals
The Board shall review appeals of faculty members regarding compensation,
promotion, work assignment, and dismissal upon such terms and conditions as the
Board may from time to time adopt, including the creation of a committee to review
such appeals. However, any appeal to the Board of Trustees or its designated
committee shall consist only of the evidence entered into the record at the hearing or
proceeding before the Academic Freedom, Grievance, and Due Process Committee. In
the appeal the Board of Trustees or its designated committee shall receive no new
evidence. The Board shall not review appeals of faculty members regarding tenure or
non-renewal of an employment contract. The Board shall review appeals as provided
elsewhere in these Bylaws and may review appeals on other issues at its discretion.
4.3
Honors
The Board shall approve the granting of honorary degrees and the Lander University
Medallion of Honor.
4.4
Evaluation of the President
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In accordance with applicable law, it is the responsibility of the Board to evaluate
annually the performance of the President of the University. The evaluation will be
based upon procedures and criteria established by the Board and may involve the
services of outside consultants if deemed advisable by the Board.
4.5
Faculty Bylaws
The Board shall approve the Faculty Bylaws and any amendments thereto before
adoption.
4.6
Tenure
Upon recommendation of the President, who will have consulted with the tenured
members of the appropriate department, the Board may confer tenure upon newly
appointed senior university officials, deans and department chairs. Normally, senior
faculty members appointed with tenure will have held tenured positions in other fouryear institutions or have held academic appointments elsewhere for at least six years.
V.
Amendments
5.1
Proposed amendments may be presented to the Board by any member of the Board,
by the President, or, when transmitted through the President, by the Faculty.
5.2
Proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to all members of the Board at
least thirty (30) days before the meeting in which action is to be taken. This
requirement may be waived by unanimous consent of those members present at such
meeting, provided that at least a majority of the members of the Board are present. If
the thirty (30) day requirement is so waived then in order for a proposed amendment
to be approved, two-thirds (2/3) of the full membership of the board must vote for
approval.
5.3
These Bylaws may be amended by vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the full membership of
the Board.
These Bylaws adopted this 9th day of June, 1992
Amended June 9, 1993
Amended September 16, 1997
Updated: December 15, 2005
Amended June 12, 2007
Amended September 21, 2010
Amended June 11, 2014
Amended December 11, 2015
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Section IIa. Constitution of the Faculty Senate of Lander University
ARTICLE I. Name and Purpose
SECTION 1
The name of this organization shall be the Faculty Senate of Lander University.
SECTION 2
The purpose of the Faculty Senate shall be to provide part of the means by which the
faculty shall carry out the responsibilities set forth in the Bylaws of the Lander
University Board of Trustees, sections III.3.2(b) and III.3.2(c). In the event of real or
apparent conflict between this Constitution and the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees,
the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees shall take precedence.
SECTION 3
Upon the Constitution’s becoming effective, the Faculty Senate and its Constitution
shall substitute nunc pro tunc for the Faculty Council and the Governance
Committees.
ARTICLE II. Organization
SECTION 1
The Faculty Senate shall be composed of Senators representing the voting faculty of
Lander University. The voting faculty shall consist of the President of the
University, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and anyone holding the rank of
Instructor, Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, Assistant
Librarian, Associate Librarian, or Librarian -- including ‘Visiting’ positions and the
incumbent (as of the 1993-94 academic year) Directors of the Reading, Writing, and
Mathematics Laboratories (Bylaws of the Lander University Board of Trustees,
section III 3.1). The President of the Student Government Association and the Vice
President for Academic Affairs shall be ex officio nonvoting members of the Faculty
Senate.
SECTION 2
The voting faculty of each academic division or school shall elect one Senator, who
shall not be the chair, library director, or dean of that division or school at the time
of nomination. For purposes of Faculty Senate representation, the Professional
Librarians and the Directors of the Reading, Writing, and Mathematics Laboratories
shall be considered members of one academic division and shall be entitled to elect
one Senator. The voting faculty of the University shall elect nine additional Senators
at large serving staggered terms.
SECTION 3
A Chair, Chair-elect, and Secretary shall be elected from among and by the Senators
to serve for a term of one year.
ARTICLE III. Nominations and Elections
SECTION 1
Each spring the voting faculty shall nominate and elect Faculty Senators to take
office on the first day following the end of the spring semester during which the
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election is held. The Faculty Senate shall conduct the election through its Elections
Committee.
SECTION 2
Nominations for divisional and at-large Senators shall be requested from the voting
faculty. Voting faculty of each division may nominate one candidate for divisional
Senator and up to three different candidates for at-large Senators. The same faculty
member may be nominated for both positions. If a person is nominated for more
than one Senatorial position, he or she shall indicate the position for which he or she
will appear as a candidate. The two persons receiving the highest number of
nominations from their academic divisions or schools shall be designated as the
candidates to stand for election as Senator of their respective academic divisions or
schools. The six persons receiving the highest number of nominations for at-large
positions shall be designated as the candidates to stand for election to the three
available positions.
SECTION 3
Members of the Faculty Senate shall be elected from among the candidates
determined in the nominating process. Voting faculty of each academic division or
school shall vote for Senators from their respective division or school and all voting
faculty shall vote for at-large Senators. Tie votes shall be resolved by a special
election.
If a Senatorial vacancy occurs, the Faculty Senate shall conduct a special election to
fill the vacancy from the appropriate constituency. The specially elected Senator
shall complete the unexpired term of the Senator originally elected.
SECTION 4
Qualification for election of the Faculty Senate shall be membership in the voting
faculty. Chairs, the library director, and deans of academic divisions or schools shall
be eligible for at-large positions if they are otherwise qualified; they shall not be
eligible for positions representing their divisions or schools.
SECTION 5
The term of office for each member of the Faculty Senate shall be three years. A
Senator may not be re-elected until one academic year election cycle has elapsed
since the end of his or her term unless he or she was elected by special election to
fill an unexpired term of one year or less.
SECTION 6
Upon receipt of a petition signed by at least 50 percent of a Senator’s constituents,
the Election Committee shall schedule a formal recall vote. Any Senator may be
recalled by a two-thirds vote of his or her constituency.
SECTION 7
To the extent possible, one-third of the Senators shall be elected each year.
ARTICLE IV. Jurisdiction
SECTION 1
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The Faculty Senate shall formulate policy on behalf of the faculty and shall serve as
an advisory body to the President of the University. It shall have primary
responsibility for recommending policy in matters of curriculum; subject matter and
methods of instruction; tenure and promotion; academic freedom and due process;
and those aspects of student life which relate to the educational process. It may
consider all matters of University concern.
SECTION 2
Any member of the University community may bring a matter of University concern
to the attention of the Senate.
SECTION 3
The Senate shall make recommendations to the voting faculty of the University
concerning its areas of primary responsibility and any other matters deemed
appropriate by the Senate. Recommendations from the Senate will be formally
presented to the faculty at a faculty meeting and may not be voted upon during the
same meeting that the recommendation is made. This delay may be overridden by
suspending the rules. The voting faculty shall then vote at a following meeting
without amendment to ratify, to reject, or to remand to the Senate such
recommendations.
SECTION 4
Upon ratification by the voting faculty, recommendations shall be delivered to the
President of the University. Should he or she choose not to follow a
recommendation of the voting faculty, the President shall inform the Faculty Senate
in writing of the reasons within thirty days of receipt of the recommendation. The
Faculty Senate shall inform the voting faculty of such action by the President. Upon
request of the Senate, the President shall meet with the Senate for discussion of the
matter.
ARTICLE V. Responsibilities
SECTION 1
The Faculty Senate shall propose its rules of procedure and bylaws to the voting
faculty.
SECTION 2
The Faculty Senate shall meet at least monthly during the regular academic year. All
meetings of the Faculty Senate shall be open meetings unless otherwise required by
law, or unless, when allowed by law, the Senate shall declare by two-thirds vote that
a meeting shall be conducted in a closed session. No vote shall be taken while a
meeting is conducted in closed session.
SECTION 3
The Faculty Senate may establish such Senate committees as it deems appropriate.
The members and temporary chairs of Senate committees shall be named by the
Faculty Senate from among its members; at their first meeting of each year, the
members of each committee shall elect their own chair and such other officers as
may be appropriate for the effective functioning of the committee. The roster of
committee members and officers shall be distributed at the first faculty meeting
following the first Faculty Senate meeting of each academic year.
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SECTION 4
The Faculty Senate shall provide the President of the University with a list of faculty
nominees for consideration as appointees to all University standing committees.
SECTION 5
The Elections Committee of the Faculty Senate will conduct the election of the
Tenure and Promotion Committee by following the procedures found in Section V.C.
University Committees: Tenure and Promotion Committee.
SECTION 6
The Faculty Senate shall regularly report its activities to the faculty of the University
and shall distribute the minutes of each meeting to the President of the University,
the vice presidents, and the faculty.
ARTICLE VI. Amendment Procedure
SECTION 1
An amendment to the Constitution of the Faculty Senate may be proposed by a
petition to the Chair of the Faculty Senate signed by at least twenty-five per cent of
the voting faculty, or by a majority vote of the Senators present and voting at a
Faculty Senate meeting, or by the President of the University.
SECTION 2
A proposed amendment to this Constitution shall be distributed to the voting faculty
at least four weeks prior to its consideration at a meeting of the voting faculty. No
action on amendments to the Constitution of the Faculty Senate may be taken unless
at least one-half of the voting faculty is present. Passage of any such amendment
shall be by a two-thirds vote of the voting faculty then present and voting. Upon
passage, an amendment shall become effective after ratification by the President of
the University and the Board of Trustees.
Adopted by:

The Governance Review Committee on February 16, 1993

The Faculty of Lander University on March 17, 1993

The Board of Trustees on April 14, 1993
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IIb. Bylaws of the Faculty Senate of Lander University
SECTION 1 - OFFICERS
The Faculty Senate shall elect a Chair-elect and a Secretary from among the Senators
to serve for a term of one year beginning on the first day following the end of the
spring semester. For the initial year of the Faculty Senate, the Faculty Senate shall
also elect a Chair. Nominees for Chair and Chair-elect must be tenured members of
the voting faculty. Nominees for Chair-elect must have at least two full years
remaining of their Senate terms at the time of their nomination.
The election of officers shall be by secret ballot, with a simple majority vote
required for election. If on any ballot no person receives a majority vote, then there
shall be a runoff between those receiving the two highest vote totals.
The Chair shall appoint a Parliamentarian of the Senate who shall not be a member
of the Faculty Senate. The Parliamentarian shall advise the Chair on all matters of
procedure at the meeting according to the latest revision of Robert’s Rules of Order.
SECTION 2 - CHAIR
The Chair shall preside at meetings of the Faculty Senate. The Chair shall act as a
representative of the Senate on appropriate University committees and in
University forums other than meetings of the Senate or of the whole faculty, and
shall communicate the Senate’s advice and recommendations to appropriate
University officers. No later than February 1 of each year, the Chair shall advise the
Senate Elections Committee of the need to conduct an election of Senators to
succeed those whose terms are about to expire. At other times, the Chair shall
promptly advise the Elections Committee of any Senatorial vacancy and shall
request that the committee conduct a special election to fill such vacancy.
SECTION 3 - CHAIR-ELECT
The Chair-elect shall assume the office of Chair when the Chair’s term expires or in
the event of the Chair’s resignation or removal from office. If the Chair resigns or is
removed, the Senate shall elect a new Chair-elect to fill the unexpired term of office.
The Chair-elect shall represent the Senate on appropriate University committees.
The Chair may delegate to the Chair-elect such other duties as the Chair may
prescribe. The Chair-elect shall preside at the meetings of the Senate in the absence
of the Chair.
SECTION 4 - SECRETARY
The Secretary shall keep minutes and records of all the proceedings of the Senate.
The Secretary shall regularly report the Senate’s activities by distributing promptly
the minutes of each meeting of the Senate to the faculty, officers of the Student
Government Association, administrators, and trustees. These minutes shall include a
roll of those Senators present and absent. The Secretary shall represent the Senate
on appropriate University committees.
SECTION 5 - REMOVAL OF SENATE OFFICERS
Any officer may be removed from office upon a two-thirds majority vote of the
Senate. A vote shall not be taken unless a petition signed by 25 percent of the
Senators has been filed with one of the officers of the Faculty Senate and attached to
the agenda for the meeting at which the vote shall be taken. If an office is vacated by
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recall, resignation, or other cause, the voting faculty shall elect at its next meeting a
successor for the unexpired term.
SECTION 6 - COMMITTEES OF THE FACULTY SENATE
The Faculty Senate may establish such standing and ad hoc committees as it deems
appropriate. The Senate officers shall nominate and the Senate shall appoint the
members of each standing or ad hoc committee prior to adjournment of the final
Senate meeting of the spring semester. Senators whose Senate terms have not
expired shall continue their committee duties for the succeeding year, or until
reassigned. The Chair, Chair-elect, and Secretary shall constitute the Agenda
Committee.
SECTION 7 - MEETINGS
The Faculty Senate shall conduct regularly scheduled meetings at least monthly
during the fall and spring semesters of the academic year. The Chair of the Faculty
Senate may call a meeting of the Faculty Senate if necessary. A meeting of the
Faculty Senate must be called upon the receipt of a petition to the Chair of the
Faculty Senate signed by at least 25 percent of the members of the Faculty Senate.
No business shall be transacted unless a quorum is present and continues to be
present at any meeting. A majority of the elected Senators constitutes a quorum. In
the absence of a quorum, the Chair may only make announcements of an
informative nature, rule on the existence of a quorum, and recess once for a short
period to attempt to secure a quorum.
SECTION 8 - VACANCY OF A SENATORIAL POSITION
A senate seat shall be declared vacant following three absences from regularly
scheduled meetings without reasonable cause during a Senator’s term of office. The
responsibility of reporting cause lies with the Senator.
Reasonable cause may be defined as absence due to other University or professional
duties or business, illness, or pressing personal matters.
The Chair of the Senate shall have the authority to rule on the validity of the cause of
absence. The Senator affected may appeal the ruling to the Senate, which may
overrule the Chair by a simple majority.
If a Senator is absent or anticipates being absent from all regularly scheduled
meetings for more than three consecutive months even with reasonable cause, the
seat shall nevertheless be declared vacant.
SECTION 9 - AGENDA AND PROCEDURE
The Agenda Committee shall prepare an agenda for each regularly scheduled
meeting and shall distribute it to each Senator, the President and vice presidents of
the University, and the officers of the Board of Trustees at least five working days
preceding the meeting. Agendas for special meetings shall be distributed as
expeditiously as possible. Each divisional Senator shall immediately publish the
agenda within his or her school or division. The Agenda Committee may allot a time
period for agenda items. The duration of discussion of such items at the meeting
shall be so restricted unless altered by a majority vote of the Senate.
Any student, faculty member, staff member, or member of the Board of Trustees
may bring a matter of University concern to the attention of the Faculty Senate by
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communicating in writing with the Chair of the Faculty Senate. The Agenda
Committee shall make an appropriate announcement of the matter either in writing
attached to the agenda or by placing the matter on the agenda; however, only a
Senator can introduce a motion to be voted upon by the Senate.
A procedural motion may be introduced by a Senator and disposed of at that
meeting.
A substantive (main) motion may be introduced by filing the motion with the Chair
in time for it to be attached to the agenda for the impending meeting. If the motion
does not involve a matter of significant academic import or a policy
recommendation then it may be voted upon at that meeting. However, if it does
involve a matter of significant academic import or a policy recommendation, and
unless waived by the passage of a motion to suspend the rules, the motion shall be
attached to the agenda of the meeting at which it is being introduced, will be offered
for a short explanation, inquiry, and debate at such meeting, and shall be committed
by the Chair at the close of debate to an appropriate committee for study, report,
and recommendation. The motion and the committee’s report and recommendation
shall be attached to the agenda for the following meeting and no vote shall be taken
by the Faculty Senate before such meeting.
Any Senator may move to call to the floor any item or subject that is not on the
agenda, but such non-agenda items or subjects shall not be discussed or considered
unless the Faculty Senate by a majority vote shall amend the agenda. The Chair may
permit any person the privilege of the floor unless the Senate by majority vote
should withdraw the privilege.
SECTION 10 - AMENDMENT PROCEDURE
A motion to amend these bylaws shall be introduced by filing it with the Chair of the
Faculty Senate in time for it to be attached to the agenda for the impending meeting.
Upon a majority affirmative vote of the Senate, a majority affirmative vote of the
voting faculty, and approval of the President of the University and the Board of
Trustees, these bylaws shall be amended.
Adopted by:

The Governance Review Committee on February 16, 1993

The Faculty of Lander University on March 17, 1993

The Board of Trustees on April 14, 1993
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IIc. Faculty Senate Committees
ACADEMIC FREEDOM, GRIEVANCE AND DUE PROCESS COMMITTEE
MEMBERSHIP
The Academic Freedom, Grievance, and Due Process Committee will consist of three
tenured faculty members. For each case, the Senate will elect from among its tenured
members the Chair of the Committee; the Chair of the Senate, in consultation with the Chair
of the Committee, will then appoint two other tenured faculty members to the Committee
for that case. The Committee members will all be outside the discipline involved. Each party
to the complaint may challenge one of the Committee members without cause and may
challenge in writing one of the remaining two with cause. The Officers of the Senate will
determine the validity of the cause. In such cases, the Officers of the Senate will appoint a
replacement.
FUNCTION
The Committee's procedures provide an orderly process whereby any faculty member who
believes that he or she has been treated unfairly may seek prompt and objective review.
DELINEATION OF COMPLAINTS
Matters concerning professional decisions which may be petitioned up to the President,
include but are not limited to the following actions:
a. Improper or unfair implementation of Unit, College, , or University policies or
procedures
b. Improper or unfair application of recognized criteria or guidelines used in formal
review processes by persons authorized to conduct such reviews
c. Improper or unfair denial of the complainant's access to Unit, College, or University
resources
d. Improper or unfair implementation of the tenure process.
DELINEATION OF GRIEVANCES
Matters concerning professional decisions which may be grieved up to the Lander
University Board of Trustees (in accordance with Section 8-17-380 of the S.C. Code of Laws)
are limited to the following four actions:
a. Discrimination in the assignment of professional duties by an administrator
b. Discrimination in the determination of the complainant's salary increment(s) or
compensation
c. Discrimination in the decisions regarding promotion
d. Dismissal from a tenured or permanent position and dismissal before the end of an
employment contract for cause.
Decisions involving the granting of tenure or non-renewal of employment contracts shall
not be subjects for consideration by this Grievance Procedure.
PROCEDURES
A. The faculty member will first meet with the appropriate Unit Head for an informal
discussion of the matter (in the event that the matter involves a Unit Head, the faculty
member may choose to meet with the Vice President for Academic Affairs). This
discussion must take place within 60 days (in this document, 'days' refers to calendar
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days, excluding spring break, winter break, and summer) of the matter's occurrence. All
parties involved will meet in good faith and will make every attempt to resolve the
matter in an equitable and professional manner.
B. If the matter is not resolved at this level, then in order to pursue the matter, the faculty
member must request mediation. This request must be made in writing to the Chair of
the Faculty Senate within 15 days of the discussion of the matter with the Unit Head.
The Chair of the Faculty Senate will forward this request to the Faculty Mediator and
will notify the Vice President for Academic Affairs of this action. (The Faculty Mediator
will be the immediate past Chair of the Faculty Senate. In the event that this is not
possible, or if the Faculty Senate Officers determine that it poses a conflict of interest,
then the Faculty Senate Officers will choose from among all previous Faculty Senate
Chairs a Mediator for that case).
The Mediator will assist the parties in resolving the matter in an equitable and
professional manner. In order to do so, the Mediator will have access to all materials
relevant to the matter. It is expected that the matter will be resolved at this level. Only
under extraordinary circumstances should it become necessary to proceed to the next
level.
If the matter cannot be resolved by mediation within a reasonable period of time, then
the Faculty Mediator will so state in writing to the Chair of the Faculty Senate, the Vice
President for Academic Affairs, and all involved parties.
C. If the matter has not been resolved by mediation, then in order to pursue the matter, the
faculty member must request in writing to the Chair of the Faculty Senate (with copies
to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and all involved parties) that an Academic
Freedom, Grievance, and Due Process Committee be formed to hear this case. This is an
action that should be taken only after careful consideration and must not be initiated
frivolously. This referral must be in writing and must be received by the Committee
within 30 days of the Mediator's statement of non-resolution.
The Committee will meet within 15 days (or as soon thereafter as possible)after
receiving the referral and will begin review of the matter no later than 30 days (or as
soon thereafter as possible) after its receipt. The Committee will conduct an expeditious
review of the matter, requesting additional information, as necessary
The Committee will conduct a hearing with the parties involved. Each party to the
matter will have the right to representation at the hearing personally and/or through
counsel and the opportunity to present evidence in his/her behalf. A transcript of the
hearing will be prepared and will be maintained by the Committee.
Within 15 days of the preparation of the written record of the hearing, the Committee
will submit its findings and recommendations to the President, along with a copy of the
written record of the hearing. Simultaneously, the Committee will forward a copy of the
Committee’s findings and recommendations to the Vice President for Academic Affairs
and all involved parties.
D. After conferring with the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the President will render
a decision no later than 30 days after receipt of the Committee's recommendation. The
decision of the President will be transmitted in writing to the faculty member, the
members of the Academic Freedom, Grievance, and Due Process Committee, the Vice
President for Academic Affairs, and all other parties directly concerned. The President’s
decision is final, except if the matter is appealable to the Board of Trustees. The
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President may, upon written receipt of justifiable reasons, grant an extension at any
step of the process prior to an appeal to the Board of Trustees.
E. The President's decision on grievances may be appealed to the Board of Trustees
(through the Chair of the Board). Such an appeal must be made within 30 days of the
President’s decision. The Board of Trustees will receive no new evidence, and such
appeal is limited to the record of the Committee hearing. The Board’s decision will be
final.
F. The above time frames should be followed by all parties involved.
AGENDA COMMITTEE
MEMBERSHIP
The Agenda Committee will consist of the Senate Chair, Chair-elect, and Secretary.
FUNCTION
The Agenda Committee will prepare an agenda for each regularly scheduled meeting. The
Agenda Committee shall make all necessary changes in the text of the Faculty Handbook by
revising the on-line version as changes are approved; the Committee shall monitor the
Faculty Handbook and recommend to the Faculty Senate revisions for clarity, consistency
and precision.
PROCEDURE
At least five working days preceding a meeting of the Senate, the Agenda Committee will
distribute the agenda to each Senator, to the President and Vice Presidents of the
University, and to the Officers of the Board of Trustees. Agendas for special meetings will be
distributed as expeditiously as possible. The Agenda Committee may allot a time period for
agenda items.
BUDGET ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MEMBERSHIP
Three voting members of the Faculty Senate.
Other faculty members or Senators may be invited to participate in the Committee as there
is need or as interest and expertise in a particular task warrants.
FUNCTION
Activities of the Budget Advisory Committee will include but are not limited to
1. Promoting Faculty understanding of budgetary issues,
2. Providing a forum for discussion of faculty perceptions of budgetary needs and
issues,
3. Providing a means for presenting faculty concerns about budgetary matters to
the Administration and to the Board of Trustees of the University,
4. Reviewing the annual University Budget and the Financial Reports sent to the
Board of Trustees in order to
i. inform the faculty in a timely manner of perceived changes in priorities,
allocations, or income;
ii. provide a faculty perspective on budgetary priorities to the
Administration and to the Board of Trustees of the University,
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5. Drafting recommendations to the Faculty Senate regarding budgetary policies
that affect faculty members and academic programs, e.g. summer school pay,
overload pay, adjunct faculty salaries, merit raises, etc.
PROCEDURE
The Committee will meet as often as deemed necessary by the Chair, but at least once every
semester (i.e. after the Board of Trustees meetings in September and in March). All
recommendations of the Budget Advisory Committee will be submitted to the Faculty
Senate for approval.
CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
MEMBERSHIP
The Curriculum Committee will consist of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (or
designee), the President of the Student Government Association (or designee), and a
representative from the Graduate Programs Committee as non-voting members and at least
four other Senators who will be voting members. The Vice President for Academic Affairs,
the President of the Student Government Association and the representative from the
Graduate Programs Committee may not serve as the Committee Chair. The Chair will be
elected from the eligible Committee members at the first Committee meeting of the
academic year. The Registrar will serve as consultant to the Committee.
FUNCTIONS
The function of the Curriculum Committee is to recommend action on undergraduate and
graduate proposals (activations, deactivations and modifications), changes in the present
undergraduate and graduate curriculum, and changes in the undergraduate and graduate
academic contents of the undergraduate and graduate catalogs. All votes will be reflected in
the minutes of each meeting. Any recommendations affecting general education must be
recorded in the minutes.
PROCEDURE
The Committee will meet as often as is deemed necessary by the Chair, but at least once per
semester. A copy of the materials to be reviewed by the Committee will be sent to all
members and consultants of the Committee.
All recommendations and votes will be reflected in the minutes. The minutes of the
Curriculum Committee's meetings will be attached to the agenda for the next Faculty Senate
meeting.
When the minutes of that particular Faculty Senate meeting are approved, nonpolicy actions
take effect. Motions to change policy evolving from the Curriculum Committee will be sent
to the Faculty Senate separately with the recommended approval or disapproval from the
Committee and must be approved through normal Faculty Senate Procedures.
Approved by General Education Committee 3/19/2015
Approved by Curriculum Committee 4/16/2015
Approved by Faculty Senate 4/20/2015
ELECTIONS COMMITTEE
MEMBERSHIP
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The Elections Committee of the Faculty Senate will consist of the Chair-Elect of the Faculty
Senate and two other voting Senators nominated by the Officers of the Senate and
appointed by the Senate.
FUNCTIONS
In accordance with the procedures given in the Constitution and the Bylaws of the Lander
University Faculty Senate, the Elections Committee will perform the following functions:
a. Conduct all regular and special elections to the Senate
b. Schedule a formal recall vote if requested by a petition signed by at least 50 percent
of a Senator's constituents
c. Conduct elections of faculty members to University standing committees if the
President deems that committee members are to be elected rather than appointed.
PROCEDURE
The Elections Committee will prepare and publish a slate of all eligible and willing nominees
for the University Tenure and Promotion Committee. Candidates for the Tenure and
Promotion Committee will be nominated each spring at a faculty meeting at least two weeks
prior to the regular election of Faculty Senators; the slate will be published at least one
week prior to the election.
The Chair of the Faculty Senate will notify the Elections Committee when there is need for
an election, regular or special. Regular elections will be held each spring. Special elections
will be held when a Senate seat becomes vacant. The Officers of the Senate will determine
the existence of a vacancy.
All elections will be conducted according to the procedures outlined in the Constitution and
Bylaws of the Faculty Senate. Nominations for and elections to the Faculty Senate and the
University Tenure and Promotion Committee may be made and conducted on-line. A
majority of all faculty eligible to vote must participate to constitute a quorum.
FACULTY GRANTS COMMITTEE
MEMBERSHIP
The Faculty Grants Committee will consist of three Senators and the Vice President for
Academic Affairs. The Vice President for Academic Affairs will serve as a non-voting, exofficio member.
FUNCTION
The function of the Faculty Grants Committee is to review and recommend funding for
faculty in-house grant applications. The funding sources are the University Fund and the
Lander Foundation Fund.
PROCEDURES
At its first yearly meeting the Faculty Grants Committee will
a. elect a Chair from among the three voting Senators to serve for the academic year
b. set up meeting dates to correspond with grant application deadlines
c. arrange to have the applications ranked before each scheduled meeting
In the application review process, all guidelines established in the preceding year will be
consistently followed. With the regular minutes of its meetings, the Committee will submit
the names and activities of all faculty members who receive recommendations of support
for their applications.
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After the last application review process, the Committee will meet to recommend adding,
deleting, or altering guidelines for the next year. The recommendations will be submitted to
the Faculty Senate.
The Chair will be responsible for maintaining a file of minutes and of application
recommendations made during the academic year. The file will (a) act as a reference guide
for subsequent committee members, (b) ensure that recommendations made on grant
applications maintain some degree of consistency.
FINE ARTS AND LECTURESHIP (FALS) COMMITTEE
MEMBERSHIP
The FALS Committee will consist of four Senators (one from each college) and a
representative from the Office of Academic Affairs (who will be appointed by the Vice
President of Academic Affairs). The Chair of the Committee will be elected from its
members during its first meeting of the academic year.
FUNCTIONS
The FALS Committee will review proposed events and will determine which events meet
the requirements for Fine Arts and Lectureship credit. This Committee will also recommend
changes in the Fine Arts Lectureship policy to the Faculty Senate.
PROCEDURE
Faculty sponsors who are seeking approval for a FALS event will complete an on-line
application form which will be sent directly to the Chair of the committee. The Chair will
forward an electronic copy of the application to all committee members. Within two Lander
academic calendar days of receipt of a form, the other four members of the Committee will
notify the Chair whether the event is acceptable. All five members of the Committee will
vote. A decision to approve or to deny an application requires three votes. The Chair will
forward the final decision of approval or denial and a copy of the application form to the
Office of Academic Affairs.
FALS Credit Approval Procedure for Summer Period
Prior to start of the summer, both the students submitting materials for FALS credit
approval and the staff/faculty members submitting for FALS event approval are to submit
by no later than May 15th. During the summer period (when all faculty members serving on
the FALS committee are not contracted), if students and/or faculty/staff members need to
submit applications for approval that must take place during the summer time, the vice
president of academic affairs will undertake the FALS approval duty.
GENERAL COMMITTEES
MEMBERSHIP
Each of the General Committees of the Faculty Senate will consist of at least three Senators.
All will be voting members. Additional ex-officio members may be asked to serve on each
Committee as specific issues are addressed in Committee. The Chair of each Committee will
be elected from among its members at its first Committee meeting of the year.
FUNCTIONS
The function of each of the General Committees is to address issues/tasks directed to the
respective committee by the Chair of the Faculty Senate. Generally, these are issues/tasks
that have no definite committee within the structure of the Faculty Senate. All actions and
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votes will be reflected in the minutes of each meeting. Any action affecting Lander
University policy must be recorded in the minutes.
PROCEDURES
Each Committee will meet as often as is deemed necessary by the respective Chair. All
actions and votes will be reflected in the minutes. The minutes of each Committee's
meetings will be attached to the agenda for the next Faculty Senate meeting. When the
minutes of that particular Faculty Senate meeting are approved, non-policy actions take
effect. Motions to change policy evolving from the respective Committees will be sent to the
Faculty Senate separately with the recommended approval or disapproval from the
Committee and must be approved through normal Faculty Senate procedure.
THE GRADE AND JUDICIAL APPEALS COMMITTEE
MEMBERSHIP
The Grade and Judicial Appeals Committee will consist of a faculty member who will serve
as Chair and is selected from and by the Faculty Senate, three other faculty members
selected by the Faculty Senate, and a student representative. The student member and an
alternate student member will be nominated by the President of the Student Government
Association in consultation with the advisor to the Student Government Association. If
neither the student representative nor the alternate can attend a meeting, the Student
Government Association president will substitute for him/her.
The membership will be subject to approval by the President of the University. Prior to the
end of each spring semester, the Faculty Senate will recommend the faculty membership to
the President, and members will serve for one calendar year, beginning May 16 and
extending through May 15 of the following year. In addition, at this time alternates will be
chosen to be in line to take a member’s place in case of unavoidable absence during the
academic year or during the summer. If a faculty member whose grade is being appealed is
not available or is no longer on the Lander University faculty or in case of a conflict of
interest, the Unit Head will represent the faculty member. If an appeal involves a member
of the committee or a committee member’s Unit Head , one of the alternates will be asked to
serve in his/her place.
Members of the committee will observe strict professional confidentiality concerning all
committee business. The committee will uphold the University policy on confidentiality of
student information. All other participants in the process will sign a confidentiality
agreement.
FUNCTIONS
The committee will hear the following types of appeals:
1. grade appeals not resolved at the level of the academic unit
2. judicial appeals not resolved by the Student Life Council, the Honor Council, and the
Vice President for Student Affairs
3. appeals related to regulations for academic honors at graduation.
The committee may affirm previous decisions, or it may recommend review and
consideration of revisions.
PROCEDURES
The committee will meet as necessary and as called by the Chair. The following procedures
govern the work of the committee.
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Grade Appeals:
Appeals for a grade change may not be made after one calendar year from
the date the grade was given. No grade appeal may be initiated after a
student has graduated. The committee cannot hear cases that involve charges
of academic dishonesty unless the academic Honor Council has already ruled
on the situation.
Hearings for grade appeals will not be conducted after the last day of classes
of each semester unless a student has a compelling reason for being heard
during the examination period. The committee will not hear an appeal when
the University is on official break. Official break is defined as Christmas and
Spring breaks, the days between graduation and the beginning of Summer
School I, and the days between the end of Summer School II and the
beginning of the fall semester.
A student wishing to consider appealing a grade must meet with the Chair of
the Grade and Judicial Appeals Committee for an explanation of the
procedure, including requirements for completing the Grade Appeal From.
During this meeting the Chair will listen to the student’s explanation and
advise the student to consider carefully whether an appeal seems
appropriate. If the Chair wishes, he/she may contact the faculty member
involved in order to seek further information before the student proceeds.
If the student chooses to continue the process, the Chair will explain that the
hearing is not an effort on the part of the University to replicate in any way
judicial proceedings in the spirit or sense of a formal court of law. The
hearing simply provides a University forum for appropriate and fair-minded
discussions and deliberations. In that spirit, neither the University nor the
student may be accompanied by legal counsel. The student may, however, be
accompanied by an on-campus advisor for support. Should the student be
accompanied by an on-campus support person, the support person is not
allowed to participate directly in any discussion but may discreetly confer
only with the student during the course of the hearing. The Chair will then
explain the phases of the appeal process.
First Phase of Appeal Procedure
1. The student will then attempt to resolve the issue by consulting with the faculty
member. If the issue is not resolved at this meeting and the student wishes to
proceed, the faculty member will sign the Grade Appeal Form; this signature
indicates that the student has attempted to resolve the matter at this level. The
student must also sign the Grade Appeal Form to verify discussion with the
faculty member.
2. The student will then consult with the appropriate academic Unit Head to
attempt a resolution. If the instructor whose grade is being appealed is the Unit
Head , the student will consult with the Vice President for Academic Affairs. If the
issue is not resolved at this meeting and the student wishes to proceed with
his/her appeal, the Unit Head or Vice President for Academic Affairs will sign the
Grade Appeal Form. This signature indicates that the student has attempted to
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resolve the matter at this level. The student must also sign the Grade Appeal
Form to verify discussion with the Unit Head or Vice President for Academic
Affairs.
Second Phase of the Procedure
At this point the student may continue the formal grade appeal process by
submitting to the Chair of the Grade and Judicial Appeals Committee the
following items:
a. a completed Grade Appeal Form signed as specified above under "First
Phase of Appeal Process"
b. a letter explaining the basis for the grade appeal
c. if applicable, supporting documents and a list of any other evidence to be
presented.
Third Phase of the Procedure
Upon receipt of the required documents, the committee Chair will promptly
inform the faculty member, the appropriate Unit Head, the student's advisor,
and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The committee Chair will also
make available to the faculty member a copy of the items listed above under
"Second Phase of the Procedure."
Fourth Phase of the Process
1. The committee will conduct a hearing within fourteen workdays of receipt of the
Grade Appeal Form. If necessary, the committee may seek additional information
and advice from individuals directly involved in the case.
2. The committee hearing will focus on the issue at hand. The student's argument at
the hearing will be limited to statements from the student and the evidence
outlined in the required documents listed in Phase 2 of the Process (above). A
student's grades from another course and an earlier time should not be
introduced unless they have a bearing on the matter at hand.
3. Within five workdays after the hearing, the committee Chair will notify the
student, the faculty member, the appropriate Unit Head, the advisor, and the Vice
President for Academic Affairs of the committee's findings and
recommendation(s).
Fifth Phase of the Process
1. Should the Grade and Judicial Appeals Committee recommend that a grade be
changed, the committee will provide the instructor with a written explanation of
its reason and will request that the instructor make the change. Should the
instructor decline, he or she will inform the committee and provide an
explanation for refusing within five workdays of receiving the request for a
change.
2. Within three workdays of receiving notice of an instructor's refusal to change a
grade as recommended, the Grade and Judicial Appeals Committee will review its
recommendation in the light of the explanation provided by the instructor. If the
committee still concludes that it would be unjust to allow the original grade to
stand, the Chair of the committee will, in consultation with the instructor's Unit
Head or the Vice President for academic Affairs if the instructor is the Unit Head ,
appoint two faculty members from the instructor's discipline or a closely related
discipline to a Review Committee.
Page | 23
a. The instructor's Department Chair shall not serve on the Review
Committee.
b. The Chair of the Grade and Judicial Appeals Committee shall serve as the
third member and as Chair of the Review Committee.
c. The Review Committee shall meet within seven workdays of receiving
the case. It will consider only whether particular intellectual and
pedagogical characteristics of the discipline would require that the
original grade be maintained as just. It will base its deliberations only on
the written record of the case.
3. The Review Committee may either uphold or dissent from the decision of the
Grade and Judicial Appeals Committee.
a. Should the Review Committee, by majority vote, uphold the decision of
the Grade and Judicial Appeals Committee, the Chair will recommend in
writing to the instructor's immediate administrative superior that the
grade be changed, with copies of the recommendation sent to the Vice
President for Academic Affairs, the student, and the instructor. That
administrative superior may then change the grade, notifying the Vice
President for Academic Affairs, the Chair of the committee, the instructor
and the student of whatever action he or she takes on the
recommendation.
b. Should the Review Committee, by majority vote, dissent from the
decision of the Grade and Judicial Appeals Committee in support of the
instructor, it will provide a detailed rationale to the Grade and Judicial
Appeals Committee, which may then rescind or reaffirm its decision.
(1) Should the committee rescind in support of the instructor, the Vice
President for Academic Affairs, the instructor, and the student will be
informed in writing of the recommendation that the original grade
stand.
(2) Should the committee reaffirm its original decision to recommend
changing the grade, the Chair will recommend that the instructor's
administrative superior may proceed with the grade change. The
administrative superior does not have to change the grade if he/she
agrees with the instructor. The vice president for Academic Affairs,
the instructor, and the student will be informed of the committee's
recommendation that the grade be changed.
4. The Grade and Judicial Appeals Committee will then hear no further appeals from
either side.
Judicial Appeals:
In the Student Handbook, the Appeals section of the "Lander University
Academic Honor Code" states: "If the student is found guilty by a hearing of
the honor council and he/she elects to appeal the decision, the appeal must
be made to the faculty senate of the university [through the Grade and
Judicial Appeals Committee] within five calendar days of the honor council
hearing." According to the Handbook, "The decision and judgment of the
faculty senate will be binding. No further appeal will be available." This
committee acts on all such appeals on behalf of the Faculty Senate.
A student may appeal according to the following procedure:
Page | 24
1. The student will submit to the Vice President for Student Affairs a letter
explaining the reason(s) for appealing the Honor Council's decision.
2. The Vice President of Student Affairs will notify the Chair of the Grade and
Judicial Appeals Committee that the student is appealing the Honor Council's
decision and will Provide the following items for the committee:
1. the student's letter of explanation
2. the case file
3. the recording of the hearing made by the Honor Council
3. Upon receipt of these items, the committee Chair will promptly call a
meeting of the committee to review the appeal. The committee may seek
additional information and advice.
4. The committee will proceed according to the following sequence
 The Chair assures that appropriate committee members are present.
 In executive session, the Chair reviews the role of the committee and
the basic process to be followed. The committee members then
review the items submitted by the student (see #1-2 above).
 The Chair presides over the Committee during its deliberations. The
final decision of the Committee is based on a motion, second, and
simple majority vote.
5. Within five workdays after the meeting, the committee Chair will notify the
student, the Vice President, for Student Affairs, the Vice President of
Academic Affairs, the appropriate judicial body, and all other involved
parties of the committee's recommendation(s).
Appeals Related to Academic Honors and Other Graduation Awards:
The Lander University Catalog explains the current policy on academic
honors at graduation: "To be eligible for academic honors at graduation, a
student must have completed at least 60 semester hours of undergraduate
work in residence (which excludes CLEP and other credit earned by exam) at
Lander University." A student may petition this policy or other honors
policies according to the following procedure:
1.
Students must submit the following items to the Chair of the Grade and Judicial
Appeals Committee: :
a. a letter explaining his/her reason(s) for requesting consideration of an
exception to the policy stated in the Catalog
b. a complete, official transcript.
2. The student must submit this material to the Chair of the committee at least one
month before the last day of classes of the semester during which he/she intends
to graduate.
3. Upon receipt of the required documents, the Chair will call a committee meeting
to consider the student's request and evidence.
4. The Chair of the committee will notify the student, and the Dean of Enrollment
Services.
SURVEY COMMITTEE
MEMBERSHIP
Three members with at least two members from faculty senate.
FUNCTION
Page | 25
This committee will be charged with preparing and administering faculty surveys including
the yearly evaluations of the Unit Heads, the Deans of the Colleges, the VPAA, and the
President.
PROCEDURES
This committee will meet at least once each spring term. The current administrative
surveys will be administered to each faculty member; these may be in the form of an
electronic survey. Surveys will be conducted anonymously, and responses will remain
confidential. Each Unit Head will have his/her survey results sent to the Dean of his/her
College. The Deans’ survey results are sent to the VPAA. The VPAA’s survey results are sent
to President. The President’s survey results are sent to the Chair of the Board of Trustees.
When the occasion arises for other faculty surveys, this committee will administer them.
Page | 26
III. Procedures for Conducting Lander University Faculty Meetings
MEETINGS OF THE FACULTY:
A. There will be two types of regularly scheduled faculty meetings. Business meetings of the
faculty will be held once at the beginning of the fall semester and twice at the end of the
spring semester (normally once in March and once in April). Faculty members are expected
to attend the scheduled business meetings of the faculty. The agenda will normally include
the following order of business: Call to Order; Approval of Minutes; Old Business; New
Business; Reports; Announcements; and Adjournment. Any new or old business that entails
nominations or voting should be moved ahead of business that does not.
Informational meetings of the faculty will be held monthly during the academic year and
will not normally be held during the months that the business meetings are held.
Attendance at the informational meetings is optional. The agenda will normally include the
following order of business: Call to Order; Approval of Minutes; Reports; Announcements;
and Adjournment.
The President (or the president’s designee) serves as the presiding officer at all faculty
meetings. The President or the Faculty Senate may call a special meeting of the faculty or
may change an informational meeting to a business meeting. A special meeting may also be
called by at least ten percent of the full-time faculty who submit a written request to that
effect to the President. The faculty, in its meetings, is organized as a committee as a whole
and follows the procedures established in Robert's Rules of Order.
B. A quorum shall consist of a majority of those persons identified in the Lander University
Faculty Senate Constitution as voting faculty members. Only such persons are eligible to
vote at faculty meetings. Other persons may be permitted the privilege of the floor, unless
the faculty by majority vote should withdraw the privilege.
C. Faculty members with bona fide reasons who must be absent from faculty meetings at
which a scheduled vote will be taken may obtain an absentee ballot from the Elections
Committee, mark it, and return the ballot to the committee for submission at the time of
voting. Determination of what constitutes a bona fide reason will be made by the Elections
Committee.
D. The voting faculty shall consider recommendations from the Faculty Senate, and shall vote
without amendment to ratify, to reject, or to remand to the Senate such recommendations.
The motion to remand a proposal to the Faculty Senate must include a brief statement of
the reason for which remanding is proposed. It will require a second and shall not be
debatable.
E. Policy and procedural recommendations from the Faculty Senate shall be voted on at
faculty meetings. On-line voting is limited to nominations for and elections to the Faculty
Senate and the University Tenure and Promotion Committee.
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IV. Faculty Employment, Procedures & Regulations
(Effective March 27, 2007)
1. Types of Employment.
1.1. Regular.
Employment is on a nine-month or a twelve-month basis. Compensation is
semi-monthly. The first regular pay period falls on or about August 31. For
nine-month appointments, the last regular pay period falls on or about May
15. The President, Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Deans and
librarians are on twelve-month contracts. The workload for these employees
is 37 1/2 hours per week as defined by the State.
1.1.1. Faculty Workload.
Each faculty member’s workload consists of teaching, scholarship and
service, with the ratio among the three components varying, depending upon
the University’s needs. Faculty workloads shall be consistent with the
university’s mission as a teaching institution. The ratio is normally 60%
teaching, 20% scholarship, and 20% service.
For faculty librarians, the workload consists of librarianship and service. The
ratio between the two is normally 80% librarianship and 20% service.
1.1.2. Faculty Teaching Load.
Teaching loads for nine-month faculty members are determined from two
factors: Credit hour production (CHP) and Contact Hours. A contact hour is
defined as one hour of classroom teaching. Teaching loads for each faculty
member are determined by the College Dean.
CHP requirements for each College/School are set annually by the Vice
President for Academic Affairs in consultation with each dean.
Although twelve contact hours per semester is the standard teaching load,
contact hour loads may vary from nine (9) to fifteen (15) contact hours. In
order to be available to meet and advise students, the Deans shall establish
office hour policies with their faculty members.
Faculty members will not receive compensation for tutoring students in any
course for which they are empowered to grant credit or over which they
have any authority.
Faculty members who must be absent from their classes or from attendance
at obligatory University functions for causes other than sickness will submit
a request to be absent from campus to the appropriate Unit Head for
approval.
1.2. Part-Time.
Employment is on a semester basis, and the extent of the duties and
responsibilities is limited.
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1.3. Summer.
Summer appointments are not included in the regular academic year
contract. Compensation for summer school employment is established by the
President in consultation with the Faculty Senate. Appointments are made in
early spring following completion of the summer school schedule. Every
effort is made to provide a summer appointment for those faculty members
who wish it. However, such appointments are not assured, nor are faculty
members required to teach in the summer. Each College / School establishes
its policy for summer appointments.
According to the State Human Resources Regulations Manual faculty may
earn a maximum of forty percent (40 %) of their annualized salary during the
summer.
1.4. Employment Outside of the University.
Before accepting additional employment outside the University, a Lander
University faculty member holding a full-time appointment is required to
obtain written permission from the Vice President for Academic Affairs or
from the President. If such employment is to be performed during a contract
period, the faculty member must complete the Request for Permission to
Accept Outside Employment Form. The form must be approved by the Vice
President for Academic Affairs. Such approval must be renewed at the
beginning of each academic year and is subject to existing State policies.
2. Faculty Appointments.
2.1. General Conditions for Appointment.
The conditions of every appointment to the Lander faculty will be stated in a
written contract. The contract will specify the type of appointment, rank,
salary, degree status (including a statement whether or not the appointee
holds the earned terminal degree in the discipline), duties, credit toward
tenure/promotion, and the earliest dates for consideration for tenure and
promotion. Three years of credit is the maximum allowed toward
tenure/promotion. The contract will be signed by the President of Lander
University or the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the faculty
member, with a copy of the contract being given to the faculty member and
Dean. Any subsequent extensions or modifications of an existing contract
must be made in writing.
Lander University adheres to academic credential requirements for faculty
appointments as established in The Principles of Accreditation by the
University’s accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools Commission on Colleges. The guidelines are as follows:

“Faculty teaching general education courses at the undergraduate
level: doctor’s or master’s degree in the teaching discipline or
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master’s degree with a concentration in the teaching discipline (a
minimum of 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline).”

“Faculty teaching baccalaureate courses: doctor’s or master’s degree
with a concentration in the teaching discipline (minimum of 18
graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline). At least 25
percent of the discipline course hours in each undergraduate major
are taught by faculty members holding the terminal degree, usually
the earned doctorate, in the discipline.”

“Faculty teaching graduate and post-baccalaureate course work:
earned doctorate/terminal degree in the teaching discipline or a
related discipline.”
2.2. How Faculty Rank is Established at the Time of Initial Appointment.
2.2.1. Laboratory Instructor / Clinical Instructor
To be appointed at the rank of Laboratory Instructor or Clinical Instructor,
the candidate must either
a. hold the master’s degree in the discipline, or
b. hold the bachelor’s degree with relevant experience.
Laboratory Instructors and Clinical Instructors do not serve as faculty-ofrecord nor submit student grades, are exempt from performance
requirements in academic research, and are ineligible for tenure and
promotion.
2.2.2. Lecturer.
To be appointed at the rank of Lecturer, the candidate must either
a. Hold the master’s degree in the discipline without prior teaching
experience, or
b. Have completed all course work toward the terminal degree in the
discipline without prior teaching experience.
2.2.3. Assistant Professor.
To be appointed at the rank of Assistant Professor the candidate must either
a. Hold the earned terminal degree in the discipline with little or no
teaching experience; or
b. Hold the master’s degree in the discipline with at least one year of
full-time teaching experience at the collegiate level; or
c. Hold the master’s degree in the discipline with relevant experience.
2.2.4. Associate Professor.
To be appointed at the rank of Associate Professor the candidate must
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a. Hold the earned terminal degree in the discipline with significant
teaching experience; or
b. Hold at least the master’s degree in the discipline with relevant
experience; or
c. Have held the rank of Associate Professor at a regionally accredited
university or college.
2.2.5. Professor.
Appointment at the rank of Professor will be made by the President or the
Board of Trustees in consultation with the Chair of the Faculty Senate, the
tenured faculty members from the College/School to which the appointment
is being made, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
2.2.6 Library Faculty
2.2.6.1. Assistant Librarian.
To be appointed at the rank of Assistant Librarian, the candidate must hold
an earned graduate degree from a program accredited by the American
Library Association, and have little or no experience as a professional
librarian.
2.2.6.2. Associate Librarian.
To be appointed at the rank of Associate Librarian, the candidate must
a. Hold an earned graduate degree from a program accredited by the
American Library Association, and have significant experience as a
professional librarian or
b. Have held the rank of Associate Librarian or its equivalent at a
regionally accredited university or college.
2.2.6.3. Librarian.
Appointment at the rank of Librarian will be made by the President or the
Board of Trustees in consultation with the Chair of the Faculty Senate, the
Director of Library Services, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
2.3. Non-Tenure-Track Appointments.
2.3.1. Adjunct Appointments.
The prefix “adjunct” in a title is used for faculty members whose primary
employment may be other than at Lander University. This title is conferred
upon the recommendation of the Dean to the Vice President for Academic
Affairs and with the approval of the President. Adjunct appointments are for
a period of one year or less. Reappointment is at the discretion of the
University and successive reappointments do not confer tenure or other
continuing employment status. Faculty members with adjunct appointments
are non-voting faculty members.
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2.3.2. Part-Time Appointments.
Part-time appointments originate in the College/Library and are approved
according to University policy. These appointments are made for limited
service to the University and are normally issued on a semester-by-semester
basis. Part-time faculty members must be available to assist students at times
clearly specified in their course syllabi. Part-time library faculty must be
available to assist students at times determined by the Director in
consultation with the library faculty member. Reappointment is at the
discretion of the University. Successive reappointments do not confer tenure
or other continuing employment status. Faculty members with part-time
appointments are non-voting faculty members.
2.3.3. Continuing Non-Tenure-Track Appointments.
These are renewable contracts unless so described in the faculty member’s
contract. Reappointment is at the discretion of the University. Successive
reappointments do not confer tenure or other continuing employment status.
2.3.3.1 Teaching Faculty
The number of continuing non-tenure-track faculty in a department should
not exceed twenty percent of the full-time faculty. The primary
responsibilities of these appointees are teaching, advising, and university
service. In order to be considered for promotion, these appointees are
expected to meet the professional development criteria established by the
University and their respective College and department. These appointees
are evaluated annually for reappointment under the same guidelines
governing tenure-track faculty. The criteria for reappointment may be
different from tenure-track faculty; however, criteria for promotion will be
the same as for tenure-track appointments.
2.3.3.2 Library Faculty
The primary responsibilities of librarians are library duties,
bibliographic/information literacy instruction, advising, and university
service. In order to be considered for promotion, these appointees are
expected to meet the professional development criteria for Librarians
established by the University. These appointees are evaluated annually for
reappointment under the guidelines described in section 9.1. The criteria for
reappointment represent a threshold for reappointment only and are not
intended to serve as the criterion for excellence required of candidates for
promotion.
2.4. Tenure-Track Appointments.
Tenure-track appointments are probationary appointments for a defined
period of time, which may be renewed annually, based on performance and
the needs of the University.
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Recommendations for probationary appointments at the rank of Instructor,
Lecturer, Assistant Professor, and Associate Professor originate within a
College.
Recruitment of tenure-track faculty is conducted according to procedures
established by the Office of Academic Affairs (need link).
Each Dean will make the criteria for reappointment known to the new faculty
member. Effective teaching is regarded as the primary criterion for
reappointment at Lander University. Other criteria include, but are not
limited to, student advising, research, publications, committee work,
participation in professional organizations, and University and community
service. Additional performance criteria, more appropriate to a given
discipline, may be generated by academic Units/library. Such criteria must
be approved by the Unit’s faculty and Dean prior to their implementation.
2.5. Appointments with Tenure.
An appointment with tenure means an appointment without limit of time.
Upon recommendation of the President, who will have consulted with the
members of the appropriate Units and tenured members of the appropriate
College, the Board of Trustees may confer tenure upon newly appointed
senior University officials and Deans. The President will communicate his or
her decision, in writing, to the Faculty Senate. Otherwise, a faculty member
must complete the process described in Section IV.8.
2.6. Emeritus Faculty.
Emeritus Faculty: The title “Professor Emeritus” may be conferred on any
faculty member at the time of retirement from Lander University provided
the faculty member so honored will have served Lander University for at
least ten years and been nominated and approved through the following
process:
Nomination: A faculty member can be nominated for Emeritus status by
his/her Unit Head or Dean.
Approval: Approval of the nomination begins with a simple majority vote of
the nominee’s Unit, followed by recommendation of the Dean, provost, and
approval by the president.
Benefits: Emeritus faculty will be granted the following benefits:

Plaque recognizing one’s emeritus status, with the cost borne by the
Unit

Faculty emeritus ID card

Continued use of lander.edu e-mail account

The following benefits same as per active faculty:
o Access to campus events
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o Access to PEES Center and pool
o Bookstore discount
o Use of the library
o Use of lab and office space if available
o Web space on the university server
o Parking sticker allowing campus parking
o Receipt of all publications sent to active faculty
o Lander University business cards, provided by the department
3. Documents used in the Evaluation of Faculty.
The following documents are used in conjunction with the evaluation of
faculty members and will be maintained in the Evaluation File. The originals
of these documents are kept in the Office of Academic Affairs. Copies are also
maintained in the Dean’s office.

Initial Faculty Development Plan;

Faculty Performance Report;

The results of student evaluations (except for library faculty);

Peer evaluations; and

Annual Evaluation by the Dean
3.1. Initial Faculty Development Plan.
First-year, full-time faculty members will develop an Initial Faculty
Development Plan (IFDP) by January 15, to be reviewed in February at the
annual evaluation by the Dean.
An outline of what should be included in this plan is provided on the IFDP
form. The faculty member will submit copies of this plan to the Dean for
approval. The Initial Faculty Development Plan will be placed in the faculty
member's Evaluation File in the Dean’s Office and the Office of Academic
Affairs.
3.2. Faculty Performance Report.
By April 1 of each academic year (February 1 for first-year appointees), all
faculty members will submit a Faculty Performance Report (FPR) to their
Dean. This form provides for the listing of the current distribution of
workload and professional development activities related to effective
teaching or librarianship, scholarship, academic advising, and University or
community service, as well as new or revised professional development
goals. This update will be used by the Dean in the annual evaluation.
Following the faculty member’s evaluation, the Dean will forward a copy of
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the FPR to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for inclusion in the faculty
member's Evaluation File in the Office of Academic Affairs.
3.3. Student Evaluations.
Each course taught by a faculty member will be evaluated at least once
annually. Probationary tenure-track, continuing non-tenure track, and
temporary faculty members will be evaluated, at a minimum, during their
first semester of employment and during each subsequent fall semester. The
method and criteria for student evaluations must be approved by the
School/College faculty and Dean.
The faculty member will not be present in the classroom during the
evaluation.
A transcript of student comments and results of the evaluations used in the
review will be given to the faculty member during their annual evaluation by
the Dean, but only after final grades have been turned in to the Registrar’s
Office. No original student evaluations will be returned to the faculty
member. The original evaluation forms will be retained by the Dean for one
calendar year. The Dean will forward a copy, including student comments, to
the Vice President for Academic Affairs for inclusion in the faculty member's
Evaluation File. In the case of evaluation of Deans as teachers, the Vice
President for Academic Affairs will follow the same procedures as above,
except that the student evaluations will be delivered to the Office of
Academic Affairs.
The faculty member may file a written statement in response to the results of
the student evaluations. The faculty member may use this forum to explain,
clarify, or dispute the evaluation results. This statement will be attached to
the copy of the results retained by the Dean and the Vice President for
Academic Affairs.
3.4. Peer Evaluations.
Probationary, continuing non-tenure track, and temporary faculty members
will be evaluated by peers annually. Tenured faculty members who do not
hold the rank of Professor or other terminal rank will be evaluated by peers
every six years in a formal post-tenure review, and in any year during which
the faculty member applies for promotion. All peer evaluators must be fulltime faculty members at Lander University, should be tenured, and should be
members of the faculty member's Unit or College if there are insufficient Unit
evaluators. For the six-year post-tenure review, one peer evaluator must be
from outside the faculty member's College. All peer evaluators will be
selected by the Dean in consultation with the faculty member. Peer
evaluators for Deans will be selected by the Vice President for Academic
Affairs in consultation with the Dean.
For probationary and temporary faculty members, two peer evaluators will
each visit the faculty member's class at least twice and each will write a letter
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of evaluation addressing effective teaching, scholarship, service to the
University, the profession, and/or the community, and collegiality. Copies of
the peer evaluators' letters will be sent by April 1 to the Dean and the Vice
President for Academic Affairs to be placed in the Evaluation File. Copies of
the peer evaluators' letters will also be sent to the faculty member by April 1,
unless the faculty member is not reappointed. Peer evaluations for Deans
will be sent directly to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. In the case of
first-year faculty members, the schedule may be modified by the Dean. In
years of tenure or promotion decisions, the letters will be due no later than
November 1.
For Library faculty (continuing non-tenure track), one peer evaluator will
visit one bibliographic/information literacy instruction session each
semester and will write a letter of evaluation addressing effective
librarianship, advising, and service to the University, the profession, and/or
the community. A copy of the peer evaluator’s letter will be sent by April 1 to
the Director and the Vice President for Academic Affairs to be placed in the
Evaluation File. A copy of the peer evaluator’s letter will also be sent to the
librarian by April 1, unless the librarian is not reappointed. Peer evaluations
for the Director will be sent directly to the Vice President for Academic
Affairs. In the case of first-year library faculty members, the schedule may be
modified by the Dean. In years of promotion decisions, the letters will be due
no later than November 1.
3.5. Dean’s Annual Evaluation of Faculty.
3.5.1 Non-Tenured Faculty
The Dean will schedule an evaluation meeting with the faculty member
between April 1 and May 15 (in February for first-year appointees). This
evaluation must promote self-improvement and assess and judge
performance. The Dean will provide, by May 15, (March 15 for first-year
appointees) written copies of the completed evaluation to the faculty
member and the Vice President for Academic Affairs for inclusion in the
Evaluation File.
The faculty member may place in the Evaluation File a written statement in
response to the Dean’s annual evaluation. The faculty member may use this
forum to explain, clarify, or dispute the evaluation results. The deadline for
this response is November 1. The faculty member will send the response to
the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who will place the response in the
faculty member’s evaluation file. The faculty member will also send a copy of
the response to the Dean.
This annual evaluation will be taken into consideration when the Dean
recommends salary increases.
3.5.2 Tenured Faculty
Tenured faculty will be evaluated every year by their Dean. The evaluation
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will normally occur after August 15 and no later than September 15 of the
following academic year. However, at the request of either the faculty
member or the Dean, the evaluation will occur by May 15 of the evaluation
year. The request must be made in writing by April 5.
This evaluation must promote self-improvement and assess and judge
performance. Upon completion of the evaluation, the Dean will provide
written copies of the completed evaluation to the faculty member and the
Vice President for Academic Affairs for inclusion in the Evaluation File.
The faculty member may place in the Evaluation File a written statement in
response to the Dean’s annual evaluation. The faculty member may use this
forum to explain, clarify, or dispute the evaluation results. The deadline for
this response is November 1. The faculty member will send the response to
the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who will place the response in the
faculty member’s evaluation file. The faculty member will also send a copy of
the response to the Dean.
This annual evaluation will be taken into consideration when the Dean
recommends salary increases.
4. Files Used in Faculty Evaluations.
The following files are used in the evaluation of faculty members. The
originals of these files are kept in the Office of Academic Affairs. Copies are
also maintained in the Dean’s office.

Personnel File

Evaluation File

Tenure and Promotion File

Ancillary File
4.1. Personnel File.
This file contains the original letters of recommendation, employment
application, transcripts, and contracts. The faculty member, the President,
the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the faculty member’s Dean, and the
staff members within the Office of Academic Affairs have access to this file.
Faculty members may not see the original letters of recommendation if they
have waived the right to do so.
4.2. Evaluation File.
This file contains the faculty member's most recent vita, evaluations by the
Dean, the Initial Faculty Development Plan, annual Faculty Performance
Reports, the results of official student evaluations (except for library faculty),
all letters of evaluation written by peer evaluators, the faculty member's
response(s) to any items in the Evaluation File, and any other documents
which the faculty member judges to be important. The faculty member, the
President, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the faculty member's
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Dean, the University Tenure and Promotion Committee (only when the
faculty member is under consideration for tenure and/or promotion), and
the staff members within the Office of Academic Affairs have access to this
file.
4.3. Tenure and Promotion Files.
These are temporary files, which are created by the candidate when a change
in status is being considered. When a faculty member stands for promotion
and tenure simultaneously, these files will be one and the same.
These files will be kept in the Dean’s Office until transferred to the Office of
Academic Affairs. While the files are in the Dean’s office, the candidate, the
Dean, and the Unit Tenure and Promotion Committee will have access to
them. When the Unit’s review is completed, the Dean will submit the files to
the Office of Academic Affairs, but no later than December 15. Once the files
have been placed in the Office of Academic Affairs, the candidate, the
President, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the University Tenure and
Promotion Committee, the candidate's Dean, and the Academic Affairs staff
will have access to them.
The candidate may respond to any item in the file and the response will be
placed in it. At this time, the file contains only the documents outlined in the
review processes for tenure and/or promotion. No materials may be
removed from the Tenure and Promotion File.
4.4. Ancillary File.
This is a temporary file that may be created by the candidate, the Dean, or the
Vice President for Academic Affairs. It contains any pertinent documents not
included in the Tenure and Promotion File. It is kept with the Tenure and
Promotion File and is made available, at each stage of the process, to those
persons then authorized to review the file.
Anyone sending an item to the Dean or the Vice President for Academic
Affairs for inclusion in the Ancillary File must also send a copy to the
candidate. Items from persons other than the candidate must be placed in the
Ancillary File by October 1 and the contributor must be clearly identified. An
item in the Ancillary File may be removed prior to the completion of the
tenure/promotion process only by the person(s) who submitted it. The
candidate may respond to any item(s) in the Ancillary File and the response
will also be placed in the file. No items may be placed in the Ancillary File
after October 15.
Items in the Ancillary File will be returned to the candidate after the review
and appeals processes have been completed, but no later than June 1.
5. Annual Evaluation Procedures and Policies for Faculty.
5.1 General Guidelines.
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In order to achieve the stated purpose of Lander University and to maintain
high professional standards, all faculty members will be evaluated annually.
This evaluation must promote self-improvement and assess and judge
performance. The purpose of this evaluation is to improve faculty
performance, the educational programs, and to assist the University in
making reappointment decisions.
Tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty members who have received
notice of nonrenewal will not participate in the annual evaluation process. A
faculty member who has officially notified the University of retirement or
resignation at the end of the academic year is exempt from participating in
the evaluation process for that academic year.
When the Dean meets with a faculty member to review the annual
evaluation, copies of the evaluation documents will be given to the faculty
member, which excludes student evaluations. As required by the State’s
Commission on Higher Education, only a summary of the outcomes and
transcriptions of comments from student evaluations will be given to the
faculty member.
Upon completion of the evaluation, the Dean will forward copies of all annual
evaluation documents to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for inclusion
in the faculty member's Evaluation File.
The faculty member may submit a written statement in response to the
annual evaluation, with a copy being sent to the Dean and to the Vice
President for Academic Affairs. The faculty member may use this forum to
explain, clarify, or dispute the evaluation results. The deadline for this
response is November 1. The response will be filed in the faculty member’s
Evaluation File, which is maintained in the Office of Academic Affairs.
Threat of nonrenewal will not be used to restrain faculty members in the
exercise of academic freedom. If the University chooses not to renew a parttime, continuing non-tenure track or probationary tenure-track appointment,
a reason does not need to be given. The only requirement for the University
is to give notice of nonrenewal on or before the dates specified herein.
5.2. Procedures for Part-Time Faculty.
Part-time faculty members will be evaluated by at least one peer in at least
one class per semester during their first four semesters of employment and
at least once every third semester thereafter. Additionally, part-time faculty
members (except part-time library faculty members) will conduct student
evaluations in all classes according to the established College policy.
5.3. Evaluation of Librarians.
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Librarians are evaluated by the Director of Library Services. Although they
are evaluated as librarians, because they are also members of the faculty,
they are evaluated as faculty members proportionate to their faculty duties.
The Director of Library Services will be evaluated by the Vice President for
Academic Affairs using the procedures for College Deans.
5.4. Procedures for Probationary Tenure-Track and Non-Tenure-Track
Faculty.
5.4.1.
The Dean will activate the Unit Reappointment Committee, which consists of
all full-time tenured members within the candidate’s Unit, with the exception
of the Dean. If the number of tenured faculty members in the candidate’s
department is fewer than three, additional tenured faculty members from
within the University shall be selected by the Dean, in consultation with the
Unit Head and the candidate. For second-year through sixth-year tenuretrack and non-tenure-track faculty, the reappointment meeting will be called
and a recommendation sent to the Dean at any point before the end of April.
The Dean will call the first meeting.
5.4.2.
The Unit Reappointment Committee will meet and elect a Chair from among
its members, who will not be the Dean. The Dean will attend meetings and
participate in discussions, unless the discussion relates to his or her
candidacy for reappointment.
The committee will review all previous years' Faculty Performance Reports,
faculty evaluations by the Dean, peer letters, student evaluations, and Unit
Reappointment Committee recommendations for the faculty member. The
committee will deliberate and vote for or against the reappointment of the
faculty member. If the Committee’s recommendation is unanimous, a written
recommendation for or against reappointment (but without reasons being
given), including the number of votes for and the number of votes against,
will be forwarded by the committee chair to the Dean. If there is a simple
majority vote for or against reappointment, the written recommendation to
the Dean will list the concerns of the committee.
5.4.3.
The Dean will review the pertinent documents and the recommendation of
the committee. The Dean will submit a written recommendation on
reappointment to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
If the Dean’s recommendation is negative no reasons will be given. If there is
a simple majority recommendation from the committee for reappointment
and the Dean concurs with the recommendation, the Dean will
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
Include the concerns in the recommendation to the VPAA and

Work with the Unit Reappointment Committee to develop a plan,
which should enable the faculty member to address and resolve the
concerns expressed by the committee and Dean prior to the next
annual evaluation.
5.4.4.
The VPAA will then make a recommendation to the President. In case of
conflicting recommendations, the President will consult with the Unit
Reappointment Committee, the Dean, and the VPAA prior to making a
decision.
5.4.5. Deadlines for First-Year Probationary Tenure-Track and NonTenure-Track Faculty.
5.4.5.1.
Probationary and non-tenure track faculty members who are appointed in
the fall will be evaluated twice during their first year.
Between October 1 and November 1, first year appointees will meet with the
Dean for an initial evaluation to discuss the faculty member's progress and
performance.
The second evaluation will be the annual Dean’s evaluation, which will take
place in February. For first-year faculty whose initial appointment is in the
fall semester, the Unit reappointment committee will meet between January
15 and February 21, with the committee recommendation sent to the Dean
by February 22. The faculty member will be notified in writing by March 1, of
the decision on reappointment for a second year.
5.4.5.2.
For first-year faculty members whose initial appointment is in the spring
semester, the decision for reappointment will be made during April. The
faculty member will be notified in writing of the decision for reappointment
for a second year by May 1.
5.4.6. Deadlines for Second- through Sixth-Year Tenure-Track and NonTenure-Track Faculty.
The faculty member will be given a written notice of the decision on
reappointment by May 15. If the decision is not to reappoint, a terminal
contract may be offered for the following year.
5.4.7. Deadlines for the Annual Evaluation of Tenured Faculty.
Tenured faculty will be evaluated every year by their Dean. The evaluation
will normally occur between August 15 and September 15 of the following
academic year. However, at the request of either the faculty member or the
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Dean, the evaluation will occur by May 15 of the evaluation year. The request
must be made in writing by April 5
5.4.8. Procedure for Faculty Members Receiving an Overall Unsatisfactory
Rating.
Procedure for Faculty Members Receiving an Overall Unsatisfactory Rating.
If a faculty member receives an overall rating of 'unsatisfactory' in the annual
review, the Dean will work with the faculty member to develop a written
plan designed to restore satisfactory performance. (The University is
committed to providing appropriate assistance to faculty members needing
improvement). The faculty member's progress toward restoring satisfactory
performance will be reflected in future annual evaluations. Failure of the
faculty member to make the required progress toward satisfactory
performance may result in initiating the termination process as outlined in
Section IV.11 of the Faculty Handbook.
6. Procedure for Six-Year Post-Tenure Evaluation.
Tenured faculty members that hold the rank of professor (as described in Section IV
2.2.5 of the Faculty Handbook) or Librarian (as described in Section IV 2.2.6.3 of the
Faculty Handbook) or other terminal rank are not required to participate in the sixyear post-tenure review. All tenured faculty members of lower rank must
participate in a six-year post-tenure review. This review will also serve as the
annual review in the year in which it occurs. In the event that the six-year posttenure review coincides with a faculty member standing for promotion the six-year
post-tenure evaluation will be satisfied by faculty member’s promotion file, the
contents of which are described in section IV 9.3 of the Faculty Handbook. A
satisfactory six-year post-tenure review does not necessarily guarantee that a
faculty member will have met all the requirements for a promotion to a higher rank.
In the event that faculty member’s application for promotion is denied, the decision
regarding the success of the six-year post-tenure review will be made by the faculty
member’s Dean.
If a faculty member is eligible to stand for promotion in the same year that the sixyear post-tenure review would occur, but chooses not to stand for promotion, the
faculty member must complete the six-year post-tenure review as described in this
section, and the decision regarding the success of the six-year post-tenure review
will be made by the faculty member’s Dean.
A faculty member who has officially notified the University of retirement or
resignation at the end of the academic year is exempt from participating in the
evaluation process for that academic year.
By May 15 of the academic year preceding the six-year post-tenure evaluation, the
Vice President for Academic Affairs will send written notification to the faculty
member and the Dean that a six-year evaluation is to be conducted the following
academic year.
By October 1, the faculty member will create a file that will be made available to the
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peer evaluators and the Dean. The file will contain the following items:

A current vita that covers at least the time period under review;

All Faculty Performance Reports submitted during the time period under
review;

The College results of all official student evaluations conducted during the time
period under review;

Course syllabi for three representative courses taught during the time period
under review (When appropriate, these should include one upper-level major
course, one lower-level major course, and one non-major service course);

Any evaluation portfolios required by the College/ Unit and created during the
time period under review; and

Reports detailing work done during sabbaticals or work associated with grant
projects underway during the time period under review. (The format of these
reports is left to the discretion of the faculty member.)
Two peer evaluators will be selected from the full-time Lander University faculty by
the Dean in consultation with the faculty member. One peer should be a member of
the faculty member's discipline; the other peer must be external to the faculty
member’s College. The peer evaluators' letters will be sent to the Dean, with a copy
to the faculty member by April 1. The Dean will complete the evaluation by April 15,
and will forward the results of the evaluation along with their decision to the Vice
President for Academic Affairs and the faculty member by May 1.
7. Annual Evaluation Procedures for Faculty with Administrative
Appointments.
7.1. Evaluation of the President.
The Board of Trustees evaluates the performance of the President annually
based on procedures and criteria established by the Board. The Board's
evaluation may involve the services of outside consultants if deemed
advisable by the Board. The President is evaluated annually by the faculty in
accordance with procedures developed by the Faculty Senate.
7.2. Evaluation of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
The Vice President for Academic Affairs is appointed by and responsible to
the President. The Vice President for Academic Affairs is evaluated annually
by the faculty in accordance with procedures developed by the Faculty
Senate.
7.3. Evaluation of Deans.
Deans will be evaluated annually by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Following the evaluation interview, but by June 30, the Vice President will
prepare a summary evaluation of the Dean, both as a faculty member and an
administrator. The summary evaluation will be placed in the Dean’s
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Evaluation File, with copies of the summary to be given to the Dean and the
President.
7.3.1. Performance as an Administrator.
Deans will be evaluated by the Vice President for Academic Affairs in their
capacity as administrators. This evaluation will address the performance of
the specific duties of the Dean and will be separate from the evaluation of the
Dean as a faculty member. The Dean is evaluated annually by the faculty of
the appropriate College in accordance with procedures developed by the
Faculty Senate. The Vice President will consider the results of these
evaluations in preparing his or her evaluation.
7.3.2. Performance as a Faculty Member.
In evaluating the Dean as a faculty member, the Vice President will use the
same procedures set forth for evaluation of regular faculty, except that peer
evaluators will be selected (when appropriate) by the Vice President in
consultation with the Dean.
7.4. Evaluation of Unit Heads.
Unit Heads will be evaluated annually by the Dean. Following the evaluation
interview, but by June 30, the Dean will prepare a summary evaluation of the
Unit Head, both as a faculty member and an administrator. The summary
evaluation will be placed in the Unit Head’s Evaluation File, with copies of the
summary to be given to the Unit Head and the VPAA.
7.4.1. Performance as an Administrator.
Unit Heads will be evaluated by the Dean in their capacity as administrators.
This evaluation will address the performance of the specific duties of the Unit
Head and will be separate from the evaluation of the Unit Head as a faculty
member. The Unit Head is evaluated annually by the faculty of the
appropriate Unit in accordance with procedures developed by the Faculty
Senate. The Dean will consider the results of these evaluations in preparing
his or her evaluation.
7.4.2. Performance as a Faculty Member.
In evaluating the Unit Head as a faculty member, the Dean will use the same
procedures set forth for evaluation of regular faculty, except that peer
evaluators will be selected (when appropriate) by the Dean in consultation
with the Unit Head.
8. Tenure Procedures and Policies.
Tenure and promotion are sometimes considered during the same time
period. In the event a candidate seeks tenure and promotion simultaneously,
the candidate's Tenure and Promotion Files will be one and the same. The
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Unit Tenure and Promotion Committee will be one and the same. Nontenure-track and part- time faculty are not eligible for tenure.
8.1. Definition of Tenure.
Academic tenure is one means by which the University seeks to ensure
academic freedom and to recognize both the contributions and the potential
contributions of outstanding faculty members to the mission of the
institution. An appointment with tenure is an appointment without limit of
time that can be terminated only as provided for in the Faculty Handbook.
8.2. Credit for Prior Service.
At the time of initial appointment, credit for prior teaching experience at the
collegiate level is determined by the Vice President for Academic Affairs in
consultation with the Dean, and may be allowed up to a maximum of three
years.
8.3 Eligibility.
To be eligible for consideration for tenure the faculty member must normally

Meet the requirements for tenure upon their initial appointment; or

Be or have been promoted by Lander University to the next higher
faculty rank before standing for tenure. Under extraordinary
circumstances as approved by the President, a faculty member may be
eligible for tenure without standing for promotion.
Candidates will be considered for tenure beginning in September of their
sixth year of full-time College-level employment, which may include credit
for prior experience given at the time of initial appointment. Under
extraordinary circumstances, the candidate may request an extension of the
probationary period, up to a maximum of two years. The request must be
made sixty (60) days prior to the date the review process is to begin. The
request for an extension of the probationary time period will be reviewed
with a recommendation for or against by the Unit Head, the Dean, and the
Vice President for Academic Affairs. The President will make the final
decision on granting the request.
The Board of Trustees reserves the right to confer tenure upon newly
appointed senior University officials and Deans, as specified in the Board of
Trustees Bylaws (cf. Section I: 4.6).
8.4. Criteria for Tenure.
The criteria for tenure are organized in two categories: professional
development and collegiality.
8.4.1. Professional Development.
The professional development criteria considered for the awarding of tenure
are effective teaching, advising, scholarship, and service. Effective teaching is
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regarded as the primary but not the sole professional development criterion
for tenure at Lander University. Additional performance criteria, more
appropriate to a given discipline, may be generated by individual Colleges/
Units. Such criteria and the date of their implementation must be approved
by the College/ Unit faculty and Dean prior to their implementation.
8.4.2. Collegiality.
A positive tenure decision results in long-term commitment of the University
to the faculty member. It is important, therefore, for the faculty member to
work collegially and professionally within the department, the College, and
the University to achieve common goals.
Factors other than the qualifications of the faculty member such as
fluctuating enrollment, curriculum changes, and bona fide financial
exigencies may sometimes play a determining role in a tenure decision.
8.5. Tenure Review Process.
Step 1
MAY
May 1 (No later than): The Vice President for Academic Affairs will send a letter to
all university faculty members identifying candidates to be considered for tenure
during the next academic year.
May 15 (No later than): The Vice President will confirm each faculty member's
candidacy in writing and outline the candidate's responsibilities with a schedule to
be followed.
Included in the written confirmation will be a statement of any credit given
toward tenure in the initial appointment letter for prior teaching experience
at the College level. A copy of the written confirmation will be sent to the
candidate and the Dean.
SEPTEMBER
September 15 (no later than) the Dean, in consultation with the candidate, will
appoint two peer evaluators.
Each peer evaluator will visit the candidate's class at least twice and
will review the candidate's Tenure File before submitting letters of
evaluation. Each letter shall address all aspects of the candidate’s
performance and include a recommendation for or against awarding
tenure to the candidate. The peer evaluators' letters will be placed in
the Tenure File in the Dean’s Office no later than November 1.
OCTOBER
October 1 (No later than): The candidate will submit their Tenure File to their
Dean’s office.
The Tenure File will contain the following items:

Tenure Review Process Form
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The first page of the Tenure file must be the Tenure Review Process
Form (TRPF). It will outline the contents of the Tenure File, which
must be documented by the appropriate signature during each step
of the process.

Candidate's Professional Development Statement.
The Professional Development Statement should address the
candidate's goals and how he or she has sought to achieve them, and
include revised long-term and short-term goals and the candidate's
perception of how these goals relate to his or her responsibilities at
Lander University;


Candidate’s Initial Faculty Development Plan;
A copy of any College/ Unit generated performance criteria with the
dates during which they were in force;
 The Vice President's letter of confirmation;
 The candidate's current vita;
 Faculty Performance Reports
 Results of official student evaluations (except for library faculty);
 Peer evaluations;
 Recommendations of Unit Reappointment Committees;
 Annual evaluations by the Dean for all years at Lander; and
 Course syllabi for the current semester.
Additional pertinent items may be included in an Ancillary File, which will
accompany the Tenure File throughout this process.
The Dean will ensure that the Tenure File is available in the Dean’s Office to
the candidate, the Dean, the tenured members of the College, and the peer
evaluators.
NOVEMBER
November 1 (No later than): The peer evaluators’ letters will be placed in the
Tenure File located in the Dean’s Office.
Step 2
NOVEMBER
November 2: The Dean will activate the Unit Tenure Committee.
Unit Tenure and Promotion Committee
The Unit Tenure and Promotion Committee consists of all the tenured
faculty members within the candidate’s Unit, except for the Dean and the
members of the University Tenure and Promotion Committee. If the number
of tenured faculty members in the candidate’s Unit is fewer than three,
additional committee members shall be selected from within the University
by the Dean in consultation with the Unit Head and the candidate. The
Committee will meet and elect a chair from among its members.
Responsibilities of the Unit Tenure and Promotion Committee Chair:
The chair of the Committee will be responsible for conducting the business
of the Committee and maintaining written correspondence with the
candidate and the Dean. The Unit Tenure Committee will review the
Page | 47
candidate's Tenure File, deliberate, and vote for or against the awarding of
tenure to the candidate. The chair of the Unit Tenure Committee will be
responsible for placing a written recommendation (with reasons addressing
each University criterion for tenure and, if applicable, each Unit/College
criterion for tenure) including the number of votes for and the number of
votes against the awarding of tenure to the candidate, with commentary
reviewed by the committee of the whole, in the candidate's Tenure file. The
Committee’s chair will also be responsible for sending a copy of the
recommendation to the candidate and for signing the Tenure Review
Process Form.
DECEMBER
December 1 (No later than): Unit Tenure Committee recommendations and the
signed Tenure Review Process Form (TRPF) will be placed in the Tenure File.
Step 3
DECEMBER
December 15 (No later than): The Dean will complete his/her review of the
candidate's Tenure File.
The Dean will



Place a written recommendation (including reasons) for or against
tenure in the candidate's Tenure File;
Send a copy of the recommendation to the candidate;
Sign the TRPF; and forward the Tenure File to the Office of Academic
Affairs no later than January 5
JANUARY
January 5 (No later than): The Dean will forward the Tenure File to the Office of
Academic Affairs. The file will remain in the Office of Academic Affairs throughout
the remainder of the process, including any appeals, which may occur.
Step 4
JANUARY
January 10 (No later than): The Vice President for Academic Affairs will notify the
University Tenure and Promotion Committee, that all tenure files have been
received in the office.
January 11: The University Tenure and Promotion Committee will begin its review
of all candidates for tenure.
The primary role of the University Tenure and Promotion Committee is to
evaluate the extent to which all University criteria for tenure have been met.
Any questions which the Committee has concerning policy or procedures
will be directed to the Chair of the Faculty Senate.
Step 5
FEBRUARY
February 11 (No later than): The Committee will deliberate and vote, with a
written recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
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The recommendation will include the number of votes for and the
number of votes against the award of tenure, with commentary
reviewed by the committee of the whole, to be placed in the Tenure
File no later than February 11. The Chair of the Tenure and
Promotion Committee is responsible for signing the Tenure Review
Process Form and sending a copy of the Committee’s
recommendation to the members of the University Tenure and
Promotion Committee by February 11.
February 12: The Vice President for Academic Affairs will begin to review the
Tenure File and the University Tenure and Promotion Committee’s
recommendations.
The Vice President for Academic Affairs will review the Tenure File.
Should the VPAA upon reviewing a candidate's Tenure File, not
concur with the recommendation of the University Tenure and
Promotion Committee, he or she shall meet with the Committee
before March 11 to discuss the case. The objective of this meeting is
to ensure, to the extent possible, that agreement on the
recommendations for each candidate by the University Tenure and
Promotion Committee and the VPAA can be reached.
MARCH
March 11 (No later than): If the VPAA does not concur with the recommendations
of the University Tenure and Promotion Committee, then the VPAA will meet with
the committee.
March 21 (No later than): The VPAA will add his or her recommendation to the
candidate’s Tenure File, sign the Tenure Review Process Form and then forward the
file to the President.
The President will review the candidate's Tenure File and decide for or
against Tenure. Should the President not agree with the recommendations
in the file, the President will meet with the appropriate reviewers to discuss
the case.
APRIL
April 1 (No later than): The President's decision will be provided in writing to the
candidate.
The President's decision will become part of the candidate's Tenure File. The
President will also notify the entire faculty of those faculty members who
have been awarded tenure.
8.6. Appeal Process.
A faculty member who has been notified of a decision not to grant tenure and
who alleges that University policies and procedures have not been followed
may request a hearing by an Academic Freedom, Grievance, and Due Process
Committee, which shall be appointed by the Faculty Senate. The request for a
hearing must be made to the President and the Faculty Senate no later than
April 15.
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The Academic Freedom, Grievance, and Due Process Committee will meet,
deliberate, and submit its written recommendations to the President no later
than May 15. The President will convey his or her decision to the faculty
member and the Academic Freedom, Grievance, and Due Process Committee
no later than June 1. If denied tenure, a faculty member will be given a oneyear terminal contract, unless an extension of time is granted by the President
9. Promotion Procedures and Policies.
Faculty rank is one means whereby the University seeks to acknowledge the
qualifications and achievements of individual faculty members. Faculty
members may apply for promotion to a higher rank when they become
eligible or may delay application until they feel the time is more appropriate.
Individuals may apply for tenure and promotion consideration at the same
time. Promotion alone does not carry a commitment by the University to
award tenure. In the event that tenure and promotion are considered
simultaneously, the Tenure and Promotion files will be one and the same,
and the Unit Tenure and Promotion Committees are one and the same.
9.1 Criteria for Consideration for Promotion.
9.1.1. Assistant Professor.
To be eligible for consideration for promotion to the rank of Assistant
Professor a faculty member must have
a. Six years of service to the University at the rank of Lecturer; or
b. Completed the terminal degree in the discipline.
9.1.2. Associate Professor or Associate Librarian.
To be eligible for consideration for promotion to the rank of Associate
Professor, a faculty member must (at the time the promotion becomes
effective) meet the minimum degree requirements as described in Section IV
2.2.2.4, and have a strong record of performance to the University over a
period of at least six years, of which at least five years must be at the rank of
Assistant Professor. Promotion to Associate Professor presupposes the
demonstration of excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service.
To be eligible for consideration for promotion to the rank of Associate
Librarian, a faculty member must (at the time the promotion becomes
effective) meet the minimum degree requirements described in Section IV
2.2.6.2, and have a strong record of performance to the University over a
period of at least six years, of which at least five years must be at the rank of
Assistant Librarian. Promotion to Associate Librarian presupposes the
demonstration of excellence in librarianship and service.
9.1.3. Professor or Librarian.
To be eligible for consideration for promotion to the rank of Professor, a
faculty member must (at the time the promotion becomes effective) have a
Page | 50
strong record of performance at the rank of Associate Professor for a period
of at least six years and hold the earned terminal degree. Promotion to
Professor presupposes the demonstration of excellence in teaching,
scholarship and service. Although these are the same factors considered for
promotion to Associate Professor, the extent and the significance of
accomplishment distinguishes the two.
To be eligible for consideration for promotion to the rank of Librarian, a
faculty member must (at the time the promotion becomes effective) have a
strong record of performance at the rank of Associate Librarian for a period
of at least six years and hold the earned terminal degree. Promotion to
Librarian presupposes the demonstration of excellence in librarianship and
service. Although these are the same factors considered for promotion to
Associate Librarian, the extent and significance of accomplishment
distinguishes the two.
Additional performance criteria, more appropriate to a given discipline, may
be generated by the College/Unit. Such criteria and the date of their
implementation must be approved by the College/Unit faculty members and
the Dean prior to their implementation.
9.2. Eligibility.
Candidates will be eligible to apply for promotion on or before September 1
of any year in which they meet the qualifications for the rank to which they
wish to be promoted.
9.3. Promotion Review Process.
Step 1
MAY
May 1 (No later than): Candidates for promotion will identify themselves in
writing to the Vice President for Academic Affairs that they seek promotion in
the next academic year.
May 15 (No later than): The Vice President, in consultation with the candidate's
Dean, will confirm the faculty member's candidacy in writing with a copy of the
confirmation sent to the candidate, the Dean, and all current full-time faculty
members.
SEPTEMBER
September 15 (no later than): The Dean, in consultation with the candidate, will
appoint two peer evaluators. The peer evaluators will not be current members of
the University Tenure and Promotion Committee.
The peer evaluators will each visit the candidate's class at least
twice and will review the candidate's Promotion File before
submitting letters of evaluation. Each letter shall address all
aspects of the candidate’s performance and include a
recommendation for or against awarding promotion to the
candidate.
Page | 51
OCTOBER
October 1: The candidate will submit his/her Promotion File to his/her Dean or
Director.
The Promotion File will contain the following items:

Promotion Review Process Form
The first page of the promotion file must be the Promotion
Review Process Form (PRPF). The purpose of this form is to
ensure that due process has been followed throughout the
promotion review process;

Professional Development Statement
The Professional Development Statement should address the
candidate's goals and how he or she has sought to achieve them,
and include revised long-term and short-term goals and the
candidate's perception of how these goals relate to his or her
responsibilities at Lander University;




Initial Faculty Development Plan;
Vice President's letter of confirmation;
Current vita;
A copy of the College/ Unit performance criteria with the dates during which
they were in force;
 Faculty Performance Reports for all years under review;
 Results of official student evaluations for all years under review (except for
library faculty);
 Peer evaluations;
 Annual evaluations by the Dean or Director for all years under review; and
 Course syllabi for the three most recently taught courses (except for library
faculty).
Additional pertinent items may be included in an Ancillary File, which will
accompany the Promotion File throughout this process.
The candidate, the Dean, the Unit Head, the peer evaluators, and the members of
the Unit Promotion Committee will have access to the Promotion File while it is
in the Dean’s Office.
NOVEMBER
November 1 (No later than): The peer evaluators’ letters will be placed in the
Promotion File located in the Dean’s or Director’s office.
Step 2
NOVEMBER
November 2: The Dean will activate the Unit Promotion Committee.
Unit Promotion Committee
This committee consists of all the tenured faculty members within the Unit,
except for the candidate, the Dean, and members of the University Tenure
and Promotion Committee. If the number of tenured faculty members in the
candidate’s Unit is fewer than three, additional committee members shall be
Page | 52
selected from within the University by the Dean in consultation with the Unit
Head and the candidate.
The Dean will be responsible for calling the first meeting of the Unit
Promotion Committee. The Unit Promotion Committee will meet and elect a
chair from among its members. The Unit Promotion Committee will review
the candidate's Promotion File, deliberate, and vote for or against the award
of promotion.
The Chair of the Unit Promotion Committee is responsible for

Conducting the business of the Committee and maintaining written
correspondence with the candidate and the Dean.
 Placing the written recommendation of the committee in the candidate’s
promotion file. The recommendation will address each University
criterion for promotion and, if applicable, each Unit/College criterion for
promotion, indicating the number of votes for and the number of votes
against the award of a promotion to the candidate, with commentary
reviewed by the committee of the whole.
 Sending a copy of the recommendation to the candidate.
 Signing the Promotion Review Process Form. The committee chair’s
signature indicates that the process has been followed. After the chair
signs the PRPF, the Dean will be notified no later than December 1 that
the work of the committee has been completed.
DECEMBER
December 1 (No later than): The committee chair will sign and submit
Promotion Review Process Form to the Dean and will notify the Dean that the
work of the committee has been completed.
Step 3
DECEMBER
December 15: The Dean will complete his/her review of the candidate's
Promotion File.
The Dean will

Place a written recommendation (including reasons) for or against
promotion in the candidate's Promotion File;
 Send a copy of the recommendation to the candidate;
 Sign the Promotion Review Process Form and forward the Promotion File
to the Office of Academic Affairs no later than January 5
JANUARY
January 5 (No later than): The Dean will forward the Promotion File to the Office
of Academic Affairs. The file will remain in the Office of Academic Affairs
throughout the remainder of the process, including any appeals which may occur.
Step 4
JANUARY
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January 10 (No later than): The Vice President for Academic Affairs will notify
the University Tenure and Promotion Committee, that all Promotion Files have
been received in the office.
January 11: The University Tenure and Promotion Committee will begin its
review of all candidates for promotion.
The primary role of the University Tenure and Promotion Committee is
to evaluate the extent to which all University criteria for promotion have
been met. Any questions which the Committee has concerning policy or
procedures will be directed to the Chair of the Faculty Senate.
Step 5
FEBRUARY
February 11 (No later than): The University Tenure and Promotion Committee
Chair will submit their written recommendation to the Vice President for
Academic Affairs to be placed in the Promotion file.
The recommendation will include the number of votes for and the
number of votes against the award of promotion, with
commentary reviewed by the committee of the whole, to be
placed in the Promotion File no later than February 11. The chair
of the Tenure and Promotion Committee is also responsible for
signing the Promotion Review Process Form and sending a copy
of the Committee’s recommendation to the members of the
University Tenure and Promotion Committee by February 11.
February 12: The Vice President for Academic Affairs will review the Promotion
File and the University Tenure and Promotion Committee’s recommendations.
The Vice President for Academic Affairs will review the
Promotion File. Should the VPAA upon reviewing a candidate's
Promotion file, not concur with the recommendation of the
University Tenure and Promotion Committee, he or she shall
meet with the Committee before March 11 to discuss the case.
The objective of this meeting is to determine, to the extent
possible, whether an agreement on the recommendations for
each candidate by the University Tenure and Promotion
Committee and the VPAA can be reached.
MARCH
March 11 (No later than): If the VPAA does not concur with the
recommendations of the University Tenure and Promotion Committee, then the
VPAA will meet with the committee.
March 21 (No later than): The VPAA will add a recommendation to the
candidate’s Promotion File, sign the Promotion Review Process Form and then
forward the file to the President.
The President will review the candidate's Promotion File and decide for
or against promotion. Should the President not agree with the
recommendations in the file, the President will meet with the appropriate
reviewers to discuss the case.
Page | 54
APRIL
April 1 (No later than): The President's decision will be provided in writing to
the candidate. The President's decision will become part of the candidate's
Personnel File. The President will also notify the entire faculty of those faculty
members who have been promoted.
If the promotion decision is negative, the faculty member should
consult with the Vice President for Academic Affairs concerning
recommendations for specific measures for improvement.
The process is complete when the President informs all faculty members
of those candidates receiving promotions.
9.4. Adjustments to Salaries when Promoted.
Salary increases for promotion will be as follows: Lecturer to Assistant
Professor, $2,500; Assistant Professor to Associate Professor or Assistant
Librarian to Associate Librarian, $3,000; and Associate Professor to
Professor or Associate Librarian to Librarian, $4,000.
9.5. Promotion Appeal Process.
A faculty member who has not been promoted and alleges that University
policies and procedures were not followed may request a hearing by an
Academic Freedom, Grievance, and Due Process Committee. The request for a
hearing must be made to the President and the Faculty Senate no later than
April 15.
An Academic Freedom, Grievance, and Due Process Committee, appointed
according to Faculty Senate guidelines, will meet, deliberate and submit its
written recommendations to the President no later than May 15. The
President’s decision will be conveyed in writing to the faculty member and
the Academic Freedom, Grievance and Due Process Committee no later than
June 1.
10. University Leave Policies.
10.1. Sabbatical Leave.
Sabbatical leave may be granted to faculty members subject to the following
guidelines.
10.1.1. Eligibility.
Tenured faculty members with the rank of Assistant Professor or higher who
have been employed at Lander for at least six years are eligible to apply for a
sabbatical leave. A terminal degree is not required, and the program is not
intended as a means of funding work toward academic degrees. Faculty
members are eligible for a sabbatical leave every seven years.
10.1.2 Conditions.
Sabbatical pay will be half-time for one year or full pay for one semester.
Fringe benefits will be extended through the sabbatical period. For the
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purposes of promotion and annual raises, sabbatical leave will be counted as
time in rank. The faculty member will teach at Lander University for a period
of at least one year after the sabbatical leave or will repay the compensation
received during the leave. The semester following the sabbatical leave
period, the faculty member will provide to the Dean, Unit Head /Director of
the Library, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs a written progress
report detailing the work completed while on sabbatical leave. Upon total
completion of the sabbatical leave project, a final written report will be
submitted to the Secretary of the Faculty Senate, the Dean, and the Vice
President for Academic Affairs.
10.1.3. The Proposal.
The quality of the proposal, the likelihood of its successful completion,
whether the proposal is consistent with the individual's professional
development goals and the mission of the University, and financial feasibility
will be the primary reasons for awarding sabbatical leaves. Seniority may be
a consideration when proposals of equal quality are submitted, but it should
never be the overriding criterion.
10.1.4. Proposal Submission.
Proposals are to be submitted to the appropriate supervisor.
10.1.5. Sabbatical Approval Process for Full-time Non-Administrative
Faculty.
The process involves a number of steps. The first step begins when a faculty
member submits a proposal for a sabbatical leave to the Dean in writing. The
deadline for the submission is October 20.
A sabbatical proposal must:

Describe the activity in which you intend to engage;

Propose a calendar for the activity;

Explain why you think you are able to engage in and to complete this
activity;

Indicate what preparations you have already made for this particular
activity;

Explain the relationship between this activity and your professional
goals;

Explain the relationship between this activity and your teaching
assignments;

Explain the relationship between this activity and Lander University’s
mission;

Indicate the benefit of your activity to the University’s future. If
appropriate, relate the activity to the University’s priorities of student
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success, regional impact, and technological awareness and
capabilities; and

Include an updated curriculum vitae.
The second step begins no later than November 1. The Dean and the faculty
member will identify three faculty peer evaluators from the College to review
the proposal. The reviewers' recommendation for or against the sabbatical
will be submitted to the Dean by November 15.
In the third step, the Dean will write an evaluation of the proposal and
submit all documents to the Faculty Senate Grants Committee by December
1. Senators applying for sabbaticals will not serve on this committee.
The fourth step takes place in December when the Faculty Senate Grants
Committee will meet to evaluate proposals and to recommend the priority of
funding by assigning each proposal a numerical rank. The Committee will
forward its recommendations to the Vice President for Academic Affairs by
December 15.
By January 10 the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) will complete
the fifth step. In consultation with the Dean, Unit Head and/Director of the
Library, the VPAA will determine the financial feasibility of granting the
sabbatical and the possibility of recruiting an individual to replace the faculty
member requesting the sabbatical.
The sixth and final step occurs no later than January 15. The VPAA will meet
with the President to determine how many of the recommended sabbaticals
may be funded.
The faculty member will be informed no later than February 1 as to whether
the sabbatical proposal will be awarded.
10.2 Other Leave
For University policies concerning sick leave, maternity leave, annual leave,
and leave without pay contact the Lander University Office of Human
Resources.
11. Procedures for the Termination of a Faculty Member.
Termination proceedings of an appointment with continuous tenure, or of a
probationary appointment before the end of the term specified in the
contract, may be initiated by the institution only for adequate cause, defined
as follows:

Demonstrably bona fide institutional decisions (resulting from
educational or financial exigencies, and made only with faculty input)
involving the discontinuance of programs, but only after giving the
faculty member twelve months' notice;

Physical or mental inability to fulfill the terms and conditions of the
appointment; and
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
Cause, which shall include but not be limited to: incompetence,
neglect of duty, dishonesty, conviction of a felony, or willful and
repeated violations of University rules and regulations.

Threat of dismissal will not be used to restrain faculty members in the
exercise of academic freedom.
11.1. Notification of Intent to Dismiss.
Dismissal of tenured faculty is a matter of utmost gravity, and the decision to
dismiss must be weighed with a careful regard of the rights of all parties
directly concerned. The President (or the Vice President for Academic Affairs
if the President is directly involved) will send notification of the intent to
dismiss, including reasons, to the faculty member. The Chair of the Faculty
Senate will be notified if there is an intent to dismiss. At this point the faculty
member may resign or request a hearing.
11.2. Hearing Process.
A faculty member who has been notified of the intent to dismiss may request
a hearing by notifying the President and the Chair of the Faculty Senate
within thirty days of receiving notification of intent to dismiss. After a
request for a hearing has been made, the faculty member requesting a
hearing on charges that might lead to dismissal will not be suspended by the
President of the University during the proceedings unless the President
determines that immediate harm to the rights of others is threatened by the
faculty member's continued exercise of academic duties. If the faculty
member is suspended, the suspension will be with pay.
Upon receiving the request for a hearing, the Chair of the Faculty Senate will
follow Faculty Senate guidelines in selecting members of an Academic
Freedom, Grievance, and Due Process Committee. The Committee will
conduct the hearing within sixty days from the request for a hearing. The
Academic Freedom, Grievance, and Due Process Committee will determine
the scope of the proceedings and the range of evidence to provide fairness to
all parties involved. The faculty member and the University will each have
the right to retain counsel, to present witnesses and evidence, and to crossexamine all witnesses. The Committee will prepare a written transcript of the
hearing and will provide a copy to all parties involved.
11.3. The Decision.
Within thirty days after all parties have been heard and all relevant evidence
has been examined, the Academic Freedom, Grievance, and Due Process
Committee will deliberate and make a recommendation. The President and
the faculty member will each be given copies of the written recommendation
and a summary of the relevant evidence. Within thirty days of receiving the
recommendation of the Academic Freedom, Grievance, and Due Process
Committee, the President will decide to dismiss the faculty member or to
withdraw the intent to dismiss. In the event the President's decision does not
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agree with the Committee's recommendation, the President will provide
reasons in writing to the Chair of the Committee and to the faculty member
involved.
11.4 Appeal Process.
In the event of a decision for dismissal, a petition for review of the dismissal
decision may be made in writing to the Lander University Board of Trustees
within thirty days of the decision. Such petitions must fully state the grounds
of appeal and may include a request for a hearing from the Board. The final
decision is made by the Board of Trustees and will be communicated to the
faculty member and to the University.
12. Amendment Process for Section IV.
Proposed amendments to these procedures and regulations will be
processed as follows:
a. An amendment may be presented to an officer of the Faculty Senate
from any source within the University. The Faculty Senate in
consultation with the VPAA will consider the proposal in the same
manner as any other proposal.
b. Proposed amendments approved by the Faculty Senate will be
presented to the full faculty for a vote.
c. Amendments to Section IV approved by a majority vote of a quorum of
voting faculty will be forwarded by the VPAA to the President.
d. If the President, in consultation with the VPAA and the University’s
legal Counsel approves the amendment, the President will forward
the proposed amendment to the Board of Trustees for its action.
V. University Governance System
1. Officers of the University
1.1 The Vice President for Academic Affairs
Is appointed by the President and reports directly to the President.
Is the chief academic officer of the University. In consultation with appropriate
faculty committees, and college and school Deans, is responsible for
formulating and approving policies relating to the instructional programs in
all colleges and schools of the University and for the planning, developing,
and the administering of those programs within the scope of policies
approved by the Board of Trustees.
In the absence or disability of the President, will be the acting chief
administrative officer of Lander University, unless another person is
designated in writing by the President and/or Chair of the Board of Trustees.
Will supervise and direct the activities of Lander University colleges and schools
and will approve all academic appointments.
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Will perform such other duties as may be delegated to the office from time to
time by the President.
When requested to do so by the President, will represent the President at such
times and places as may be appropriate.
Is responsible to the President and will perform such other duties as may be
delegated to him/her from time to time by the President and will make a
written annual progress report to the President on the University’s strategic
plan.
1.2 The Vice President for Business and Administration
Is appointed by the President and reports directly to the President.
Is the chief financial officer of the University.
Is responsible for negotiating, monitoring, and securing all University contracts,
leases, deeds, and other legal documents.
Supports the chief executive officer of the University by providing analytical
reports and coordinating staff in connection with all aspects of the financial
and business affairs of the University.
Is responsible for the coordination of the annual budget, which is submitted to
the Legislature and to the Commission on Higher Education.
Collects and receives all revenue.
Is responsible for paying all salaries, bills, and accounts, and is responsible for
examination of all accounts, claims, and demands against the University to
insure that the amounts are correct and within the proper budgetary
appropriations.
Is responsible for maintaining, reviewing, and updating accounting systems.
Employs, in consultation with the President, and has direct supervisory
responsibility for personnel in the Budget Office, Business Office, the Office of
Financial Aid, the Bookstore and Post Office, Purchasing Office, Technical
Services, Human Resources, the Print Shop, and the Payroll Department.
Is responsible for auxiliary budgets to insure that sufficient funds are available
for debt service reserve.
Cooperates with all offices of the University in providing for the comfort and
general welfare of students.
Will provide for an audit of accounts annually, or more frequently if the Board of
Trustees so desires.
Is responsible to the President and will perform such other duties as may be
delegated to him/her from time to time by the President and will make a
written annual report to the President.
1.3 The Vice President for Student Affairs
Is appointed by the President and reports directly to the President.
Is responsible for all aspects of the division of student affairs to include:
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Residence Life, Student Health Services, Counseling and Substance Abuse
Services, Disability Services, Career Services and Employment Center,
Campus Recreation and Intramurals, Student Fitness Center, Club Sports,
University Pool, Greek Life, Multicultural Programs, Student Conduct
Administration, Behavioral Intervention Team, Student Concern Referrals,
Student Affairs Assessment, Student Organizations, Student Title IX
Coordinator, Equestrian Center, Student Activities and Leadership
Development, University Spirit Program (Cheer, Dance, Mascot), Student Life
Policies and Procedures.
Is responsible for coordinating all student life programs with the university
strategic plan.
Is responsible for helping develop a campus climate that enhances student
learning, student engagement and promotes civility.
Is responsible to the President and will perform such other duties as may be
delegated to him/her from time to time by the President and will make a
written annual report to the President.
1.4 The Vice President for University Advancement
Is appointed by the President and reports directly to the President.
Is the executive director of the Lander Foundation. Is responsible for the day-today operations of the Foundation.
Is responsible for the planning, coordination, and administration of the alumni
programs.
Is responsible for all fund-raising activities, including capital campaigns, annual
giving, and special gifts.
Is responsible to the President and will perform such other duties as may be
delegated to him/her from time to time by the President and will make a
written annual report to the President.
1.5 Executive Director of Athletics
Is appointed by and reports directly to the President.
Is responsible, as Athletics Director, and under guidelines of the institution, the
Peach Belt Conference, the NCAA Division II, and the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, for organizing and
administering all aspects of the intercollegiate athletics program, including
formulating programs, policies, and procedures.
Is responsible, as Coordinator of the intercollegiate athletics facilities, for
coordinating all activities in the facilities and ensuring the facilities’ proper
use, protection, and maintenance.
Is responsible to the President and will perform such other duties as may be
delegated to him/her from time to time by the President and will make a
written annual report to the President.
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1.6 The Vice President for Enrollment & Access Management
Is appointed by the President and reports directly to the President.
Oversees all aspects of student enrollment management and university
initiatives.
Develops and implements a strategic vision for short and long term
enrollment/retention efforts.
Provides leadership in achieving enrollment goals by collaborating with the
executive leadership team.
Is responsible to the President and will perform such other duties as may be
delegated to him/her from time to time by the President and will make a
written annual report to the President.
1.7 The Vice President for Governmental Relations
Is appointed by the President and reports directly to the President.
Advocates with the South Carolina General Assembly on issues of importance to
Lander University and confer with officials of state government concerning
the interest of the University and the impact of proposed legislation. Establish
relations with members of the General Assembly, the Governor, and other
senior officials whose policies and recommendations impact Lander
University.
Establishes relationships in Washington, D.C. with senior-level appointed and
elected officials to elevate their awareness of regulations and legislative
matters that may affect Lander University.
Identifies, seeks, and helps secure federal and state funds, grants and contracts to
financially support Lander activities.
Represents Lander University to appropriate organizations or coalitions;
establishes and maintains contacts to aid and foster governmental relations
activities. Establishes relationships with local officials in the seven counties
directly served and affected by Lander University. Works with local officials
across the State as needed.
Serves as policy advisor to the University President on issues related to local,
state and federal governments and the local community.
Is responsible for the administration of University relations and publications.
Other duties as assigned.
2. Appointments & Duties of College/School Deans and Department Chairs
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2.1 Appointments and duties of college/school deans
a. Appointments are made by the President in consultation with the Vice
President for Academic Affairs
b. College/school deans report directly to the Vice President for Academic
Affairs and serve for such term and on such conditions as the Vice President
and the President shall consider appropriate.
c. College/school Deans are responsible for

Formulating policies relating to the instructional program in all
departments of the college in consultation with appropriate
departmental committees and department chairs, and for the
planning, developing, and the administering of those programs within
the scope of policies approved by the Board of Trustees.

Supervising and directing the activities of department chairs within
the college.

Evaluating faculty and staff members within the college.

Recommending to the Vice President for Academic Affairs all
appointments to be made within the college.

Submitting an outcomes report On July 1 of each year to the Vice
President for Academic Affairs, which describes the outcomes of
action plans developed the previous November to meet the
University’s Strategic Plan.

Representing the Vice President for Academic Affairs at such times
and places as may be appropriate.

Performing such other duties as may be delegated from time to time
by the Vice President for Academic Affairs
2.2 Procedure for recruiting and appointment of college/school deans
d. When the position of college/school dean becomes vacant, the Vice President
for Academic Affairs will obtain a recommendation from the faculty members
of the college to conduct an internal or external search.
e. After receiving the recommendation of the faculty, the Vice President for
Academic Affairs will consult with the President in making the final decision
to conduct an internal or external search.
f.
In consultation with the faculty members of each department, the Vice
President for Academic Affairs will appoint a search committee, which the
Vice President for Academic Affairs will chair. The search committee will
consist of two representatives from each department within the college. Of
the two department representatives, one will be the department chair unless
the current department chair is a candidate for the position.
g. The faculty members of the college will be asked to give their
recommendation on all candidates interviewed.
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h. The Vice President for Academic Affairs will consult with the President, who
will make the appointment. The appointment will be announced to the
faculty.
2.3 Procedure for recruiting and appointment of department chairs
Appointments to the position of department chair (i.e., unit head) are made by the
dean of the college/school upon approval of the Vice President for Academic
Affairs.
Faculty members within a department are consulted by the dean of the
college/school for their recommendation.
Department chairs shall be appointed to a term of three years. A candidate for
department chair should meet the qualifications for (or currently hold)
appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor within the
department and should meet the qualifications delineated in the published job
description filed in the Office of Academic Affairs.
During September of the third year of a department chair’s term, the following
will occur:

The dean of the college/school will inquire in writing whether the
current department chair wishes to continue in that position; and

The dean of the college/school will request that faculty members of the
department involved to individually indicate whether the position should
be declared open. The dean of the college/school will then send the
results of the poll, including the number of votes for and the number of
votes against, to each faculty member of that department.
The current department chair will serve another three-year term if all of the
following conditions exist:

A simple majority of the faculty of the department do not wish to open
the position; and

The current department chair wishes to continue in that position; and

The college/school dean in consultation with the Vice President for
Academic Affairs, agrees. By October 15, the individual, as well as the
department faculty, will be notified of the decision.
The dean of the college/school, in consultation with the Vice President for
Academic Affairs may declare the position open if any one of the following holds
true:

The current department chair no longer chooses to serve or is for some
reason unable to serve in that position;

In response to the request from the dean of the college/school, a simple
majority of the department faculty indicates its preference to open the
position; or
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
The dean of the college/school, in consultation with the Vice President
for Academic Affairs, deems that it would be in the best interests of the
University.
If the position is opened, the dean of the college/school will seek input from the
department whether the faculty recommends an internal or external search. The
dean of the college/school will seek other information from the department
faculty and any other persons he or she deems pertinent. The dean of the
college/school will then consult with the Vice President for Academic Affairs who
will decide if the search is to be internal or external.
If an internal search is conducted, the current department chair will be eligible
for nomination, as will any other faculty member who meets the qualifications.
The dean of the college/school will solicit nominations from the department
faculty members concerning their choice for department chair. All nominations
should be submitted to the dean of the college/school in writing by November 1.
The dean of the college/school will contact each nominee to determine his or her
willingness to serve as department chair.
If more than one individual is nominated and is willing to serve, the dean of the
college/school will convene a meeting of the department. During this meeting,
each candidate will (not in the presence of any other candidate[s]) state why
he/she wishes to be (or continue to be) department chair, will suggest overall
goals and objectives for the department, and will offer a possible three-year plan
to accomplish those goals and objectives. The faculty members will have time
during this meeting to ask questions
Every member of the department is encouraged to meet individually with the
dean of the college/school by December 5 for a review of the state of the
department--its strengths and weaknesses--and the kind of leadership required.
During these consultations, the dean of the college/school is not precluded from
seeking advice regarding these same matters from any other persons deemed
suitable by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and/or the President. The
faculty of the department should give individual recommendations (with
reasons) in writing to the dean of the college/school by December 12. The dean
of the college/school will consult with the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Upon authorization by the Academic Vice President, the college/school dean will
make the appointment and has the right to appoint any qualified individual.
2.4 Duties of Department Chairs
The duties of the department chair will be developed by the college/school dean
in consultation with the appointee and will be incorporated into the chair’s
employment contract.
3. University Committees
Unless otherwise specified, faculty members will be selected by the provost in consultation
with the deans.
3.1 Academic Honor Council
3.1.1Membership
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The Honor Council will consist of eight voting members and the Vice
President for Student Affairs (non-voting). The voting members will consist
of four students and four faculty members. The students, who must be at
least rising juniors, will be elected to the Council through the Student
Government Association. The faculty members will be appointed by the
President after nominations are provided by the Faculty Senate. Faculty
members shall serve for three years and shall be eligible for reappointment
after one year has passed since their previous appointment.
3.1.2Function
The Council conducts hearings when an allegation is made that a student has
violated the Lander University Honor Code.
3.1.3 Procedures
The procedures followed by the Academic Honor Council are detailed in
Section VI of this document. The Council reports to the Faculty Senate and
the Student Life Council.
3.2 Admissions and Petitions Committee
3.2.1 Membership
The Admissions and Petitions Committee will consist of the Registrar, Chair;
the Director of Career Services; the Director of Academic Success Center; 2
faculty members from each college and 1 faculty member from the Jackson
Library. Faculty members shall serve for three years and shall be eligible for
reappointment after one year has passed since the end of their previous
appointment.
3.2.2 Function
The Committee will make recommendations to the appropriate
administrative or faculty bodies on all matters of undergraduate admissions
policies and procedures, and will serve as a review board on written
petitions from students seeking specific relief from the application of
academic policy. It shall recommend action on student petitions to the Vice
President for Academic Affairs.
3.2.3 Procedures
The Committee meets at least once every month at the call of its Chair to
perform its functions as stated above.
The Committee reports to the full faculty.
3.3 Advisory Committee on the Disabled
3.3.1 Membership
The Advisory Committee on the Disabled will consist of the Director of
Human Resources, Chair; the Director of Engineering Services; the Vice
President for Academic Affairs; the Vice President for Student Affairs; three
members of the faculty; the Advisor for Disabled Students; two students; and
the Director of Student Health Services. Faculty members shall serve for
three years and shall be eligible for reappointment after one year has passed
since the end of their previous appointment.
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3.3.2 Function
The Committee provides counsel and suggestions to the University to aid in
ensuring that the institution is providing equal opportunity accessibility to
individuals with disabilities and/or impairments.
3.3.3 Procedures
The Committee meets periodically at the call of its Chair for the specific
purposes of continuing to evaluate the facilities of the University to insure
accessibility; to evaluate University policies and procedures within the
parameters of the Committee’s responsibility; to provide counsel to the
University on any ADA-related issue; and to update, monitor, and fulfill
Lander University’s Transition Plan goals.
The Committee reports to the President.
3.4 Athletics Committee
3.4.1 Membership
The Athletics Committee shall consist of four faculty members, including the
Faculty Athletic Representative, Chair; two students; two alumni; the
Director of Athletics; the Senior Woman Athletics Administrator; and the
head coaches of all Lander University intercollegiate teams. The
intercollegiate coaches will be nonvoting members. Faculty members,
excepting the Faculty Athletic Representative, shall serve for three years and
shall be eligible for reappointment after one year has passed since the end of
their previous appointment.
3.4.2 Function
The Committee’s purpose is to provide liaison between the students, faculty,
and administration concerning the athletic program of the University. The
Committee will ensure that the philosophy and policies of the athletics
program are in harmony with the institution’s Mission Statement and
Statement of Purpose. The Committee will also oversee athletic matters
relating to institutional effectiveness, as mandated in the criteria stipulated
by the Commission on Higher Education and on accreditation matters
dictated by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
3.4.3 Procedures
The Committee meets periodically at the call of its Chair to perform its
function as stated above.
The Committee reports to the full faculty.
3.5 Bloodborne Pathogens Committee
3.5.1Membership
The Bloodborne Pathogen Committee shall consist of the University Safety
Officer, Chair; the Director of Student Health Services; a representative from
Human Resources; and the supervisor, or the supervisor's designee, from
each area where employees may have an occupational risk of exposure to
bloodborne pathogens.
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3.5.2 Function
The committee reviews and updates the Lander University Bloodborne
Pathogen Exposure Control Plan on an annual basis, examines questions
arising from established practices and procedures, and serves as a review
board for issues relating to the bloodborne pathogen exposure control plan.
3.5.3 Procedures
The Committee meets periodically at the call of its Chair to perform its
function as stated above.
The Committee reports to the President.
3.6 Co-Curricular Programs Committee
3.6.1 Membership
The Co-Curricular Programs Committee shall consist of the Director of
Student Activities , Chair; the Vice President for Student Affairs; the
Assistant Director of Residence Life; the Director of Intramurals; the
Executive Director, Lander-Greenwood Performing Arts; two faculty
members; one representative from the Student Activities Office; one
representative from Multicultural Affairs; one representative from
University Program Council; one student representative of the Intramural
staff; two students at large.
3.6.2 Function
The committee serves in an advisory capacity for the directors in the areas
of student activities, student organizations, and intramurals. Its
responsibilities include, but are not limited to, developing policies and
procedures, acting as judicial body for organizational policy violations;
allocating student activity fees; and making recommendations to
appropriate committees for the improvement of Lander University's cocurricular program. Additionally, the committee selects, nominees for Who's
Who and the student Life Award winners.
3.6.3 Procedures
The committee will meet on a monthly basis from September through
April. Approved minutes will be sent to the President, all Vice Presidents, the
Student Association Government President, and the Chair of the Student Life
Committee.
The committee reports to the Student Life Council.
3.7 Experience Your Education (EYE) Program Council
3.7.1 Membership
The EYE Program Council shall consist of the Director of the EYE Program
(Chair), the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Director of University
Assessment, a faculty representative from each college and the library,
Director of Career Services, Director of Student Activities, Director of
Admissions, a student representative from each academic class, and
community representatives appointed by the President.
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3.7.2 Function
The council advises the Director of the EYE Program on issues related to the
management, assessment, and improvement of the EYE Program.
3.7.3 Procedures
The council meets periodically at the call of the Director of the EYE Program
to review the status of the program. Several sub-committees of the council
meet periodically at the call of the Director of the EYE Program to approve
new activities, analyze assessment data, and plan program improvements.
The council reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
3.8 EXPO Orientation Advisory Committee
3.8.1 Membership
The EXPO Orientation Advisory Committee will consist of the Vice President
of Student Affairs, Chair; the Administrative Coordinator, Student
Development, (secretary); ; the Assistant Dean of Students/Multicultural
Student Affairs; the Assistant Dean of Students/Counseling Services; the Vice
President for Student Affairs; the Vice President for Academic Affairs; the
Director of Academic Success Center; Coordinator of Academic Center; the
Assistant Director of Residence Life; the Director of Student Health Services;
one representative from the University Police Department; one
representative from the Business Office; one representative from the
Physical Plant; one representative from Information Technology; and three
students.
3.8.2 Function
This committee reviews EXPO procedures and processes, and advises and
recommends to the Director of EXPO any adjustments needed to ensure that
the EXPO Orientation program is as effective as possible. This committee
serves as a forum to discuss issues related to EXPO and any activities
associated with the EXPO program. Committee members also represent
various sectors of the University in speaking to the role, scope, and
operation of EXPO.
3.8.3 Procedures
The committee will meet on an as-needed basis as determined by the
Advisory Committee. Approved committee minutes will be sent to the
President, all Vice Presidents, and the Student Government Association
President.
The committee reports to the Student Life Council.
3.9 Financial Aid Scholarship Committee
3.9.1 Membership
The Financial Aid Scholarship Committee shall consist of each of the four
vice presidents (or respective designee) and the Athletic Director (or
designee). The Directors of Financial Aid and Admissions will serve ex officio
and without vote to advise and assist the Committee in its deliberations.
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3.9.2 Function
The Committee will perform three key responsibilities:
1. establish and, when appropriate, revise guidelines for the award of those
scholarships previously under the discretion of the Director of Financial
Aid, and receive recommendations from the Directors of Financial Aid
and of Admissions on student recruits for approval;
2. advise the President regarding the awarding of scholarship funds under
the discretion of the President;
3. serve as an appeals board when a student seeks redress regarding a
decision made concerning scholarship funds.
3.9.3 Procedures
The Committee chair will annually be elected from and by the voting
members of the Committee. The Committee will meet at least annually, called
together by the previous year’s chair.
The Committee reports to the President.
3.10 Foundation Grants Committee
3.10.1 Membership
The Committee on Lander Foundation Grants shall consist of the members
of the Senate Faculty Grants committee; one faculty member from each of
the four colleges; the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who serves exofficio on the Senate Committee and will also serve ex-officio on this
committee; and the Lander Grants Coordinator, who will serve as an exofficio member of this committee. Faculty Senate Grants Committee
members serve during their appointment to that Committee. Other
members are appointed annually by the President. No faculty member may
serve more than three consecutive years. No faculty member may submit a
grant application while serving on the Committee. The chair of the Senate
Faculty Grants Committee will serve as chair of the Committee on Lander
Foundation Grants.
3.10.2 Function
The Committee reviews applications for Lander Foundation Faculty Grants,
ranks them according to their merit in compliance with pertaining
guidelines and, through the Vice President for Academic Affairs, makes
recommendations to the Lander Foundation on the funding of all submitted
applications.
3.10.3 Procedures
The committee meets at least three times a year: (i) before the application
deadline in order to clarify procedures; (ii) following the receipt of
applications in order to review their merit and compliance with appropriate
guidelines, to rank them, and to recommend dollar amounts for each
depending on the funds available; and (iii) after completion of the
deliberations in order to assess the effectiveness of guidelines and
procedures. If appropriate, the committee then recommends changes to the
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Faculty Senate through the Faculty Senate Grants Committee and to the
Lander Foundation Faculty/Staff Development Committee through the Vice
President for Academic Affairs.
The Committee reports to the Faculty Senate and the Lander Foundation
Faculty/Staff Development Committee.
3.11 Graduate Programs Committee
3.11.1 Membership
The voting membership of the Graduate Programs Committee will consist of
the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the college deans, the coordinator(s)
for each graduate program, the Dean of Enrollment Management, and the
chair of the Senate Curriculum Committee.
Nonvoting membership of the committee may consist of admissions officers
named by the dean of enrollment management and administrative support
staff named by the college deans.
3.11.2 Function
The Graduate Programs Committee shall exercise oversight of graduate
educational programs and graduate student policies.
The Committee will review and recommend graduate admissions policies,
hear petitions of graduate students, review and approve all graduate course
proposals (activations, deactivations, and modifications). The Committee
will also develop and review means for evaluating graduate admissions
policies, graduate academic programs, and academic standards, monitor
these evaluation processes, and make recommendations for change.
3.11.3 Procedures
The chair of the committee will be chosen annually by the members of the
Committee. The Committee will meet on the first Wednesday of the month at
4:00 pm or as often as necessary as determined by the chair but not less
than once per semester.
All actions and votes shall be reflected in the minutes of each meeting. Policy
recommendations must be approved through normal Faculty Senate
procedures.
3.12 Health Advisory Committee
3.12.1 Membership
The Lander Health Advisory Committee shall consist of the Director of the
School of Nursing (or designee), Chair; VP for Student Affairs (or designee);
Chief of the University Police Department; the Director of Intramurals; one
representative, Office of Residence Life; one representative, Counseling
Services; one representative, Office of Admissions; the Director of Student
Health Services; the Athletic Director (or representative from the
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Department of PEES); one representative, the Student Government
Association; one Resident Assistant; one upperclassmen nursing student;
one Lander President's Leadership Program student residing in a residence
hall; one representative, B.M. Montgomery Family Practice Center; and one
representative, Upper Savannah Health District. Other members may be
appointed at the discretion of the chair.
3.12.2 Function
The function of the Lander Health Advisory Committee is to promote the
health status of the Lander University community, defined as Lander
students, staff, and faculty.
The committee will recommend policies and programs concerning the
Lander Student Health Service specifically and Lander community health
matters generally, in so far as these policies and programs do not require the
direct outlay of university resources beyond services provided to residential
students. These recommendations will be conveyed to university
administrative officials through the Dean of Students.
3.12.3 Procedures
The committee will each year appoint a subcommittee to plan and organize
an annual program for health education presentations and activities for the
Lander community. The Director of Student Health Services generally will
chair this subcommittee.
3.13 Honorary Degree/Medallion Committee
3.13.1 Membership
The Honorary Degree/Medallion Committee shall consist of the President,
Chair; and three tenured members of the Lander University faculty.
3.13.2 Function
The committee recommends, through the President to the Board of Trustees,
candidates for honorary degrees and medallions of honor.
3.13.3 Procedures
The committee meets periodically at the call of the chair to review
nominations received for either honor. Nominations for honorary degrees
and medallions of honor are accepted on a continual basis from the Lander
community. Approval for either honor rests with the Board of Trustees.
The committee reports to the Board of Trustees.
3.14 Honors Committee
3.14.1 Membership
The Honors Committee shall consist of the Director of the Honors College
(chair), the four current Honors Advisors (representing each academic
college) and one additional faculty member from each college. Members
shall serve for three years.
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3.14.2 Function
The committee establishes procedures and guidelines concerning the honors
curriculum, including appropriate rotation of HONS seminars as well as the
review and approval of faculty proposals for new sections of HONS courses.
3.14.3 Procedures
The committee meets at the call of the Chair to review progress toward
completion of assigned tasks.
The committee shall report to the chief academic officer.
3.15 Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
3.15.1 Membership
The membership of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee shall
consist of the Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, Chair; a
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine; a practicing faculty scientist; a full-time
employee that is not involved in animal research; and a community member.
Members serve three years terms and are eligible for reappointment at the
end of their respective term.
3.15.2 Function
The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee is charged with reviewing
and approving all proposed uses of live vertebrate animals in teaching and
research.3.15.3 Procedures
The Committee meets periodically at the call of its Chair to perform its
function as stated above.
The Committee reports to the VP of Academic Affairs.
3.16 Institutional Review Board
3.16.1 Membership
The membership of the Institutional Review Board shall consist of one
member from each of the following academic departments: Business,
Nursing, PEES, Psychology, and Sociology and one member from the
community. Members serve three years terms and are eligible for
reappointment at the end of their respective term.
3.16.2 Function
The purpose of the Institutional Review Board is to review applications for
proposed human subjects research and to determine adherence to the
guidelines for ethical research. The committee operates in accordance with
the Code of Federal Regulations for research with human subjects and in
compliance with the policies set forth in Section IV of the Lander University
Faculty Handbook.3.16.3 Procedures
The Committee meets periodically at the call of its Chair to perform its
function as stated above.
The Committee reports to the VP of Academic Affairs.
3.17 Study Abroad Program Committee
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3.17.1 Membership
The Study Abroad Program Committee shall consist of the Director of the
Study Abroad Program, chair; one faculty member from each of the four
colleges; one alternate from each of the four colleges; the Director of the
Honors College; a representative from the Office of International Programs
and two students who have participated in a Study Abroad experience.
Faculty members will serve three year terms with reappointment possible.
Students will serve one year terms with reappointment possible.
3.17.2 Function
The committee shall advise the Director of the Study Abroad Program on all
matters concerning the program including, but not limited to, requirements
for participating in the program.
3.17.3 Procedures
The committee shall meet at least one time each semester. The committee
shall report to the chief academic officer.
3.18 Multicultural Student Life Council
3.18.1 Membership
The Multicultural Student Life Council shall consist of the Assistant Director
of Student Activities/Coordinator of Multicultural Affairs, Chair; the Vice
President for Student Affairs; the Vice President of Student Affairs; one
student representative from Minorities On the Move; one minority staff
member; one minority faculty member; two minority students at large; and
a representative from student services
3.18.2 Function
The council pro-actively advises the University regarding issues and ideas
related to minority student life. For this purpose, “minority” refers to those
students not of white American background, including international
students. Among the council’s responsibilities are included: serving as a
sounding board for minority student concerns, with recommendations made
to the Assistant Dean of Students/Minority Student Affairs and appropriate
others; generating ideas to encourage improved multicultural awareness;
monitoring University policy impact on overall minority student life,
including minority student organizations and activities; serving as a catalyst
to stimulate improved interaction among students (majority with minority
and minority with minority), with special emphasis on student
organizations; serving as an advisory clearinghouse for activities, especially
during peak months (January and February) of minority student events.
3.18.3 Procedures
Meetings will be held monthly. Meeting dates and times will be arranged at
the beginning of each semester.
Minutes from the meeting will be distributed to Multicultural Student Life
Council members, Student Life Council members, Academic Deans and
Chairs, the Faculty Senate Chair, Vice Presidents, and the President.
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The council reports to the Student Life Council.
3.19 National Collegiate Athletic Association Compliance Committee
3.19.1 Membership
The NCAA Compliance Committee shall consist of the Lander University
NCAA Director of Compliance, Chair; the Director of Admissions; the
Director of Financial Aid; the Registrar; the Faculty Athletic Representative;
the Senior Woman Administrator; and the Director of Athletics.
3.19.2 Function
The committee exists to ensure the institution’s compliance with all rules,
regulations, and guidelines of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
The committee is responsible for determining that all applicable rules and
regulations of the Association are followed in the institution’s conduct of its
intercollegiate athletics program. It will monitor all programs to assure
compliance and to identify and report to the Association instances in which
compliance has not been achieved. The committee is responsible to
determine compliance on the part of institutional staff, student/athletics,
and other individuals and groups which represent the institution’s athletics
interest, ensuring compliance with all applicable Association rules.
3.19.3 Procedures
The committee meets periodically at the call of its chair to perform its
function as stated above.
The committee reports to the President.
3.20 Parking and Traffic Committee
3.20.1 Membership
The Parking and Traffic Committee shall consist of the Chief of University
Police, Chair; two faculty representatives; one University Police
representative in addition to the committee chair; one Physical Plant
representative; one Athletics representative; one Financial Affairs
representative; and three students.
3.20.2 Function
The committee has two primary functions. First, the committee serves as a
judicial board to hear and rule on appeals of Lander University parking and
traffic citations and towing charges. In addition, the committee is to review
traffic and parking regulations and make recommendations to the President
regarding all aspects of the parking policy and facilities of the University.
3.20.3 Procedures
The committee meets periodically at the call of its chair.
Approved minutes will be sent to the President, the Vice Presidents, the
Chair of Faculty Senate, and the Student Government Association President.
The committee reports to the Student Life Council.
3.21 Public Safety Committee
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3.21.1 Membership
The Public Safety Committee shall consist of the Vice President for Student
Affairs, Chair; the Administrative Assistant of Student Affairs, Secretary; the
Director of Residence Life; the Chief of University Police; the Facility
Coordinator of the Joe V. Chandler PEES Center; the Director of Health
Services; the Maintenance Superintendent; two faculty members; and two
students.
3.21.2 Function
The committee receives recommendations from the members of the
University community and University committees concerning safety on
campus, primarily in relation to hazardous weather and lighting and the
safety and security of individuals in the University community as well as of
their property.
3.21.3 Procedures
The committee will conduct safety walks in August and March of each year,
as scheduled by its chair.
The committee will meet as needed to review recommendations that may be
forwarded to it by members of the University community.
The committee reports to the Student Life Council.
3.22 Retention Council
3.22.1 Membership
The Retention Council shall consist of the Vice President for Student Affairs
(non-voting); Student Services Program Coordinator; the Director of
Admissions; the Director of Institutional Research; the Dean of Enrollment
Services; Director of the Academic Success Center; Counselor; the Student
Services Program Coordinator; three faculty members; the Superintendent
of Grounds; and one freshman, one sophomore, one junior, and one senior
student. No faculty member will serve for more than three consecutive
years, and the students will serve throughout their term of enrollment at
Lander. The President may also make additional appointments that he feels
will benefit the committee.
3.22.2 Function
The Council monitors and makes appropriate recommendations directly to
the President concerning the retention or attrition of students who are
academically and behaviorally eligible to continue at Lander.
3.22.3 Procedures
The Council normally meets monthly during the fall and spring semesters.
The Council reports to the President of the University.
3.23 Student Life Council
3.23.1 Membership
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The Student Life Council shall consist of the Vice President for Student
Affairs, Chair; the Administrative Assistant to Student Affairs, Secretary;
Coordinator of Multicultural Affairs and Director of Co-Curricular Activities;
one Physical Plant representative; the Director of Financial Aid; the
President of Student Government Association; the Chief of University Police
Department; the Director of Residence Life; the Director of Counseling
Services; the Chair of the Faculty Senate; one freshman student from the
Lander President’s Leadership Program; one residence hall student
(upperclassman); one commuting student (upperclassman); one minority
student (upperclassman); one non-traditional student and the Coordinator
for Student Life.
3.23.2 Function
This committee provides overall direction and coordination of University
student life, including recommendations to the President regarding policies
pertaining to student life.
The Student Life Council develops policies and regulations governing the
establishment and conduct of all student life, student groups, student
publications, organizations, and co-curricular programs.
The Student Life Council makes recommendations to appropriate persons
concerning residence life, food and health services, public safety,
intramurals, co-curricular activities, counseling, career services, minority
student affairs, and other related activities and programs.
The Student Life Council establishes appropriate judicial committees and
such other committees as it deems necessary to meet student needs.
Following approval by the Student Senate and the Co-Curricular Programs
Committee, the Student Life Council approves the student activities budget
and applications for student organization charters.
The Student Life Council is also responsible for assessing student life
programs and services as well as conducting periodic open student forums.
In this capacity, the Council: (1) reviews results of student opinion polls and
open student forums so as to determine the effectiveness of student
life/student development programs and services; (2) makes appropriate
recommendations concerning future student growth to ensure that the
student life programs are adequately staffed and funded to maintain an
excellent living/learning environment throughout the campus; (3) meets
regularly with student life committees to ensure that the student
life/development needs of all Lander students, as well as significant student
subpopulations are being served; and (4) serves as a sounding board for
concerns related to quality of life and the Lander experience from
acceptance to graduation.
3.23.3 Procedures
The Council will meet monthly from September to April.
Approved Council minutes will be sent to the President, the Vice Presidents,
the Chair of the Faculty Senate, the Student Government Association
President, and chairs of all University student life committees.
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3.24 Teacher Preparation Executive Council
3.24.1 Membership
Dean of the College of Education, who will serve as the Chair; Chair of the
Department of Teacher Education, Program Coordinators of all certifying
areas (i.e., art, early childhood, elementary, English, math, music, physical,
social studies, and special education), Director of Graduate Studies, all
Department of Teacher Education full-time faculty members, two public
school administrators, two public school teachers, one community member,
one former student, three current student(s) (one elementary or early
childhood major, one K-12 or secondary major, one graduate student),
Teacher Education Accreditation Coordinator
3.24.2 Function
The committee reviews and/or recommends curricular or policy changes
affecting teacher education majors; disseminates curricular and policy
changes to Academic Units; and reviews and disseminates information on
State laws and State Department of Education policies.
3.24.3 Procedures
The Committee meets once annually and as needed at the call of its Chair. All
actions and votes are reflected in the minutes which are submitted to the
President, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the Academic Unit
Heads.
The committee reports to the Department of Teacher Education.
3.25 Teacher Preparation Advisory Sub-committee
3.25.1 Membership
Dean of the College of Education, Chair of the Department of Teacher
Education, Director of Graduate Studies, a representative from the Teacher
Preparation Accreditation and Accountability Sub-committee, two public
school teachers, two public school administrators, a member from the
Western Piedmont Education Consortium, former student, three current
students, and Teacher Education Accreditation Coordinator (ex-officio). The
chair will be elected from eligible committee members at the first committee
meeting of the academic year.
3.25.2 Function
This Council (sub-committee) advises the University Council on Teacher
Education in matters related to program development, public school
relationships, legislative mandates, and suggests future direction for
program growth and development. All recommendations will be reflected in
the minutes of each meeting.
3.25.3 Procedures
The Council (sub-committee) will meet twice yearly (once each semester) or
as often as deemed necessary by the chair. The committee reports to the
Dean of the College of Education.
3.26 Teacher Preparation Accreditation and Accountability Sub-committee
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3.26.1 Membership
Teacher Education Accreditation Coordinator, all faculty members of the
Department of Teacher Education, representatives from each certifying
program (e.g., art education, math education), Director of Graduate Studies.
The chair will be the Accreditation Coordinator.
3.26.2 Function
The council (sub-committee) approves program changes as proposed by
program coordinators, coordinates course scheduling across colleges, and
proposes programmatic changes. The council (sub-committee) also reviews
accreditation guidelines, creates and maintains data bases related to teacher
education issues, and oversees and supports the production of reports as
needed to maintain accreditation.
3.26.3 Procedures
The Council (sub-committee) meets twice a semester and as needed at the
call of the Chair who shall be the standing Accreditation Coordinator. All
actions and votes will be reflected in the minutes.
Recommendations related to program changes will be forwarded to the
chair of the appropriate discipline area. Recommendations related to course
additions, deletions, and modifications will be recorded on the appropriate
form and forwarded to the appropriate Department Chair. Reports produced
for accreditation and assessment purposes shall be forwarded to the
appropriate chair or dean. All reports and actions are also reported to the
chair of the Dean of the College of Education.
3.27 Tenure and Promotion Committee
3.27.1 Membership
The University Tenure and Promotion Committee shall consist of tenured
faculty members who are not Deans or Department Chairs, and who will not
apply for promotion or serve on the Faculty Senate during their term of
office. The committee will have one member from each college or school.
In the event of an even number of colleges and schools, an additional at
large member will be elected. Committee members serve three-year nonconsecutive staggered terms. The Chair of the Committee will be elected
from among its members at its first meeting of the year.
3.27.2 Function
The primary role of the University Tenure and Promotion Committee is to
evaluate the extent to which all University criteria for tenure and promotion
have been met and to ensure that due process has been followed at all stages
of the review process. The Committee is a non-policy-making committee
which will apply the procedures and policies of the Faculty Handbook in
making tenure and promotion recommendations to the President of the
University.
3.27.3 Election Process
The Elections Committee of the Faculty Senate shall prepare slates including
all eligible and willing nominees from each college, school, and the faculty at
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large if applicable. Faculty from each college or school will be eligible to
nominate and vote for the member from their respective college or school
and all faculty will be eligible to nominate and vote for an at large member. If
no member of a college is both eligible and willing to serve on the
committee, the committee shall have an additional three-year at large
member nominated and elected by all faculty. The nomination and election
process may be held using online voting methods such as Blackboard. The
Tenure and Promotion Committee election process shall be completed
immediately before the spring nomination and election of Faculty Senators.
A majority vote is needed for election. Should one or more posts remain to
be filled after any ballot, another ballot shall be held. The slate for second
and succeeding ballots shall include twice the number of candidates as there
are posts to be filled. These candidates shall be those receiving the highest
numbers of votes on the previous ballot.
3.27.4 Procedures
The University Tenure and Promotion Committee follows the policies and
procedures as set forth in the Faculty Handbook, Section IV, 8 and 9.
Questions of policy or procedure should be directed to the Chair of the
Faculty Senate.
3.28 Undergraduate Programs Committee
3.28.1 Membership
The membership of the Undergraduate Programs Committee shall consist of
the six academic deans, the director of admissions, the director of library
services, the chair of the Curriculum Committee, the chair of the Faculty
Senate, the Vice President for Enrollment and Access Management, and the
Associate Provost who will chair the Committee.
3.28.2 Function
The Committee has the following functions:
It approves all undergraduate course activations, deactivations, and
modifications proposals. Approved proposals are to be submitted to the
Curriculum Committee for its approval and recommendations to the Faculty
Senate. Results of general education assessment by the University s Director
of Assessment will be forwarded to the UPC for its review. Based on
assessment results, the UPC shall make recommended changes to the
general education program to the Curriculum Committee.
3.28.3 Procedures
The committee will meet on an as needed basis to review and approve
undergraduate course modification/addition/deletion proposals and
student petitions. In addition, the committee will annually review general
education program assessment results and recommend needed changes, as
indicated by the assessment results. In addition the UPC shall make
recommended changes to the general education program, which may be
forthcoming from outcomes of the University’s strategic planning initiatives.
3.29 University Planning and Assessment Committee
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3.29.1 Membership
The University Planning and Assessment Council shall consist of the Vice
President for Academic Affairs, Chair; the Vice President for Business and
Administration; the Vice President for Student Affairs; the Vice President for
University Advancement; the Athletic Director; the Chair of the Faculty
Senate; the Budget Director; the Director of Assessment and Planning; the
Registrar and Director of Institutional Research; and the Student
Government Association President.
3.29.2 Function
The University Planning and Assessment Council serves as an advisory
committee to the President and to the University in coordinating the
functions of planning, assessment, and budget for the University.
3.29.3 Procedures
The Council will meet at the call of its Chair to determine its meeting
schedule for the year to receive reports and to advise the University and the
President on integrating the information resulting from assessment with the
planning and the budgeting throughout the University. Whenever possible,
existing governance and administrative structures and channels of
communication will be utilized for planning, assessment, and budgeting so
as to promote efficiency, avoid unnecessary deliberation, and encourage
greater awareness and use of planning information. The use of information
derived from assessment, rather than its collection, will be the purpose of all
institutional and planning and budgeting efforts and is the major function of
the Council.
The Council reports to the President.
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VI. University Policies
1. ACADEMIC HONOR CODE
In order to maintain a high standard of academic excellence, Lander University has adopted an
Academic Honor Code for which both faculty and students are responsible. The University
affirms its trust in the ability of the faculty and students to be self-disciplined, responsible, and
honorable in the pursuit of academic goals.
1.1 Faculty Responsibilities
Lander University subscribes to the (2009) American Association of University
Professors Statement on Professional Ethics. Part II of that Statement says: "Professors
make every reasonable effort to foster honest academic conduct and to ensure that their
evaluations of students reflect each student's true merit."
To uphold the Academic Honor Code the faculty of Lander University is expected to:
a. Place in each syllabus a reference to and discuss with students the Academic
Honor Code of Lander University.
b. Exercise due caution in the preparation, distribution, administration, and
security of all exams to prevent any student from gaining an improper
advantage over his/her counterparts. Exercise due caution when making other
written assignments (e.g., term papers, lab reports, projects, etc.).
c. Initiate action against violators of the Academic Honor Code as prescribed by
the Code.
d. Be truthful in all discussions and hearings related to any infractions of the
Honor Code.
1.2 Student Responsibilities
By electing to enroll at Lander University, the student unconditionally agrees to uphold
the Academic Honor Code. It is the responsibility of each student:
a. To refrain from giving or accepting unauthorized aid while undertaking any
academic activity.
b. To submit each piece of academic work only once during the student's entire
enrollment at Lander unless written permission is obtained from the teacher of
the subsequent course to which the material will be submitted. Academic work
includes papers, articles, class journals, written or oral reports, computer or
science laboratory reports, works of art, and musical performances.
c. To refrain from falsifying data, information, or citations in academic work being
submitted as a requisite of a course.
d. To refrain from attempting to have a grade changed on a returned exam by
falsifying recorded answers.
e. To submit only his or her original work. This prohibits copying, participating in
unauthorized collaboration, and committing plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined in
the Lander University Student Handbook.
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f.
To refrain from giving exam information to students who have yet to take that
same exam.
g. To be truthful in all discussions and hearings related to any infractions of the
Honor Code.
h. To report to the instructor of the course concerns about the integrity of
academic activities, or infractions of the Code. The concern or infraction can be
reported to the instructor either verbally or in writing.
i.
To hold in confidence any privileged information obtained during the academic
process.
j.
To be knowledgeable about the University's policies on "academic honesty" and
"plagiarism," as these are described in the current issue of the Student
Handbook.
1.3 Faculty Rights
Faculty rights under the Academic Honor Code include the right to:
a. Expect students to be accountable for their own behavior, including their own
learning.
b. Question any student behavior which appears not to adhere to the statement of
Student Responsibilities contained in the Code.
c. Request a hearing, and present evidence and witnesses to support the allegation
of a violation of the Honor Code.
d. Be accompanied at the hearing by an advisor from on campus. The advisor
cannot be an attorney nor can he or she enter into discussions (with anyone
other than the faculty member) during the hearing.
1.4 Student Rights
Student rights under the Academic Honor Code include the right to:
a. Expect faculty to conduct academic activities in a timely, appropriate manner,
and to be fair-minded and impartial.
b. Be presumed innocent until he or she admits guilt or is proven guilty.
c. Have fair and impartial hearings, including the right to present contradicting
evidence, to be provided prior to the hearing a copy of written evidence to be
used during the hearing, to present witnesses, and to have access to an advisor
from on campus.
d. Be accompanied at the hearing by an advisor from on campus. The advisor
cannot be an attorney nor can he/she enter into discussions (with anyone other
than the student) during the hearing.
1.5 Initial Faculty Response to a Possible Violation
A faculty member who has reason to believe that a student has violated the Academic
Honor Code shall discuss the matter confidentially with the student(s). If the student
admits the infraction, the faculty member may elect one of the two following courses of
action:
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a. Award the student a failing grade or a grade lower than he/she would otherwise
award for either the academic work in question or the course. Copies of a
written statement summarizing the infraction and the penalty, signed by both
the faculty member and the student, shall be provided to the professor, the
student, and the Academic Honor Code file in the office of the Vice President for
Academic Affairs.
-orb. Request a hearing and determination of the matter by the Honor Council.
If the student denies the infraction, the faculty member may dismiss the matter without
further action or refer the matter to the Honor Council. Upon referring a matter to the
Honor Council the faculty member agrees to abide by the decision of the Honor Council.
1.6 Initial Student Response to a Possible Violation
A student or group of students encountering what is believed to be an infraction of the
Academic Honor Code by another student or group of students may report the infraction
to the instructor of record for the course and request that he or she take action by
carrying out the Initial Faculty Response to a Possible Violation.
A student or group of students encountering what is believed to be an infraction of the
Academic Honor Code by the instructor of a course may obtain a Referral Form from the
Office of the Registrar and follow the steps outlined on that form. Note that failure to
initiate action against violators of the Honor Code is an infraction (Faculty
Responsibilities item c).
1.7 Referral to the Honor Council
Should an alleged violation of the Academic Honor Code be referred to the Honor
Council, the individual alleging a violation of the Honor Code shall file a written report to
the Vice President for Student Affairs within five (5) calendar days of discovering the
alleged infraction, or of discussing the matter with the accused, whichever is longer. The
report must include:

the name(s) of the accused student(s)

the specific Honor Code violation

an explanation of the alleged infraction

a copy of any written evidence

the time, date, and place of the alleged infraction, if appropriate

the name(s) of any witness(es)
1.8 Notification of Referral to Honor Council
1. Within five (5) days of receiving the report, the Vice President for Student Affairs or
a designee must inform the student and the Vice President for Academic Affairs by
letter that the student is accused of a violation. The letter shall contain the specific
charges made against the student.
2. The student may, after consultation with the Vice President for Student Affairs or
designee and within five (5) days of being notified of the charges, elect one of three
courses of action:
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a. The student may admit the alleged violation, waive a hearing in writing, and
request that the Honor Council determine appropriate action.
b. The student may admit the alleged violation in writing and request a hearing by
the Honor Council.
c. The student may deny the alleged violation in writing, in which case the Vice
President for Student Affairs or designee shall schedule a hearing before the
Honor Council.
3. In all cases in which a hearing is held, the Vice President for Student Affairs or
designee shall notify the student and the accuser in writing at least seventy-two
(72) hours in advance of the date, time, and place of the hearing.
1.9 Honor Council Procedures
1. The Chair of the Honor Council shall conduct hearings as specified by the Rules
Governing Honor Council Hearing.
2. The student and the accuser shall be entitled to appear in person at the hearing to
present testimony. It may not be possible to secure the presence of all witnesses
since the Honor Council has no power of subpoena.
3. The student may elect not to appear before the Honor Council. The failure of a
student to appear shall not be taken as indicative of guilt and must be noted without
prejudice.
4. Should the accused and/or the accuser so desire, he/she may be accompanied at the
hearing by an advisor from on campus. The advisor shall not be an attorney and
cannot enter into any discussions with anyone other than the student.
5. The student and the accuser shall be allowed to present oral and/or written
testimony and/or witnesses in his/her behalf.
6. The accused and the accuser each have the right to be present throughout the
presentation of testimony.
7. Each side shall be given a chance to present its position separately without
interruption from the other side.
8. After presentation of both positions, rebuttal and questions shall be allowed.
9. The decision of the Honor Council shall be communicated in writing to the student,
the accuser, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs by the Vice President for
Student Affairs within seventy-two (72) hours after the decision and shall specify
the action taken by the Honor Council. The Chair of the Honor Council shall deliver a
copy of the Council's findings to the Academic Vice President for inclusion in the
Academic Honor Code file.
10. Should the Honor Council find the student guilty, it shall specify one or more of the
penalties listed below:
a. A failing grade on the assignment or test in question.
b. A failing grade in the course in which the violation occurred.
c. Honor Code probation for a period of time of not less than one full semester. Any
violation of the Honor Code during the probation period shall be grounds for
suspension.
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d. Suspension from Lander University for a specified or an unspecified period of
time.
e. Expulsion from Lander University.
1.10 The Academic Honor Code File
The Academic Vice President shall maintain the Academic Honor Code file in his or her
office. Within five (5) days of receiving official notice of a second violation of the Honor
Code by any student, the Academic Vice President shall officially warn the student in
writing that any future violation of the Honor Code will automatically lead to the
student's being required to appear before the Honor Council.
A faculty member may have access to a student's record in the Academic Honor Code File
when carrying out professional duties. None of the contents of the File shall be removed
from the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Within five (5) days of receiving official notice of a third violation of the Honor Code by a
student, the Vice President for Academic Affairs shall refer that student to the Honor
Council for a hearing. The purpose of the hearing shall be to determine what further
penalty, if any, shall be imposed by the Council on the student. The hearing shall take
place within five (5) days after the Vice President for Academic Affairs has notified the
Council chair of the need for the hearing. The Honor Council shall have access to the
student's records in the Honor Code file. The Honor Council may impose penalties of
Honor Code probation, suspension from Lander University for a specified or unspecified
period, or expulsion from Lander University. Such penalty or penalties may be imposed
whether or not the student chooses to attend the hearing.
1.11 Appeals
Both the accused and the accuser shall be notified in writing by the Vice President for
Student Affairs of their right to appeal the outcome of Honor Council hearings on
substantive or procedural grounds. Should either party appeal, any action specified by
the Honor Council shall not be implemented pending resolution of the appeal. Requests
for appeal must be made in writing to the Vice President for Student Affairs within three
(3) calendar days of receipt of written notification of the decision. Appeals will be heard
by the Faculty Senate Grade and Judicial Appeals Committee of Lander University within
fourteen (14) calendar days after the Committee chair receives the appeal from the Vice
President for Student Affairs.
1.12 Honor Council Composition
The Honor Council shall consist of eight (8) voting members and the Vice President for
Student Affairs as a non-voting member. A tie vote would be considered as not guilty.
The voting members shall consist of four (4) students and four (4) faculty members. The
Council chair shall be a voting faculty member and shall be elected by majority vote of
the Council.
The students shall be selected by a drawing of names from a pool of fifteen (15) students
who have been nominated to the Honor Council for a one year period by no later than
September 30. Each student nominated must be at least a sophomore and be in good
standing within the University. The names of Council student members will be drawn by
the Vice President for Student Affairs, who also will convene the Honor Council for its
first meeting.
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The faculty members and four (4) faculty alternates shall be appointed by the President.
Nominations shall be provided by the Faculty Senate at its first meeting in August.
Should a quorum of the Honor Council not be available for a hearing, the Vice President
for Student Affairs, with the approval of the President, may appoint ad-hoc members to
this Council to hear a case.
Should a member of the Honor Council be involved with a specific case, that member will
be recused from the Council when a hearing of that case is conducted.
4. ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND TENURE
Lander University Statement of Policy
Lander University subscribes to the AAUP’s 1940 Statement on Academic Freedom and
Tenure. Thus:
a) Faculty are entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the
results, subject to the adequate performance of their other academic duties
b) Faculty are entitled to freedom in the classroom discussing their subject, but
they should be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter
which has no relation to their subject. Limitations of academic freedom because
of religious or other aims of the institution should be clearly stated in writing at
the time of appointment.
c) Lander University faculty are citizens, members of a learned profession, and
officers of Lander University. When they speak or write as citizens, they are free
from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the
community imposes special obligations. As scholars and educational officers,
they should remember that the public may judge their profession and Lander
University by their utterances. Hence they should at all times be accurate,
should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinions of
others, and should make every effort to indicate that they are not speaking for
Lander University.
5. ACADEMIC RESEARCH
3.1 Lander University Ethics in Research Policies and Procedures
The University is obliged to ensure that all research conducted by or under the direction
of persons who are employed by or serving as agents for Lander University or by
persons using University property, facilities, or information complies with federal, state,
and local laws and regulations. In particular, the University must ensure that research
conducted on human subjects complies with regulations promulgated by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services and that research conducted on warmblooded vertebrates (other than and in addition to humans) complies with the U.S. Public
Health Services Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
3.2 RESEARCH ON HUMAN SUBJECTS
Lander University requires that research on human subjects be conducted so as to
protect the rights of self-determination, privacy, anonymity and confidentiality, fair
treatment, and the right to protection from harm of unwarranted discomfort. To that
end, the University requires that any member of the University who is planning to
conduct research on human subjects submit a formal application to do so and, further,
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that the application be reviewed by a designated official or committee of the University
and be approved prior to the research commencing.
3.2.1 Assessment of Risk
Proposals for research on human subjects must address the likelihood and extent of
risk to those persons who participate as subjects. The University recognizes five (5)
categories of risk and will, upon full review and final approval, permit research to be
undertaken which entails risk in Categories 1, 2, and 3 (below):
Category 1 - Research involving NO RISK to human subjects.
The research is of such a nature as to entail neither positive nor negative
physiological or psychological effects on subjects. Examples of such research
include:
research conducted in conventional educational settings and involving normal
educational practices, such as research on instructional strategies or comparisons
among instructional techniques or curricula;
research in which educational tests, surveys, interviews, or observations of public
behavior are used, unless information obtained is recorded in such a manner as to
permit the identification of human subjects and/or the disclosure of subjects’
responses outside the research could place subjects at risk of criminal or civil
liability or damage the subject’s financial standing, employability, or reputation;
research in which educational tests, surveys, interviews, or observations of public
behavior are used and the human subjects are elected or appointed public officials
or candidates for public office or in circumstances for which federal statues require
that the confidentiality of the information associated with a specific human subject
be maintained in perpetuity;
research in which existing data, documents, records, or specimens are used and
these data are publicly available or can be recorded in such a manner as to eliminate
the possibility of identifying individual subjects;
research and demonstrations which are undertaken by or are subject to the
approval of unit heads, and which are intended to study or evaluate (a) public
benefit of service programs, (b) procedures for obtaining benefits or services under
those programs, (c) possible changes in or alternatives to those programs or
procedures, or (d) possible changes in methods or levels of payment for benefits of
services under those programs.
Category 2 - Research involving MINIMAL RISK to human subjects.
This research will cause subjects to experience minimal and temporary discomfort
comparable to that which would be encountered in daily life. Examples of this type
of research include: the collection of hair and nail clippings, excreta and external
secretions; the recording of data from subjects 18 years of age or older using noninvasive procedures; the collection of blood samples by venipuncture and from
subjects 18 years of age or older and in good health; voice recordings made for such
purposes as the study of speech defects; moderate exercise by healthy volunteers;
the analysis of existing data, documents, records, or specimens; the study of group
or individual behavior where the investigator does not manipulate the subject’s
behavior and the research will involve minimal stress to subjects; and research on
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drugs or devices for which an investigational new drug or device exemption is not
required.
Category 3 - Research involving MODERATE TO SUBSTANTIAL RISK to human
subjects.
This type of research causes subjects to experience unusual discomfort that would
not ordinarily be experienced in daily life. The discomfort occurs during and after
the research and the discomfort is a direct result of the research. The discomfort
would be described by the subject as severe and long lasting. Examples of such
research include: studies involving surgical procedures or requiring that subjects
recall an unusually traumatic or painful experience and research involving
vulnerable subjects such as prisoners, children, or the mentally or physically
disabled.
Categories 4 and 5
Research involving RISK OF PERMANENT DAMAGE or CERTAINTY OF
PERMANENT DAMAGE (Categories 4 and 5, respectively) is not to be undertaken
by Lander University faculty, students, or staff.
3.2.2
Informed Consent
Proposals for research on human subjects must demonstrate that prospective
participants will be apprised fully and in advance of the nature of the research in
which they are being asked to participate as subjects. Prospective subjects are
considered to be autonomous agents and are assured that they may choose
voluntarily to participate or not to participate in research and, further, that they
have the right to terminate participation in a study at any time without penalty of
any type.
Proposals for research on human subjects must include a copy of the Informed
Consent form to be used in the research. Such a form must be worded at a level of
understanding appropriate to the prospective subject. Furthermore, the form may
not include a statement or statements which waive or which appear to waive a
prospective subject’s legal rights, including release of the University or its agents
from liability for negligence. An Informed Consent form must contain the following:
a. the heading Informed Consent Form;
b. an explanation of the duration of the project, procedures to be followed and
their purposes, including identification of any procedures which are
experimental;
c. evidence that the subject will be able to exercise free power of choice to
participate or not to participate as well as to withdraw consent and to
discontinue participation in research at any time without prejudice and that
no element of coercion or constraint will be used in obtaining consent to
participate;
d. a description of any attendant discomforts and risks that may be reasonably
expected as a result of participation in the research;
e. a description of any benefits that may be reasonably expected to accrue from
participation in the research;
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f.
a statement pertaining to the security and, hence, the confidentiality of
information associated with the research, especially as it relates to specific
individuals;
g. a statement on the availability of compensation in the event of physical injury
and how to obtain more information;
h. an offer to answer any inquiries concerning the research procedures,
including a telephone number and address of a contact person;
i.
a place for the subject (or guardian, in the case of minor) to sign and date the
form.
3.2.3 Proposal Review
Proposals for research on human subjects must be reviewed and approved by the
appropriate person(s) and/or committee(s), to include the Unit Director (e.g.,
department chair), the Unit Research Committee (composed of no fewer than
three full-time University employees who are assigned to and serve in the
respective unit of the University (i.e., academic department), the Institutional
Review Board (the composition of which is detailed below), and the Ethics in
Research Committee.
The Institutional Review Board is a University governance body, the composition of
which shall include one faculty member each representing Behavioral Sciences,
Business, History and Political Science, PEES, and Nursing; and a member of the
community who holds a graduate degree in psychology or a closely related
discipline and who is not affiliated with the University in any way other than as a
member of the Institutional Review Board and who is not a member of the
immediate family of a person who is affiliated with the University. Membership on
the Institutional Review Board will be by appointment by the President of the
University for terms of three years. Members are eligible for reappointment. The
Institutional Review Board’s chair shall be a faculty member selected by the
Institutional Review Board.
The Institutional Review Board will meet six times annually (in August, October,
December, January, March, and May and, with one-week notice, at the request of any
member of the Subcommittee. The Chair of the Subcommittee is a member of the
Ethics in Research Committee and serves as a means for reporting thereto.
3.2.4
Application
Any University activity involving the use of humans for research purposes must be
reported to the Ethics in Research Committee through the Institutional Review
Board.
Proposals will be reviewed and acted upon as soon as a completed Research on
Human Subjects Proposal is received. Research may not commence until formal
approval is provided by the appropriate reviewing body. Specific responsibility for
the review and approval/disapproval of a proposal is determined by the category
of risk associated with the proposed research (see above)1. More specifically:
Notwithstanding the review and approval/disapproval of a proposal by a Unit Director, a Unit Research
Committee, and/or the Institutional Review Board, all University research involving humans as subjects is
1
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Category 1 (no risk) research proposals will be reviewed and
approved/disapproved by the Unit Director.
If approved, the proposal will be so noted and a copy distributed to the principal
investigator, the faculty or agency sponsor, the Institutional Review Board, and the
Ethics in Research Committee. A copy of the approved proposal will be maintained
on file and available for inspection in the unit office and the Office of Academic
Affairs.
If a Category 1 research proposal is disapproved by the Unit Director, the principal
investigator may appeal that determination to the Unit Research Committee. If the
Unit Research Committee sustains the Unit Director’s disapproval, the principal
investigator may appeal that determination to the Institutional Review Board. If the
Institutional Review Board sustains the disapprovals by the Unit Director and the
Unit Research Committee, the principal investigator may appeal that determination
to the Ethics in Research Committee. If the Ethics in Research Committee sustains
the disapprovals by the Unit Director, the Unit Research Committee, and the
Institutional Review Board, the principal investigator may appeal that
determination to the President of the University, whose decision is final.
Category 2 (minimal risk) research proposals will be reviewed, approved or
disapproved by the Unit Director and the Unit Research Committee.
If approved, the proposal will be so noted and a copy distributed to the principal
investigator, the faculty or agency sponsor, the Institutional Review Board, and the
Ethics in Research Committee. A copy of the approved proposal will be maintained
on file and available for inspection in the unit office and the Office of Academic
Affairs.
If a Category 2 proposal is disapproved by either the Unit Director or the Unit
Research Committee or both, the principal investigator may appeal that
determination to the Institutional Review Board. If the Institutional Review Board
sustains the disapproval(s), the principal investigator may appeal that
determination to the Ethics in Research Committee. If the Ethics in Research
Committee sustains the previous disapprovals, the principal investigator may
appeal that determination to the President of the University, whose decision is final.
Category 3 (moderate to substantial risk) research proposals will be
reviewed, approved or disapproved by the Unit Director, the Unit Research
Committee, and the Institutional Review Board.
If approved, the proposal will be so noted and a copy distributed to the principal
investigator, the faculty or agency sponsor, and the Ethics in Research Committee. A
copy of the approved proposal will be maintained on file and available for
inspection in the unit office as well as the Office of Academic Affairs.
If a Category 3 proposal is disapproved by either the Unit Director, or the Unit
Research Committee, or the Institutional Review Board, or a combination thereof,
the principal investigator may appeal that determination to the Ethics in Research
Committee. If the Ethics in Research Committee sustains the previous
disapproval(s), the principal investigator may appeal that determination to the
subject to scrutiny by and ultimate approval by the Ethics in Research Committee and the University
President.
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President of the University, whose decision is final.
In the event that there exists doubt or disagreement with respect to which category
of risk should be associated with a particular proposal, the proposal will be treated
as Category 3 and be subject to those review procedures.
3.3 RESEARCH ON ANIMAL (i.e., Non-Human) SUBJECTS
Lander University requires that research on warm-blooded vertebrate (non-human)
animals --hereafter, referred to as animal subjects -- be conducted so as to comply with
the guidelines set forth in The Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of
Laboratory Animals by Awardee Institutions (September, 1986) and the Guide for the
Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, Publication 85-23, 1985, of the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services. To that end, the University requires that any member of the
University who is planning to conduct research or demonstrations involving the use of
animal subjects submit a formal proposal to do so and, further, that that proposal be
reviewed by a designated official or committee of the University and be approved prior
to the research or demonstration commencing.
3.3.1
Proposal Review
Proposals for research on animal subjects must be reviewed and approved by the
appropriate person(s) and/or committee (s), to include the Unit Director (e.g.,
academic department chair), the Unit Research Committee (composed of no fewer
than three full-time University employees who are assigned to and serve in the
respective unit of the University (e.g., academic department), the Institutional
Animal Care and Use Committee(the composition of which is detailed below), and
the Ethics in Research Committee.
The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee is a University governance body,
the composition of which shall include: a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine who
possesses training and/or experience in laboratory animal science and medicine
and who has direct or delegated program responsibility for activities involving
animals at the University; one practicing faculty scientist who is experienced in
research involving animals; one full-time University employee whose primary
concerns are in a non-scientific area; and one person who is not affiliated with the
University in any way other than as a member of this committee and who is not a
member of the immediate family of a person who is affiliated with the University;
and the Dean of the College of Mathematics and Sciences (Subcommittee Chair).
Other than the Dean of the College of Mathematics and Sciences, membership on the
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee will be by appointment by the
President of the University for terms of three years and persons are eligible for
reappointment.
The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee will meet annually in August and
December and, with one-week notice, at the request of any member of the
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. The Chair of the Institutional Animal
Care and Use Committee is a member of the Ethics in Research Committee and
serves as a means for reporting thereto.
3.3.2 Application
Any University activity involving the use of warm-blooded vertebrate animals for
research purposes must be approved by the Ethics in Research Committee. In
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addition, all submitted proposals will be reviewed annually by the Institutional
Animal Care and Use Committee (hereafter, designated as the IACUC). In addition to
providing very precise information about a proposed activity, each application must
include a non-technical description of the proposed activity to enable persons not
otherwise specialized in vertebrate research to nevertheless understand the
activity.
Because most federal and state agencies require verification of institutional review
and approval of any proposal involving animal research, the principal investigator
for a proposed research proposal will be required to submit an application for
institutional review and approval at least three (3) weeks prior to the grant
submission deadline and at least four (4) weeks prior to the actual use of animals
for research purposes.
Four (4) copies of the application must be submitted to IACUC. An application may
be submitted for an initial one (1), two (2), or three (3) -year approval period.
Renewals of currently-approved applications may be requested by submitting an
updated page 2 of the application form. In order for renewal to be granted, no
changes shall have been made to the original protocol.
Revised June 21, 1994
3.4 ADDENDUM
Lander University Ethics in Research Policies and Procedures
EXCLUSION CLAUSE
General surveys and data collection that are executed by Lander University or any
department/unit of the University are considered “University Services” and as such are
excluded from the provisions as outlined in the Lander University Ethics in Research
Policies and Procedures. Since the above are classified as “University Services,” not
research, no forms or approvals are required.
Surveys and data collection that are classified as “University Services” include but are not
limited to the following (when conducted by the University or a sub-unit thereof):
1. Student Opinion Surveys
2. Alumni Surveys
3. Employee Surveys
4. Faculty/Administration/Staff Surveys
5. Data regarding Employee Salaries
6. Data regarding Student Athletes
7. Data regarding Student Performance
8. Data regarding Student Retention
9. Any survey or data collection needed to satisfy requirements of outside agencies
Individuals desiring to conduct personal research (not required by the University or subunit thereof) that involves the collection of data of the type listed in numbers 5-9 above,
will be required to submit a “Statement of Confidentiality” assuring that all data will be
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presented in a cumulative manner. The statement will further assure that no names or
individual data will be presented without the subject’s written consent.
6. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
4.1 General Definition
Intellectual property means broadly all inventions, discoveries, know-how, show-how,
processes, unique materials, copyrightable works, original data, and other creative or
artistic works that have or may have commercial value.
4.2 Categories
For the clarity of this policy, Intellectual Property can be categorized as follows:
a. Scholarly work – material prepared for traditional academic publications, such as
scholarly journals, or other texts of a scholarly nature.
b. Creative work – artistic works, musical or dramatic compositions and/or
performances, literary works, etc.; works of a primarily aesthetic nature.
c. Course materials – material of a pedagogical intent, used by the faculty member in
the course of the Lander University’s educational mission. This generally means
materials intended for the immediate use of a student in a course.
d. Invention – any inventive idea and/or its reduction to practice, such as a new and
useful process or method for producing an industrial result, composition of matter,
device, plant, design in connection with the production or manufacture of an article,
computer hardware or software program, or knowledge supporting these inventive
ideas, or any new use or improvement to an existing system, device, composition,
program, or process.
4.3 Applicability
This policy shall apply to faculty, staff, and students.
4.4 Definitions
For brevity, in this document the following terms will be used:

“University” shall mean “Lander University”

“faculty” shall mean “ faculty member”

“faculty/staff/student” shall mean “faculty member, staff employee, or student.”
4.5 Disclosure of Intellectual Property
In order for the University to identify, protect, and commercialize Intellectual Property
that emanates from the work of its faculty, staff, and students, it is the University’s policy
that any party discloses any Intellectual Property, including Inventions, in confidence to
the University in a timely fashion and prior to any public release. Public release in any
form may have the effect of consigning the Intellectual Property to the public domain,
thereby precluding the University and any associated party from pursuing intellectual
property protection.
Inventions may be disclosed to Lander by completing and signing an invention disclosure
form (click here) or you may obtain this form from the Business Office.
4.6 Ownership of Intellectual Property
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The University owns the intellectual property under the following conditions:
1. If the intellectual property, other than scholarly work and/or creative work as
defined above, is created within the scope of employment on University time with
the use of University facilities, or University financial support; or
2. If the intellectual property is commissioned by the University or a component of the
University pursuant to a signed contract, or if it is considered work for hire under
copyright law; or
3. If the intellectual property results from research supported by federal, state, or
university funds or third-party sponsorship designated to the University; or
4. If the intellectual property is conceived or reduced to practice by the faculty, staff,
and/or students of the University as a result of research that makes substantial use
of the University’s resources or facilities;
The faculty/staff/student owns the intellectual property under the following conditions:
a. If the intellectual property is unrelated to the faculty/staff/student job.
b. If the intellectual property is scholarly work and/or creative work as defined above.
c. With respect to any Inventions, the faculty/staff/student owns the Invention when
his/her Invention was conceived or reduced to practice independent of the
University. The faculty, staff, and/or student that claims ownership of the Invention
carries the burden of proof to document that the right to ownership of the Invention
by demonstrating that: (a) the Invention was not conceived or reduced to practice
as part of an activity within the inventor’s scope of employment as a University
employee; (b) the Invention was conceived and reduced to practice on his/her own
time; and (c) the inventor did not make substantial use of University resources,
facilities, or grant funds administered by the University.
Intellectual Property shall be considered Jointly-Developed Intellectual Property:
a. If criteria for University ownership and individual ownership (as set forth above)
overlap;
b. or If the faculty/staff/student involved in the creation of the intellectual property
worked in collaboration with other University employees, for whom the creation
was a part of their employment responsibilities, as part of a team to contribute the
kind of expression intended to be part of an integrated whole. The University’s
employees who work as programmers, graphic artists, video technicians,
scriptwriters, and other University support personnel create this kind of expression.
When added to the faculty/staff/student contribution, the result is a jointlyauthored work.
Jointly-Developed Intellectual Property shall be owned by University with any
commercial value being shared between the University and the faculty/staff/student as
set forth below. When termination of employment (faculty/staff/student) or enrollment
(student) occurs in cases where intellectual property is jointly developed, a negotiated,
written letter of agreement will be executed with the University. The agreement shall be
negotiated with the faculty/staff/student by the appropriate vice president and
approved by the Vice President of Business and Administration, in accordance with
federal, state and University policies, procedures, and regulations. The agreement shall
establish separate ownership rights, stipulate the percentage of ownership between the
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faculty/staff/student and the University, and describe future uses of the intellectual
property. To initiate an agreement: (a) the faculty/staff/student contacts his/her
appropriate chair and dean or appropriate supervisor requesting separate joint
ownership rights; (b) the appropriate dean or supervisor in turn notifies the
appropriate vice president to request a letter of agreement from the Vice President of
Business and Administration and to execute the agreement with the
faculty/staff/student. In the event of a disagreement between the faculty/staff/student
and the University, an appeal may be made to the President and his/her decision shall
be final.
4.7 Patent Procurement
University shall have the sole discretion to determine whether to procure and/or
maintain, including the right to prepare, file, and prosecute any patent applications for,
any Inventions owned by University.
4.8 Distribution of Royalties
Commercial value from any Jointly-Developed Intellectual Property and any Inventions
owned by University are shared between the faculty/staff/student and the University.
For this to occur there must be (a) an offer and an identifiable buyer with whom to
negotiate; and (b) a negotiated, written letter of agreement executed between the
faculty/staff/student and the University. The agreement shall be negotiated with the
faculty/staff/student by the Vice President of Business and Administration in accordance
with State and University policy. The agreement shall stipulate the percentage of
ownership between the faculty/staff/student and the University, indicate who pays and
how research and development costs are recovered, and describe future uses of the
intellectual property.
In the event percentage of ownership and payment and recovery of research and
development costs are not addressed in writing, then the economic relationship is shared
on a 50%/50% basis after the recovery of research and development costs and costs for
applying for, obtaining, and maintaining any intellectual property rights, such as patent
rights, by the University.
All royalties for the sale of textbooks written by University faculty and sold through the
University bookstore while the faculty is an employee of the University shall revert to the
University. The precise manner in which these funds will be distributed to the University
will be determined by written agreement between the faculty and the University. To
initiate an agreement, the faculty in concert with his/her department chair, dean and
vice president will request a letter of agreement with the University through the Vice
President of Business and Administration. In the event of a disagreement between the
faculty and the University, an appeal may be made to the President, and his/her decision
shall be final.
When the faculty is no longer an employee of the University, all textbook royalties
described above become the property of the former faculty.
4.9 Disclosure
Copies of this policy shall be printed in the University faculty/staff/student handbooks,
and shall be posted electronically on the University’s website.
4.10 Review
Ownership of this policy shall reside with the Office of Business and Administration. This
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policy may be reviewed, as circumstances warrant, by the Vice President of Business and
Administration, Faculty Senate, Student Government Association, Academic Council, and
the President’s Council. Proposed revisions and amendments will be transmitted to the
President for final approval.
7. POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
As responsible and interested citizens, faculty members may engage in the political
processes of our society. Faculty members engaged in political activity or making public
statements on issues should always make it clear that they are speaking as individual
citizens and not on behalf of the University. Letters to the editors of newspapers should
carry the faculty member’s home address rather than a University address.
FOR LANDER UNIVERSITY POLICIES CONCERNING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, THE AMERICANS WITH
DISABILITIES ACT, BLOODBORNE PATHOGENS EXPOSURE CONTROL, THE CLEAN INDOOR AIR
ACT OF 1990, THE EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT OF
1993, HAZARDOUS WEATHER AND OTHER EMERGENCY CONDITIONS, SEXUAL HARASSMENT,
SOLICITATION, AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE SEE THE LANDER UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK.
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VII. Appendix
1. Calendar Supplement to Faculty Procedures and Regulations
Any date which falls on a weekend or a holiday will be due the first working day after the
designated date.
MAY
May 1 (Spring of year prior to tenure/promotion candidacy)
The Vice President for Academic Affairs will send a letter to all university faculty
members identifying candidates who must (by contract) be considered for tenure or
for tenure and promotion in the next academic year.
Candidates for promotion identify themselves to the VPAA, giving notice that they
would like to stand for promotion in the next academic year.
May 15 (Spring of year prior to tenure/promotion candidacy)
The Vice President for Academic Affairs confirms in writing to each candidate that
they will stand for tenure, for promotion, or for tenure and promotion in the next
academic year, outlining the candidate's responsibilities and the schedule that will
be followed. Copies of the Vice President for Academic Affairs' letter are sent to the
Unit Head of each candidate.
The Vice President for Academic Affairs notifies the faculty of all candidates who
will stand for promotion in the next academic year.
By May 15 (For tenured faculty)
Annual evaluation for tenured faculty if requested by the faculty member or the Dean. This
request must be made by April 5.SEPTEMBER
September 1
Letter from Vice President for Academic Affairs to all faculty members identifying
candidates to be considered for tenure or for tenure and promotion.
September 15
Letter from Vice President for Academic Affairs to candidates for tenure/promotion,
confirming the faculty member's candidacy for tenure, for promotion, or for tenure
and promotion and outlining the candidate's responsibilities with a schedule to be
followed; copies sent to the respective Unit Head of each candidate.
Identification of two peer evaluators by Unit Head in consultation with candidates
for tenure, for promotion, or for tenure and promotion.
OCTOBER
Prior to October 1
Preparation of Professional Development Statement and creation of
Tenure/Promotion File by faculty members being considered for tenure, for
promotion, or for tenure and promotion.
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October 1
Placement of Tenure/Promotion File in Academic Unit Office.
Oct 1-Nov 1
Interview of first-year probationary or temporary faculty members with Dean to
discuss faculty member's progress and performance.
October 15
Written notification by faculty member to Dean and Vice President for Academic
Affairs of plans to submit a proposal for a sabbatical leave.
NOVEMBER
Decision made concerning reappointment of second-year faculty members.
November 1 (No later than): Peer evaluators’ letters of candidates for
tenure/promotion will be placed in their Tenure/Promotion File located in the Unit
Office.
November 1
Response by a faculty member to previous academic year’s annual evaluation; copy
sent to Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs (to be placed in Evaluation
File).
Placement of peer evaluators' letters for tenure and/or promotion candidates in
Tenure/Promotion File in the Unit Office.
November 2
The Dean will activate the Unit Tenure and Promotion Committee.
Submission of sabbatical proposal to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Identification by the faculty member and the Dean of three Lander University faculty
peer evaluators for reviewing sabbatical proposals, and submission of names to Vice
President for Academic Affairs.
November 15
Submission of reviewers’ comments on proposed sabbatical leave to Dean.
DECEMBER
December 1
Notification of negative decisions about reappointment for second-year faculty
members.
Written recommendation by the Unit Tenure/Promotion Committee for or against
tenure, promotion, or tenure and promotion placed in the Tenure/Promotion File of
the candidate; a copy of the recommendation will be sent to the candidate.
Submission by Unit Head of evaluation of sabbatical proposal with copies of all
documents concerning the sabbatical sent to the Vice President for Academic
Affairs.
December 15
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Written recommendation for or against tenure and/or promotion by Unit Head
placed in the candidate's Tenure/Promotion File with a copy sent to the candidate.
Evaluation of sabbatical proposals and recommendation of the priority of funding
by the Faculty Senate Grants Committee with recommendations being forwarded to
the President.
JANUARY
Results of student evaluations for fall semester forwarded to each faculty member and
the Vice President for Academic Affairs by the Unit Head (within seven weeks of the end
of final exams for fall semester.)
By January 5-Transfer of Tenure/Promotion File from the Unit Office to the Office of
Academic Affairs by the Unit Head (after verifying the file is complete).
January 10 (No later than)
The Vice President for Academic Affairs will notify the University Tenure and
Promotion Committee that all tenure files have been received in the office.
January 11
The University Tenure and Promotion Committee will begin its review of all
candidates for tenure.
January 15
Formulation of Initial Faculty Development Plan by first-year faculty members.
FEBRUARY
Evaluation and interview of first year faculty members by the Unit Head.
Decision made concerning reappointment of first-year (fall appointment) faculty
members.
February 1
Submission to Unit Head of Faculty Performance Report by first-year faculty
members.
Notification of award or non-award of sabbaticals to faculty members who applied.
Written requests for leave without pay made to the Vice President for Academic
Affairs.
February 11 (No later than)
The University Tenure/Promotion Committee will deliberate and vote on the
candidates for tenure/promotion. A written recommendation will be sent to the
Vice President for Academic Affairs and a copy of the recommendation will be
placed in the tenure/promotion file for each candidate.
February 12
The Vice President for Academic Affairs will begin to review the Tenure File and the
University Tenure and Promotion Committee’s recommendations.
MARCH
March 1
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Notification of negative decisions about reappointment for first-year (fall
appointment) faculty members.
Written recommendation for or against tenure/promotion by Vice President for
Academic Affairs placed in the candidate's Tenure/Promotion File with a copy sent
to the candidate.
March 11 (No later than)
If needed, the Vice President for Academic Affairs will meet with the University
Tenure and Promotion Committee to attempt to reach agreement for all
recommendations.
March 21
March 21 (No later than): The Vice President for Academic Affairs will add his or her
recommendation to the candidate’s Tenure File, sign the Tenure Review Process
Form, then forward the file to the President.
APRIL
April 1 (No later than)
The President's decision will be provided in writing to the candidate.
Evaluation and interview of all full-time non-tenured faculty members (except firstyear appointees) by the Dean. (by May 15.)
April 1
Decisions made for reappointment of first-year (spring appointment) faculty
members.
Decisions made for reappointment of third-year (and beyond) non-tenured faculty
members.
Submission of Faculty Performance Report by all full-time faculty members (except
first-year appointees) to the appropriate Dean.
Submission of copies of peer evaluators’ letters to Dean and Vice President for
Academic Affairs to be placed in the Evaluation File for evaluation of probationary
and temporary faculty (and tenured faculty every six years).
April 15
Dean Evaluation for six-year review of tenured Associate Professors completed and
forwarded to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Request for an appeal hearing sent to the President and the Faculty Senate if tenure
and/or promotion have not been granted.
After April 15
Joint interview scheduled concerning six-year review with faculty member, Dean,
and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
MAY
May 1
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Notification of negative decision about reappointment for first year (spring
appointment) faculty members.
May 15
Forwarding by Dean of completed evaluation forms to the faculty member and the
Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Annual evaluation interview of Deans conducted by the Vice President for Academic
Affairs; preparation of a summary evaluation to be placed in the Evaluation File;
submission of copy of summary to the Unit Head and the President.
Recommendation on an appeal concerning tenure and/or promotion decisions from
the Academic Freedom, Grievance, and Due Process Committee sent to the
President.
Vice President for Academic Affairs sends written notification to the faculty member
and Dean when a six-year review is to be conducted.
JUNE
June 1
Tenure/Promotion File merged with Evaluation File after review and appeals
processes have been completed.
Response from the President to the faculty member and the Academic Freedom,
Grievance and Due Process Committee concerning an appeal after tenure and/or
promotion was not granted.
AUGUST
Previous academic year’s evaluation and interview of all tenured faculty members
by the Dean. (after August 15 and no later than September 15).
2. Mission Statement
Lander University offers high-demand and market-driven programs to ambitious and
talented students in South Carolina and beyond. These programs are delivered in a rich
liberal arts environment to produce highly qualified and marketable graduates.
APPROVED BY THE LANDER UNIVERSITY FACULTY: March 2, 2016
APPROVED BY THE LANDER UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES: March 22, 2016
3. Vision Statement
All Lander graduates are educated, well rounded and prepared to continue their education
or launch their careers.
APPROVED BY THE LANDER UNIVERSITY FACULTY: March 2, 2016
APPROVED BY THE LANDER UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES: March 22, 2016
4. Lander University Distinguished Professor Award
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A. GUIDELINES
1. Criteria upon which candidates will be evaluated will be the same as those given in
the Faculty Handbook for tenure and promotion -- excellence in teaching,
professional development, and school and community service.
2. A nominee must be in at least the fourth year as a full-time faculty member at
Lander University. Faculty on sabbatical leave are eligible. The only materials that
will be considered in the selection process are as outlined on the Lander University
Distinguished Professor Nomination Form.
B. PROCEDURES (Check the SGA requirement)
1. Each Unit will establish its own system to select Unit nominees; there may be one
nominee per fifteen full-time faculty members or fraction thereof. Two at-large
nominations selected by a vote of the student body will also be included. Each
student is to have one vote. The Student Government Association will administer the
voting process. The election is to be advertised by the SGA in the "Weekly Bulletin"
and elsewhere.
2. The final selection of the recipient will be made by a committee consisting of the
previous five Distinguished Professors (excluding the current one) and the name
will be forwarded to the President of Lander University. There will be only one
winner of the award each year and the award is not to be divided or shared by more
than one recipient. In the event that the ranking process used by the selection
committee cannot select a single individual, the President will choose the winner
from the names forwarded by the committee.
C. TIMETABLE
1. The election for at-large candidates by the student body will be held no later than
the last week of February.
2. The Office of Academic Affairs will notify academic Units and the SGA by February 1
that all nominations must be received by March 1. Late nominations will not be
accepted.
3. The Office of Academic Affairs will notify nominees and ask them to submit the
required materials no later than April 1.
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