Preamble: The Department of Economics at UC Santa Barbara is governed by the by- laws presented here. The following general considerations apply uniformly to our method of governance: votes in faculty meetings and Departmental committees are by simple majority rule unless specified otherwise in these by-laws, our voting procedures allow all opinions to be heard and considered, and any powers and responsibilities relating to Department governance that are not specifically described here rest with the Chair. The remainder of these by-laws describe procedures followed in specific areas of Departmental governance.
Departmental business and organization: The business of the Department is conducted through meetings, officers and committees of the faculty. The Department Chair is its administrative head, and is charged with interpreting and implementing Departmental policy and procedures (as APM 245 specifies as of 5/1/96). The Chair is in charge of planning the programs of the Department in teaching, research and other functions. The Chair is responsible for the recruitment, selection and evaluation of both academic and staff personnel in the Department. The Chair serves as the conduit between the Department faculty, its committees and the University administration, and in this role is responsible for communicating the recommendations and decisions of the faculty to the administration.
In performing these duties, the Chair is expected to seek the advice of faculty colleagues in a systematic way, and to provide for the conduct of Department affairs in an orderly fashion through meetings and the appointment of appropriate committees. All Departmental committees are advisory to the Chair, although at the Chair's prerogative they may function without bringing details of their activities to the Chair's attention. The MSO of the Department administers the budget and supervises the staff. The Chair has the authority to make budgetary decisions consistent with established Department and University policy, and is expected to report such activities to the Department from time to time.
Meetings: Meetings of the faculty are called at intervals throughout the year by the Chair, who also chairs the meetings. Agendas for Department meetings are distributed in advance. Any faculty member may propose agenda items to the Chair in advance of the meetings. Balloting will be secret on personnel matters and for other matters upon the request of any faculty member. All meetings are conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order. Minutes will be taken.
A simple majority of those eligible to vote constitutes a quorum. Participation in department meetings is a responsibility of each faculty member, except when the agenda contains items for which the member is ineligible to vote. In cases where the Chair determines that a high degree of consensus is necessary or appropriate before proceeding with a decision or policy change, the Chair may specify that he or she will recommend the proposal to the University administration only if a super majority of the faculty favors the decision or policy. In such cases the Chair will allow ample opportunity for discussion of the super majority requirement. The Chair may propose to decide an issue by mail ballot of eligible faculty in cases where discussion is deemed unnecessary.
Faculty members who are absent from meetings may give their proxies to the Chair. Faculty who are on sabbatical or leave of absence may vote if they are otherwise eligible. Post six year Unit 18 faculty have the same voting rights as ladder faculty except they are not eligible to vote on personnel decisions involving ladder faculty or on policy matters concerning the PhD program.
Voting procedures/eligibility: All ladder faculty (including Lecturers with Security of Employment) in the Department have the right to vote on non- personnel issues and appointments to junior positions. Only tenured faculty (not including Lecturers with Security of Employment) have the right to vote on senior appointments. The Department follows Academic Senate by-law 55 regarding other academic personnel voting rights and procedures.
The Chair is responsible for preparing personnel evaluation materials for all ladder faculty eligible for merit advancement or promotion. The Chair may appoint ad hoc committees to assist in this process. Such ad hoc committees are customary for evaluating promotions to tenure. The Chair relies on the MSO for preparation of staff performance evaluations and merit recommendations.
In performing Unit 18 personnel reviews, the Chair may appoint ad hoc committees or seek the advice of the faculty in other ways. Procedures now in place for reviewing Unit 18 instructors in the Accounting Program are attached as an appendix to these by-laws.
Departmental Committees: The Chair determines the number of committees and their membership. Typical standing committees in the Department of Economics are a Recruitment/Search Committee, a Planning and Budget Committee, an Undergraduate Committee, and a Graduate Committee. The Chair may appoint ad hoc committees as needed. Appointments are for one year. All committees are advisory to the Chair.
The Planning and Budget Committee is charged with overseeing the budget and the allocation of departmental resources.
The Graduate Committee is charged with implementing Department and University policies regarding graduate recruitment, admissions, retention, evaluation, advancement, and support of graduate students. It may recommend policy on graduate affairs to the Chair. The Graduate Committee is chaired by the Department faculty Graduate Advisor.
The Undergraduate Committee is charged with oversight responsibilities for all aspects of the undergraduate program. This includes curriculum planning and revisions, major and minor changes, and other issues related to undergraduate affairs. The Undergraduate Committee is chaired by the faculty Undergraduate Advisor. This committee may study policies and procedures relating to undergraduate affairs and make recommendations to the Chair.
Department officers: The Department Chair is appointed by the Dean with advice from the faculty. The Vice-Chair and faculty Graduate Advisor are nominated by the Chair; appointments of these officers are made by the College of Letters and Science and the Graduate Division Dean, respectively. The Accounting Program Director and the faculty Undergraduate Advisor are appointed by the Chair. The Chair may appoint other officers as needed.
Emeriti participation: In accordance with Academic Senate by-law 55, Article E, emeritus faculty are entitled to vote on non-personnel matters during any quarter in which they are recalled to service in the Department. They may be accorded the right to vote on personnel matters with a two-thirds majority vote by secret ballot of the eligible faculty. Emeriti faculty not recalled to service have no voting rights unless granted by the faculty as specified in Academic Senate by-law 55, article D.
Amending by-laws: These by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of those eligible. Eligible voters are ladder faculty (including Lecturers with Security of Employment) and post six year Unit 18 faculty.
5/1/96