Faculty of Health constitution

Constitution and By-Laws for the Faculty of Health

1. NAME

   1. The name of this body shall be the Faculty Council of Health of the University of Waterloo. In the remainder of this document it shall be referred to as "the Council".

2. MEMBERSHIP

   1. The membership of the Council shall be:

      1. The President of the University;
      2. The Vice-President, Academic and Provost;
      3. The Dean of the Faculty;
      4. The Dean of Graduate Studies;
      5. All persons with faculty appointments (regular, visiting, research and special) to the Faculty;
      6. One representative from each of the other Faculty Councils at the University;
      7. One graduate and two undergraduate students from each academic unit of the Faculty;
      8. One representative elected from the full time staff of the Faculty.
      9. One non-voting representative from each of the following:
         Registrar's Office
         Library
         Department of Co-operative Education and Career Services
      10. One non-voting staff member provided by the Dean's Office to serve as Secretary.
      11. One non-voting staff member provided by the Dean's Office to serve as a resource person.

3. CHAIR

   1. The Chair of the Council is to be elected from the members of Council. The term of office shall be for one year.

4. POWERS AND DUTIES

   1. The powers and duties of the Council shall be:
      1. To determine, subject to the approval of Senate:
      2. A constitution for the Faculty;
      3. New curricula and courses of study;
      4. The criteria for admission into the various programs of study;
      5. The criteria for promotion and the degree requirements for the various programs of study;
      6. Policies regarding the examination and grading of students;
      7. To establish by-laws and regulations necessary for the conduct of its affairs;
      8. To conduct long-range academic planning within the Faculty;
      9. To appoint committees of the Faculty, outline terms of reference for them and receive reports and/or recommendations from them;
      10. To recommend to the Senate any change in the organization of the Faculty;
      11. To scrutinize all academic services offered by the Faculty and when necessary, to vote approval and to specify the conditions for their operation;
      12. To interpret and establish procedures for the implementation of existing policy;
      13. To consider and report to the Senate upon such matters affecting the Faculty as the Council may consider appropriate.

5. PROCEDURE

   1. In all matters of procedure, unless specified in this document, the Council and its committees shall be guided by Robert's "Rules of Order".

6. ADOPTION AND AMENDMENT

   1. Constitution
      
      This constitution shall come into effect upon its acceptance at a meeting of the Council and its ratification by Senate. Any proposed amendments must appear on the agenda for Council meetings. Amendments must subsequently be approved by two-thirds of the Council by mail vote

   2. By-Laws
      
      All changes in, deletions from, or additions to the By-Laws shall be considered at a regular meeting and only after notice of motion of the proposed change has been given. A two-thirds majority of all members present (assuming a quorum) is required for approval of any alteration.

   3. University of Waterloo Policy and/or Procedure as approved by the Senate and published in the University of Waterloo Policy Manual will take precedence over any item in the Constitution or By-laws. Notice of discrepancy will be given to Council. The Constitution or By-law will be automatically amended to reflect University of Waterloo Policy once notice has been received.

BY-LAWS

1. MEETINGS

a. Time of Meetings

The Council will hold regular meetings, usually monthly, at such time and dates as the Council, through its Executive Committee, may from time to time determine. If the urgency of the occasion demands, special meetings may be called by the Executive Committee at any time. The agenda of such special meetings shall be restricted to matters which cannot be postponed until the next regular meeting.

b. Notice of Meeting

Notice of regular meetings, including a copy of the agenda, shall be sent out by the Secretary not less than 72 hours before the meeting. Similar procedures will be followed for special meetings with the exception that 48 hours notice will be in effect.

c. Open Meetings

Meetings of the Council and its committees, with the exception of the Tenure and Promotions Committee, shall be open.

d. The Inaugural Meeting

The Inaugural Meeting of the year will normally be the regular meeting in September, and at this meeting new officers, committee members and other appointments will begin their terms of office. Nominations and election of new council officers and committee members will normally take place at the May meeting.

e. Agenda

The agenda shall be drafted by the Executive Committee. Any member of the Council may, by notice in writing to the Chair of the Executive Committee not less than 14 days before a regular meeting of the Council, request that an item be placed on the Agenda. The Agenda must contain the full text of any major motions to be moved in Council, together with the name of the mover and the seconder; full reports from any committees that wish to report or make recommendations to Council, with the text of such recommendations; and written reports from any other body or individual wishing to raise a matter for discussion within Council. It shall be for the Council, through its Chair to decide whether or not to consider any item not set out in writing in the Agenda.

f. Chair

All Council meetings shall be conducted by the Chair of the Council. In the absence of the Chair, the Chair-elect shall assume the responsibilities of the Chair.

g. Quorum

The quorum for all meetings, regular and special, shall not be less than 30 percent of the total Council voting membership or 20 members, whichever is greater.

2. MINUTES

The Secretary of the Council will maintain a complete file of the minutes of the Council and of its various committees. These files shall be open to the inspection of any member of the Council upon request. In addition, the Secretary will distribute copies of the minutes of the Council meetings to all Council members.

3. COMMITTEES

The Council shall have power to appoint such Standing and Ad Hoc Committees as it shall from time to time determine and shall have power to delegate to such Committees any powers and responsibilities which the Council itself possesses. A quorum for all committees of the Council shall be one-half plus one of the voting membership. Committees in existence shall remain in effect until changed by the authority of Council. Committees may invite non voting resource people to meetings from time to time as required.

The term of office for all faculty serving on standing committees is two years with half the membership retiring each year. No elected committee member may serve more than two consecutive terms on the same committee. Faculty nominated to standing committees must hold regular faculty appointments. In the event that a member of a standing committee will be absent for a period greater than six months or is unable to complete a given term the executive committee may appoint a replacement.

4. APPROVAL OF CANDIDATES FOR DEGREES AT CONVOCATION

That the Dean, with the recommendation of the Associate Chairs /Undergraduate Officers/Graduate Officers and Associate Deans be given the authority to submit names of Faculty of Health candidates meeting all requirements for the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Science and PhD degrees for Convocation. Furthermore, the Associate Deans must submit the list of graduands to all faculty for comment at least 48 hours before the October and May meetings of Senate.


STANDING COMMITTEES

A. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The relationship of the Council to the Dean can be and indeed should be complementary. Since the Dean of the Faculty must represent the particular Faculty's policies and points of view, clarification and reinforcement of the Faculty position should be obtained from the Executive Committee. Also, the Dean should be encouraged to solicit opinions on all matters academic, financial and material pertaining to the administration of the Faculty, of which he/she is the chief executive officer and academic mentor.

1. Membership

a) Dean of the Faculty;
b) Chair of the Faculty Council
c) Chair of each academic unit in the Faculty;
d) One undergraduate student representative from each academic unit in the Faculty to be appointed in consultation with the student association.
e) One graduate student representative representing all academic units in the Faculty to be appointed in consultation with the student associations of each academic unit.
f) Six members of the Faculty to be elected by the Council.
g) One non-voting staff member provided by the Dean's Office to serve as Secretary.

The term of office for the elected members is two years, half retiring each year.

2. Chair

The Chair of the Executive Committee shall be the Dean of the Faculty.

3. Powers and Duties

a) It serves as the primary academic planning committee of the Faculty and as such has the responsibility to:

b) Prepare and revise, when necessary a statement which articulates the goals and priorities of the F

c) Recommend to Council for approval, the alterations of existing administrative structures and the creation of new structures to achieve the previously defined goals and priorities;

d) Submit to Council for submission to Senate, recommendations which will aid in achieving the goals and priorities of the Faculty.

e) It serves to conduct the business of the Council in an efficient manner which includes acting in an advisory capacity to the Dean. In these respects Council has the responsibility to:

f) Receive reports from the Dean regarding the ongoing progress on pertinent

g) matters academic, financial and material pertaining to the administration of the Faculty;

h) Advise the Dean on the interpretation of Faculty policies and points of view in all matters academic, financial and material pertaining to the administration of the Faculty;

i) Review the allocation of resources (financial, physical, etc.) as they relate to the goals of the Faculty;

i) To conduct and execute the business of the Faculty when it is not
reasonable for the Council to do so;

ii) To serve as a nominating committee for the standing committees of
Faculty Council, the chair of Faculty Council, for Faculty representatives to other bodies, and for any other committees to which the Council may from time to time elect representatives in consultation with the academic units.

iii) To assign matters of importance to the Faculty to the appropriate
committee;

iv) To receive and review reports from all committees in order to;

(a) Advise committees of origin of their readiness for Council
consideration;

(b) Interpret recommendations in terms of the implications for the
Faculty welfare as a whole;

v) To recommend to Council, the creation and dissolution of committees;

vi) To make recommendations to Council concerning matters of importance to the Faculty;

vii) To draft the agenda for Council meetings. The minutes of the Executive Committee shall be available to all members of Council.
viii) To call special meetings as required. Special meetings of Faculty Council may be called by:
(a) the Dean,
(b) the Chair of Faculty Council,
(c) a petition of 20 percent of voting members of Faculty Council,
to discuss item(s) stated in the petition.


B. UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES COMMITTEE

2. Membership

The membership of the Committee shall be:

a) The Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies of the Faculty;

b) The Associate Chair, or person responsible for Undergraduate Studies, of each academic unit in the Faculty;

c) The Registrar or his/her delegate (ex-officio, non- voting);

d) One representative from the Department of Co-operative Education and Career Services (ex-officio, non-voting);

e) One elected faculty representative from each of the academic units in the Faculty offering an undergraduate program;

f) One elected undergraduate student representative from each of the academic units in the Faculty offering an undergraduate program.

3. Chair

The Chair of the Committee shall be the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies for the Faculty.

4. Powers and Duties

The Committee shall have the responsibility to:

a) Recommend admissions policy to the Council for approval;

b) Supervise the interpretation of the admissions policy by the Registrar's Office;

c) Prepare and submit annual reports on numbers and characteristics of students applying for admission, and on those accepting admission to various programs within the Faculty;

d) Recommend to Council for adoption, standards for progression through academic programs;

e) Consider and make appropriate standings and promotions decisions upon examinations results within the Faculty, consistent with policies set forth by Senate and the Council and to make recommendations to the Council regarding these decisions;

f) Recommend curriculum changes and proposed programs and courses to the Council for approval on the bases that the proposed changes make an appropriate contribution to the particular department and that duplicating of existing courses either within or outside the department making the proposal does not occur;

g) Hear and make decisions on academic petitions from Faculty of Health undergraduate students;

h) Approve the terms of reference of Undergraduate Scholarships and Awards.

C. GRADUATE STUDIES COMMITTEE

1. Membership

The membership of the Committee shall be:

a) The Dean of Graduate Studies;
b) The Associate Dean for Graduate Studies of the Faculty;
c) The Associate Chair, or person responsible for Graduate Studies of each academic unit in the Faculty;
d) One elected faculty representative from each academic unit in the Faculty offering a graduate program (must have ADDS status);
e) One elected graduate student representative from each of the academic units in the Faculty offering a graduate program.

2. Chair

The Chair of the Committee shall be the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies of the Faculty.

3. Powers and Duties

The Committee shall have the responsibility to:

a) Recommend admissions policy to the Council for approval;

b) Supervise the interpretation of the admissions policy by the University Graduate Office;

c) Prepare and submit annual reports on numbers and characteristics of students applying for admission and on those accepting admission to various programs within the Faculty;

d) Recommend to the Council for adoption, standards for progression through academic programs;

e) Consider and make appropriate standings and promotions decisions upon examination results within the Faculty, consistent with policies set forth by Senate and the Council and to make recommendations to the Council regarding these decisions;

f) Recommend curriculum changes and proposed programs and courses to the Council for approval on the basis that the proposed changes make an appropriate contribution to the particular department and that duplication of existing courses either within or outside the Department making the proposal does not occur.

g) Hear and make decisions on academic petitions from Faculty of Health graduate students;

h) Approve the terms of reference of graduate scholarships and awards.

D. COMMITTEE ON STUDENT APPEALS

1. Membership

The membership of the Committee shall be:

a) The elected faculty representative of the Undergraduate Studies Committee from each of the academic units in the Faculty offering an undergraduate program;

b) The elected faculty representative of the Graduate Studies Committee from each of the academic units in the Faculty offering a graduate program;

c) One elected undergraduate student representative from each of the academic units in the Faculty offering an undergraduate program;

d) One elected graduate student representative from each of the academic units in the Faculty offering a graduate program. The term of office for the faculty members coincides with their membership on the Undergraduate Studies Committee or the Graduate Studies Committee.

2. Chair

The Chair of the Committee shall be appointed by the Dean, from one of the faculty members of the Committee.

3. Powers and Duties

The Committee shall have the responsibility to:

a) To deal with student appeals of decisions on the judgement or assessment of students' academic work, as described in the University of Waterloo Student Appeal Policy and Procedures

b) To conduct hearings on charges pertaining to academic offenses, as described in the University of Waterloo Student Academic Discipline Policy and Procedures

c) to advise the Faculty on matters concerning such appeals and hearings.

E. TENURE AND PROMOTIONS COMMITTEE

1. Membership

a) The Dean of the Faculty;

b) Additional elected faculty representatives determined by the proviso that there are at least FIVE tenured faculty members broadly representative of Faculty program areas and elected by the tenured and probationary members of the Faculty.  FTPC members may not serve simultaneously on a DTPC in the same Faculty.  A majority of the FTPC's elected members shall be tenured full professors; it is desirable that each FTPC include both men and women;

c) The University Tenure and Promotion Advisory Committee (UTPAC) Chair shall appoint a non-voting advisor from amongst its members.  Members of UTPAC may not serve simultaneously on any DTPC or FTPC Committee;

d) The Dean and elected members shall be voting members of the FTPC;

e) The VPA&P shall appoint an additional voting member who will be a tenured faculty member from outside the Faculty.

2. Chair

The Chair of the Committee shall be the Dean.  

3. Powers and Duties

The Committee shall have the responsibility to:

a) Recommend to Faculty Council for adoption, policies concerning tenure and promotion, within the guidelines of Senate. When appropriate, the recommendations from Faculty Council will be forwarded to Senate for approval;

b) Receive, consider and forward recommendations for the award of tenure and/or promotion from the Departments in accordance with current policy;

c) The Dean shall report the membership of the FTPC to the VPA&P and to the Faculty's tenured and probationary faculty.

F. INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

1. Membership

The membership of the Committee shall be:

a) The Associate Dean, Research;

b) One elected faculty representative from each academic unit;

c) One undergraduate student representative;

d) One graduate student representative;

e) Director, Information Technology (ex officio, N/V)

f) Executive Officer (ex officio, NV)

2. Chair

Associate Dean, Research.

3. Powers and Duties

a) To make recommendations for the procedures and priorities of the use of computing resources within the Faculty of Health;

b) To evolve and update a three year plan regarding Faculty of Health computing needs, as they relate to central resources and those within the Faculty of Health;

c) To be a resource for information as to how computing is being done within the Faculty of Health.