Constitution

CONSTITUTION OF THE FACULTY OF MATHEMATICS  AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO  

The Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo (the “University”) is constituted to

(i) conduct research that has worldwide impact and recognition;

(ii) provide teaching and learning opportunities of unmatched breadth and depth;

(iii) produce graduates who are in worldwide demand; and

(iv) undertake educational outreach and community engagement that increases mathematical and computing literacy nationally and globally.  

I  
FACULTY AND FACULTY COUNCIL 

I.1 There shall be a unit of the University called the Faculty of Mathematics (the “Faculty”). 

I.2 The plenary organ of the Faculty shall be the Faculty of Mathematics Faculty Council (“Faculty Council”).  

I.2.i Faculty Council shall consist of the following, all as voting members: 

The President of the University

The Vice-President, Academic & Provost

The Dean of the Faculty

All Associate Deans of the Faculty

All Professors, Associate Professors, Assistant Professors and Lecturers holding a regular faculty appointment in the Faculty

The Associate Vice-President, Academic (or delegate)

The Associate Provost, Graduate Studies (or delegate) 

The University Registrar (or delegate)

The University Librarian (or delegate)

The Faculty Relations Manager (Mathematics) in the Department of Co operative Education and Career Action

The Director of the Student Success Office

One full-time graduate student in the Faculty, pursuant to paragraph V.2.i

Two full-time undergraduate students in the Faculty, pursuant to paragraph V.2.ii

One full-time post-doctoral fellow in the Faculty, pursuant to paragraph V.2.iii 

One representative from each of

1. the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences;

2. the Faculty of Arts;

3. the Faculty of Engineering;
      
4. the Faculty of Environment;

5. the Faculty of Science

pursuant to paragraph V.2.iv.

I.2.ii Faculty Council may invite representatives of other units and sub-units of the University to attend and participate in meetings of Faculty Council on such terms as Faculty Council may determine.  

I.3 Except as may otherwise be determined by Faculty Council, meetings of Faculty Council shall be open to all members of the University community. Faculty Council may, on 48 hours’ notice, close a meeting to any or all categories of spectators. Student members of Faculty Council shall not participate in meetings or parts of meetings in which individual student cases are discussed.  

I.4 The Year of Faculty Council runs from September 1st to August 31st. Faculty Council shall meet at least four times annually, as specified in the Bylaws. Additional meetings may be held either at the call of the Administrative Committee established pursuant to Clause III.1 below, or within 15 working days of receipt by either the Chair or the Secretary of Faculty Council of the written request of 15% of the membership of Faculty Council.  

I.5 A quorum at all meetings of Faculty Council shall consist of 25 members of Faculty Council.  

I.6 Meetings of Faculty Council shall be conducted in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order and Procedure (to the extent that those Rules are not inconsistent with this Constitution) and such bylaws as may be adopted by Faculty Council. Except as otherwise provided for in this Constitution, notices of meetings with agenda and all relevant documentation shall be made available to members of Faculty Council at least 5 working days in advance of its meetings.  

I.7 All Faculty Council Records will be maintained in accordance with University Policy 12 – Records Management which guides the creation, storage, use, and disposition of University Records. Except where prohibited by University Policy or government privacy legislation, all Faculty Council Records will be made available to the Faculty electronically.  

I.8 Faculty Council shall have the following powers and duties:  

a) Subject to the approval of the Senate of the University (the “Senate”), to determine the course of study in the Faculty and the conditions of admission into, and continuation within, these courses of study;
      
b) Subject to confirmation by Senate, to appoint the examiners for, and conduct the examinations of, the courses in the Faculty and determine the results of such examinations;

c) On the Recommendation of the Undergraduate Standings and Promotions Committee established pursuant to Clause III.3 below and the Graduate Studies Committee established pursuant to Clause III.4 below, to recommend to Senate candidates for the conferring of degrees, diplomas, awards and other honours;

d) To appoint such standing and ad hoc committees of Faculty Council as it shall determine, and to delegate to such committees the powers and responsibilities that Faculty Council itself possesses pursuant to Clause IV below; and

e) To consider and report to Senate upon such matters affecting the Faculty as Faculty Council may deem appropriate.

f) Except in cases of extreme emergency, no motion of major policy significance may be debated or voted upon in any meeting unless prior notice of that motion is included in the agenda of that meeting. In cases of dispute, the Chair’s ruling on whether or not a motion shall be admitted shall be final. Normally, reference to committees, questions of procedure, tabling and requests for information are among the matters not requiring notice of motion.

II   
OFFICERS  

II.1 The Dean  

II.1.1 The senior executive officer of the Faculty shall have the title "Dean of Mathematics” (the “Dean”).  

II.1.ii The Dean is an officer of the University and is appointed in accordance with University Policy 45, “The Dean of a Faculty,” as it may be amended from time to time, or any document in substitution therefor.  

II.1.iii In reporting to the Vice-President, Academic & Provost, the Dean leads the Faculty with respect to curriculum development, teaching, learning, research, and fostering its best interests. The Dean represents the Faculty and acts on its behalf in any administrative and ceremonial matters pertaining to the Faculty as a whole. The Dean manages the Faculty, including matters relating to resourcing, resource allocation and Faculty development with advice from the Faculty Council and other relevant committees and performs such other duties or functions as required for the academic program of the Faculty.   

II.2 The Chair of Faculty Council   
      
II.2.i Pursuant to the provisions of Clause V.1 below, Faculty Council shall elect one of its faculty members as chair.  

II.2.ii The duties of the chair shall consist of:  

a) Calling and chairing meetings of Faculty Council in accordance with I.5 above;

b) Calling and chairing meetings of the Administrative Committee established pursuant to Clause III.1 below; 

c) Serving as electoral officer of the Administrative Committee established pursuant to Clause III.1 below; and

d) Such other duties as may be assigned to the chair by this Constitution or through bylaws or resolutions of Faculty Council.  

II.3 The Secretary of Faculty Council   

II.3.i The Secretary of Faculty Council shall be appointed by the Dean.   

II.3.ii The duties of the secretary shall consist of:  

a) Giving notice of and recording the proceedings of Faculty Council meetings and keeping the attendance roll;

b) Giving notice of and recording proceedings of meetings of the Administrative Committee established pursuant to Clause III.1 below; and

c) Such other duties as may be assigned to the secretary by this Constitution or through bylaws or resolutions of Faculty Council.  

III  
STANDING COMMITTEES 

The tenure of standing committees of the Faculty is from September 1st to August 31st.  

III.1    Administrative Committee (the “AC”)  

III.1.i   The AC shall:

a) Plan the forthcoming business of Faculty Council and arrange the agenda of its meetings; 

b) Receive reports from standing and ad hoc committees of Faculty Council;

c) Assign matters to appropriate committees and Faculty Council and manage matters that do not otherwise fall within the mandates of committees of Faculty Council;

d) Serve as a nominating committee for Faculty representatives to other bodies in the University, and for any other committees to which the Faculty may from time to time send representatives, including appointing members to such bodies or committees as required to fill vacancies which may occur between elections;

e) Monitor all motions submitted to Faculty Council via the Agenda in order to ensure that such motions are accompanied by adequate statements outlining the reasons for the motion, and its expected consequences.  

III.1.ii The AC shall consist of the following, all as voting members:  

Ex Officio

a) The Chair of Faculty Council, who shall be Chair;

b) The Secretary of Faculty Council;

c) The Dean of the Faculty;

d) The Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies;

e) The Associate Dean, Graduate Studies.  

Elected/Appointed

a) One member of Faculty Council from each of 1. Applied Mathematics 2. Combinatorics and Optimization 3. Computer Science 4. Pure Mathematics 5. Statistics and Actuarial Science chosen by a procedure approved by the relevant unit;

b) One undergraduate student representative, chosen by the undergraduate students in the Faculty through a procedure approved by the Dean;

c) One graduate student representative, chosen by the graduate students in the Faculty through a procedure approved by the Dean.  

III.1.iii Meetings of the AC shall be closed to everyone other than members of the AC and those invited to attend at the request of the AC.  

III.2 Undergraduate Affairs Committee (the “UAC”)  

III.2.i The UAC shall:  

a) Provide general academic oversight on proposals concerning curricula, courses, academic policies, academic standards, continuation conditions, and general undergraduate affairs, and make recommendations on those matters to Faculty Council;

b) Define and oversee the functioning of the core curriculum in the Faculty, and make recommendations in that respect to Faculty Council;

c) Establish and oversee policies relating to admission of undergraduates to the Faculty, including policies governing advanced standing; Oversee and coordinate the preparation of calendar and other informational material relating to undergraduate programs and plans in the Faculty;
      
d) Receive and consider proposals from the Undergraduate Standings and Promotions Committee; and

e) Consult representatives of groups that do not have permanent representation on the UAC whenever those groups may be affected by proposals to be considered by the UAC, and, in the discretion of the UAC, invite representatives of such groups to attend UAC meetings at which such proposals are to be discussed.  

III.2.ii The UAC shall consist of the following as members, all of whom shall be voting members of the UAC unless otherwise noted:  

Ex Officio

a) The Dean;

b) The Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies, who shall be Chair;

c) The Associate Dean, Co-operative Studies;

d) The Faculty of Mathematics representative on Senate Undergraduate Council;

e) The Mathematics Society Vice-President Academic;  

Elected/Appointed

a) One member of Faculty Council from each of 1) Actuarial Science 2) Applied Mathematics 3) Combinatorics and Optimization 4) Pure Mathematics 5) Statistics chosen by a procedure approved by the relevant unit.  

b) Two members of Faculty Council from the Cheriton School of Computer Science, chosen by a procedure approved by the School;

c) One member of Faculty Council from the Math/Business and Accountancy plans chosen by a procedure approved by the Director of the Mathematics Business and Accountancy plans;

d) One undergraduate student representative majoring in Computer Science, chosen by the undergraduates majoring in Computer Science by a procedure authorized by the Director of the Cheriton School of Computer Science;  

III.2.iii The chair of the UAC shall be the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies.  Meetings of the UAC shall be closed to everyone other than members of the UAC and those invited to attend at the request of the UAC. 

III.2.iv Recommendations for changes in curriculum and regulations governing undergraduate programs for the next academic year shall be submitted to the UAC by a date to be specified by the UAC in consultation with the chair of Faculty Council. Except as otherwise provided in this Article III.2, the UAC shall present its recommendations and copies of submissions to Faculty Council for approval.

     
III.3 Undergraduate Standings and Promotions Committee (the “S&P”)  

III.3.i The S&P shall:  

a) Implement existing policies concerning standings, promotions, withdrawals, and related matters;

b) Receive, evaluate and adjudicate on all petitions for special consideration related to standing and promotions;

c) Report, and make recommendations, to the UAC on policies related to standings and promotions.  

III.3.ii The S&P shall consist of the following members, all of whom shall be voting members unless otherwise noted:

Ex Officio

a) The Dean;

b) The Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies, who shall be Chair;

c) The Co-operative Education & Career Action Faculty Relations Manager, Mathematics Co-op; and

d) The Associate Dean, Co-op Studies.  

Elected/Appointed

a) Not more than two academic advisors from each of 1) Applied Mathematics 2) Combinatorics and Optimization 3) Computer Science 4) Pure Mathematics 5) Statistics and Actuarial Science appointed by the Chair or Director of the relevant unit;

(b) Not more than two academic advisor from the Mathematics Business and Accountancy Plans appointed by the Director of the Mathematics Business and Accountancy Plans.  

III.3.iii Meetings of the S&P shall be closed to everyone other than members of S&P and those invited to attend at the request of S&P.  

III.4 Graduate Studies Committee (the “GSC”)  

III.4.i The GSC shall:  

a) Be responsible for the development and operation of graduate studies in the Faculty, and shall oversee the promotion of research within Faculty, subject to the approval of Faculty Council, the Senate Graduate Council, the Dean of Graduate Studies, the Graduate Studies Office, the Senate Research Council, the Senate and other bodies and offices with mandated responsibility for development and operation of graduate studies and research at the University;

b) Consider all proposed new graduate courses and programs and all proposed changes in existing graduate courses and programs, and to make recommendations to Faculty Council in those respects;

c) Determine the requirements for qualification as approved doctoral dissertation supervisors within the Faculty;

d) Recommend to Faculty Council candidates meeting all requirements for the post-baccalaureate degrees offered by the Faculty;

e) Oversee the preparation of calendar and other informational material related to the graduate programs of the Faculty, and to coordinate such material prepared by Departments and Schools of the Faculty;

f) Make recommendations to the appropriate bodies on the financial requirements for graduate student support, and for the promotion of research; and

g) Have responsibility for the admissions policies and procedures for graduate students, subject to approval by Faculty Council.  

III.4.ii The GSC shall consist of the following as members, all of whom shall be voting members of the GSC unless otherwise noted:  

Ex Officio

a) The Dean;

b) The Associate Dean, Graduate Studies, who shall be Chair;

c) The graduate officers from each of 1) Applied Mathematics 2) Combinatorics and Optimization 3) Computational Mathematics 4) Computer Science 5) Pure Mathematics 6) Statistics and Actuarial Science 

d) The Associate Dean, Research;

e) The Associate Provost, Graduate Studies.  

Elected/Appointed

a) One faculty member of Faculty Council from each of 1) Applied Mathematics 2) Combinatorics and Optimization 3) Computer Science 4) Pure Mathematics 5) Statistics and Actuarial Science chosen from among the approved doctoral dissertation supervisors by a procedure approved by the relevant unit, each to serve a two year term;

b) Two full-time graduate students in the Faculty, elected for 2-year terms (except for 1-year terms when need to provide for retirement in alternate years) by the graduate students of the Faculty.  

III.4.iii Meetings of the GSC shall be closed to everyone other than members of the GSC and those invited to attend at the request of the GSC.  

III.5 Tenure and Promotion Committee (the “TPC”)  

III.5.i The TPC shall serve as the Faculty Tenure and Promotion Committee as outlined in University Policy #77, “Tenure and Promotion of Faculty Members” (“Policy 77”).  

III.5.ii Membership on the TPC shall be as provided for Faculty Tenure and Promotion Committees in Policy 77, with the following additional requirements:  

a) Where Policy 77 requires “at least five tenured faculty members broadly representative of Faculty program areas,” this shall mean one faculty member of Faculty Council from each of 1) Applied Mathematics 2) Combinatorics and Optimization 3) Computer Science 4) Pure Mathematics 5) Statistics and Actuarial Science   elected by the relevant unit;

b) Members of the TPC elected pursuant to paragraph III.6.ii.a) shall serve three year non-renewable terms; 

c) Nominations of members to serve as elected members of TPC shall be in writing and must be signed by five members of the electorate as defined in Policy 77, except that the electorate shall be limited to members of the unit for which such nomination is made.

d) Elections pursuant to this sub-Clause II.5.ii shall be conducted by the Dean’s Office on behalf of each unit, and shall be by secret ballot conducted among members of the electorate in each unit for which such election is held.

III.6 Honorary Degrees Committee (the “HDC”)  

III.6.i The HDC shall:  

a) Consider issues of policy concerning honorary degrees and distinguished professor emeritus appointments, and make recommendations on these matters to the appropriate bodies;     

b) Recommend candidates for honorary degrees, and refer suitable nominees to the Senate Nominating Committee for Honorary Degrees, according to the criteria established by that Senate Committee; and

c) Advise the Dean on recommendations for distinguished Professor Emeritus appointments received by the Dean from Chairs and Directors of the Faculty.  In considering nominations, the Chair or Director will first consult with and seek the advice of the Department or School Tenure and Promotion Committee before deciding to forward a recommendation to the Dean. The Dean in turn will consult with the Faculty Honorary Degrees Committee, consider its advice in his/her final decision, and forward approved nominations to the Senate Nominating Committee for Honorary Degrees.

III.6.ii The HDC shall consist of the following as voting members:  

a) The Dean;

b) A Faculty member holding a tenured appointment in the professorial ranks, appointed by the AC to serve as Chair; and 

c) One faculty member of Faculty Council from each of 1) Applied Mathematics 2) Combinatorics and Optimization 3) Computer Science 4) Pure Mathematics 5) Statistics and Actuarial Science appointed by the Chair or Director of the relevant unit, each to serve a two or three year term.  

III.6.iii Meetings of the HDC shall be closed to everyone other than members of the HDC and those invited to attend at the request of the HDC.   

III.7 Computing Advisory Committee (the “CAC”)  

III.7.i The CAC shall:  

a) Advise Faculty Council on procedures and priorities for the use of computing resources within the Faculty; and

b) Participate in continuous long-term planning for the renewal of computing resources in the Faculty, including attention to the relationship with central computing resources for the University.  

III.7.ii The CAC shall consist of the following as voting members:  

Ex Officio

a) The Dean;

b) The Associate Dean, Computing, who shall be Chair; 

c) The Director of Infrastructure of the Cheriton School of Computer Science;
      
Elected/Appointed

a) One faculty member from each of 1) Applied Mathematics 2) Combinatorics and Optimization 3) Computer Science 4) Pure Mathematics 5) Statistics and Actuarial Science appointed by the Chair or Director of the relevant unit;

b) One full-time graduate student in the Faculty, elected by the graduate students of the Faculty by a procedure approved by the Associate Dean; 

c) One undergraduate student in the Faculty, chosen by the graduate students in the Faculty by a procedure approved by the Associate Dean; and

d) Such additional (non-voting) persons as the Chair shall from time to time appoint.  

III.7.iii The chair of the CAC shall be the Associate Dean, Computing.  Meetings of the CAC shall be closed to everyone other than members of the CAC and those invited to attend at the request of the CAC.  

III.8 Faculty Committee on Student Appeals (the “FCSA”)  

III.8.i The FCSA shall:  

a) Exercise the jurisdiction vested in faculty committees on student appeals by section 3 of University Policy 72, “Student Appeals” (“Policy 72”); and  

b) Advise Faculty Council on matters referred to in paragraph III.9.i.a).  

III.8.ii The FCSA shall consist of the following as members, all of whom shall be voting members of the FCSA:  

a) The Dean;

b) A member of the Faculty holding tenured appointment in the professorial ranks, appointed by the AC, to serve as Chair;

c) Two faculty members of Faculty Council from each of 1) Applied Mathematics 2) Combinatorics and Optimization 3) Computer Science 4) Pure Mathematics 5) Statistics and Actuarial Science appointed by the Chair or Director of the relevant unit, each to serve a two year term, provided that one of such appointees from each unit shall retire in each year;  
      
d) Three or more undergraduate students in the Faculty, chosen by the undergraduate students in the Faculty by a procedure approved by the Dean for one or two year terms; and 

e) Two full-time graduate students in the Faculty, chosen by the graduate students in the Faculty by a procedure approved by the Dean, for one or two year terms.  

III.8.iii Meetings of the FCSA shall be closed to everyone other than members of the FCSA and those invited to attend at the request of the FCSA.

IV  
AD HOC COMMITTEES  

IV.1.i Faculty Council shall be entitled to establish such other standing or ad hoc committees as it sees fit, to determine the composition and terms of reference of such committees, and to appoint the initial members of such committees,  provided that:  

a) no such committee shall remain a committee of Faculty Council for more than two years from the date of the meeting of Faculty Council at which it was established unless its composition and terms of reference are incorporated in this Constitution or its bylaws; and 

b) all elections subsequently necessary to fill positions on such committees are held pursuant to the provisions of Clause V.3 below. 

V  
ELECTIONS AND VACANCIES

V.1 Election of Chair of Faculty Council

V.1.i Except as otherwise provided for in valid University or Senate documents, the election of the chair of Faculty Council shall take place during a period (the “Election Period”) assigned by the AC, and shall be conducted in accordance with the following procedures:  

a) Not less than four weeks prior to the start of the Election Period, the AC shall circulate to members of Faculty Council a call for nominations to be received in the office of the Secretary of Faculty Council not later than two weeks prior to the start of the Election Period.

b) All nominations submitted pursuant to paragraph V.1.i.a) shall be endorsed by three faculty members of Faculty Council and the nominee.

c) At the start of the Election Period, the chair of Faculty Council shall issue a notice of election, and in issuing that call shall append a list of those nominated pursuant to paragraph V.1.i.a).

d) The chair of Faculty Council shall be elected from among the nominees listed pursuant to paragraph V.1.i.c) by a simple majority of the votes cast during the Election Period.  

V.1.ii The office of chair of Faculty Council shall be deemed to be vacated should the incumbent be absent from the University for longer than six consecutive months.  

V.1.iii Should the office of chair of Faculty Council become vacant for any reason whatsoever, then the remaining members of the AC shall appoint another faculty member of Faculty Council to serve in that office until a replacement is elected in accordance with the provisions of sub-Clause V.1.i.  Such election shall be held within twelve months of the creation of the vacancy.  

V.2 Election/Appointment of Council Members

V.2.i Graduate Student representative. The Graduate Student representative will be chosen to serve a one-year term through a nomination/election process administered by the Mathematics Graduate Office.   

V.2.ii Undergraduate Student representatives. The Mathematics Society President, and the Mathematics Society Vice-President Academic shall serve as the Undergraduate Student representatives.  
      
V.2.iii Post-Doctoral Fellow representative. The Post-Doctoral Fellow representative will be chosen to serve a one-year term through a nomination/election process administered by the Mathematics Graduate Office.   

V.2.iv Representatives from other Faculties. The representative from each of the other Faculties will be appointed to serve a one-year term, chosen through the process determined by that Faculty.  

V.3 Vacancies on Committees of Faculty Council  

V.3.i Any elected member of a committee of Faculty Council shall be deemed to have vacated the position should the incumbent be absent from the University for longer than six consecutive months.  

V.3.ii Should a vacancy occur for any reason whatsoever in any elected position on a committee of Faculty Council, then the remaining members of that committee shall appoint another member of Faculty Council to serve in that position until a replacement is elected in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution by which the relevant committee is established. Such election shall be held within twelve months of the creation of the vacancy.  

V.4 University and Senate Committees and Councils  

V.4.i The following processes are used to appoint or elect members to University and Senate Committees or Councils from the Faculty of Mathematics, as specified in the bylaws and/or policies associated with those committees:  

a) Senate Graduate & Research Council. Membership of this Senate Committee is described in Senate Bylaw 2. The two elected/appointed members from Mathematics will be the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies, and the Associate Dean, Research. The Associate Deans serve on the Council without term limits.  

b) Senate Undergraduate Council. Membership of this Senate Committee is described in Senate Bylaw 2.  The elected/appointed Faculty representative is elected from the Faculty members at large, for a term of two years.  

c) University Committee on Student Appeals. Membership of this University Committee is described in University Policy 72.  The Faculty representative is appointed by the Dean from the Faculty members at large, for a term of two years.  

d) Dean Nominating Committee. Membership of these committees is described in University Policy 45.  The six faculty members are elected as follows:  
      
One regular Faculty member from each of 1) Applied Mathematics 2) Combinatorics and Optimization 3) Computer Science 4) Pure Mathematics 5) Statistics and Actuarial Science elected by the members of the relevant unit;

One regular Faculty member is elected from the Faculty members at large and will satisfy the gender requirements specified in University Policy 45.  

IV.1.iii The Constitution of the councils of the other Faculties may include representative membership from the Faculty of Mathematics. These positions will be filled according to those constitutional requirements; if there are no specific requirements, the representatives from the Faculty of Mathematics shall be appointed by the Dean. 

VI  
BYLAWS AND CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS  

VI.1 Bylaws of Faculty Council shall be adopted by a two thirds majority of the votes cast at a duly constituted meeting of Faculty Council at which a quorum is present.  Notice of proposed amendment, repeal or adoption of bylaws must be given in writing not less than 30 days prior to the meeting at which those proposals are intended to be considered.  

VI.2 Any amendments to this Constitution shall require the following: e) A recommendation for such amendments ratified by a simple majority at a meeting of Faculty Council.  Notice of such a recommendation must be brought to Faculty Council at least 30 days prior to its discussion. f) A ballot (including the use of electronic voting) of all members of Faculty Council, on the recommendation of Faculty Council.  There shall be at least seven days’ notice before the start of the voting period, and the voting period shall have a duration of fifteen business days.  The ballot must carry by at least a 60% majority of all members of Faculty Council. g) Approval of the University Senate.    

Approved at a meeting of Faculty Council held November 10, 2016.

Approved at a meeting of Senate held January 16, 2017.