University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Senate

Senate Executive Committee Policies and Procedures

Urbana-Champaign Senate

University of Illinois

In accordance with Part A of the Bylaws, the Senate Executive Committee (SEC) approves the agendas for each scheduled Senate meeting. A draft agenda is prepared in the Senate Office from information supplied by Senate committee chairs, and is then brought to an SEC meeting for revisions and final approval approximately two weeks before the Senate packet is scheduled for distribution.

Although a committee is not required to submit a proposal to the SEC for approval of content before it is forwarded to the Senate, committee chairs are encouraged to bring any potentially controversial items to the attention of the SEC so that the agenda can be structured in an appropriate manner.

Requests to alter a Senate agenda after it has been approved by the SEC should be directed to the SEC Chair. Once an agenda has been distributed, however, it can be altered only with the consent of the Senate at the meeting in question.

Observers to Meetings of the Board of Trustees

The SEC designates one of its members (or another suitable representative) to observe and report on the proceedings of all public sessions of each meeting of the Board of Trustees (BOT). Volunteers are solicited during the first SEC meeting of each semester; the schedule of BOT meetings (including their respective sites) is distributed to all members at the first meeting of the fall.

Each observer is expected to file a written report with the SEC; this report is then forwarded to the Senate as soon as possible thereafter. The report should cover each item on the BOT agenda.

In the event that you, as an observer, are unable to attend a meeting as planned, please arrange for a substitute. Contact the Senate Office as soon as possible if you are unable to make such arrangements.

Reports of the Proceedings of Other Meetings

In addition to BOT meetings, Senate and the SEC regularly receive reports of the proceedings of the University Senates Conference (USC) and the FAC/IBHE. Unlike the BOT reports, however, these reports are submitted on a regular basis by the same people. A member of the UIUC delegation to the USC is elected at the Organizational Senate Meeting to serve on the SEC for the next academic year, and the FAC/IBHE representative, elected for a four-year term, is a voting ex officio member of the SEC.

Executive Session

The SEC reserves the right to meet in Executive Session. By prior agreement, the proceedings of those sessions are not recorded, and no minutes are published. There will, however, be a record of the fact that the SEC did meet in Executive Session and the purpose for which it convened.

Meetings with the President of the University

The SEC meets twice a year with the President. The first session, usually held early in the spring semester, provides SEC members with a valuable opportunity to exchange information and concerns with the President on a recurring, yet informal, basis. The SEC generally selects several topics of special interest in advance of this meeting.

The second SEC meeting with the President, usually held in May or June, involves the annual review of the performance of the Chancellor.

General Meeting Arrangements

Regularly scheduled SEC meetings take place on Mondays at 3:10 p.m. Senate committee chairs and senior campus administrators are invited to attend all SEC meetings, except those held in Executive Session.

The SEC approves the calendar for Senate/SEC well in advance of a new academic year in order to confirm special meeting dates with campus and University officers. The Senate calendar for the next academic year is adopted by the Senate at the last regular meeting of the current year.

Responsibilities

Annual Report to the Board of Trustees

In addition to reporting its activities to the Senate each year, the SEC also informs the Board of Trustees of its activities. This report is usually the same as the Annual Report to the Senate, and is traditionally presented to the Board at its fall meeting held on the Urbana campus.

Annual Meeting of the Faculty

The Senate Bylaws (Part A, 6) require the Senate to convene an annual meeting of the faculty of the campus to hear reports from and to question the SEC and the administration. Each faculty member receives an invitation from the SEC Chair and Vice-Chair.

Nominations for the Campus Promotions and Tenure Committee

The committee consists of ten members who serve three years each; terms are staggered so three or four members turn over each year. The SEC and the Provost nominate three persons for each vacancy; half of the vacancies will be filled from the SEC list and half from the list of the Provost. The selections will be made after discussions between the SEC Chair and the Provost. (See SC.92.19, Counterproposal Regarding Campus Promotions and Tenure Committee.)

Evaluation of the Vice-Chancellors

The SEC holds a special meeting in Executive Session each year to provide the Chancellor with an assessment of the performance of the vice-chancellors as required by Article III, Section 1 (g) of the University Statutes. This evaluation process begins late in the fall semester with the appointment of an SEC subcommittee. This subcommittee usually consists of one student and at least two faculty SEC members.

On April 6, 1988, the SEC adopted the following policy:

a. The full Senate shall be informed that the SEC will meet with the Chancellor for the purposes and by the procedures that follow.
b. Each of the vice-chancellors shall be asked to provide a brief (less than five pages) annual report highlighting his or her accomplishments in the past year and priorities for the next year and beyond. Copies shall be made available to the Chancellor and to the SEC prior to the annual consultation between them.
c. Each year, on a rotating basis, the accumulated reports of one of the vice-chancellors will be reviewed by a subcommittee of the SEC. The subcommittee's requests for additional information typically shall be limited to seeking input from the chairs of Senate committees whose charges relate to the responsibilities of the vice-chancellor being reviewed. The subcommittee shall lead the SEC discussions with the Chancellor and shall be available to meet with the vice-chancellor to discuss any recommendations for enhanced performance. Thus, the approximate four year in-depth evaluation of vice-chancellors and discussion with the Chancellor will provide more relevant information for improving the functioning of the respective offices of the vice-chancellors.
d. This procedure is not meant to impinge on other review or assessment activities. The Chancellor is free to seek input from constituencies not represented in the academic Senate.

Nominations for the Committee on Committees

In accordance with the Senate Bylaws (Part D, 7 [c]), the SEC nominates both faculty and students for membership on the Committee on Committees (CC). CC is charged with filling positions on standing and ad hoc Senate committees, and other University bodies on which Senate representatives serve.

Procedures for faculty: Early in the spring semester, the SEC chair appoints a subcommittee of at least three faculty members to identify faculty candidates for the Committee on Committees. Preliminary lists of eligible faculty are distributed to the subcommittee as soon as possible after the Senate elections. A final list of nominees is presented to the SEC at its next regular meeting. After approval by the SEC, the slate is forwarded to the Senate with a call for additional nominations. If none are received, final ballots are prepared; if additional nominations are received, preliminary ballots are prepared to reduce the number of nominees in accord with provisions of the Bylaws.

Procedures for students: As soon as unofficial election results are obtained from the Student Elections Commission (SEC), those results are forwarded to the student members of the SEC. Although student members of the SEC are welcome to consult with other students, it is their responsibility to ensure that a slate of candidates is ready for SEC review at the same time that faculty nominees are presented. If election results are not official by that time, all student nominations become contingent upon each student�s being declared the winner of his or her Senate election.

GENERAL NOTES: Deadlines for additional nominations are established by the SEC; election results for the Committee on Committees are announced at the Senate Organizational Meeting.

Annual Report to the Senate

The Senate Bylaws (Part B, 10) require each standing and ad hoc committee to file a written report summarizing its activities and unfinished business at the last regular Senate meeting of the year. The SEC report is usually prepared by the SEC Chair and submitted to the SEC for approval.

Procedures

Acting on Behalf of the Senate

According to the Senate Bylaws (Part D 1 [e]), the SEC is authorized to act for and on behalf of the Senate on urgent matters that require immediate attention, with the stipulation that, before taking any such action, the SEC shall seek the advice of those senators present on campus. Should the SEC exercise this prerogative, any action taken must be reported to the Senate at its first regular meeting thereafter.

Search Committees for President, Chancellor, and Other Officers

President: Current procedures for establishing a consultative committee to assist in the selection of a President were adopted by the Board of Trustees (BOT) on July 8, 1994. Each Senate will elect the faculty and student nominees to such a committee, and the University Senates Conference will recommend candidates to the BOT, who will make the final decisions. Administrators and other members are to be selected in a manner endorsed by the BOT.

Chancellor: Part F of the Senate Bylaws requires the Senate to determine the composition and selection of a search committee to select a new chancellor. Representatives of other campus constituencies are nominated in consultation with the President and with representative bodies of those constituencies, but the search committee itself is elected by the Senate. Faculty senators nominate faculty candidates; student senators nominate student candidates. The advice of the SEC and/or the Senate has also been sought upon the establishment of search committees for other officers, such as vice-chancellors.

Once informed of the need to form a search committee, the SEC works closely with the President and the Committee on Committees (CC) to develop a slate of nominees for the committee. The SEC and CC have agreed that a chancellor search committee should be composed of eight faculty members, two students (one undergraduate and one graduate/professional student), a dean, an academic professional, and a nonacademic employee. In addition, SEC's advice is sought with regard to the appointment of an interim chancellor. If procedures to establish a search committee and appoint an interim chancellor are underway during the transition between outgoing and incoming SEC's, the incoming SEC is also consulted in these matters.

Procedures for Hearings on the Termination, Separation, Transfer, Merger, Change in Status, or Renaming of Units

On April 13, 1992, the Senate approved guidelines for handling termination proposals (SC.92.21), under which the SEC Chair will be asked by sponsor(s) of such a proposal to organize "at least one meeting...to allow interested parties...to present their views on the proposed termination." The sponsor(s) will be responsible for submitting any meeting minutes (including any written statements submitted) to the Committee on Educational Policy (EP) with the proposal. The proposal is not to be submitted until all appropriate committees and administrative offices have signed it.

On January 20, 1993, the SEC approved recommendations from the Committee on General University Policy (GUP) with regard to (1) when hearings should be held, who should conduct them, and (2) who should be responsible for the cost of servicing those hearings. The following recommendations were distributed to deans, directors, and department heads and were presented to the Senate for information on March 1, 1993 as SC.93.29:

Well before a proposal for termination of any academic unit is forwarded to the Senate, the sponsor(s) of the proposal (e.g., Dean of College, Chair of Budget Strategies Committee, Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs) and the Chair of the Senate Educational Policy Committee (EP) shall determine an appropriate forum for a public hearing and appoint a hearing chair. The sponsor(s) and the Chair of EP (or their representatives) shall attend the hearing. Responsibility for providing a meeting place, publicizing the hearing, preparing minutes, and collecting written comments shall rest with the sponsor(s). Presenters can be encouraged to provide written comments. After the hearing, the sponsor(s) of the proposal shall reconsider the recommendation for termination in light of the testimony presented. If the decision to forward the proposal is reconfirmed, then the proposal, the minutes of the hearing, and the written comments, shall be forwarded to the Senate for consideration, with the advice of EP. If the proposal is significantly revised as a consequence of the hearing, the Chair of EP shall decide whether another hearing is required.

On November 29, 1993, the Senate, approved a recommendation from University Statutes and Senate Procedures (USSP) which expanded SC.93.29 to include not only the termination, but also the separation, transfer or merger of any academic unit. This document (SP.93.14) also included a note that EP shall be responsible for assuring that the sponsor(s) of the termination proposal complete their tasks in an acceptable manner.

On February 20, 2006, the Senate acted upon a USSP recommendation and codified SP.06.04 - an expansion of Senate Standing Rule 13 to include change in status and renaming of units, as well as to require a vote of the faculty at each applicable level in the approval process.

Selected Senate Meeting Procedures

Quorum

According to Article I of the Senate Constitution, a quorum consisting of "100 senators elected and serving" is necessary to conduct a meeting. According to parliamentary procedure, actions taken in the absence of a quorum run the risk of being declared null and void.

Standing Rule Number 4 states: "If it be determined during a duly called meeting of the Senate that a quorum is not present, but that 50 or more senators are present, the Presiding Officer may convene those present as a special Committee of the Whole House." This Committee may then consider any or all items on the agenda and make recommendations to the Senate; these recommendations must then be reported to the Senate by the Presiding Officer at the next scheduled meeting. (This Rule cannot be invoked if a meeting is terminated under provisions of Standing Rule Number 1; see the full text of both Rules for further information.)

Floor Privileges

Article I, Section 2 of the Senate Constitution accords all elected and ex officio members of the Senate full floor and voting privileges, except in specific circumstances (see Article V, Sections 7 and 11). In addition, all committee members "have floor privileges, including the privilege of making motions, on matters relating to the committee on which they serve, but they shall have no vote in the Senate" (Article V, Section 5).

Article IV, Section 2 provides standing floor privileges to the heads/chairs of departments (and comparable academic, administrative, and service units), including the College of Medicine, on matters of direct concern to their respective units. Floor privileges for other persons to address specific issues should be requested by contacting the Clerk of the Senate by noon the Friday before the scheduled Senate meeting. The Senate, however, has the final authority to grant such privileges.

Reconvened meetings

If the Senate is unable to complete its business during a meeting, Standing Rule Number 1 requires that the Senate reconvene the following Monday at 3:10 p.m., unless the Senate itself determines otherwise. A notice of a reconvened meeting, together with a list of remaining items on the agenda, is mailed to all individuals, organizations, and units that customarily receive Senate mailings as soon as possible after the adjournment of the meeting in question.

Tellers

Standing Rule Number 6 requires that the Chair of the SEC announce the names of at least three senators to act as tellers.

Committee Procedures: Business Items and Identifiers

Every item of Senate Committee business has an identifier in a format like SC.95.18 or XSR.95.01. The letters identify the committee of origin; three-letter acronyms beginning with "X" identify an ad hoc committee item; virtually all other sources use two-letters. The first two numbers after the letters indicate the are the academic year in which an item originated, and the next two the sequence of an item among others under study by a committee. No committee proposal will be placed on the Senate agenda until it has been given an identifier by the Senate Office.

Items are usually assigned to committees in one of two ways (a committee may also initiate its own agenda items):

Regular or Recurring Committee Reports. These may be initiated by a committee in accordance with its charge or may result from action taken by the Senate. For example, the Committee on Committees is informed of vacancies on standing committees; it then submits nominations to the Senate to fill the vacancies.

Direct Referral to a Committee. Items may be referred to a committee from either the SEC or some other source. The Senate Office monitors the progress of the proposal until it reaches final disposition.

GENERAL NOTES: When an item is under study by more than one committee, the chairs of the committees involved determine which committee will take primary responsibility. The primary committee then transmits the item (including any joint recommendations) to the SEC, the Senate, and/or the source of the topic.

Resources Available from the Senate Office

The Clerk of the Senate and Senate Office staff perform administrative, secretarial, advisory, research, and informational services for the Senate, Senate committees, and other campus administrative units. The list below is not exhaustive. Please consult the University Archives for information about Senate records which predate those listed here.

Senate. Minutes of Senate meetings are the responsibility of the Senate Clerk. The Clerk also maintains the official Senate records, which include:
- Current Senate membership
- Senate meetings since April 25, 1973
- Tape recordings of Senate meetings since 1992
- Index to Senate Minutes since 1930
Committees. The Senate Office maintains files for all supported Senate committees, and such other Senate committee files as the chairs have deposited there. These files (agendas, minutes, reports, correspondence) include those for:
- Current year committees
- Recent standing and ad hoc committees. Dates vary; SEC-since its inception as Senate Council-1968
- Items under study by Senate committees since 1973
- Senate Committee membership since 1924
Meeting Packets for Other Bodies. The Senate Office also retains current year meeting packets for the Board of Trustees (BOT), University Senates Conference (USC), and the UIC/UIS Senates.
Elections. The Clerk administers Senate and Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC) elections and serves as an ex officio member of the Senate Committee on University Statutes and Senate Procedures. As a result, the Senate Office maintains information germane to the elections named above, such as the current list of faculty electorate and emeriti.
Informational Services. The above files are available for the information and research of Senate members. In the conduct of Senate business, the Clerk and/or staff will search the files as time permits. However, according to Standing Rule 10 B, "Senate committee...working documents which are not distributed to the Senate are not considered public documents. They are not available for distribution except to members of the originating committee and to the Senate Council, without the express consent of the originating committee."
Secretarial Services. The Senate Office provides secretarial support to standing Senate committees within the constraints of staff levels. The support includes, but is not limited to, preparing minutes, coordinating meeting arrangements, and distributing materials to committee members. Committee chairs are responsible for establishing times and places of meetings.

Senate Executive Committee Handbook