Constitution
Constitution of the Faculty Congress of Villanova University
(Last revised: 23 December 2023)
ARTICLE I. Name and Object.
Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Faculty Congress.
Section 2. The Faculty Congress is an organization constituted by the faculty of Villanova University for the purposes of discussing all matters of interest to the faculty and, where appropriate, passing resolutions expressing its opinion on such matters. While resolutions may be sent to any administrative officer, the Faculty Congress has a direct consultative line to the chief academic officer.
Section 3. In representing the interests of the faculty, the Faculty Congress will be responsible for coordinating the activities of the faculty representatives on the University Senate and all university committees. Those representatives, in turn, will advise the Faculty Congress on relevant matters which come before the bodies on which they serve.
Section 4. Nothing in this Constitution shall be taken to preclude the formation or functioning of other faculty organizations, or to inhibit the operation of other faculty bodies of the University.
ARTICLE II. Membership.
Section 1. Section 1. Faculty are elected for membership on the Faculty Congress by constituencies within Villanova University. This guarantees that every constituency is represented in it. The Faculty Congress consists of a maximum of forty-six members as follows:
Chair 1
Vice Chair 1
Faculty elected to serve on the Faculty Rights & Responsibilities Committee 15
Faculty elected to serve on the Academic Policy Committee 16
Faculty elected to serve on the Research Policy Committee 5
One faculty member elected to serve on each of Athletic Advisory Committee, Budget Committee, Mission and Social Justice Committee, Student Life Committee 4
At large adjunct faculty seat 1
At large full-time faculty seat 1
At large faculty seat 1
Retired faculty 1
Total members 46
Section 2. The term of all members of the Faculty Congress will be two years with no limit on the number of consecutive terms which may be served.
Section 3. The term begins on May 1.
Section 4. Faculty are eligible to run for and serve on Faculty Congress during or after six continuous semesters as faculty at the University, except for the three at-large faculty seats who are eligible during or after three continuous semesters as faculty at the University.
ARTICLE III. Officers.
Section 1. Term of office.
a. Officers of the Faculty Congress shall be Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer.
b. The term of office shall be two years. Officers shall assume office upon May 1 following election.
ARTICLE IV. Meetings.
Section 1. The Faculty Congress shall meet at least two times each semester. Additional meetings may be called at the discretion of the Executive Committee, and must be called if petitioned by at least one-third of the membership of the Faculty Congress stating the reason for their petition, or by 50 full-time faculty by written petition.
Section 2. The regular meetings of the Faculty Congress shall be open to the University Community and minutes of those proceedings shall be published. The right of public participation by all faculty members is guaranteed and time will be allotted at each regular meeting of the Faculty Congress for this purpose.
Section 3. At any duly called business meeting the members present shall constitute a quorum.
ARTICLE V. Committees.
Section 1. The Executive Committee of the Faculty Congress consists of the officers and other Faculty Congress members as specified in the Bylaws. At least one Continuing Non-tenure Track faculty member and at least one adjunct faculty member shall serve on the Executive Committee.
Section 2. In addition to the Executive Committee, the Elections and Credentials Committee, the Faculty Rights & Responsibilities Committee, and the Research Policy Committee, other standing committees may be established by the Faculty Congress as specified in the Bylaws.
Section 3. Special committees may be authorized by the Faculty Congress or by the Executive Committee. The special committee will be discontinued when its charge has been accomplished.
ARTICLE VI. Election.
Section 1. The regular general election of members shall take place in even numbered years in the spring of the year in which they are to take office.
ARTICLE VII. Amendment.
Section 1. Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by any Faculty Congress member. Such amendments must be proposed and debated at a Faculty Congress meeting, with further debate and a vote at a following meeting. Approval requires at least two-thirds approval of the membership of the Faculty Congress present and voting. Following approval by the Faculty Congress, the amendment is presented to the full faculty, with approval requiring at least two-thirds of the ballots cast by all full-time and adjunct faculty who have completed one year at Villanova University.
Section 2. Nonsubstantive name changes in this Constitution may be proposed by any Faculty Congress member. Such amendments must be proposed and debated at a Faculty Congress meeting, with further debate and a vote at a following meeting. Ratification requires at least two-thirds approval of the membership of the Faculty Congress present and voting.
Section 3. Amendments to the Bylaws may be proposed by any Faculty Congress member. Such amendments must be proposed and debated at a Faculty Congress meeting, with further debate and a vote at a following meeting. Ratification requires at least two-thirds approval of the membership of the Faculty Congress present and voting.
Bylaws of the Faculty Congress of Villanova University
Last revised: February 21, 2022
ARTICLE I. Officers.
Section 1. Chair.
a. The Chair is the chief executive officer of the Faculty Congress and shall preside at all meetings of the Faculty Congress and the Executive Committee. Except as otherwise provided herein, the Chair shall perform the customary duties of chief executive officer.
b. The Chair shall assume office upon May 1 following election and shall serve for two years. Faculty members are limited to two consecutive terms as Chair, but are re-eligible after four years out of office as Chair.
c. To be eligible to serve in the position of Chair, the faculty member must be tenured and must have served on the Faculty Congress for at least one year.
d. The Chair will be granted no less than a 3 credit reduction in teaching responsibilities during each academic year of service in this role.
e. The Chair shall set the time for Faculty Congress meetings and Executive Committee meetings, and shall be responsible for seeing that notices of these meetings are sent to the members.
f. The Chair may establish special committees. The Chair shall appoint the members except when the Faculty Congress specifically makes other provisions.
g. The Chair is authorized to make payments in the absence or incapacity of the Treasurer.
h. If the office of Chair becomes permanently vacant, the Vice Chair shall succeed to that office for the remainder of the term, after which he or she shall serve the normal term as Chair. If both the offices of Chair and Vice Chair become permanently vacant, a special election shall be held to fill both vacancies, until which time the Secretary shall act as interim Chair.
Section 2. Vice Chair.
a. The Vice Chair shall assume office upon May 1 following election and shall serve for two years. The Vice Chair shall receive an automatic nomination for Chair when elections for Chair and Vice Chair take place. Faculty members are limited to two consecutive terms as Vice Chair, but are re-eligible after four years out of office as Vice Chair.
b. To be eligible to serve in the position of Vice Chair, the faculty member must be tenured and must have served on the Faculty Congress for at least one year.
c. The Vice Chair will be granted no less than a 3 credit reduction in teaching responsibilities during each academic year of service in this role.
d. Should the Chair be temporarily unable to carry out the duties of the Chair, the Vice Chair shall assume the position of Chair until the Chair becomes once again able to resume duties.
e. Should the position of Chair become permanently vacant, the Vice Chair shall assume the position of Chair as prescribed in Section 1.f. of this Article.
f. If the office of the Vice Chair becomes permanently vacant, a special election shall be held to fill the vacancy. The person so elected shall succeed to the position of Chair upon the expiration of the term of the then Chair.
Section 3. Secretary.
a. The Secretary shall assume office upon May 1 following election and shall serve for two years. Faculty members are limited to two consecutive terms as Secretary, but are re-eligible after four years out of office as Secretary.
b. The Secretary shall perform the customary duties of the office and those specified by the parliamentary authority except as otherwise provided herein. The Secretary is custodian of the minutes, membership roll, and other records of the Faculty Congress except for financial records held by the Treasurer. The Secretary shall prepare and transmit to all members notice of the time, place, and program of each regular or special meeting of the Faculty Congress; shall serve as secretary at all meetings of the Faculty Congress and Executive Committee; shall maintain all official records other than fiscal, including minutes of meetings; and shall maintain records of nomination and election of officers and committee members.
c. The Secretary may prepare and transmit issues of Facultas to the Faculty at Villanova University. The Secretary may appoint a committee to assist with the publishing of Facultas.
d. A vacancy in the office of Secretary shall be filled by the Executive Committee until the next regular election, when a successor elected at the regular general election shall take office for the unexpired portion of the term or until a successor qualifies.
Section 4. Treasurer.
a. The Treasurer shall assume office upon May 1 following election and shall serve for two years. Faculty members are limited to two consecutive terms as Treasurer, but are re-eligible after four years out of office as Treasurer.
b. The Treasurer shall perform the customary duties of the office except as otherwise provided herein. The Treasurer shall have custody of and maintain the fiscal records of the Faculty Congress and maintain the funds of the Faculty Congress in an appropriate repository approved by the Executive Committee.
c. The Treasurer shall pay all legal obligations of the Faculty Congress.
d. A vacancy in the office of Treasurer shall be filled by the Executive Committee until the next regular election, when a successor elected at the regular general election shall take office for the unexpired portion of the term.
ARTICLE II. Meetings.
Section 1. Meetings of the Faculty Congress shall be announced to all faculty at the beginning of each semester.
Section 2. An agenda shall be made available to all faculty at least three school days prior to each meeting.
ARTICLE III. Committees.
Section 1. Executive Committee.
a. The Executive Committee of the Faculty Congress consists of Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Faculty Congress. The Chair of the Academic Policy Committee and the Chair of the Faculty Rights & Responsibilities Committee will be ex-officio voting members. In addition three other members of the Faculty Congress shall serve on the Executive Committee, all elected by the membership of the Faculty Congress. One of these shall be a tenured faculty member, one shall be a full-time non-tenure-track faculty member and one shall be an adjunct faculty member. The total membership of the Executive Committee shall be nine.
b. The Executive Committee shall meet prior to each regular meeting of the Faculty Congress, typically the previous week, and set the agenda for that meeting.
c. The Executive Committee shall nominate faculty representatives to all University committees which include faculty in their membership, including committees of the Board of Trustees.
d. The Executive Committee shall act for the Faculty Congress on those matters requiring attention between meetings of the Faculty Congress. Such action will be reported to the membership of the Faculty Congress at the next scheduled meeting.
e. Meetings of the Executive Committee are closed.
f. The Executive Committee shall fill vacancies in the membership of the Faculty Congress.
Section 2. Standing Committees.
a. In addition to the Executive Committee, the standing committees of the Faculty Congress include the Elections and Credentials Committee, the Faculty Rights & Responsibilities Committee, the Research Policy Committee, and the Academic Policy Committee.
Section 3. Elections and Credentials Committee.
a. The Elections and Credentials Committee consists of five members appointed by the Chair of the Faculty Congress. Members of the Elections and Credentials Committee need not be members of the Faculty Congress. The Elections and Credentials Committee shall elect its chair.
b. The Elections and Credentials Committee shall have authority to administer the elections for the at-large members of the Faculty Congress, the Academic Policy Committee, and the Faculty Rights & Responsibilities Committee, the University Rank and Tenure Committee, and other committees as appropriate. It shall also solicit nominees for the appointed faculty members to all committees advising the University Council and present those nominees to the Executive Committee of the Faculty Congress which will, in turn, select a nominee for each committee seat. The names of those nominees will be transmitted to the University President, who makes the appointments.
Section 4. Faculty Rights & Responsibilities Committee.
a. The Faculty Rights & Responsibilities Committee consists of fourteen elected faculty members (one of whom shall be the Vice Chair of the Faculty Congress ex officio). The committee shall elect its chair. A faculty member is limited to two consecutive terms as Chair of the Faculty Rights & Responsibilities Committee, but is re-eligible after four years out of office as Chair of the Faculty Rights & Responsibilities Committee.
b. The Faculty Rights & Responsibilities Committee shall have authority to formulate recommendations in all faculty matters.
Section 5. The Academic Policy Committee.
a. The Academic Policy Committee shall have authority to recommend policy in academic matters affecting more than one college of the University.
b. The Academic Policy Committee shall consist of 30 members: 16 faculty, and a maximum of 15 other members, as determined by the committee protocol. The committee shall elect its chair from the faculty constituent.
c. The faculty constituent shall consist of sixteen elected faculty members. The faculty members will be directly elected by constituency. The term of office is two years. A faculty member is limited to two consecutive terms as Chair of the Academic Policy Committee, but is re-eligible after four years out of office as Chair of the Academic Policy Committee.
Section 6. The Research Policy Committee.
a. The Research Policy Committee consists of ten members appointed by the Faculty Congress Executive Committee. Six of the RPC members are to be appointed from the members of the Faculty Congress, and four members are to be appointed from full-time faculty who need not be members of the Congress. The composition of the committee will reflect multiple disciplines and methodologies and will ensure broad representation of the Villanova University research community. The committee shall elect its chair. Faculty members are limited to two consecutive two-year terms as Chair of the Research Policy Committee, but are eligible again after four years out of office as Chair of the Research Policy Committee.
b. The Research Policy Committee shall have the authority to recommend policy in research matters affecting faculty in more than one college.
Section 7. Additional standing committees may be established by the Faculty Congress. Their members shall be appointed by the Chair unless otherwise specified.
Section 8. With the exception of the Executive Committee, the Academic Policy Committee, and the Faculty Rights & Responsibilities Committee, existing standing committees may be discontinued by the Faculty Congress.
ARTICLE IV. Election.
Section 1. The Faculty Congress shall elect the incoming Chair and Vice Chair in even numbered years in the early spring of the year in which they are to take office, but no later than April 15.
Section 2. The regular general election of members shall take place in even numbered years in the spring of the year in which they are to take office. This will be handled by the Elections and Credentials Committee.
Section 3. The Elections and Credentials Committee will oversee voting for members on the Faculty Rights & Responsibilities Committee, members on the Academic Policy Committee, members on the Research Policy Committee, and at-large members as well as Full-Time Non-Tenure-Track Faculty representatives, Adjunct faculty representatives, and the Retired Faculty representative. For each seat, full-time faculty in the appropriate constituency will vote by secret ballot on the nominated candidates. A plurality of the votes cast shall be necessary to win.
Section 4. The newly elected Faculty Congress, at its first meeting in the spring of even numbered years, shall elect the Secretary and Treasurer.