Division Bylaws - University of Illinois Division of Nutritional Sciences

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BYLAWS OF THE DIVISION OF NUTRITIONAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

EFFECTIVE: 1984;
AMENDED: 1995, 1999, 2000

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Article I: Authority

These Bylaws derive their authority from the Statutes of the University of Illinois which state that the governance of each academic unit shall be based on bylaws established and amended by the faculty of that unit. The Bylaws of the Division of Nutritional Sciences are an extension of the Statutes. As such, they must accord with them and, in any case of disagreement, the Statutes must prevail.

Article II: Preamble

The Division of Nutritional Sciences serves to foster, coordinate and integrate research and teaching activities in nutritional sciences at the University of Illinois and to provide support for public service activities in nutrition. The Division develops and extends the knowledge of nutrition. It facilitates interaction of faculty and students in nutrition and related fields across disciplines, across departments, across colleges, and across campuses of the University of Illinois. The Division also enhances the quality of research and educational programs in various units of the University to meet the present and future nutritional needs of the citizens of Illinois, the nation and the world.

Article III: The Division

The Division is a subunit of the Graduate College at UIUC and is administered through the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

Composition
1. The faculty of the Division of Nutritional Sciences includes all faculty members of the University of Illinois elected to 5-year terms in the Division by said faculty. Emeriti, visiting or adjunct faculty may be appointed in the Division with all faculty rights other than voting privileges and those specifically exempted.
2. Academic Staff. The academic staff consists of members of the teaching, research, and extension staff who hold academic appointments. It includes members of the faculty and those on professional appointments including Assistant Nutritional Scientists, Research Associates and Graduate Assistants.
3. Staff. Staff includes all employees who by recommendation of the Director are appointed or assigned to the Division.
Voting Privileges
Voting privileges in the Division are reserved for the faculty of the Division.

Article IV: Organization

Director of the Division
The Director of the Division is the chief executive officer.
1. Appointment. The Director is appointed and removed as specified in the University Statutes, Article V, Section 3.
2. Responsibilities. The Director has general responsibility for providing leadership in fulfilling the mission of the Division. Under these general responsibilities, the Director
  1. Has primary responsibility for organizing the various activities of the Division, ensures satisfactory progress and quality, formulates and executes divisional priorities and enforces University and College policies insofar as they affect the Division.
  2. Maintains a permanent file of all current policies and procedures adopted by the faculty.
  3. Assigns staff responsibilities and consults with faculty members of the Division regarding the nature and scope of responsibilities and accomplishments of participating individuals. The Director offers an appropriate evaluation of a member's performance upon request by the member, the Executive Committee or appropriate University officials.
  4. Maintains an up-to-date file of the faculty and their research interests.
  5. Consults regularly with the Executive Committee regarding divisional policy and governance. This includes, but is not limited to, the appointment of faculty, preparation of the Divisional budget, and conduct of faculty meetings and educational programs.
  6. Calls meetings of the Divisional faculty as specified in Article IV, Section B 6 (b) of these Bylaws.
  7. Reports to the appropriate college and University administrators on the teaching, research, and public service activities of the Division.
  8. Establishes and maintains effective lines of communications among students, faculty, and the public for addressing the activities and needs of the Division.
  9. Consults regularly with the External Advisory Committee about the teaching, research and public service activities of the Division.
  10. Has general supervision of the activities of graduate students in the Division.
  11. Prepares and submits Divisional budgets.
  12. Facilitates the acquisition of external funding for Divisional activities from government, industry or the private sector.
  13. Has primary responsibilities for the distribution and expenditure of Divisional funds and for the care of property assigned to the Division.
  14. Maintains a file of addresses and activities of alumni of the Division.
3. Performance Review and Evaluation. A review and evaluation of the performance of the Director will be undertaken and completed every 5 years by a committee appointed by the dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and with concurrence by the deans of units that contribute financial support to the Division. The EC may provide nominees for the committee. The chair of the committee will be named by the Dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the time the committee is appointed. A representative of the Graduate College and the deans of the supporting colleges also will participate in the periodic evaluation. The report of the evaluation will be submitted to the deans of the units participating in the Division empanelled as a board by the Chair of the committee. The Nutritional Sciences Executive Committee will assist the Evaluation Committee as outlined in Article V, Section B.2 (d) of these Bylaws.
Faculty of the Division
1. Responsibilities of the Faculty. While Divisional faculty hold primary appointments in other academic units, they also have agreed to participate in the programs of instruction, research and public service of the Division. All members of the faculty share the responsibility for fostering the highest standards of academic and professional excellence.
  1. Members of the faculty are responsible for assuring the instruction of courses in the Division. All teaching commitments are coordinated with participating departments.
  2. The main research effort of the faculty is expected to be in their area of specialization in accordance with their interests and available financial support. Cooperative research with other Divisional faculty is encouraged.
  3. The public service responsibility of each member of the Division must be consistent with the missions and goals of the Division and with the individual's position.
  4. Members of the faculty contribute to the governance of the Division.
  5. The faculty advise the Director at faculty meetings and through their representatives on the Executive Committee upon matters of educational policy and Divisional governance.
  6. The faculty have all powers not exclusively given to the Director by University Statutes or by voting faculty of the Division.
2. Appointment of Faculty Members
  1. Membership in the Division is based upon the applicant's commitment to excellence in nutrition research and willingness to participate in Divisional teaching and research activities. Members must be faculty from Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, or Springfield campuses of the University of Illinois. Terms of membership are for a period of up to 5 years and may be renewed. Nominations for membership are made by the Director after consultation with the Executive Committee. Approval of membership (new and renewal) requires a majority vote of the faculty at a scheduled faculty meeting or by mail ballot.
  2. Following faculty approval, appointments in the Division are made by the Director upon concurrence of the member involved, the appropriate department head and college dean, if necessary. Appointments may be made for zero-time or for some mutually agreeable fixed-time.
  3. All recommendations for the appointment of academic professionals are made by the Director in consultation with the faculty members responsible for the program or project upon which the new staff member is to be employed.
3. Appointment of New Faculty and Staff Members. The Departmental Affirmative Action Guidelines in which the new employee is to be housed are to be followed in any search. All appointments are based on the appropriateness of the candidate for the position.
4. Promotion and Tenure of Faculty Member. The Division does not offer tenured positions to faculty members. For consideration of tenure and/or promotion in their home unit, members of the Division may request that an evaluation of their performance in the Division be submitted by the Director to their respective department head or college dean.
5. Faculty Salary. If requested, the Director of the Division will submit a recommendation to departmental or college administrators for a merit increase based on the performance of the individual faculty member in the Division.
6. Faculty Meetings
  1. Divisional faculty meet at least twice during each academic year to consider proposals for faculty action and to discuss matters of educational policy and Divisional governance.
  2. Meetings are called by the Director on his/her own initiative or upon receipt of a written request signed by at least eight faculty members or by a majority of the Divisional Executive Committee. Such meetings are to be held within two weeks of the date of receipt of such request by the Director.
  3. The agenda of the meeting is distributed to the faculty at least five days prior to the meeting. Committee reports and any other available necessary information concerning topics on the agenda is included if possible.
  4. In order to conduct official business, a quorum consists of two-fifths of the voting faculty not on sabbatical or other leave of absence. No decisions are made or action taken unless a quorum is present. The Director or designee presides at all faculty meetings.
  5. Robert's Rules of Order (revised) applies to all faculty meetings to the extent that its provisions are consistent with the University Statutes and these Bylaws.
  6. The minutes of each faculty meeting are recorded by the reporter. The reporter is selected by the Director prior to the meeting. The minutes including committee reports are distributed to all faculty members and are filed for ready availability to all faculty members or others with a legitimate claim of access.
  7. Any Divisional faculty member may invite guest(s) to speak on appropriate issues of the meeting. However, such guest(s) may be asked to leave prior to voting which is limited to those with voting privileges as specified in Article III, Section B of these Bylaws.
  8. Actions may be taken by majority vote of the faculty present at the meeting. A secret ballot may be requested by any voting member.
7. Other Administrative Officers. To facilitate the activities of the Division, the following officers may be appointed by the Director with the advice of the Executive Committee for fixed terms.
  1. Associate Director. The Associate Director assists the Director as required and fulfills the duties of the Director when the latter is absent.
  2. Divisional Election Officer. The Election Officer supervises all elections held in the Division, including the nominations and elections of members of the Executive Committee and cooperate with other requests for nominees for other University committees. The Election Officer may request the assistance of another faculty member in counting the ballots.
  3. Job Placement Coordinator. While faculty have major responsibility for assisting their students with job placement, the Job Placement Coordinator obtains and distributes information on available jobs and opportunities of interest to graduate students and recent recipients of MS and PhD degrees from the Division. The Coordinator maintains a current file of candidates and available positions. The Coordinator advises candidates with regard to resumes, interviews, and other matters relative to securing a position of their choice.

Article V: Divisional Committees

Enumeration of Committees
Divisional committees include:
1. The elected Executive Committee.
2. Appointed standing committees including the Graduate Student Review Committee, Graduate Student Grievance Committee, the Courses and Curricula Committee and the Awards Committee.
3. Special committees created by resolution of the faculty or the Executive Committee or by action of the Director.
Executive Committee
1. Composition. The Executive Committee consists of ten members elected by Divisional faculty. One member from the Chicago campus will be elected by Divisional faculty to serve a three-year term on the Committee. All elected Executive Committee members have voting privileges. One student representative elected by the Nutritional Sciences Graduate Student Association is invited to all meetings of the Executive Committee, but has no voting privileges. The Director or designee serves as chair.
2. Responsibility. The Executive Committee advises the Director with regard to Divisional policy and governance as specified in Article IV, Section A.2. (e) of these Bylaws.
  1. Serves as the primary advisory committee to the Director. In advising the Director in regard to Divisional policy, the members of the committee serve as a channel of communication between faculty and the Director.
  2. Coordinates the work of standing committees.
  3. Acts on other business as delegated by the Director or the faculty.
  4. Assists in the periodic evaluation of the Director by nominating individuals to serve on the Evaluation Committee, suggesting groups which should be surveyed or interviewed, assisting in the preparation of the questionnaires and in any other manner requested by the Evaluation Committee.
3. Election Procedures
  1. The nine members of the Executive Committee from the Urbana-Champaign campus are elected to staggered three-year terms. At least one member is from each college providing recurring financial support to the Division. Colleges currently providing such support include Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, Applied Life Studies, Medicine and Veterinary Medicine.
  2. Eligibility for membership on the committee is limited to voting and emeriti members of the faculty. If an emeritus faculty member is elected to the Executive Committee, he/she has voting privileges.
  3. An Executive Committee member may not be elected to serve more than 2 consecutive terms, except in the instance where not more than 1 person from a particular college/campus is able to serve.
  4. The nominations are by faculty vote. The nomination ballot consists of all active faculty except for those continuing to serve on the Executive Committee and faculty who have served 2 consecutive terms on the Executive Committee. Emeriti faculty who are willing to serve will also be listed. The election ballot contains two nominees willing to serve for each position to be filled, except that at least one nominee from colleges requiring representation is also included. If no one from a college requiring representation is nominated, all members from that college who are willing to serve are listed on the election ballot. Tie votes are resolved by a random procedure.
  5. Vacancies that occur in the membership of the committee are filled by appointment of the person receiving the next highest number of votes in the previous election, taking into account necessary college representation. The member so appointed finishes the term of the member replaced. Such appointments do not disqualify this individual from consideration in a subsequent election.
4. Meetings
  1. If possible, the Executive Committee meets prior to each Divisional faculty meeting and as requested by the majority of the Committee, the Director or an appropriate College or University committee or administrator.
  2. The agenda of the meeting with any necessary information concerning topics to be considered, is distributed to all faculty at least five days prior to the meeting. The minutes of each committee meeting are recorded by a secretary selected by the Director prior to the meeting. These minutes are distributed to the faculty at least five days prior to the next faculty meeting for consideration and action at the meeting as specified in Article IV, Section B 6 of these Bylaws.
Standing Committees
The following standing committees are appointed by the Director of the Division annually at the start of each academic year.
1. Courses and Curricula Committee. This committee consists of four faculty members appointed by the Director and one graduate student with voting rights elected annually by the Nutritional Sciences Graduate Student Association. The chair of this committee may be asked to represent the Division at meetings of the College Courses and Curriculum Committee. The committee: reviews proposals for new and revised Division courses; reviews existing curricula and makes recommendations to the faculty for change as needed; and maintains a permanent file of current outlines for all courses offered by the Division. The committee meets at the discretion of its members or its chair and as requested by action taken at faculty meetings. The committee reports to the faculty orally or in writing concerning its activities at least annually.
2. Graduate Student Review Committee. This committee consists of three faculty members appointed by the Director. Members are appointed to staggered three-year terms. The member in his/her final year of appointment serves as the chair of the committee. The committee meets at the discretion of the chair, its members or by action taken at a faculty meeting. The committee:
  1. Evaluates the progress of all graduate students who have been enrolled for over one year.
  2. Reports its evaluations to the Director; and, in conjunction with the Director, communicates evaluations and any remedial action needed to each student, with copy to respective advisor.
3. Graduate Student Grievance Committee. This committee consists of two faculty members appointed by the Director and two students elected by the Nutritional Sciences Graduate Student Association. Faculty members are appointed to staggered four-year terms. The faculty member with fewer years remaining in term serves as the chair, while the faculty member with greater years remaining in term serves as the secretary for meetings. In cases of conflict of interest on part of faculty or student members, the Director will appoint replacement faculty or student members to hear the grievance involving such conflict. The committee meets as required.
  1. A student with a grievance is expected to exhaust all available venues within the Division before filing his/her grievance in writing to the Divisional Grievance Committee.
  2. Within two weeks of receipt of the grievance, the committee makes a preliminary investigation to determine if all venues have been exhausted and, if not, makes appropriate recommendations to the grieved member.
  3. If all other venues have been exhausted, the committee informs the person(s) allegedly responsible for the grievance in writing, providing an opportunity for a written response or personal interview.
  4. The Committee then may conduct additional interviews and is authorized to obtain all documents pertinent to the grievance from members of the Division and other sources as appropriate.
  5. Upon completion of this investigation, the committee makes its recommendation to the Director, the grieved member and the person(s) allegedly responsible for the grievance. The Director, upon receipt of the recommendation, may request additional supportive information from the committee and both parties involved in the decision.
  6. Decisions reached at the Divisional level may be appealed through the appropriate college or campus official or committee. Both parties involved in the grievance are to be informed by the Director as to the appropriate procedures to follow.
  7. One copy of the complete case file remains intact and is not removed from the Divisional office. The case file shall be available for examination by authorized representatives of the college or campus responsible for handling grievances.
  8. Awards Committee. This committee consists of at least three faculty members appointed by the Director. The purpose of this committee is to nominate faculty members for meritorious awards recognizing their activities in nutrition. The committee meets as needed to satisfy deadlines or as requested by the Director.
4. External Advisory Committee
  1. Organization. The External Advisory Committee consists of eight or more individuals from outside the University. Individual members of this committee are recommended for three-year appointments to the Dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences by the Director after consultation with the Executive Committee. The committee normally meets annually with Divisional faculty and students.
  2. Responsibility. The External Advisory Committee gives advice to the Division on the wide range of topics of importance to the operation of the Division, including, but not limited to, educational and fiscal policies.

Article VI: Amendment of Bylaws

These Bylaws may be amended following discussion of proposed amendments at a faculty meeting. Any voting member of the faculty may propose an amendment by submitting it in writing to the Director who will bring it to the Executive Committee for discussion. A proposed amendment with majority support from the Executive Committee or endorsed by 8 faculty members shall be circulated by the Director to the faculty at least two weeks prior to the meeting at which it is to be discussed. Adoption of any amendment requires 3/5 majority support in a subsequent mail ballot sent to all voting faculty of the Division.

June 2000