1.6 COMMITTEES OF JUNIATA COLLEGE

1.6.1 Administrative Committees

1.6.2 Institutional Committees

1.6.3 Faculty Committees

The general principles of operation of faculty committees are described in Section III of Article III of the By-Laws.

1.6.3.1 Academic Planning and Assessment Committee

This Committee has the responsibility for guiding the faculty in assessing the achievement of student academic outcomes derived from the College Mission Statement and institutional priorities. The Committee assesses the effectiveness of the overall curriculum, components of the curriculum, and other academic programs in achieving desired outcomes. The Committee engages in curriculum planning at the macro level and recommends strategies for enhancing student academic outcomes. The Committee guides the review of all academic programs. The Committee establishes policy for departmental planning and program planning. The Committee may recommend the establishment of new programs or the abolishment of existing programs.

  1. Membership:
    • 5 Full Time Faculty Elected by the Faculty (Broadly Representative (see VI.B.9.g)
    • 1 Student Appointed by Student Government (Voice Only)
    • Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs, Ex Officio (Voice and Vote)
    • Vice President for Educational Planning and Student Services, Ex Officio (Voice Only)
  2. Responsibilities:
    1. To develop and oversee implementation of instruments and indicators for assessing the achievement of excellence in the development of student academic outcomes for all components of the academic program.
    2. To develop and maintain academic and curriculum priorities in light of the College Mission Statement, Institutional Priorities, and the changing external and internal environments.
    3. To develop guidelines and procedures for the review of departmental, interdepartmental and exchange programs. Program reviews will include both evaluation and planning components.
    4. To schedule and oversee the periodic review of departmental (including designated Programs of Emphasis), interdepartmental, general education and other academic programs according to procedures developed by the Committee. These reviews should occur on a regular schedule recommended by the Dean of Academic Affairs. The Committee may suggest that consultants be retained by the College for the evaluation of any of the aforementioned programs.
    5. To advise the Administration in all areas of resource allocation related to the academic program.
    6. To recommend the establishing of new programs or abolishing existing academic programs, including exchange programs.
    7. To create and dissolve such subcommittees as are necessary to complete specific aspects of the charge of the committee or to meet the specific requests of the President or the Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs for planning, curricular development or review.
    8. To review the Academic Calendar for the College in consultation with the Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs and the Office of Student Services.
    9. To initiate whatever action is necessary to fulfill its duties and responsibilities.

1.6.3.2 Curriculum Committee

This Committee has responsibility for curriculum planning and overseeing the implementation of departmental, interdepartmental and general education programs to insure effective contribution towards development of student academic outcomes. The committee develops policy for the approval and offering of individual courses that insures academic integrity and appropriate contribution to departmental or other academic programs. The Committee uses Departmental and other Planning Documents for guidance in any actions.

  1. Membership:
    • 5 Full Time Faculty Elected by the Faculty
    • 1 Student Appointed by Student Government (Voice and Vote)
    • Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs, Ex Officio (Voice and Vote)
    • Registrar, Ex Officio (Voice Only)
  2. Responsibilities:
    1. To develop and maintain curricular planning for the College, particularly in the area of general education.
    2. To recommend degree requirements to the faculty.
    3. To review and act upon all departmental and interdepartmental curricular proposals in the context of planning documents.
    4. To develop and implement policy for the certifying and scheduling of individual courses.
    5. To approve Designated Programs of Emphasis.
    6. To review and approve Individual Programs of Emphasis.
    7. To review and act on the curricular aspects of the Baker Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies and of the J. Omar Good Distinguished Professor of Evangelical Christianity.
    8. To review and act upon all existing and/or proposed cooperative programs, domestic or international, with other institutions, including colleges, graduate or professional schools, high schools or other institutions in which the College's faculty would teach, or the College's courses would be involved, or to which the College would grant academic credit.
    9. To specify those courses which may be used to meet each part of the required curriculum and to oversee the dissemination of this information, through the Office of the Registrar, to students and faculty.
    10. To recommend to the faculty policies for grades and for the reporting of grades internally and externally. The grading policies, once approved, will be executed by the Registrar.
    11. To review periodically the standards and regulations regarding credit-by-examination courses, credit and non-credit experiential learning (e.g. internships), and advanced placement credit for high school students. Based upon its review, the Committee shall recommend to the faculty changes in the standards and/or regulations necessary for improvement.
    12. To review, with the Registrar, the policies and procedures for the transference and recording of the grades received by Juniata students from domestic colleges and universities and from foreign universities and to recommend changes in these policies and procedures, where warranted.
    13. To create and dissolve such subcommittees as are necessary to complete specific aspects of the charge of the committee.
    14. To initiate whatever action is necessary to fulfill its duties and responsibilities.

1.6.3.3 Faculty Development and Benefits Committee

This Committee has the responsibility of developing and overseeing a program and resources for professional development and growth for all faculty. The committee recommends policy for the awarding of sabbatical leaves and faculty development funds. The Committee advises the Dean in the awarding of resources for faculty development. The Committee also advises the Administration in the area of Faculty Benefits.

  1. Membership:
    • 5 Full Time Faculty Elected by the Faculty
    • Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs, (or designate) Ex Officio (Voice Only)
  2. Responsibilities:
    1. To develop a range of faculty development services for individual faculty members and for departmental, interdepartmental, and general education programs.
    2. To recommend to the faculty policies and procedures for developing and implementing an on-going faculty development program, including training sessions, consultative services, and other appropriate activities such as the establishment of a Faculty Development Center.
    3. To inform the faculty about current materials and research relative to instructional methodology and other material appropriate to faculty development.
    4. To recommend to the President and the Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs institutional changes which are supportive of faculty development or which are necessitated by faculty development.
    5. To recommend to the faculty policies and procedures for the orientation of new faculty to the College.
    6. To review periodically the guidelines governing the awarding of faculty development funds, and to recommend changes in the guidelines to the Dean when appropriate.
    7. To review individual faculty, departmental, interdepartmental and general education proposals for the use of faculty development funds and to recommend dispersal of such funds following the guidelines outlined in Section 2.10 of this manual.
    8. To review periodically the guidelines for the awarding of sabbaticals, and to recommend changes in the guidelines to the faculty when appropriate.
    9. To review faculty proposals for sabbatical leaves, and to recommend the awarding of sabbaticals based upon the guidelines outlined in Section 2.10.2 of this manual.
    10. To review the College's compensation program for faculty and to compare it to relevant information, such as data from similar institutions, competitive segments of business, the Consumer Price Index, and tuition increases and make yearly recommendations to the Dean of Academic Affairs.
    11. To study and to recommend to the faculty and the administration the total size and relative distribution of compensation in the form of salaries, fringe benefits, and other professional benefits.
    12. To develop and recommend to the faculty and the administration policies and procedures for the equitable distribution of merit pay and other benefits based on relevant criteria which might include, but are not limited to, workload, job performance, and years of service.
    13. To initiate whatever action is necessary to fulfill its duties and responsibilities.

1.6.3.4 Student Academic Development Committee

This Committee has the responsibility for guiding the faculty in all areas relating to student academic development, including advising, satisfactory academic progress and policy in other areas relating to student academic development. The Committee would establish and monitor policy regarding recognition of student academic achievement, academic honesty, probation, suspension and dismissal.

  1. Membership:
    • 5 Full Time Faculty Elected by the Faculty
    • 3 Students Appointed by Student Government (Voice and Vote)
    • Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs (or designate), Ex Officio (Voice and Vote in Case of ties)
    • Registrar, Ex Officio (Voice only)
  2. Responsibilities:
    1. To recommend to the faculty the candidates for graduation each academic year.
    2. To work with the Registrar and make recommendations to the faculty to insure policies and procedures for maintenance of an effective system of advising.
    3. To recommend to the faculty programs to recognize and promote student academic achievement.
    4. To review periodically the registration process of the College, based upon its review, to recommend to the faculty proposals for improving the student registration process.
    5. To recommend to the faculty policies governing academic probation, suspension, dismissal, or readmission, and to review and, in accordance with approved policies, to act upon individual student cases as they are identified by the Registrar.
    6. To recommend to the faculty criteria for academic honors.
    7. To develop policies and procedures for the identification, nurturing and screening of Juniata students who are potential candidates for prestigious graduate fellowships and awards, e.g. the Rhodes Scholarships, the N.S.F. Fellowships, Woodrow Wilson Fellowships, the Andrew Much Scholarship, etc.
    8. To provide information to all departments on campus about graduate and professional school fellowships appropriate for each department's students.
    9. To review and make recommendations regarding diagnostic testing, orientation, and advising of new students.
    10. To initiate whatever actions are necessary to fulfill its duties and responsibilities.

1.6.3.5 Personnel Evaluation Committee

This committee has the responsibility for establishing and implementing policy and procedures for summative evaluation of faculty including evaluation for contract renewal, awarding of tenure and promotion. The Committee advises the Dean regarding individual candidates for contract renewal, tenure and promotion.

  1. Membership:
    • 6 Full Professors Elected by the Faculty
    • Change from 5 to 6 members approved by the faculty at the Faculty Business Meeting, November 4, 1998
    • Approved by Board of Trustees, February 24, 1999
  2. Responsibilities:
    1. To maintain the standards of academic freedom.
    2. To review periodically current policies on initial appointment, renewal of contract, tenure, promotion, termination, leaves of absence and other conditions of employment, and to recommend to the faculty revisions in any of these policies as necessary.
    3. To conduct the evaluation of individual faculty members for promotion, tenure, contract renewal or at the specific request of the Dean of Academic Affairs, employing the policies and procedures outlined in Section 2.5 of this manual. Recommendation for contract renewal, promotion, tenure and termination are made to the Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs.
    4. To review periodically the various forms and instruments used in the evaluation of faculty and to recommend to the committee changes which may be necessary in the materials.
    5. To maintain the appropriate records of the faculty under consideration for contract renewal, promotion, tenure and termination.
    6. To appoint or dissolve any ad hoc committees as are necessary to carry out the above duties or which are required by the policies outlined in Section 1, Article 3, Faculty By-Laws.
    7. To initiate whatever action is necessary to fulfill its duties and responsibilities.

1.6.3.6 Executive Committee

This Committee coordinates and monitors the activities of the other faculty committees and assigns items of business to the appropriate committee. It prepares the agenda for faculty meetings in consultation with the Dean. The Committee advises the President and Dean in Administrative issues relating to the faculty. The Committee also serves as the Nominating Committee of the Faculty.
  1. Membership:
    • Representative from Academic Planning and Assessment Committee
    • Representative from Curriculum Committee
    • Representative from Faculty Development Benefits Committee
    • Representative from Student Academic Development Committee
    • Representative from Personnel Evaluation Committee
    • 2 Full Time Faculty Elected by the Faculty
    • Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs, Ex Officio (Voice Only)
  2. Responsibilities:
    1. To determine the agenda for academic business for both regular and special faculty meetings. A special faculty meeting may be called if the College President, the Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs, a standing committee or standing subcommittee of the faculty, or an individual faculty member petitions the Executive Committee for such a meeting. Such a petition must be in writing, and state the reasons for the special meeting. Should the Executive Committee agree to schedule a special meeting, the faculty must be given five working days notice of the date of the special meeting. In cases of emergency as described in Section 1.6.4.2 of this Handbook, the procedures outlined in that section shall be followed.
    2. To serve as spokespersons for the faculty in times of emergency.
    3. To nominate the Secretary and the Parliamentarian of the Faculty to the Faculty for election each year. The Executive Committee is responsible to oversee the Secretary in the recording of the minutes of each faculty meeting, to see that the minutes are cataloged, and to see that the minutes are published and distributed to the faculty.
    4. To refer matters of faculty business to the appropriate faculty committee. The Committee may divide a proposal among two or more committees simultaneously or it may direct that the proposal be considered by several committee seriatim, with the order specified by the Executive Committee.
    5. To oversee the timely completion of assignments by the standing committees of the faculty.
    6. To poll the faculty annually to determine the committee interests and the current committee assignments of each faculty member.
    7. To recommend faculty members to the appropriate authority for positions on committees filled by administrative appointment (or otherwise), keeping in mind the personal interests of the faculty members and the workload provisions of Section 2.11 in this manual.
    8. To publish and disseminate yearly, to the faculty and all other interested parties, the structure and current membership of all institutional and faculty committees.
    9. To conduct and supervise all general faculty elections, and acting as a nominating body prior to general faculty elections to fill anticipated vacancies on faculty committees or other committees requiring election by the faculty. The Committee shall follow the policies stated below.
      1. The Committee will devise a slate of at least two candidates for each committee vacancy drawn from the eligible members of the faculty at large. The slate of all candidates for all offices will be presented to all faculty at least five days prior to the date of the election.
      2. If an election is to be held at a faculty meeting, additional nominations may be made from the floor by any faculty member present. If an election is to be held at a polling place, nominations may be made by submitting, in writing, the name(s) of the nominee(s) with the name(s) of the faculty member(s) making the nomination(s). Such nominations should be presented to the person in chair of the Committee before the polling begins. The Chair shall see that the additional nomination(s) are posted. It is the responsibility of those making nominations to ascertain the eligibility and willingness of the nominee.
      3. The Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs shall submit to the Committee by March of each spring semester a list of all faculty members eligible for faculty committee membership.
      4. The Committee, from its review of standing committees, subcommittees and any other appropriate committees, will determine all vacancies and impending vacancies.
      5. The consent of all nominees is required before their names may be placed for nomination. All refusals of nominations must be in writing with a copy to the Committee and a copy to the Dean.
      6. When requested by the Faculty, the Committee shall provide slates of candidates and conduct elections for ad hoc or other special committees. The eligibility requirements for memberships on these committees shall be determined by the Faculty.
      7. In the preparation of slates the Committee will work towards the goal of having committees that are broadly representative with respect to discipline, age, gender and any other appropriate category.
    10. To coordinate the review of the Faculty Handbook with other faculty committees as outlined in Section 1.8.
    11. To construct a slate of candidates whenever a vacancy occurs on any faculty committee requiring the election of a member
    12. To hear appeals of the actions of other standing committees, subcommittees and ad hoc committees of the faculty.
    13. To act as an advisory council at the call of the College President or the Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs.
    14. To review and recommend candidates for honorary degrees.
    15. To appoint a faculty committee to handle student integrity cases as need arises.
    16. At the direction of the Board of Trustees or the College President, to appoint a faculty committee to serve as a search committee for a President, Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs, or Associate/Assistant Dean.
    17. At the direction of the President, the Executive Committee will appoint a Grievance Committee to hear grievances brought to a Department Chair or the Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs. The Grievance Committee will follow the procedures outlined in Section 2.16.5 of this manual.

1.6.4 Executive Committee Policies Concerning the Agenda of Faculty Meetings

1.6.4.1 Order of Agenda


  1. The agenda of faculty meetings shall be as follows:
    1. Approval of minutes;
    2. Announcements previously placed on the agenda;
    3. Committee reports;
    4. Old business in chronological order; oldest business on the calendar first, most recent business last;
    5. New business;
    6. Spontaneous announcements.
  2. Notes
    1. Committee reports will not contain items requiring action by the faculty. These will be treated under new business.
    2. Challenges to committee reports will be covered in Section 1.6.5 on appeals.
    3. Items of old business will continue to appear on the agenda until they have been disposed of by the faculty.
    4. The Executive Committee will determine the priorities of all new business.
    5. The faculty may change the priorities in considering old business or new business by voting to table items for a specified time.
    6. Motions on the floor which are more than a few words and which require care in expression must be in written form and presented to the Secretary.

1.6.4.2 Procedures for Bringing Business to the Faculty


  1. Committees will present to the Executive Committee motions to be presented to the faculty. The Executive Committee reviews the relative legal and procedural implications of the motion, and may place them on the agenda. Such motions must be presented to the faculty at least seven days prior to the meeting in which the actual vote will occur.
  2. Individual faculty members may bring items for faculty consideration to the Executive Committee. These items must be in writing. The Executive Committee may:
    1. Review the item for legal and procedural implications and place it on the agenda.
    2. Refer the item to the appropriate faculty committee(s) or subcommittee(s) for consideration.
  3. If a faculty member disagrees with the Executive Committee's disposition of an item of business, the member may notify the Executive Committee, which will schedule the item no later than the end of the new business for the next faculty meeting.
  4. Items to be placed on the agenda of the faculty meeting must be submitted to the Executive Committee 15 days before the date of the faculty meeting at which it is to be considered.
  5. The agenda for regular faculty meetings will be posted to the faculty at least 7 days prior to the faculty meeting. Any committee or individual business appearing on the agenda must also be posted at the same time.
  6. There may be emergencies when business arises during the week prior to the faculty meeting which must be disposed of forthwith. Such business must be presented to the Chair of the Executive Committee with adequate justification of its emergency nature. The Chair may then place the business on the agenda.
  7. Emergency items of great importance may give rise to the calling of a special faculty meeting. In such cases, the usual rule of the Executive Committee may be suspended.

1.6.4.3 Absentee Voting in Faculty Meetings


  1. The following policies govern Absentee voting in faculty meetings:
    1. Absence from the faculty meeting must be the result of an illness or an academically approved activity as defined by the Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs.
    2. The vote must be received in writing in the Office of the Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs no later than noon on the day of the faculty meeting.
    3. The motion as finally voted on must be identical (except for editorial changes) to the motion as originally presented in the agenda or with the materials sent with the agenda.
    4. If the business is an election, a nomination from the floor disqualifies an absentia ballot from that particular office under vote.

1.6.4.4 Limitations on Debate


  1. Each individual motion at a faculty meeting may be debated no longer than twenty minutes. If amendments are offered, the time for the total motion is extended by five minutes for each amendment.
  2. No individual faculty member may speak more than twice on a given motion and may not be recognized for a second presentation on the motion under consideration until all other faculty have been given a first opportunity to speak. Responding to specific questions is not considered speaking on a motion.
  3. No faculty member may speak longer than three minutes during a presentation.
  4. The Parliamentarian shall assist the Chair in enforcing these time regulations. The Chair shall control time when the Parliamentarian is participating in the debate.
  5. Any of the time regulations may be set aside for discussion of a given motion by a majority vote of the faculty in attendance, provided those present represent a quorum of the faculty.

These rules take effect upon the opening of debate, and do not include the time required for the presentation of the motion or the second.

1.6.5 The Policy on Appeal of any Faculty Committee Action

The policy on appeal of any faculty committee is described in Section IV of Article III of the By-Laws.