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Bylaws of the Faculty Association and Senate

Article I – Membership

Section 1 – Honorary Members

Recommendations for honorary membership may be made during a regular Faculty Senate meeting. A majority vote of the Faculty Senate members present will be required for approval.

Section 2 – Dues and Voluntary Donations

Dues shall not be collected for membership or activity in the Faculty Association; however, the Faculty Senate may solicit voluntary donations by Faculty Association members to assist the Association in meeting financial needs.

Article II – Faculty Senate Members

Section 1 – Designation of Instructional Divisions

For the purpose of elections to the Faculty Senate, the following Instructional Divisions as organized by College are recognized:

Central College

  1. Architectural Design & Construction
  2. Consumer Arts & Sciences

Coleman College

  1. Health Sciences

College Readiness

  1. Adult Education (Adult Basic Education, English as a Second Language, Vocational Advancement and Skills Training, and General Education Development)
  2. College Readiness (Developmental Math, Integrated Reading and Writing, Intensive English)

Online College

  1. English & Communications
    • (English, Communication, Interpreting/Sign Language, and Speech
  2. Liberal Arts, Humanities, & Education
    • (Child Development, ESL, History, Humanities/Interdisciplinary Studies, Philosophy, Library Sciences, Kinesiology & Exercise Science, Teacher Education, and World Languages)
  3. Life & Physical Sciences
    • (Agricultural Sciences, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Horticulture, and Physics)
  4. Mathematics
  5. Social & Behavioral Sciences
    • (Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Government, Psychology, Sociology, and Student Success)

Northeast College

  1. Global Energy
  2. Public Safety
  3. Transportation

Northwest College

  1. Engineering
  2. Media, Visual & Performing Arts

Southeast College

  1. Business & Logistics
  2. Material Science and Smart Manufacturing

Southwest College

  1. Digital & Information Technologies

As the institution modifies the divisions, division names, and associated colleges in relatively small ways, a notice of those changes will be presented to the Senate. There will be no need for a vote unless a senator calls for one.

Should the institution make major changes to the academic structure of the institution, the Policies and Procedures Committee will be charged to study those changes, propose appropriate changes to this section, and bring them to the full Senate for a vote.

Section 2 – Duties of Faculty Senate Members

The duties and responsibilities of Faculty Senate members are:

  1. to attend Faculty Senate meetings regularly;
  2. to represent the interests and concerns of faculty members by communication before the Faculty Senate and also before the faculty at regular Instructional Division meetings;
  3. to appoint a proxy, an alternate, or both to attend as their representative, when unable to attend Faculty Senate meetings;
  4. to make recommendations to the Faculty Senate President for committee appointments;
  5. to serve as part of the nominating committee which will oversee the election of new Faculty Senate members;
  6. to participate in discussions brought before the Faculty Senate and to vote as a representative of the faculty;
  7. to be available to serve on committees as assigned by the Faculty Association President

Section 3 – Election of Faculty Senate Members

Clause 1: Time of Election of Faculty Senate Members

Faculty Senate seats shall be filled by a rolling two-year election process, as described in Article II, Sec. 3, Clause 4.

The Spring semester election process will start no later than February, so that all email validations are confirmed before Spring Break and the voting will begin just after the April Faculty Senate meeting.

Results are intended to be available for announcement at the May Faculty Senate meeting. 

Clause 2: Qualifications for Service on the Faculty Senate

All HCC faculty in the academic, workforce, continuing education, and adult education divisions are eligible for a seat on the Faculty Senate.

The term “faculty” shall be defined as an HCC employee whose primary position is compensated on a faculty pay scale without regard to their active role at HCC.

Clause 3: Apportionment of Faculty Senate Members

Subsection A. Enumeration of Faculty Senate Members

The Senate shall consist of 55 Faculty Senate members, apportioned by Instructional Division or Center of Excellence (COE) and three (3) librarians. The Faculty Senate President and Past President are appointed by the Chancellor for the year of their term, bringing the total number of members to 60.

Subsection B. Minimum Representation

Each College shall be represented by at least two (2) Faculty Senate members and each Instructional Division shall be represented by at least one (1) Faculty Senate member.

Subsection C. Calculation of Faculty Senate Members

The Vice President of the Faculty Senate will appoint an election committee of 4 members (immediate past vice president, chair of the Faculty Senate Policy and Procedures Standing Committee, one other Standing Committee Chair, and one other senator) and work directly with them to set an election schedule with flexibility built in to accommodate unforeseen circumstances or events.

This committee will work directly with the Faculty Senate president, the Chair Caucus, and a Talent Engagement representative to validate all faculty (adjunct and full time) emails, during the fall and spring semesters. It will also work with the Office of Institutional Records (OIR) to ensure that each division has accurate Faculty Senate seats as apportioned by contact hours in the previous year (the sole exception being Libraries, as they have no generated contact hours).

If the formula produces a non-whole number for the number of seats, the result will be rounded to the nearest whole number: below .5 will be rounded down, and .5 and above will be rounded up, provided that each Instructional Division or COE is represented by at least one Faculty Senate member and each College is represented by at least 2 members.

Clause 4: Chancellor Appointments

The Chancellor shall appoint one representative from each College. The President will provide the Chancellor with a slate[1] of candidates, one for each College (8), following the election process which the Chancellor may choose to affirm. The candidate selected for appointment will be selected at random from among those elected to each College. If a College does not have at least two representatives, the Chancellor (or designee) shall appoint a sufficient number to supply at least two per College. Senators appointed by the Chancellor will be understood to serve two consecutive one-year terms, unless otherwise determined by the Chancellor (not to exceed six consecutive one-year terms). The Chancellor shall also appoint the President and Past President for the period of one year immediately following their term as President-Elect and President, respectively.

The Chancellor shall appoint a President-Elect and Secretary as officers from among the current faculty senate members according to the process described in Article III, Section 1, Clause 4.

Clause 5: Term Lengths and Voting Pattern

Elected Faculty Senate members will serve a term of two years. Upon completion of the term of service, a faculty member will be ineligible to accept nomination for a subsequent term until after the second anniversary of the completion of that term of service.

Each year, one half of the elected seats are eligible for nomination, ensuring that two-year terms for members are staggered.

In the first year of implementation, the election committee will use a semi-random process to designate elected seats for even and odd year elections in a way that is evenly distributed across instructional divisions, once the election is complete and appointed members have been designated. This means that members in even-year seats will serve a one-year term and will then be ineligible for re-election until after the second anniversary of the end of the term; members in odd-year seats will serve a full two-year term. 

Clause 6: Procedure for Election of Faculty Senate Members

To be valid, an election must have the following characteristics:

  1. The call for nominations for the election must be made in a public manner, in such a way that all faculty members, full-time and adjunct, will be informed of this call;
  2. All qualified faculty members according to Article II, Section 3, Clause 2, who are eligible to be nominated according to Article II, Section 4 and desire to be nominated shall be placed on a ballot, which will be distributed to all faculty members, who shall be able to fill out the ballot in secret;
  3. The candidates receiving the most votes shall be elected to the Faculty Senate according to the number of seats allocated for the Instructional Division. Each Instructional Division may designate additional candidates as alternates so long as the number of alternates is announced during the call for nominations.

A second election shall be held such that it will bring the Faculty Senate to full strength.

Clause 7: Bringing the Faculty Senate to Full Strength

Subsection A. Filling unelected seats

In the event that one or more Instructional Divisions elect fewer Faculty Senate members than their allocation, those remaining seats shall become available for an at-large election.

The at-large election will occur in accordance with the characteristics prescribed in Article II, Section 3, Clause 4 except that the seats will not be specific to one Instructional Division and voting is open to all eligible faculty regardless of Instructional Division.

Subsection B. Filling vacancies due to excessive absences

In the event that an elected Faculty Senate member is consistently absent from Faculty Senate meetings, the following procedure shall be used:

  1. A letter from the Senate President shall be sent to the Faculty Senate member after three consecutive absences, requesting regular attendance or resignation.
  2. Should the Faculty Senate member elect to resign, the seat shall be vacated, and the procedure outlined in Subsection C. Other vacancies shall be followed.
  3. Should the Faculty Senate member be absent from the next Faculty Senate meeting or three additional Faculty Senate meetings, the seat shall be vacated, and the procedure outlined in Subsection C. Other Vacancies shall be followed.
Subsection C. Other vacancies

In the event a Faculty Senate member is unable to complete a full term, the following procedure shall be used:

  1. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes but not elected in the Instructional Division where the vacancy exists will be asked to serve. If the seat vacated was an appointed seat, the results from division elections will be given to the Chancellor as a recommendation for appointment.
  2. If a vacancy remains, an at-large candidate receiving the next highest number of votes will be asked to serve. If the seat vacated was an appointed seat, the results from the at-large election will be given to the Chancellor as a recommendation for appointment.
  3. Should a vacancy still remain, the Instructional Division with a vacant seat shall hold a new election in accordance with the characteristics prescribed in Article II, Section 3, Clause 4 with all due speed.

Article III. – Officers

Section 1. – Election of Officers

Clause 1: Qualifications for elected office:

All candidates for elected office in the Faculty Senate shall be full-time faculty members.

Clause 2: Enumeration of officers:

Officers to be elected at the beginning of each academic year shall be:

  1. Vice-President
  2. Treasurer

Officers to be appointed by the Chancellor following an election in Senate shall be:

  1. President-Elect
  2. Secretary

Clause 3: Timetable for election:

The election of the Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be held at the first Faculty Senate meeting of the academic year.

The election of the President-Elect shall be held at the second Faculty Senate meeting of the academic year. Nominations for this office shall be made at the first meeting of the academic year and shall remain open until just before voting at the second meeting.

Nominations for Faculty Senate officers may be made from the floor by any Faculty Association member present.

All nominees must indicate willingness to fulfill their duties as outlined in the constitution and bylaws. Voting for officers shall be by those Faculty Senate members present. The term of office will begin immediately upon election to office and will continue until the first Faculty Senate meeting of the subsequent academic year.

Clause 4: Officer Election Procedures:

After nominations for an office are closed, candidates will be afforded an opportunity to speak before the Senate prior to ballots being cast. Afterward, current members of the Senate will cast secret ballots for each contested office, with the candidate receiving a majority of the ballots being declared the winner. Ballots will be counted by the current Vice President and other such Senate members as designated by the Vice President, unless that person is contesting the position in question, in which case the current President may designate another Senate member to count the ballots.

In the event that a Senate office is contested by more than two candidates, the Senate will cast anonymous ballots to determine if any one candidate receives a majority of the votes. If no candidate receives a majority, the two candidates with the most votes will advance, and the Senate will again cast ballots to determine a winner.

In the event of an uncontested election, the candidate may be confirmed by acclamation.

Once elections are concluded after the first meeting, the results of the election of Secretary shall be sent to the Chancellor who will appoint the Secretary. Once elections are concluded after the second meeting, the results of the election of President-Elect shall be sent to the Chancellor who will appoint the President-Elect.

Section 2. – Impeachment of Officers

An officer of the Faculty Senate may be impeached by a petition signed by one-half of all Faculty Senate members, or by a petition of one-tenth of all full-time regular faculty. Petitions shall list the name of the officer, the stated reasons for impeachment, and legible printed names and signatures of the faculty signing the petition. Officers can be impeached and removed on grounds of malfeasance, neglect of official duties, and/or unprofessional conduct in violation of the HCC Faculty Handbook and recognized District policy. Impeachable offenses shall include those which represent sufficient serious actions as to justify this extreme measure.

Any Faculty Senate member may present articles of impeachment against any officer at any regular meeting, but no action will ensue until the next regular meeting or called meeting no sooner than fourteen (14) days after the articles are presented. The hearing shall be held as quickly as possible in order to return to normal Senate business.

Removal shall follow upon two-thirds vote of all the Faculty Senate after the officer has been accorded a hearing before the Senate. If the officer being impeached is the President, the Vice- President will preside over the hearing with the advice of the other officers. Voting on impeachment articles shall be by secret ballot.

The removal shall be binding only for the current academic year and shall not without further process disqualify the officer from voting in Senate elections or seeking election to the Faculty Senate or any of its offices.

Section 3. – Role of the Immediate Past President

The Immediate Past President shall provide advice and counsel concerning the operation and the activities of the Senate and shall serve as a member of the Executive Committee. The Immediate Past President shall also serve as a member of and the Chair of the Past Presidents Caucus. The Immediate Past President must be a full-time faculty member or the office is vacated and left unfilled.

Article IV. – Standing Committees

Section 1. – Enumeration of Committees

The following committees shall be standing committees of the Faculty Senate:

  1. Finance and Fundraising Committee: this committee will maintain liaison with Administration, review the Faculty Association’s financial position, and make recommendations for raising revenue to carry out the programs of the Faculty Senate, notably the JR Miller-Alper Adjunct Emergency Fund. The Treasurer of the Faculty Senate shall be the chair of the Finance Committee. Recommended subcommittee(s): JR Miller-Alper Adjunct Emergency Fund Review.
  2. Compensation Committee: this committee will maintain liaison with faculty and the Administration in all matters of pay, benefits, workload and working conditions of all faculty and shall make recommendations to the Faculty Senate and the administration which will ensure competitive pay, workload, benefits and working conditions for full-time and part-time faculty.
  3. Policies & Procedures Committee: this committee will maintain liaison with Administration and productively engage with Administration regarding HCC policies and procedures which impact faculty and instruction, making constructive recommendations with a focus on equitable, shared-governance roles and responsibilities. It is understood that Faculty Senate Constitution and Bylaws shall be consistent with Board Policy and state law.
  4. Professional Development and Conferences Committee: this committee will host and/or provide support for the major professional development programs of the Faculty Senate, recognizing teaching excellence via the Teaching Excellence Award, assisting with the Chancellor’s Eagle Award, and planning and executing the annual Faculty Conference and Faculty Retreat. In addition, this committee will liaise with all college professional development initiatives including but not limited to divisions/programs, COEs, and Center for Teaching and Learning. Recommended Subcommittee(s): Teaching Excellence Award Subcommittee, Faculty Conference Subcommittee, and Faculty Retreat Subcommittee;
  5. Student Success Committee: this committee will maintain liaison with relevant administrative departments and review and recommend policy and procedures designed to help students achieve success during their college experience; make recommendations for the administration and funding of Faculty Association programs aimed at student success; create appropriate procedures and guidelines about the role(s) of faculty in advising HCC students; work with the Office of Institutional Research (OIR) to provide information about student success; and collaborate with the HCC Foundation in the promotion and administration of all Faculty-sponsored scholarships.
  6. Educational Affairs Committee: this committee will maintain liaison with and between the Vice Chancellor of Instructional Services, the Academic and Workforce Deans, and Deans of Centers of Excellence to engage proactively in the oversight of HCC policies and procedures in order to assure excellence in education.
  7. Graduation Committee: this committee will maintain liaison with all relevant administrative departments and serve to represent the Faculty Association in the detailed planning and execution of HCC’s commencement exercises, be they in person or virtual; to be an active partner with the administration in this year-round endeavor; and, in particular, to work closely throughout this process with the Office of the Chancellor, the Office of Communications, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Student
  8. Instructional Technology Committee: this committee will maintain liaison between all relevant administrative departments and faculty in matters relating to instructional technology. This committee will make suggestions and recommendations and advise administration on policy, procurement, and support for technology necessary for faculty to carry out their instructional mission.
  9. Parity, Advocacy, and Belonging Committee: this committee, in its dedication to social justice, will maintain liaison with and advise the Administration regarding issues of accommodation, and belonging, and facilitate programs and services that meet the changing needs of faculty members and instruction in an evolving educational community.
  10. Bedichek-Orman Committee:this committee will handle the scheduling, planning, execution, and review of one of the Senate’s most revered annual activities, the Bedichek-Orman Auction, as well as reviewing the distribution and usage of funds raised thereby and/or held in trust by the HCC Foundation (with whom liaison shall be maintained). The Treasurer and the Chair of the Professional Development and Conferences Committee shall sit ex officio on this committee but need not be chairs. Recommended Subcommittee(s): BO Auction Planning Subcommittee and BO Grant Selection Subcommittee.
  11. Faculty Success Committee:  this committee will maintain liaison with relevant administrative departments and review and recommend policy and procedures designed to facilitate successful interfaces between faculty and the administration; it will serve as a recommending body to the Faculty Senate on matters related to faculty success across all divisions, and it shall support initiatives to enhance retention, well-being, and recognition of faculty.

Section 2. – Governance of Committees

The President shall appoint a facilitator for each committee at the beginning of the academic year, who shall hold a meeting of the committee between the first and second meetings of the Faculty Senate. At that meeting, a chair shall be elected by members of that committee.

Section 3. – Qualifications for Membership

Any faculty member, full-time or adjunct, may serve on a Faculty Senate Committee, but the Chair of that committee shall be a Faculty Senate member.

Section 4. – Ad Hoc Committees

The Senate, by a vote of Faculty Senate members, may establish ad hoc committees at any Faculty Senate meeting. The duration of an ad hoc committee shall not last beyond the academic year it was established.

Article V. – Caucuses

Section 1. – Definition

A caucus shall consist of any group of HCC faculty sharing a common interest or assignment directly related to the mission of the HCC Faculty.

Membership in a caucus may be limited to those faculty sharing such an interest or job assignment, but not for any other reason.

Section 2. – Affiliation with the Faculty Senate

Upon the vote of a majority of Faculty Senate members present and voting, the Senate may grant a caucus affiliation with the Faculty Senate. Caucuses affiliated with the Faculty Senate may occasionally be asked to report on their activities to the Senate.

Section 3. – Special Caucuses

The Past Presidents Caucus is a special caucus that consists of former Faculty Senate Presidents regardless of their current status with HCC or the Faculty Senate. The caucus is chaired by the Immediate Past President. If the Immediate Past President vacates the office, the caucus may elect a new chair from its remaining members who are full-time faculty for that year. Only caucus members who are employed by HCC are eligible to chair the caucus or vote for the chair.

The Caucus serves as a resource for the sitting Senate President and functions in an advisory capacity to the Senate as a whole. The Caucus meets regularly and hosts receptions for the Board of Trustees.

Article VI. – Quorum

Section 1. – Definition

One-third of the total number of Faculty Senate members shall constitute a quorum of the Faculty Senate, as long as at least one Faculty Senate member from each of one-third of the Instructional Divisions is in attendance.

Section 2. – Proxy Voting

In the event that an elected delegate is unable to attend a meeting of the Senate wherein an amendment to the Bylaws or Constitution is being considered for final approval, or wherein the position of President-elect is being determined, that delegate may grant a right of proxy to any other duly elected member of the Senate, provided that written notice be given to the President, Vice President, and Secretary no later than twenty-four (24) hours prior to such meeting. It shall be the responsibility of the Vice-President to distribute and track such proxy ballots.

Article VII. – Amendments

An amendment to the Bylaws may be introduced in any session of the Faculty Senate but may notbevotedonuntilthenextmeetingof theFaculty Senate.

An editorial amendment to the Bylaws is a special case that may be introduced annually at the April session of the Faculty Senate but may not be voted on until the next meeting. An editorial amendment would include but not be limited to changes in sentence structure, word choice, grammar, spelling, or punctuation, or rewriting, moving, or reorganizing text, provided that the edit has no impact on meaning or substance. Each editorial change shall be addressed individually as a separate amendment, and when in question, either editorial or substantive, can be determined by a simple majority vote of those Faculty Senate members present and voting.

An amendment shall go into effect after a simple majority vote of those Faculty Senate members present and voting.

[1] A “slate” is a list of nominated candidates who have been elected and represent each of the eight (8) colleges or schools to be affirmed as appointed by the Chancellor.

Standing Rules