Senate Assembly Nominations Committee
Creation of a Senate Assembly Nominating Committee
Background
The Senate Assembly currently has eighteen standing committees, with eleven being advisory to a U-M Vice President and seven being additional committees focused on key areas of faculty interest. More information about all of the committees can be found on the Faculty Senate website: https://facultysenate.umich.edu/.
Historically, finding faculty to add to these committees each year has been a responsibility that has fallen during late spring and summer to the SACUA chair, working with the Faculty Senate Office, with assistance from the SACUA membership and the SACUA Immediate Past Chair. Rosters have then been approved by the Senate Assembly at the start of the Fall Term. SACUA has determined that a structural change to how committee rosters are created each year would be beneficial for a number of reasons:
● Finding sufficient faculty to fully staff these committees is challenging. Broadening the group suggesting nominations would permit drawing on a wider and more diverse network of faculty connections.
● The timing of staffing these committees has often occurred in Spring and Summer semesters, which is less than optimal in terms of workload and increased absence of faculty and administration.
● The composition of these committees can often be improved, with consideration of faculty expertise and experience that would be a benefit to each committee’s purpose.
● There are open questions involving the incorporation of individuals who are not voting members of the Senate, such as students, staff, and retired faculty that the Senate Assembly has not addressed.
● Much of the Faculty Senate’s work occurs in the Senate Assembly’s committees, and strengthening the connection between the Senate Assembly and its committees would thereby help inform the Senate Assembly membership of committee activities.
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, that the Senate Assembly approves the creation of a new Senate Assembly Nominations Committee as follows:
Structure
1.1 The name of this Senate Assembly Committee shall be the “Nominations Committee.”
1.2 The members of the Nominations Committee shall be all third-year members of the Senate Assembly and all third-year members of SACUA.
1.3 By May 1st of each year, the Nominations Committee shall elect one of its members, other than the current chair, to serve in the next academic year as the Nominations Committee Chair.
a. The elected Nominations Committee Chair will return for a second academic year as a member of the Nominations Committee, notwithstanding the member’s Senate Assembly term ending;
b. In the event the elected Chair becomes unable or unwilling to serve as Chair, the Nominations Committee members shall elect a new Chair from among themselves.
Nominations Committee Responsibilities
2.1 The Faculty Senate Office shall assist the Nominations Committee with the responsibilities listed below, including with the following:
a. Maintaining minutes, roster drafts, and other documents.
b. Assisting with meeting logistics.
c. Performing other actions useful for the committee’s function, including an annual call to the Faculty Senate membership for volunteers that the Nominations Committee may consider.
2.2 In October of each year, the Faculty Senate Office shall assist with scheduling the Nomination Committee’s first meeting of the year.
2.3 During the Fall Term, Senate Assembly and Senate Assembly Committee members shall assist by suggesting faculty for the Nominations Committee to consider.
2.4 By February 1st of each year, the Nominations Committee shall nominate chairs for each Senate Assembly committee to serve during the next academic year, and the committee shall verify nominee interest.
2.5 By May 1st of each year, the Nominations Committee shall nominate members to add to the rosters of each Senate Assembly committee for terms beginning on September 1st, and the committee shall verify nominee interest.
2.6 Nominations shall be submitted to the SACUA Chair and the Faculty Senate Office, with an indication that nominee interest has been verified.
2.7 In the event the Nominations Committee is unable to nominate sufficient members or chairs, SACUA members shall nominate individuals to fill the vacancies.
2.8 In addition to providing nominations, the Nominations Committee shall consider the following and send, if warranted, recommendations to the SACUA Chair:
a. Principles and guidance for the composition of committee rosters;
b. The roles on Senate Assembly committees of individuals who are not voting Senate members;
c. The overall structure of the Senate Assembly’s committees.
Roster Approval
3.1 SACUA shall vote on whether to approve all nominations within 30 days of their receipt by the SACUA Chair. During that SACUA approval process, SACUA members may further nominate additional individuals as committee members or chairs for SACUA approval.
3.2 Upon SACUA’s approval of any nominations, such nominations shall be deemed automatically approved by the Senate Assembly immediately upon the Senate Assembly receiving notice of SACUA’s action, although the Senate Assembly retains the power to reconsider that approval at any time.
3.3 SACUA shall review all recommendations received by the SACUA Chair from the Nominations Committee.
Temporary Appointments
4.1 Throughout the academic year, the SACUA Chair may appoint additional faculty to serve temporarily on committees as members or chairs, as needed, to help address committee membership needs.
4.2 Such temporary appointments shall be deemed immediately approved by SACUA and the Senate Assembly upon SACUA receiving notice of such an appointment, although SACUA retains the power to reconsider that appointment at any time.
4.3 Temporary appointments may only be to complete the current academic year, but individuals so appointed will be eligible for nomination by the Senate Assembly Nominating Committee for a consecutive two-year term beginning the following academic year.
SACUA Approval: 10/09/2023
Senate Assembly Approval, with revisions: 11/13/2023