At the November 1, 2023 Faculty Assembly meeting (and the November 9 Senate Council meeting) the below resolution was presented, discussed and passed.
Resolution for Faculty Assembly to Amend the University Senate Bylaws
to Include All Part-time Faculty as Voting Members of the University Senate
Bylaws and Procedures Committee
November 1, 2023
Whereas, shared governance is a cornerstone of the modern university, including the University of Pittsburgh;
Whereas, representation of all members of the University Community is a matter of University-wide concern;
Whereas, diversity, equity, and inclusion are among the most fundamental principles of social justice;
Whereas, the Part-time Faculty at the University of Pittsburgh comprise a sizable proportion of the total number of faculty;
Whereas, Article I, Section 3 requires part-time untenured faculty to “opt-in” rather than automatically be included as members of the University Senate;
Whereas, historically excluded groups both domestic and international are disproportionately represented in the part-time faculty as compared to the full-time faculty and therefore disproportionately disenfranchised by being required to “opt-in;”
Whereas, the Bylaws and Procedures Committee seeks to balance increased representation with continuity of governance, preserving review of affected sections of the Bylaws to ascertain the success of that balance; and
Whereas, the Bylaws and Procedures Committee has reviewed and recommends the adoption of the following Bylaws amendments resolution; therefore, be it
Resolved,
That the Bylaws of the University Senate be amended as indicated below, in particular, Article I, Sections 3 and 4, Article II, Section 5, and Article IV, Section 9.
Article I. The Senate, Section 3. Membership
The membership of the Senate shall consist of:
- the Chancellor of the University;
- all persons who hold full‑time academic appointments in the University of Pittsburgh or a degree-recommending unit with the titles of lecturer, senior lecturer, instructor, assistant professor, associate professor or professor;
- all part‑time
tenured faculty;
- all persons who hold
full‑time appointments at the University of Pittsburgh as faculty librarians;
- the Deans;
- eight other administrators who are members of Senate Council;
- four additional administrators designated by the Chancellor;
- student, postdoctoral and staff members of Senate Council and of Senate Standing Committees;
those part‑time untenured faculty who annually indicate to the Director, Office of the University Senate, their desire for membership and who, during each of the two academic years previous to the desired year of membership, have taught a minimum of 6 credits per year for remuneration;
- those emeriti and retired faculty and librarians who were Senate members at the time of their retirement and who indicate to the Director, Office of the University Senate, their desire to remain members; and
- such other individuals as shall be elected by the Senate.
Article I. The Senate, Section 4. Officers:
- Positions: The officers of the Senate shall be a President, a Vice President and a Secretary, all elected from the faculty members of the Senate who are eligible for membership in Faculty Assembly. Part-time faculty shall be ineligible for office.
Article II. Faculty Assembly, Section 5. Eligibility:
The membership of the Faculty Assembly shall be elected from those Senate members who hold full‑time academic appointments, part‑time tenured appointments, or full‑time appointments as faculty librarians and who serve primarily in a teaching, research, or librarian capacity and not as administrative or support personnel. Part-time faculty shall only be eligible to serve as on Faculty Assembly in academic years in which their contract extends throughout the year. Part-time faculty who teach in more than one school may only serve as a representative of a single school in any given academic year.
Article IV. Committees of the Senate Section 9. Chair and Secretary:
(a) The voting members of each Standing Committee shall elect the Committee Chair and Secretary for terms of office of one year. The Chair shall be an elected faculty member; the Secretary may be either an elected or pro tem faculty member of the Committee. Co-chairs may be elected at the Committee’s discretion. Terms shall run July 1 through June 30. The sitting Committee Chair will organize the election of a new Chairman and Secretary at a meeting or, if necessary, by electronic means (email, video conference, etc.) before July 1. The immediate past chair shall, for the first four months of the new term year, be a non‑voting (unless the Chair continues to hold membership on the Committee) member ex officio of the Committee. Part-time faculty shall only be eligible to serve as committee chairs in academic years in which their contract extends throughout the year.