For administrative and academic purposes, the faculty are organized into five major divisions: the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business Administration, the College of Education, the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the Library. All of these divisions are further divided into departments.

     Faculty governance is represented by the Faculty Conference and its constituent assemblies and committees, and in the Graduate Faculty Assembly and its designated councils and committees. Detailed description of the constituent assemblies and committees of Faculty Conference are found in Appendix I.

FACULTY CONFERENCE

     The Faculty Conference is the principal legislative body of the faculty and is responsible for its own organization and procedures, academic programs, policies, and regulations, as well as other matters referred to it by the President or the Chief Academic Officer. In accord with the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees (October 29, 1993), all actions of the Faculty Conference are subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees and its policies. Membership in the Faculty Conference is extended to every person who holds rank as instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, or professor at Winthrop University, with the following exceptions: lecturers, adjunct faculty, and visiting faculty are not members of Faculty Conference. The Chair of the Faculty Conference is elected biennially by its members; administrative officers and department heads are ineligible to hold this office. The Chair of the Academic Council serves as Vice Chair.

ACADEMIC COUNCIL AND CONSTITUENT FACULTY ASSEMBLIES

     The Faculty Conference has delegated certain responsibilities and authority to its constituent assemblies and to the Academic Council. Each college has its own faculty assembly which is responsible for recommending for approval the academic program(s) of that division. These assemblies are subordinate to the Faculty Conference. Every member of the Faculty Conference who is appointed to faculty status in a particular college is a member of the faculty assembly of that college.

      The Academic Council is responsible to the Faculty Conference for reports and recommendations concerning general education requirements, academic programs, policies, and regulations except those that would be peculiar to the graduate program. Membership is by appointment by the President of Winthrop University, election from the Faculty Conference, and election from the faculty assembly of each academic division; the term of membership is three years. A student member, with a one-year term, is elected by the student body. The chair is elected by the voting members of the Council from their own ranks. The Registrar serves as an ex-officio member and Secretary without vote.

GRADUATE FACULTY ASSEMBLY

     The Graduate Faculty Assembly is responsible for recommending graduate academic programs, policies, and regulations, and for matters referred to it by the Faculty Conference, the President, or the Chief Academic Officer of the University. It is the principal legislative body of the graduate faculty. Membership criteria are determined by the Graduate Faculty Assembly on recommendation by the Graduate Council. In general, the criteria for membership include the possession of the highest earned degree in the discipline, completion of two years of full-time teaching or research experience, faculty rank at Winthrop University, and recommendations from the Department Chair, Dean, Chief Academic Officer, and Graduate Council. The Graduate Faculty Assembly elects a chair from among its membership (excluding Deans) to serve for two years. The Chair of the Graduate Council presides in the absence of the Assembly Chair.

Recommendation form for membership in the graduate faculty assembly.

GRADUATE COUNCIL AND CONSTITUENT GRADUATE FACULTY COMMITTEES

     The Graduate Faculty Assembly has delegated specific responsibilities to the Graduate Council and the Graduate Faculty committees. Each college has a Graduate Faculty Committee which is responsible for recommending the graduate academic programs of its division, and which reports to the Graduate Council. Faculty members who hold appointments to a particular college and who are members of the Graduate Faculty Assembly are eligible for membership in the Graduate Faculty Committee of that division.

     The Graduate Council is responsible to the Graduate Faculty Assembly for reports and recommendations on academic policies, programs, and regulations peculiar to the graduate program. The Graduate Council is responsible for calling special meetings of the Graduate Assembly and recommending changes in the organization and procedures of the Assembly to the Faculty Conference. The voting members of the Graduate Council also serve as the Graduate Petitions Committee. Membership in the Graduate Council is by appointment by the President and election from each college; a nonvoting representative is selected by the Winthrop Library faculty. The Associate Vice President for Graduate and Continuing Studies serves as a member, without vote. Voting members serve three years. The chair is elected to a one-year term by the voting members, and must have served on the Council at least one year. The voting members elect a Vice Chair from among their own members each year. A representative of the Office of Graduate Studies serves as an ex officio member and Secretary, without vote.

PROGRAM REVIEW

     Program review, a process dealing with the addition, modification or elimination of a program, is designed to result in a combination of programs for Winthrop University that uses resources effectively and efficiently. Providing the right programs which meet high quality standards at a reasonable cost is our goal. The practice related to program review shall reflect the participatory spirit embodied in sections dealing with 1)Curriculum Revision; 2)Academic Council; 3)Graduate Council; and 4)Financial Exigency (Appendix II). Faculty and administration acknowledge the responsibility to use effectively the University's resources and in consultation to conduct periodic reviews of programs. These reviews may be necessitated by factors such as accrediting agencies and their standards, CHE, and market indicators as well as the University's changing mission and financial situations. Such reviews will involve faculty participation at the program level and proceed through the college committee structures (Figure 2) seeking appropriate input and perspective.

     Criteria used for program review shall begin with an understanding of the relationship of the program under review to the department's mission as defined by the department. Additional criteria shall include information such as CHE minimum standards for degree productivity, accrediting agency standards, significant trends related to individual degree programs, continuing student interest, and Winthrop's ability to provide resources appropriate to quality programs. Quantitative and qualitative data which relate to the mission of the University and its academic units will be used in these reviews.

CURRICULUM REVISION

COMMITTEES

Statement
     Participation on committees requires considerable professional judgment and responsibility as well as a dedication to the best interests of Winthrop University. Membership on committees which report to Faculty Conference carries with it a direct charge to act in the best interests of the University community and to maintain open and full communication with Faculty Conference. At the same time, most committees deal with issues that must remain confidential; it is incumbent upon the committee members to maintain complete silence in these cases. This is of particular concern with respect to those persons serving on committees within the tenure and promotion process.

     Winthrop University recognizes the value of the service provided by those persons serving on committees. Both committee participation and teaching bring with them legal exposure. For this reason, Winthrop University provides for its faculty, coverage under a tort liability insurance policy and, for committee chairs and committee members in particular, coverage under a directors and officers reimbursement indemnity policy. Additional information is on file in the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Persons involved with committee responsibilities should be aware of the nature of this coverage.

     The list of all the committees and constituent committees of Faculty Conference are found in Appendix I. This section contains committees on which faculty serve and which are not part of Faculty Conference.

     Artist Series Steering Committee. This committee consists of three Winthrop representatives (the Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Chair of the Department of Music, and the Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance) and three representatives of ARTS etc. (formerly the Rock Hill Fine Arts Association), as well as the Executive Director of the ARTS etc. as a nonvoting member. The committee represents the interests of Winthrop and ARTS etc. in the jointly produced Artist Series.

     Artist Series Selection Committee. This committee consists of three Winthrop representatives appointed annually by the Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts and three representatives of ARTS etc., as well as the Executive Director of ARTS etc. as a nonvoting member. The committee selects programs to appear on the jointly produced Artist Series.

     Board of Student Publications. This Board is composed of four members appointed by the President for two-year staggered terms, to include two faculty members from Mass Communication, one faculty member or administrator from Business or the Finance and Business Office, and one member with legal or journalistic expertise; a chair appointed by the President for a two-year term; three student members appointed by the President of the Student Government Association, as follows: a junior or senior Mass Communication major with a one-year term; a sophomore or junior with a two-year term; and one student at large with a one-year term. The membership also includes the elected editors and the advisers of The Tatler, The Johnsonian, The Anthology, and The Roddey-McMillan Record, as well as the Director of Student Activities. All members vote except the chair, who may vote only in the case of a tie.

     Board responsibilities include setting minimum qualifications for editors, selecting editors and advisers, approving budgets, hearing complaints, hearing and deciding non-editorial conflicts between editors and their respective advisers, and formulating regulations in the full spirit of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

      Campus Computing Committee. The committee consists of fourteen voting members: one student, six faculty (2 from Arts and Sciences and 1 each from the four remaining major divisions) and seven administrators; the Director, Administrative Systems and Programming serves ex officio. The academic representatives comprise a standing sub-committee for academic computing; the administrative representatives comprise a standing sub-committee for administrative computing. Members are appointed by the President for staggered two-year terms, and the chairs are elected annually by members. The committee is advisory to the Associate Vice President for Information Technology and is responsible for recommending and reviewing content and directions in the Winthrop Information Technology Strategic Plan. The purpose of the committee is to provide appropriate faculty/staff/student input into both short and long-range plans for information technology at Winthrop.

     Committee on Humane Care and Use of Animals. This committee reviews and recommends policies on the care and use of animals in research. Membership consists of one member of the local community and five faculty members, including the chair, appointed by the President for staggered three-year terms. The chair will be appointed annually by the President.

     Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects. In compliance with the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 46, this committee reviews and approves research projects which will involve human subjects. The committee assures that the rights and welfare of the individuals involved are adequately protected, and that risks to subjects are reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits (CFR Part 46 Section 46.111). Informed consent agreements for research in which risk is involved must accurately present the likelihood of risk to the perspective participant. The committee is composed of one member of the community and six faculty members, including the chair, appointed by the President for staggered three-year terms. The chair will be appointed annually by the President.

     Dinkins Student Union Advisory Board. The Dinkins Student Union Advisory Board consists of three faculty members elected at large, the President and Vice President of Dinkins Student Union (DSU), the President and Vice President of the student body (SGA), and three students: one each appointed by the President of DSU, by the Vice President of DSU, and by the Coordinator of Student Activities. The Director of Student Activities, Coordinator of Student Activities, Student Activities Graduate Assistant, Secretary/Historian of DSU, and the Editor of The Johnsonian serve as ex officio members without vote. This group meets once a semester or at the call of the DSU President or the Coordinator of Student Activities to ensure that campus concerns and interests are addressed and discussed.

     Faculty Advisory Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics. This committee advises the President and the Athletic Director on matters pertaining to intercollegiate athletics. The committee consists of eight faculty members plus a chair appointed by the President for staggered three-year terms, two students, the Athletic Director, and Assistant Athletic Director as nonvoting members.

     International Advisory Committee. This committee consists of six faculty members (2 from Arts & Sciences and 1 each from the remaining academic units) appointed by the President for staggered three-year terms. The committee provides advice and guidance on the University's international programs. The Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the International Student Coordinator, and the Director of Honors serve as ex officio members. The Director, International Center will serve as chair.

     Judicial Council. The Judicial Council is a disciplinary committee which hears cases involving students and the General Conduct Policy. Membership consists of a chair who serves for a two-year term appointed from the faculty by the President, two students, appointed by the SGA President, who serve for one-year terms, and two faculty members elected by Faculty Conference for staggered two-year terms.

     Post-Tenure Review Committee (See also Appendix IV.) All members of post-tenure review committees will be tenured Winthrop faculty. A faculty member may serve on more than one committee in a year. No faculty member will serve in the year in which he/she is scheduled for review. Usually, associate and assistant deans will not serve on committees in their departments unless there is insufficient number of eligible faculty. Associate and assistant deans and chairs may serve on committees outside their departments. Chairs and deans cannot serve on a committee for a faculty member from his/her department.

     Composition of Committee. For faculty members, a committee of three faculty members: one from the candidate’s department if sufficient number of tenured faculty; one member from outside the department, and the third preferably from the candidate’s department. For assistant and associate deans, a committee of three faculty members: one faculty member from the candidate’s department if sufficient number of tenured faculty, one member from the academic unit in which candidate serves, and one assistant or associate dean from another academic unit. For academic deans, a committee of three faculty members: one from the dean’s academic department, one from the academic unit, and one dean from another academic unit.

     Research Council. The Research Council administers a fund to support faculty research and to encourage creative activity on the part of the faculty. The President appoints six faculty members for one-year terms. The Academic Vice President and the Dean of Library Services serve as ex officio members. The chair will be appointed annually by the President from among the members.

     Scholarship Committee. This committee consists of eight faculty or staff members appointed by the President to serve for one year. The committee selects discretionary scholarship recipients, recommends methods of bonding scholarship students to the institution, and assists in ensuring the best distribution of scholarship funds to Winthrop students. The Dean of Enrollment Management serves ex officio as chair.

     Student Government Association. The Student Government Association is a self-governing body of the students which, jointly with the University administration, formulates and recommends policies regarding student life to the Vice President for Student Life who then makes recommendations to the President and the Board of Trustees. The Faculty Conference annually elects a faculty member who attends the public meetings of the legislative branch of the Student Government Association.

 See Figure 4, next page, for information on the relationship of committees to the governance organizations and the University.