Skip to Search Skip to Global Navigation Skip to Local Navigation Skip to Content

Faculty Senate By Laws

ARTICLE III

OFFICERS

The Faculty Senate shall have its own elected officers, including a Chair of the Senate, a Vice Chair, a Secretary, and a Parliamentarian. The term of office of the Chair of the Faculty Senate will be two years; the term of office of the Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Parliamentarian will be one year. The election of the Chair of the Faculty Senate will be held at the April meeting of the Faculty Senate in alternating years. The election of the other officers will be held at the May meeting of the Faculty Senate of each academic year. In the event that the Vice-Chair, Secretary, or Parliamentarian cannot complete their term of office, a call will be made for nominees to complete the current term with the elections to be held at least two weeks and no more than four weeks following the call for nominations.

  1. Chair of the Senate
  2. The Chair of the Faculty Senate is elected from among the voting members of the Faculty Senate. The Chair shall preside over all meetings of the Faculty Senate. The Chair will represent UTSA at the UT System Faculty Advisory Council. The Chair's position as his/her unit's representative will be filled by an alternate who will serve the remainder of the Chair's term. The Chair will vote on actions in the Senate only in the case of a tie. The Chair may serve no more than two consecutive terms; however, multiple, non-consecutive terms are allowed. Additionally, the immediate Past Chair is not eligible for the position. The Secretary of the General Faculty is eligible to serve as Chair so long as the terms of office for the two positions will not overlap.

  3. Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect
  4. The Vice-Chair is elected from among the voting members of the Faculty Senate, and remains a voting representative of his/her academic unit. In alternating years, a Chair-Elect will be elected from the Senate at the April meeting. For the subsequent one year period, the Chair-Elect will also serve as Vice Chair, and will eventually assume the role of Chair. If the Chair is re-elected for a second term at this time, there is no Chair-Elect for an additional two years (the Vice Chair position remains intact). If the Chair is unable to complete his or her term of office, then the Vice Chair/Chair-Elect will assume the Chair's duties for either the remainder of the Vice-Chair's term of office, or the remainder of the Chair-Elect's term of office and term of the Chair. In these cases his or her academic unit will be directed to elect an alternate for the remainder of his or her term as Faculty Senator. A new Chair of the Faculty Senate will be elected, if necessary, at the next scheduled election. The Vice-Chair may serve no more than four consecutive terms; however, multiple, non-consecutive terms are allowed. Additionally, the Chair and immediate Past Chair are not eligible for the position of Vice-Chair. The Secretary of the General Faculty is eligible to serve as Vice-Chair so long as the terms of office for the two positions will not overlap. The Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect serves as chair of the Budget Committee.

  5. Secretary  

    The Secretary's duties shall include the following:

    1. Serving as chair of the Nominations, Elections, and Procedures committee.
    2. The solicitation, preparation, and distribution of agenda items for meetings of the Faculty Senate.
    3. Conducting elections of officers and others, as necessary, of the Faculty Senate, the preparation of forms and ballots for the nominations and elections, and the certification of election results.
    4. The preparation, distribution, and maintenance of records of the Faculty Senate.
    5. The transmittal of recommendations of the Faculty Senate to the President and Provost.
    6. Any other duties assigned by the Faculty Senate.
  6. Parliamentarian
  7. The Parliamentarian shall rule on points of order with respect to the conduct of meetings.

  8. Terms of Office
  9. The term of office of the Chair of the Faculty Senate will be two years; the term of office of the Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Parliamentarian will be one year.

  10. Elections

    The Nominating, Elections and Procedures Committee will conduct the Elections.

    a. The election of the Chair of the Faculty Senate will be held at the April meeting of the Faculty Senate in alternating years. The election of other officers will be held yearly at the May meeting. In alternating years, nominations will be sought for Chair-Elect, and he or she will be voted in at the May meeting. The Nominating, Elections, and Procedures Committee shall present to the Faculty Senate printed ballots containing slates of candidates.

    b. Elections for Secretary of the General Faculty shall be conducted in the spring of alternate years, according to the following procedures.

    1. The Nominating, Elections and Procedures Committee shall solicit nominations for the position. A description of the responsibilities of the position shall be presented with the solicitation.
    2. Those nominated shall provide the Chair of the Nominating, Elections and Procedures Committee with a statement of professional accomplishments and interest in the position, not to exceed two pages.
    3. Paper or electronic ballots listing the nominees in alphabetical order shall be distributed, along with the nominees' statements, to all eligible voting members of the General Faculty. Votes shall be counted by the Nominating, Elections and Procedures Committee and certified by the Chair of the Faculty Senate. Election shall be by majority vote. If no majority is obtained in the first election, a paper or electronic ballot runoff election will be conducted between the candidates with the two highest vote counts.
    4. Voting eligibility of faculty will be determined by the definitions contained in the Handbook of Operating Procedures.
    5. Procedural questions shall be addressed in writing to, and interpreted by, the Parliamentarian of the Faculty Senate.

    c. In the case of Senate elections for the Secretary, and Parliamentarian and for Senate standing committee members, the Nominating, Elections, and Procedures Committee shall present to the Faculty Senate printed ballots containing slates of candidates at the May meeting of the Senate of each academic year. In the case of the Vice Chair, the nominee will be presented along with this slate except in years when a Chair-Elect is being elected (see 6.a.).

  11.  

    Approved 5/3/2018

    Comments or questions to Sarah Soulek