Department of Animal Sciences
College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Article 1. Purpose and Authority
The Bylaws of the Department of Animal Sciences provide for the administrative organization and procedure of the Department. These bylaws derive their authority from the University Statutes, which state that each academic unit shall be governed in its internal administration by its faculty, and that the governance of each unit shall be based on bylaws established, and amended by the faculty of that unit. The bylaws are an extension of the Statutes, and, as such, they must accord with the Statutes and with the bylaws established by the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. In case of disagreement, the Statutes and Bylaws of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences shall prevail.
Article 2. Membership
The faculty of the Department consists of those members of the academic staff with the rank or title in the Department of professor, associate professor, or assistant professor who are tenured or receiving probationary credit toward tenure. Voting privileges are granted to a member of the faculty who holds a full-time or part-time salaried appointment in the Department.
Specialized faculty (instructor, lecturer, senior instructor, senior lecturer, teaching assistant professor, teaching associate professor, teaching professor, research assistant professor, research associate professor, research professor, clinical assistant professor, clinical associate professor, and clinical professor) are also considered to be members of the faculty and are granted voting privileges if they hold a full-time or part-time salaried appointment in the Department.
Voting privileges may be granted to a member of the academic staff who holds a salaried appointment in the Department with the rank or title of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, or instructor who is not tenured or receiving probationary credit toward tenure, including research, adjunct, emeriti, or visiting titles, by a majority vote of the Faculty Advisory Committee.
Article 3. General Organization
The Department shall be organized with a head as chief administrator. The head shall have those powers and duties given by the Statutes and such other powers and duties granted by the faculty. The head shall (a) call regular meetings of the faculty during each academic year, (b) appoint committees except the Faculty Advisory Committee, the Promotion and Tenure Committee, and the Grievance Committee, (c) report to the faculty at least annually on the status of the Department and its programs, (d) communicate to the dean recommendations of the faculty, (e) maintain a current file of Department policies and procedures adopted by the faculty and make it available to the faculty, and (f) appoint associate and/or assistant heads as appropriate with advice of the faculty.
Article 4. Faculty Rights and Responsibilities
As the responsible body in the teaching, research, and public service activities of the Department, the faculty has inherent interests and rights in academic policy and governance. The faculty shall (a) have all powers not given by the Statutes exclusively to the head nor given by the faculty to the head, (b) have all powers delegated to it by the head, (c) elect the Faculty Advisory Committee, the Promotion and Tenure Committee, and faculty members of the Grievance Committee, and (d) review the missions, goals, and programs of the Department at least once in each five-year period. Members of the faculty share the responsibility to maintain high professional standards that foster academic excellence.
Article 5. Faculty Meetings
Meetings of the faculty generally shall be called by the head once a month during the academic year and whenever else necessary. The head shall chair meetings. If the head is absent, an associate head or the vice-chair of the Faculty Advisory Committee shall be designated by the head to preside. Special meetings may be held at the call of the head or the Faculty Advisory Committee, or upon written request to the head signed by at least five voting faculty members. In such a case, the head shall convene a meeting within 15 calendar days of receipt of the request. Those present at a properly called meeting shall constitute a quorum. A secretary of the faculty, appointed by the head, shall keep and preserve minutes of each meeting. Abbreviated minutes, including a list of items discussed and actions taken, shall be distributed by the secretary to the faculty after each meeting.
A written notice (including the agenda) of a meeting shall be distributed to the faculty about a week in advance. Faculty meetings usually will be conducted informally but if motions are under consideration, the meeting shall proceed according to Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised. A secret vote shall be taken whenever requested by at least five faculty members. Each member shall have one vote on each question. There shall be no proxy voting. Upon request of any member, that member's vote on any question shall be recorded in the minutes.
Article 6. Committees
Section 1. Faculty Advisory Committee
The Faculty Advisory Committee shall be composed of the head, associate heads, and six elected full-time faculty members with majority appointment in the Department. Three members of the committee are elected annually by the faculty to two-year terms. A committee member may not be elected to serve more than two consecutive full terms. A vice-chair shall be elected by voting members from second-year voting members of the Committee. The head and associate heads shall be ex officio members without vote.
- The functions of the Committee, as specified in the Statutes, are to provide for the orderly voicing of suggestions for the good of the Department, to recommend procedures and committees that will encourage faculty participation in formulating policy, and to perform other tasks it may be assigned.
- The Committee shall meet at the call of the head, associate heads, or two voting members of the Committee. The head shall chair meetings. If the head is absent, an associate head or the vice-chair of the Committee shall be designated by the head to preside. Preparation of the agenda for each meeting is the responsibility of the chair and the vice-chair. The agenda shall be distributed to the faculty before each meeting to encourage faculty interest. Four voting members shall constitute a quorum. One member shall be appointed by the head to serve as secretary and shall record and preserve the minutes. Abbreviated minutes, including a list of items discussed and actions taken, shall be distributed to the faculty after each meeting.
- The Committee ordinarily shall hold meetings open to members of the faculty but may close a meeting when deemed appropriate by a majority of voting members of the Committee. Faculty members who visit an open meeting of the Committee may speak at the pleasure of the Committee. Any faculty member shall be entitled to a conference with the Committee or with any member of the Committee. If the Committee is in session to evaluate the head's performance, the vice-chair shall preside and only elected members shall be present.
Section 2. Promotion and Tenure Committee
The Promotion and Tenure Committee shall be composed of 11 members: three elected annually from the tenured voting faculty to three-year terms and two elected from specialized faculty to serve three-year terms. A committee member may not be elected to serve more than two consecutive full terms. A minimum of six members shall be professors with a maximum of three associate professors. The head shall serve as chair and communicate recommendations of the Committee to the faculty member and to the administration.
- The Committee annually shall review the performance of faculty to advise the head and to assist in preparation of promotion and tenure materials. The Committee shall have broad powers to consult with appropriate faculty and other persons on matters concerned with evaluating faculty for promotion and tenure. Specialized faculty shall be included in promotion decisions on specialized faculty being considered for ranks that are equal to or below their own specialized faculty rank. Associate professors shall be included in promotion and tenure decisions on individuals being considered for the ranks of instructor, lecturer, senior instructor, senior lecturer, teaching assistant professor, teaching associate professor, teaching professor, research assistant professor, research associate professor, research professor, clinical assistant professor, clinical associate professor, clinical professor, assistant professor, and associate professor. Professors shall be included in decisions for all ranks. Each recommendation for promotion or tenure or both advancing outside the Department must have approval of the majority of those members concerned with that decision.
Section 3. Grievance Committee
The Grievance Committee shall be composed of four faculty members elected by the voting faculty. Two members shall be elected each year to serve staggered two-year terms. A faculty committee member may not be elected to serve more than two consecutive full terms. A chair and vice-chair shall be selected by the faculty members of the committee. Faculty members will consider grievances from faculty, academic professionals, graduate students, and undergraduate students. Two graduate students shall be elected annually by the graduate students of the Department to the Committee when grievances are received from graduate students. If an elected member of the Committee has a conflict of interest in the grievance, that member shall be excused and will be replaced by a member of the Faculty Advisory Committee appointed by the head.
- The Grievance Committee shall consider any formal grievance submitted to it in writing by any faculty member, academic professional, graduate student, or undergraduate student. A grievance may arise when an individual believes that their status as a member of the faculty, academic professional staff, or student body has been adversely affected by an incorrect or inappropriate decision or behavior. Cases involving allegations of capricious grading shall be considered by the Committee. Cases of academic misconduct, sexual harassment, or discrimination that are handled under defined campus policies shall not be considered by the Committee.
Department grievance procedures shall comply with policies and procedures described in the Academic Staff Handbook, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (www.ahr.uiuc.edu/ahrhandbook/default.htm), the Graduate College Policy and Procedures on Grievances by Graduate Students, and the Student Code, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (www.admin.uiuc.edu/policy/code/).
Section 4. Other Committees
The head shall appoint other committees, with the advice of the Faculty Advisory Committee, as are necessary for the functioning and well-being of the Department. Suitable rules for the organization and procedure of these committees shall be established as appropriate. Appointed standing committees for the functioning of the Department include Building and Facility Committee, Bylaws Committee, Courses and Curricula Committee-Graduate, Courses and Curricula Committee-Undergraduate, Faculty Elections Committee, Graduate Study Committee, Information Technology and Website Committee, Research Committee, and Secretarial Committee. Appointed standing committees for the well being of the department include Faculty Honors Committee, External Advisory Committee, and Student Honors Committee.
Article 7. Elections
Elections of the Faculty Advisory Committee, the Promotion and Tenure Committee, and the Grievance Committee shall be by ballot and be conducted by the Faculty Elections Committee. Elections for all positions shall be a two-stage process, with a nomination ballot, which shall include all eligible faculty, and an election ballot, which shall include two nominees for each position, except in the case of a tie in which all nominees involved in the tie shall be included. Ties on an election ballot shall be decided by a random process in the presence of witnesses. Each voter may cast noncumulative votes equal to the number of persons to be elected. If a vacancy on a committee occurs before the completion of a term, the nominee with the next highest number of votes from the same election ballot shall complete the term. Elections shall be conducted in April of each year with terms to commence on the following August 16, unless otherwise designated.
For the Promotion and Tenure Committee, the election ballot shall include names of professors and associate professors who have received the largest number of votes from the nomination ballot, regardless of rank, except that a sufficient number of professors shall be listed to ensure that the committee will include a minimum of six professors.
Article 8. Appointments
The head shall consult with the Faculty Advisory Committee and members of the faculty (as at a faculty meeting) prior to the search for new faculty appointments. A Search Committee shall be appointed by the head with advice of the Faculty Advisory Committee. Majority approval of a candidate for a faculty position must be obtained from the Search Committee before a recommendation for appointment leaves the Department. The Promotion and Tenure Committee also shall be consulted when a new appointment involves tenure in the Department.
Article 9. Amendments
A change in these bylaws may be initiated by the head, the Faculty Advisory Committee, or by written petition of at least 10 members of the faculty, through the Bylaws Committee. At least 2 weeks notice shall be given for a meeting to consider a proposed change. The notice shall include the proposed change. The proposal may be amended from the floor at the meeting. Approval of such an amendment shall require an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds (67%) of the faculty. Ratification of a proposed change to the bylaws shall be by mail ballot conducted during the 30-day period following the meeting. Ratification of a change shall require an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds (67%) of the faculty.
Adopted March 15, 1985. Amended April 13, 1989; June 4, 1996; April 22, 2005; April 11, 2007; June 10, 2024