Standing Committees of the Faculty Assembly

The standing committees of the Faculty Assembly shall include the following: Faculty Affairs and Academic Policies, Budget and Planning, External Professional Affairs, Faculty Life and Development, Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects in Research and Rank and Promotion. Membership on most standing committees will be by election of the Faculty Assembly. However, to ensure that the Rank and Promotion Committee and the Faculty Life and Development Committee include representatives from each School, membership on these two committees will be determined by elections within each School. The Faculty Assembly Steering Committee will periodically review university-wide Committee structure and membership, and determine whether other committees are necessary to address the concerns of the Lesley University faculty.

Faculty Affairs and Academic Policies Committee (FAAP)

The Faculty Affairs and Academic Policies Committee considers, reviews, and develops responses and recommendations regarding institutional decisions, policies and other matters affecting the academic environment of Lesley University and the relationship between the University and the faculty.

The Committee works closely with the Provost, other administrators designated by the Provost, the Dean of Faculty, and the FASC representative to the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees to address University-wide Academic issues and concerns.

The Committee’s agenda will be based on academic issues as they emerge as well as those identified at the beginning of each year by the Committee in consultation with FASC.

The Faculty Affairs and Academic Policies Committee is composed of the Dean of Faculty and six full-time or pro-rated faculty, four representing each school, and two individuals elected at-large in the Faculty Assembly. Committee members will serve two-year staggered terms. Faculty may be re-elected as their terms are completed. The chair of the Committee is elected by the Committee members and serves as a member of the Faculty Assembly Steering Committee.

Budget and Planning Committee

The Budget and Planning Committee considers, reviews, and develops recommendations concerning institutional policies, strategies and priorities affecting the financial condition of Lesley University, including the annual budget and financial projections.

The Committee works closely with the Senior Vice-President for Finance and with other administrators designated by the Senior Vice-President for Finance.

The Committee's agenda is based on issues identified at the beginning of each academic year by the members of the Committee in consultation with the Faculty Assembly Steering Committee and senior administration. The Committee decides which issues will require ad hoc Committee attention and which issues will be addressed by the Committee directly. Recommendations of the Budget and Planning Committee or an ad hoc Committee will be presented to the Faculty Assembly. The action taken by the Faculty Assembly is then reported to the President.

The Budget and Planning Committee consists of five faculty elected by the Faculty Assembly to include one representative per School and one at-large member for staggered two-year terms. Faculty may be re-elected as their terms are completed. The Chair of the Committee is elected by the Committee members and serves as a member of the Faculty Assembly Steering Committee.

External Professional Affairs Committee (EPAC)

The External Affairs Committee will work in conjunction with institutional offices, as appropriate, to gather, centralize and disseminate information and resources from professional organizations on matters of interest to the faculty. These include quality of academic life issues such as contracts, salaries, retention, workload, promotion, economic trends and professional meetings and conferences.

The External Professional Affairs Committee consists of four at large faculty elected and serve for two-year staggered terms. The faculty may be re-elected as their terms are completed. The chair of the Committee is elected by the Committee members and serves as a member of the Faculty Assembly Steering Committee.

Faculty Life and Development Committee

The Faculty Life and Development Committee is a university-wide Committee that is convened to make recommendations on Faculty Sabbaticals, Faculty Development Grants, Faculty Requests for Funding to attend conferences and the overall direction of Faculty Development Opportunities. The Committee is composed of the Dean of Faculty and six members, four full-time or pro-rated faculty who represent each school and two individuals elected at-large in the Assembly. Committee members serve three-year staggered terms. The Provost or the Provost's designee serves as an ex-officio non-voting member. The chair of the Committee is elected by Committee members and serves as a member of the Faculty Assembly Steering Committee.

Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects in Research

The Standing Committee on the Use of Human Subjects in Research functions as the Institutional Review Board (IRB), and its membership is such as to satisfy requirements of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The IRB has at least five members with varying backgrounds to promote complete and adequate review of research activities commonly conducted by Lesley University. At least one member of the Committee is a nonscientist and one member is a person not affiliated with Lesley University. Members are appointed or re-appointed each year by the Provost on the recommendation of the Provost's designee [Associate Provost]. The ordinary term of service is three years. (For additional details, see the Statement of Policies and Procedures Governing the Use of Human Subjects in Research.)

Rank and Promotion

The Rank and Promotion Committee is a university-wide Committee that is convened to evaluate faculty members for determination of rank and promotion. The Committee is composed of nine (9) members who are full-time or pro-rata faculty at the Associate Professor or Professor rank and have been employed at Lesley University for two years or more. The term of appointment is three years. In addition, the Provost (or the Provost's designee) and the Dean of Faculty serve in an ex-officio non-voting role, contributing to clarify policies and procedures. The chair of the Committee is elected by the Committee members, and represents the committee in the Faculty Assembly.

Relationship Between Faculty Assembly and The Schools

While the Faculty Assembly addresses university-wide issues and standards, the individual schools address school-specific policies and practices. To further the work of the Faculty Assembly, school-based faculty will meet as needed to discuss matters pertinent to faculty governance. The responsibilities of the two faculty elected from each school to serve on the Faculty Assembly Steering Committee include convening any school-based faculty meetings and assuring that the views of the school faculty are represented in appropriate forums.

Two hours of the first and second Tuesdays of each month are reserved for school business meetings. Faculty Assembly representatives will be allotted time at these meetings as issues arise. Representatives should work with the dean of each school to set these agendas.

Relationship Between Faculty Assembly and Administration

To implement the Faculty Assembly's active participation in the academic life of Lesley University, the following working relationships shall exist:

The President: The President and the Faculty Assembly Steering Committee will hold regularly scheduled meetings to foster communication and collaboration. In addition, the President is always welcome to attend meetings of the Faculty Assembly to present and discuss matters of institutional importance.

Administration: Senior administrators and the Faculty Assembly Steering Committee will meet at least three times each academic year. These joint meetings will provide opportunities to determine institutional goals and agendas and to monitor and assess institutional progress.

Board of Trustees: The Faculty Assembly will elect three representatives to attend regular meetings of the Board of Trustees. These representatives will serve as a resource to the Board and will report to the Faculty Assembly on major Board discussions and decisions. These representatives will also serve on Trustee committees that invite faculty participation.

Adoption, Amendment, and Review Procedures

The Faculty Governance Policy is in effect since its approval by the Faculty Assembly, the President, and the Board of Trustees on May 7, 1997.

Amendments to this policy require a three-fifths vote of (60%) of the Faculty Assembly. All proposed amendments must then be approved by the Board of Trustees.

The policy will be subject to review as deemed necessary by the Faculty Assembly, the President, and/or the Board of Trustees.