Constitution

1. The Arts and Sciences Council (the Council) is responsible for formulating recommendations on academic policies and coordinating their implementation within the Arts and Sciences Schools of Fordham University. These schools include Fordham College at Rose Hill, Fordham College at Lincoln Center, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and Ignatius College. The Council will concern itself with policies affecting the core curriculum, departmental or interdisciplinary curricula matters, academic standards, procedures and regulations, and faculty deployment as they influence any or all of the Arts and Sciences Schools. The recommendations of the Council will be transmitted to the Dean of the Arts and Sciences Faculty who will in turn transmit them to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.


2. Matters for consideration may originate in the Arts and Sciences Councilor recommendations may be referred to it by a School Council.


3. The Arts and Sciences Council may recommend the establishment or dissolution of departments and interdisciplinary programs and will be consulted by the administration before departments or interdisciplinary programs are established or dissolved.


4. In all its deliberations, the Arts and Sciences Council will be mindful of the stipulations of the University Statutes. The Council may propose Statute changes to the Handbook committee of the Faculty Senate and to the Vice President for Academic Affairs with respect to academic policies within the scope of the Council's authority.

The Arts and Sciences Council will consist of the following members:

1. From the Arts and Sciences faculty:
    
    
   1. The Chairs of the Departments representing all members of the Arts and Sciences Faculty. Each Department shall have a designated substitute Council member who will represent the faculty of the Department when the Chair cannot attend a Council meeting. Each Department Chair (or designee) will have one vote.
   2. Directors of Interdisciplinary Committees offering majors (or their delegates) representing the faculty of their programs. Each Director will have voice on the Council. In addition, the following Committee Directors (or their delegates) will be eligible to vote: a) those of the two bi-campus programs that graduated the largest number of students in the preceding two years; b) and those of the two single campus programs on each campus that graduated the largest number of students in the preceding two years.
   3. Two Arts and Sciences Faculty voting members from the Fordham College at Lincoln Center Council and two from the Fordham College at Rose Hill Council.
2. From the student body:
    
   1. A student representative from each of the four Arts and Sciences Schools, normally the President of the School's Student Government organization, or, otherwise, a student elected by the Student Government or, in the absence of a student government, appointed by the Dean's office, to be the School's representative. In addition, a substitute will be chosen who will represent students when the designated representative cannot attend Council meetings.
   2. Each student representative will have one vote. The term of office for all student representatives· shall be one academic year.
3. From the Arts and Sciences Administration:
    
   1. The Dean of the Arts and Sciences Faculty, who shall serve ex officio (without vote) as the Chair of the Council; a designee of the Dean of the Arts and Sciences Faculty serving as Vice-Chair and Secretary to the Council (with a vote if a member of the Arts and Sciences Faculty or a Dean).
   2. The Deans of the four Arts and Sciences Schools. Each Dean will have a vote.
4. All members with constituencies will keep them informed of the Council's activities.

1. The Arts and Sciences Council is established as the successor to the committees on Faculty Integration and Core Curriculum which began to implement the May 10, 1994 Resolution from the Board of Trustees: "Approval of a Plan to Organize the Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Schools". When the Council begins to function the Faculty Integration Committee will cease to exist. The Core Curriculum Committee will continue its work until its mandate is completed. It will inform the Arts and Sciences Council of its progress.


2. The Constitution of the Council becomes effective upon approval by a faculty referendum, conducted in accordance with the procedures described below (IV, 2-3), and upon the approval of the Board of Trustees.


3. All policies recommended by the Council must be in accordance with University Statutes and policies and are subject to review by the Board of Trustees. Actions of the Council will be transmitted to the Vice President for Academic Affairs by the Dean of the Arts and Sciences Faculty.


4. The officers of the Council will be the Dean of the Arts and Sciences Faculty, who will be the Chair, the designee of the Dean of the Arts and Sciences Faculty who will be the Vice-Chair and Secretary, and the Deans of the Arts and Sciences Schools. The Officers will constitute the Council of Arts and Sciences Deans.


5. The Executive Committee for the Council will consist of the Council of Arts and Sciences Deans, the six chairs of the standing committees and one student elected by the Council. Chairs of the Standing Committees are elected by the Council from the members of the Council. The Executive Committee shall meet at least four times a semester. The Executive Committee shall prepare the agenda, formulate charges for the Standing Committees of the Council and for the Council's ad hoc committees, and carry out other tasks as designated by the Council. The agenda for Council meetings will be circulated to members of the Council.
6. 
   
1. The Council will meet at least twice a semester. Additional meetings may be called or meetings may be canceled at the discretion of the Executive Committee.


2. A special meeting will be called within two weeks when the Dean of the Arts and Sciences Faculty has received a petition in writing from at least ten members of the Council.


3. In order to hold a meeting aquorum of voting members must be in attendance. A quorum is constituted by a simple majority of the voting members of the Council.


4. Meetings of the Council will be open and conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order. At the Council's discretion, it may enter into executive session during which time minutes will not be kept.


5. A simple majority of voting members present shall suffice to make a recommendation to the Dean of the Arts and Sciences Faculty and to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. A minority report may be appended to the recommendation passed by the Council if this is requested by one or more members of the Council.


6. All recommendations from the Council will be presented to the Vice President for Academic Affairs by the Chair of the Arts and Sciences Council within one week. A recommendation from the Council becomes effective within ten days of its receipt by the Vice President, unless disapproved, subject to review by the Board of Trustees at its next meeting. In cases when the recommendation of the Council is not accepted by the Vice President, the Vice President will communicate that decision and the justification for it to the Council. The Council may reconsider the matter and by a 2/3 vote appeal the Vice President's decision to the President of the University. If the President does not accept the recommendation, the President will inform both the Council and the appropriate Committee of the Board of Trustees of that action.


7. Council recommendations that may overlap with the responsibilities of other Vice Presidents will be transmitted by the Dean of the Arts and Sciences Faculty to the Vice President for Academic Affairs who will then transmit them to the appropriate Vice Presidents. These Council recommendations will be subject to the same approval and appeals process as outlined in (III, 6, f).
7. There will be both standing and ad hoc committees of the Council. The Executive Committee will be drawn from members of the Council. Members of all other Committees are drawn from members of the Arts and Sciences faculty, including members of the Arts and Sciences Council, and from matriculated students of the Arts and Sciences schools.
1. The Executive Committee, in addition to the responsibilities specified above, may act for the Council during the period between meetings of the Council. All such actions are subject to ratification by the Council at it next meeting.


2. The following are standing committees of the Council. Their members are elected by the Council:
1. The Core Curriculum Committee will oversee the implementation of the Core Curriculum and conduct in-depth periodic reviews of the Core Curriculum and its effectiveness. The objectives of the Core Curriculum Committee will therefore be two-fold: To renew the Core in a way that is consistent with the findings of its periodic reviews; and to oversee and evaluate the implementation of the Core Curriculum. The nature of the Core Curriculum Committee of the Arts and Sciences Council will be largely determined by the proposal developed in the report of the Core Curriculum Committee mandated by the resolution of the Board of Trustees. [Editor's note: The report of the Core Curriculum Committee established five subcommittees of the Arts and Sciences Council Core Curriculum Committee. They are: 1) Freshman Seminar; 2) American Pluralism; 3) Global Studies; 4) Social Science; 5) Senior Values Seminar.]


2. The Committee on Majors and Curricula will receive and review, as appropriate, recommendations from School Councils on major programs within the disciplinary departments, and on Interdisciplinary Programs. Majors and Interdisciplinary Programs may be established or discontinued only after the Committee on Majors and Programs has made its recommendation to the Council and the Council has made a recommendation to the Dean of the Arts and Sciences Faculty and to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. These Council recommendations will be subject to the same approval and appeals process as outlined in (III, 6, f).


3. The Faculty Policy and Resources Committee will review the deployment of Faculty and make recommendations to the Dean of the Arts and Sciences Faculty. The Committee may also consider other faculty issues that relate to the Arts and Sciences Schools.


4. The Adult Education Committee will review adult programs in the Arts and Sciences Schools and make recommendations to the Arts and Sciences Council for action by the Dean of the Arts and Sciences faculty and the Vice President for Academic Affairs with the objective of maintaining the quality, creativity and vitality of adult Arts and Sciences education at Fordham.


5. The Student Policy Committee will review and make recommendations in the area of academic policies and procedures with the objective of coordinating, when appropriate, policies within and among the schools.


6. The Arts and Sciences Faculty Evaluation Committee will make recommendations for establishing uniform procedures for both student and peer evaluation of teaching. The Committee will also undertake periodic reviews of departmental procedures for evaluating research and publication and service. This Committee's objective will be to initiate a dialogue with faculty colleagues for the purpose of establishing criteria for evaluating faculty performance in personnel decisions and for merit recommendations.

1. A referendum of the Arts and Sciences Faculty will be held to validate recommendations of the Council on substantive matters if called for under any of the four following procedures:
1. By the affirmative vote of 2/3 of the Council;


2. By a decision of the Dean of the Arts and Sciences Faculty with the consent of a majority of the Executive Committee;


3. By a written petition signed by at least 25% of the full-time Arts and Sciences Faculty; and


4. By the request of the President of the University.
2. In a Referendum, provision will be made for a vote of "abstain."


3. A Referendum validates the Council's recommendation, when:
1. An absolute majority of the faculty vote for the recommendation; or


2. If there is no absolute majority, but at least 2/3 of the faculty submit a valid ballot (including abstentions), there is a simple majority of those voting for the recommendation.

Amendments to the constitution require three actions in sequence:

1. Approval by a 2/3 vote of the Council;
2. Approval by a faculty referendum; and
3. Approval by the Board of Trustees.

The Council may from time to time adopt or amend operating procedures by a 2/3 vote of the Council.

2/28/96f

From the Minutes of April 23, 2014
The Council passed a motion to approve the establishment of a Science Education Committee as a standing committee of the A&S Council with regular reports to the council (29, 0, 0).

From the Minutes of December 4, 2013
Interdisciplinary Program Representation on Arts and Sciences Council
Limiting full participation to only the 6 largest interdisciplinary programs with a major or graduate degree restricts the relevance and representative nature of the A&S Council, as well as raises questions about the appropriateness of the current definition of “largest“ -- those having granted the most degrees, without consideration of other aspects of program life less easily quantified.

The A&S Council therefore passed a motion to amend the Addenda to the Constitution for Operating Purposes as follows:

The voting franchise on the Arts and Sciences Council is extended to include all interdisciplinary programs that offer a major or a graduate degree, effective immediately.

Proposed at the meeting of Deceber 7, 2011
Standing Committees
Due to lack of activity, and for recruitment of members to remaining committees, the following standing committees are suspended until moved otherwise by the Council:

• The Faculty Policy and Resources Committee
• The Adult Education Committee
• The Student Policy Committee

The continuing standing committees of the Council are:

• The Core Curriculum Committee (and its subcomiittees)
• The Committee on Majors and Curricula
• The Arts and Sciences Faculty Evaluation Committee