Faculty Senate Bylaws & Constitution

Explore the Bylaws:

Article I. Preamble
Article II. Name
Article III. Object
Article IV. Members
Article V. Officers
Article VI. Meetings
Article VII. Executive Council
Article VIII. Committees
Article IX. Parliamentary Authority
Article X. Amendment

Explore the Constitution:

Preamble
Article I. Responsibility
Article II. Definitions
Article III. Election of Senators
Article IV. Organization of the Senate
Article V. Organization of Senate Committees
Article VI. Amendments
Article VII. Adoption of the Constitution
Approvals and Amendments

Bylaws

Article I. Preamble

We, the faculty of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, in order to provide for a free dialogue between the faculty and the administration, and in order to establish a means whereby matters of faculty interest and concern may be presented to the administration and the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska, and in order to formulate policies and procedures of university interest and concern, and in order to provide a responsible and representative faculty voice in the recommendation of these policies, do hereby present these bylaws through the chancellor to the president and the board of regents for ratification, so that the Faculty Senate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha shall continue to represent the faculty of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, hereafter called “the university,” in these matters.

Article II. Name

The Faculty Senate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha is the faculty governing agency of its administrative unit, formed under provisions of Section 2.12 of the Bylaws of the Regents of the University of Nebraska.

Article III. Object

The faculty of the university, hereafter referred to as “the faculty,” has significant responsibilities in matters relating to formulation of university policies. To provide for the discharge of these responsibilities delegated to the faculty by the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska, hereafter referred to as “the board”, the faculty designates the Faculty Senate to serve as its representative agency to deal with matters of interest to more than one college. The faculty senate shall be guided in its deliberations by the established policies of the board, the interpretation of these policies by the chancellor of the university, the expressed interests of a responsible and professional faculty, and the ideals of academic freedom and shared governance.

Article IV. Members

A. Number. An election of senators shall be held during the spring semester of each academic year. The faculty senate shall consist of no fewer than thirty-seven, nor more than thirty-nine members, all of whom are University of Nebraska academic staff. Each year at its regular December meeting the executive council shall designate by simple majority vote the number of such faculty members in the ensuing senate session and thus the representation ratio, the number of faculty members represented by each senator.

B. Classes of Membership - Definitions

All full-time academic staff of the university holding the rank of assistant instructor, instructor, lecturer, assistant professor, associate professor, or professor (or equivalent ranks formally approved by the board) shall be considered faculty and shall be eligible to vote for senators within their college.
1. Colleges. An academic unit, headed by a dean who has basic responsibility for the employment of faculty and the administration of curricula within a unified discipline or group of disciplines, shall be considered an academic college. Other academic units which utilize faculties composed primarily of persons holding faculty rank in the academic colleges of the university do not qualify as colleges under this definition. For the purposes of this document, the University Library shall be considered an academic college.
Non-collegiate Faculty. All other full-time academic staff of the university holding faculty rank whose appointment does not fall within the definition of an academic college shall be designated “non-collegiate faculty” and shall be assigned to the College of Arts and Sciences for purposes of voting enfranchisement and representation in the faculty senate.
External Faculty. University of Nebraska faculty members whose primary appointment is at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), or University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) but whose workload assignment is fifty percent or more with the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) shall be designated as “external faculty.” They shall be eligible without respect to university or college to represent this group as senator and vote for its senators. The representation ratio of external faculty shall be the same as the representation ratio for senators from UNO unless the UNO ratio would require more than two external faculty senators or not allow at least one external faculty senator.

C. Term

Regular. Terms of elected senators shall be three years except for those elected to shorter terms as a college adjusts its representation according to Section IV.C.3. Replacements elected under provisions of Section IV.G.1 shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term.
No faculty member shall be eligible for a whole or partial term which would extend the person’s successive service beyond four years but may be elected again following the lapse of one academic year.
Provided the executive council is kept fully informed, each college through its established governance procedures shall be empowered to reduce, if the need should arise, the duration of one or more of the terms of its own senators in order to maintain the benefits of continuity in senate membership as derived from the system of staggered expiration of three-year terms. Moreover if, as a consequence of faculty realignment or the annual reapportionment of senate seats, a college should lose one or more seats and there is no pending vacancy, the college faculty through its established governance procedures shall determine how the reduction in representation shall be accomplished and shall duly notify the executive council.

D. Eligibility for Nomination and Election.

Full-time faculty of professorial rank (assistant professor, associate professor, or professor) whose initial contract has been effective at least twelve calendar months shall be eligible. Full-time faculty members in the rank of assistant instructor, instructor or lecturer who have completed three years of full-time employment with the university at the time of the election shall be eligible. Tenure shall not be a requirement for service as a senator.
College restrictions. Within the provisions of IV.C.2 and IV.D.1, the faculty of each college shall determine the eligibility of its own faculty members to stand for, and vote in election to a specific seat, and for continuing service during partial retirement.
Questions of eligibility of faculty members for service as elected senators, or for rights to vote for members of the senate, shall be determined by the Executive Council of the senate, and such determination shall be considered final and binding.

E. Apportionment

The apportionment of seats for senators in the ensuing session shall be based on the faculty rosters in effect the first week of spring semester classes each academic year. No later than November the chancellor shall have the appropriate office provide the Faculty Senate with a current UNO roster for this purpose, including all full-time UNO faculty totaled by college, all full-time non-collegiate UNO faculty totaled by appointment (i.e. university library), and shall make all reasonable efforts to obtain rosters of external faculty.
For the ensuing session the number of senators from each unit: each college, the non-collegiate faculty collectively, and the external faculty collectively, is determined from the quotient of the number of faculty in the unit as determined in IV.E.1 divided by the representation ratio as determined in IV.A, with the restrictions of Section IV.B. Prior to the end of the Fall semester the senate president shall notify the appropriate academic deans of the number of seats to which their respective colleges are entitled, and the number to be elected.

F. Elections

Ballots and balloting. An election of senators shall be conducted by each college by the end of the month of January in two steps: nomination and a final election. Respective college faculties shall select the nominees (e.g. by primary) for the final election. The final election ballot shall list at least twice as many names as there are seats to be filled. Those receiving the highest number of votes cast for the respective seats shall be deemed elected to the senate. In the event of a tie, a run-off shall be conducted between those candidates.
The faculty of each college seating senator(s) shall count ballots according to its own governance procedures and transmit the results of the election to the senate office by the last working day of January. Notices of final election results shall clearly identify the winner(s) and, as appropriate, the name of the senator each is replacing. Such notices shall also include a rank order listing of the next highest vote getters, which will be maintained in the faculty senate office and used in accord with Section IV.G.1 to fill any vacancy that occurs in the college’s or unit’s senate delegation.
Certification and communication. At its first meeting in March the executive council shall certify the results of the elections and communicate names of newly elected senators to the chancellor, the office of university communications for publicity purposes, and others as provided in Standing Rules. All balloting results shall be printed in the agenda for the May senate meeting.
Elected senators shall assume their duties at an officially designated point during the last senate meeting of the academic year (May) in which they are elected and shall hold office until the corresponding point in the last meeting of the academic year (May) in which their successors are elected.

G. Vacated Senate Seats

Filling of a vacancy. Vacancies shall be filled by seating the first runner-up from the appropriate college or unit in the senate election immediately preceding the vacancy. If the first runner-up is not available, the second runner-up will be seated. If the second runner-up is not available, or if additional vacancies from a college should occur, the remaining senators from that college shall caucus to appoint an eligible faculty member from their college to fill the vacancy. If there are fewer than two remaining senators from the college or unit, it shall conduct an election to fill the vacancy.
Temporary Vacancy. A senator’s absences from meetings of the senate and standing committee, repeated for a period less than one academic semester, associated with medical leave, family leave, incapacitation, personal needs, or other good and sufficient reason, may be excused by the executive council. A senator on leave of absence for not more than one academic semester shall be temporarily replaced. A senator absent longer than one academic semester will be replaced for the remainder of the unexpired term.
Resignation. Senators desiring to resign shall do so in writing, and resignations shall not be effective until they have been accepted by the executive council.
Change of Workload Assignment. If the workload of a faculty senator should change such that it no longer constitutes at least fifty percent being performed at UNO, the senator is no longer eligible for senate service. A change of college made during the term of a faculty member of the university shall also make the person ineligible for a full academic year. Replacement may be temporary or by regular election, as determined by the executive council.
Removal for Cause. The actions or absences of a single senator can frustrate or prevent (e.g. by lack of quorum) the work of the whole body. Submission to the executive council of a petition moving removal of a named senator, specifying the offending behaviors, and signed by two or more senators shall be considered by the council in executive session. If approved, the council will form a subcommittee to investigate the behaviors and their impact on the work of the senate and report within twenty-one days. If the council votes to recommend removal, the report will be communicated to all senators and a council motion for removal from office placed on the next senate agenda. Elected senators may be removed from office only by a three-fourths vote. The senator considered for removal shall not vote on this issue.
Vacancy of an Office Holder. When a vacant senate seat pertains to an individual holding a senate office, the vacancy shall be removed as follows: First, the vacant seat shall be filled as provided in Section G.1; second, members of the senate shall follow the provisions of Section V.A to elect a senator to complete the unexpired term for the office in question.

Article V. Officers

A. Executive Officers

The executive officers of the senate shall consist of the president, the vice-president, the secretary-treasurer, the chairperson of the committee on committees, the chair of a second standing committee and, in the spring semester, the president-elect if there be one.
Election. Senators shall elect executive officers from among the membership of the senate except that external faculty are ineligible. Elections occur at the initial (May) meeting except that for the president, who shall be elected as provided in article V.B, and possibly that of the chair of a second standing committee, who shall be elected as provided in V.F. A simple majority of votes cast shall be sufficient to elect each officer.
Term. Officers shall assume office upon election and serve to the end of the session at the May meeting. A person may serve consecutive terms through election or re-election provided these are completed within the senator’s elected term.
Responsibility. The executive officers as a group, particularly the president, shall provide liaison with the chancellor.

B. President

Eligibility. To be eligible for nomination and election to president-elect, senators must be able to complete the following term of president within their elected senate term. If the current President of the Faculty Senate, who is serving a first one-year term as President during the third year of their Senate term, wishes to serve a second one-year term as President, and is elected according to procedures to a second one-year term as President (see V.B.2), the President may continue to serve in the Senate as President into a fourth year in their Senate term. The individual would then serve as past-president the fall after completing the second one-year term as President (see V.G.1). Note: This is in conformity with IV.C.2, which notes that eligibility for Senate cannot extend beyond four consecutive years.
Election. The president shall first serve as president-elect for a term beginning at the first regularly scheduled meeting of the spring semester, followed by a regular one-year term as president beginning at the last regularly scheduled senate meeting of the academic year. The president-elect shall be elected at the last regularly scheduled meeting of the fall semester from among the membership of the senate. The president may serve successive terms through re-election, in which event there will be no president-elect for that spring semester nor past-president that summer and fall.
Duties. The faculty senate president shall be the faculty's spokesperson, and as such shall attend meetings of the board as the official representative of the Faculty Senate, and meetings of the executive officers with the chancellor and the chancellor’s designees. The president shall be the presiding officer of the senate, and of the executive council when it meets in lieu of the full senate during June and July. The president is an ex-officio member without vote to all standing committees. The president shall prepare, in consultation with the appropriate university official, a budget request for funds necessary to accomplish the purposes of the senate. The president shall refer items to committees for consideration and perform such other duties as appropriate to the office.
Role and Duties as President-Elect. Upon election the president-elect shall become an executive officer and endeavor to become thoroughly familiar with the faculty senate’s operating procedures and its role as the faculty’s voice in the campus system of shared governance. The president-elect shall perform such other duties appropriate to the office which may from time to time be delegated by the president or the executive council.

C. Vice-President Duties. The faculty senate vice-president shall preside over the senate during the absence of the faculty senate president and over the executive council except in June and July, and perform such other duties as appropriate to the office.

D. Secretary-Treasurer Duties.

Agendas. The faculty senate secretary-treasurer shall be responsible for preparation of minutes of all senate meetings, shall ensure copies of these are distributed to all senators at least four days prior to each senate meeting with the agenda, and available in the senate office and on its web site. Distribution of agenda and minutes of executive council meetings is limited to members and staff except between the May inaugural meeting and the regular August meeting, when the executive council acts in lieu of the senate.
Reports. The secretary-treasurer shall report to the executive council and senate on meetings of the executive officers with the administration.
Records. The secretary-treasurer shall work with faculty senate staff to assure that senate and executive council minutes shall be taken, distributed, and maintained; that rosters of faculty senate members and their standing committee assignments are maintained and posted; that record of attendance at senate and standing committee meetings is maintained through the academic year; and that financial records of all expenditures of the senate and senate committees are maintained and reported to the executive council.
Communications. The secretary-treasurer shall guide the faculty senate staff on preparation, maintenance and distribution of communication related to Faculty Senate business and shall perform such other duties as appropriate to the office.

E. Chair of the Committee on Committees.

Rights and Responsibilities. In addition to the duties of leading the committee on committees, the person shares the rights and responsibilities of executive officers.

F. Chair of Second Standing Committee.

Election. By the opening of each Faculty Senate session each standing committee other than the committee on committees will have elected one of its members as the committee chairperson or designated a member to meet with the executive council through the summer. After all such standing committees have elected a chairperson, or no later than the August senate meeting, the senate shall elect one of them to serve as an executive officer.
Rights and Responsibilities. In addition to the duties of leading the standing committee, the person shares the rights and responsibilities of executive officers.

G. Other Officers

Past-President
1. Role and rights. In the summer and fall following each president’s full term, the person shall be past-president, entitled to continue to attend any meeting involving the executive officers and participate in an ex officio, non-voting advisory capacity. A past-president whose elected senate term continues also has all the rights and responsibilities of a senator, and if elected as an executive officer or standing committee officer, has those rights and responsibilities. A president removed from office has none of the rights of a past-president.
2. Responsibility. The past-president will prepare a concise report of the initiatives and accomplishments of that Faculty Senate session, to be sent to the chancellor, distributed with the agenda for the following August meeting, and available to university faculty on the senate web site.
Parliamentarian. The president shall appoint a parliamentarian, who need not be a member of the senate.

Article VI. Meetings

A. The senate shall hold one regular meeting at a stated time each month during the academic year. In the months of June and July the executive council shall meet in lieu of the senate and will attend to any matters of faculty interest and responsibility. Further, the executive council shall be empowered to make decisions in the name of the senate when immediacy demands such action and the senate is unable to assemble to consider the issue. All decisions taken under these grants of authority must be presented to the senate at its next regular meeting and a motion of approval voted upon.

B. A quorum of the senate shall consist of a simple majority of the elected senators. All meetings of the senate, except duly authorized executive sessions, shall be open to all interested parties.

C. The senate’s presiding officer shall be the president or, in the president's absence, the vice-president or, if the need should arise the secretary-treasurer, the chairperson of the committee on committees, or the past-president.

D. Senate Agenda

The executive council shall prepare an agenda, including the full text of resolutions approved for consideration, for each regular and special meeting of the senate and shall furnish copies of this agenda at least four days prior to the meeting to each senator, the chancellor, and other appropriate parties as specified in standing rules. The executive council shall include a committee’s proposed resolution without substantive alternations or return it to the committee with instruction on the problem(s) with it. Petition by ten percent of the members of the faculty shall be sufficient to cause any matter to be placed on the agenda of the next scheduled meeting provided the petition is received by the president at least seven academic days before the meeting.
The agenda sequence shall be:
1. approval of the minutes
2. executive officers' reports
3. standing committee reports
4. other senate committee reports, if any
5. unfinished business and general orders carried froma prior meeting, if any
6. for the good of the order
7. new business
8. adjournment
Emergency Matters. Final action on new business—an approved resolution absent from the agenda—shall not include decisions on matters requiring approval by the chancellor or the governing body of the university until thirty days shall have elapsed after introduction and the opportunity is provided for appropriate committee recommendation except when such business is an "emergency matter." The expression "emergency matter" shall apply to any new business at any meeting of the faculty senate when two-thirds of the members voting approve. The vote on the question of "emergency matter" and all votes on the substantive question under consideration shall be roll-call votes. No emergency matter may be withheld from discussion or action by the senate for reason of its not being placed on the prepared agenda.

E. Special Meetings. In addition, special meetings may be convened at any time on the senate president’s initiative and shall be convened when requested: by the chancellor, by written petition of seven senators submitted to the faculty senate office, or by written petition of at least ten percent of the faculty submitted to the faculty senate office.

F. Faculty Meetings. Meetings of the faculty of the university may be called by the president, or vice president, or upon petition to the president by thirty-three and one-third percent of the members of the faculty to review any action taken by the senate or its committees or to consider matters of general faculty concern.

G. Electronic Meetings.

Faculty Senate. The Executive Council, at its regularmonthly meeting, may approve that the month’s regular Faculty Senate meeting be conducted by electronic means. When the Executive Council decides to conduct the full senate meeting electronically, a link to the communication service to be used for conducting the meeting will be distributed with the agenda. The selected communication service must be simultaneously accessible by all members and enrolled guests, allow for the display of text for all pending motions, and facilitate expeditious and anonymous voting (either through its service offering, or through the display/enablement of additional services), as needed. Mixed meetings, where some members participate remotely while others participate in person, are not allowed.
Executive. The president may arrange that any Executive Council meeting be conducted electronically if the vice-president or secretary-treasurer agree, and members are given notice at least twenty-four hours in advance. Communication service requirements include all those for faculty senate plus legible display of extended reports. Executive officers may meet electronically, as mutually agreed, with administration.
Standing committees may conduct their regularly scheduled meetings by technology that is available to all and allows participants to hear one another throughout the meeting. Speakers are to self-identify each time they speak.
If a standing committee’s agenda includes items on which either approval by consensus is expected or no final action is to be taken, it may conduct business by an asynchronous messaging tool accessible to all members with the following stipulations to maintain deliberative character.
1. Meetings are scheduled in advance by consensus, with a time at which discussion shall close to assure that all members can read and contribute before close.
2. A quorum is established twice for each vote, once by solely affirmative responses of a quorum of the entire committee to the closing of debate by the question “Are you ready to vote?” and once by the voting, during which no further discussion shall occur.
3. Any change to times shall require 2/3 approval.

Article VII. Executive Council

A. Membership.

The executive council shall consist of the president, the president-elect, the vice-president, the secretary-treasurer, and the chairperson of each standing committee. If a committee chairperson cannot attend, another committee member may report for the committee, without vote. An outgoing president shall continue to serve on the executive council as past-president in ex-officio, non-voting capacity through the last regularly scheduled meeting of the fall semester.

B. Meetings.

The executive council shall meet monthly throughout the year, to prepare the monthly agenda for senate meetings, to meet in lieu of the full senate during June and July, and at other times as circumstances warrant to consider matters of faculty interest and concern. The president, in consultation with the executive officers, shall be empowered to set the agenda for the executive council.

C. Presiding.

The vice-president shall chair the executive council except in June and July.

D. Responsibilities.

It shall review and coordinate the activities of standing and special committees and, as requested, of other agencies of the university.
It shall prepare the agenda for senate meetings, as provided in Article VI.D.
It shall review budget expenditures as monitored by the secretary-treasurer.
It shall review administrative action on senate resolutions and committee recommendations.
It shall fulfill coordinating and liaison duties with other officers and units of the University of Nebraska and may delegate such coordinating and liaison duties within the senate as appropriate.
It shall assign review, coordination, and discussion of actions by university committees to an appropriate standing committee.
It shall be the primary unit to address the Faculty Senate’s responsibility to keep the faculty and administration informed of its responses, recommendations and actions: through the published agendas and minutes of its monthly meetings, periodic memos by e-mail, postings to the faculty senate web site, the president’s monthly reports and past-president’s concise annual report.
It shall rule upon questions of interpretation of the bylaws, and on the eligibility of faculty members and senators for the privilege to vote or to serve.
Additional responsibilities may be assigned or delegated to the executive council by the presiding officer of the senate or by simple majority vote of the senate.

E. As Senate.

The executive council shall be empowered to act in the name of the senate, as described in Article VI.A. A quorum for purposes of these meetings shall consist of two-thirds of the voting membership of the executive council.

Article VIII. Committees

shall be established to accomplish the tasks of the senate. Meetings of the committees shall be open only to members and those invited or required to participate.

A. Standing Committees are charged with handling faculty senate consideration of business in their designated areas. They may form subcommittees as provided in standing rules.

Membership. At the last regular senate meeting of each academic year, the committee on committees shall submit to the senate for its approval a slate of nominees for the ensuing session’s standing committees.
Leadership election. At a recess following approval of standing committee memberships, the retiring, continuing, and newly elected members of standing committees other than the committee on committees shall caucus to jointly elect, from ensuing year’s members, the committee’s chairperson for the ensuing session or, if that is not possible, designate a committee member to serve with the executive council through the summer. External faculty may not become chairperson of any committee. Such committees which did not elect a chairperson are expected to do so before or during a recess of the August senate meeting. The chairperson of the committee on committees is elected by the senate at its initial meeting.
Committee on Committees. The committee shall serve to coordinate broad participation of faculty in shared governance of the university. With assistance of faculty senate staff, the committee shall solicit expression from all faculty of their interest and preferences for service on faculty and university committees. Using this information and the senate guidelines, the committee shall be responsible for recommending faculty for (as appropriate) nomination to or membership on faculty committees (Section VIII.B), university committees, ad hoc and advisory committees. It shall solicit preferences from each newly elected senator and recommend standing committee membership. (VIII.A.1)
Committee on Academic and Curricular Affairs. The responsibilities of the committee shall include those matters which pertain to policies involving academic standards and the academic life of the university, admissions and transfer credit policies, coordination of curricular review procedures, calendar and commencements, and examinations and testing. The committee shall be the faculty senate’s liaison to university committees associated with these and related matters, and address items directed to it by the executive council.
Committee on Educational Resources and Services. The responsibilities of the committee shall include those matters which pertain to policies involving the library, information technology related to educational services, course management and record keeping, international and student academic support programs, accessibility services, and other educational resources, or services. The committee shall be the senate’s liaison with university committees associated with these and related matters, address items directed to it by the executive council.
Committee on Faculty Personnel and Welfare. The responsibilities of the committee shall include those matters which pertain to faculty working conditions, benefits, academic freedom, and coordination of grievance procedures throughout the university. This committee shall be the senate’s liaison with the UNO American Association of University Professors and university committees associated with these and related matters, and address items directed to it by the executive council.
Committee on Goals and Directions. The responsibilities of the committee shall include those matters which pertain to the future and development of the university, the public image of the university, athletics, community engagement with higher education, campus planning and utilization of facilities, student affairs and housing, academic implications of budgets and finance, and goals and mission of the institution. This committee shall be the senate’s liaison with university committees associated with these and related matters, and address items directed to it by the executive council.
Committee on Professional Development. The responsibilities of the committee shall include those matters which pertain to policies involving resources in support of professional growth, research, and creative activity. This committee shall be the senate’s liaison with university committees associated with these and related matters, and address items directed to it by the executive council.

B. Faculty committees are provided to hear complaints and fulfill the functions specified in sections 4.13, 4.14, and 4.15 of the bylaws of the board.

Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee. This committee, composed of five (5) tenured and two (2) non tenured members of the UNO faculty, will sit on all cases covered by sections 4.14 of the Bylaws of the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska. Members of the committee shall be elected by the faculty to a term of three (3) years. Every year at its September meeting the faculty senate will approve, based upon recommendation of the committee on committees, a slate of nominees that shall include for each vacancy to be filled one more candidate than the number of vacant seats created by reason of resignation, retirement, or the expiration of the term of a member. The ballot will be distributed to all full-time UNO academic staff. The senate shall be notified of the newly elected members by way of a resolution presented by the committee on committees at the October senate meeting. Non-tenured faculty members who receive tenure shall resign at the end of the academic year in which it is conferred and be replaced in the manner previously described. The committee shall elect its own chairperson. A committee with a case under consideration shall, when necessary, continue past September with its membership unchanged until the case is resolved; in such an event, new cases shall be considered by the reconstituted committee.
Faculty Grievance Committee. This committee shall fulfill the grievance functions of the senate, and have the powers and duties outlined in Section 4.13 of the Bylaws of the Board of Regents. It shall consist of two full professors, two associate professors and two assistant professors with terms of three years, and one additional faculty member who shall be elected annually without regard to academic rank from the membership of the Committee on Faculty Personnel and Welfare. Members of the committee shall serve staggered terms, meaning that the term(s) of one class of members will expire each year. Committee members shall be elected from faculty members eligible for election to the Faculty Senate. At its September meeting the senate will elect new members from the slate of nominees presented by the committee on committees, which shall include one more candidate than the number of vacant seats created by reason of the expiration of the term of a member, resignation, or retirement. Within five working days of the election of new members the committee shall elect its own chairperson from among its tenured members. A committee with a case under consideration shall, when necessary, continue past September with its membership unchanged until the case is resolved; in such an event, new cases shall be considered by the reconstituted committee.
Professional Conduct Committee. This committee, composed of five (5) tenured UNO faculty members holding the rank of assistant professor or above, will consider all professional conduct cases arising under section 4.15 of the Bylaws of the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska. The election to fill committee vacancies due to resignation, retirement, or the expiration of a three-year term shall be held at the September meeting each year. The faculty senate shall choose committee members by plurality vote from a list of nominees prepared by the committee on committees. The ballot shall list one more nominee for each vacancy than there are positions to be filled and, insofar as feasible, wide representation of the faculty should be sought in the composition of the committee. Members of the committee shall serve staggered terms, meaning that the term(s) of one class of members will expire each year. Retiring members shall continue to serve for three (3) years as alternates who will be available as committee replacements should the need arise in a particular case. The committee shall elect its own chairperson from the membership. A committee with a case under consideration shall, when necessary, continue past September with its membership unchanged until the case is resolved; in such an event, new cases shall be considered by the reconstituted committee.

C. Faculty Senate Advisory Committees.

To provide for use of the expertise within the faculty there shall be advisory committee(s) whose members and chairpersons are appointed by the senate president in consultation with the executive council, including but not limited to the following:

Budget Advisory Committee. The Budget Advisory Committee shall consist of three faculty appointed, one each year, for three-year terms. The chairperson shall be an individual who has expertise in budget matters. The committee shall acquire detailed knowledge of the budget and expenditures of the entire University of Nebraska system and shall act as a source of information and independent opinion for the faculty senate. The secretary-treasurer of the faculty senate shall act as liaison between the committee and the executive council.

D. Special and Review Committees.

Special Committees. With the advice and consent of the faculty senate, the president may from time to time appoint ad hoc committees to conduct inquiries and hearings, carry out special studies, and accomplish other tasks of the senate. The size, composition, and duration of operation of each such committee shall be appropriate to the purposes and objectives set forth in the committee’s charge. Broad representation of the faculty normally should be sought. Membership need not be confined to members of the faculty senate.
Bylaw Review Committee. The faculty senate by a two-thirds majority vote may establish a Bylaw Review Committee to evaluate the bylaws and propose such changes as are deemed necessary to accomplish the purposes of the faculty. Recommended changes in the bylaws must be submitted for approval by the senate in accord with procedures set forth in Article X.

Article IX. Parliamentary Authority.

The rules contained in the Democratic Rules of Order shall govern the Faculty Senate in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the Faculty Senate may adopt.

Article X. Amendment

to the bylaws may be initiated by written petition signed by twenty-one faculty members of the university. Such petition shall contain a statement of the wording of the proposed amendment. Proposed amendments shall be reviewed by the executive council and presented with a recommendation for approval or disapproval to the full membership of the senate. Petitions for amendment of the bylaws received between the fifteenth of August and the fifteenth of February shall be presented to the senate within sixty days of submission. Proposed amendments shall be included (without recommendation) in the agenda of the senate meeting a month in advance of the vote. Approval by two-thirds vote shall be necessary. Voting shall be by secret ballot. The Board of Regents, acting according to its regular procedures, shall retain the right to veto any amendment which has been ratified by the faculty.

In addition, any changes to UNO’s Faculty Senate Bylaws must be made in conformity with NU System policy. The most recent policy memorandum on such policy can be found here.

Approved by UNO Faculty Senate: May 8, 2019

Constitution

Preamble

We, the faculty of the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO), In order to provide for a free dialogue between the faculty and the administration, and In order to establish a means whereby matters of faculty interest and concern may be presented to the administration and the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska, and In order to formulate policies and procedures which are of university interest and concern, and In order to provide a responsible and representative faculty voice in the recommendation of these policies, Do hereby present this constitution through the chancellor to the president and the board of regents for ratification, establishing and providing for the Faculty Senate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha to represent the faculty of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, hereafter called “the university,” in these matters.

Article I. Responsibility

The faculty of the university, hereafter referred to as “the faculty,” has significant responsibilities in matters relating to formulation of university policies. To provide for the discharge of these responsibilities delegated to the faculty by the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska, hereafter referred to as “the board,” the faculty designates the senate to serve as its representative agency. The senate shall be guided in its deliberations by the established policies of the board, the interpretation of these policies by the chancellor of the university, the expressed interests of a responsible and professional faculty, and the ideals of academic freedom and shared governance.

Article II. Definitions

Faculty

All fulltime UNO academic staff holding the rank of instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, professor, or equivalent ranks formally approved by the board shall be considered faculty and shall be eligible to vote for senators.

External Faculty

University of Nebraska faculty members whose primary appointment is at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), or University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) but whose workload assignment is fifty percent or more on the UNO campus shall be designated as “external faculty.”

Non-Collegiate Faculty

All other full-time academic staff holding faculty rank whose appointment does not fall within the definition of an academic college shall be designated “non-collegiate faculty” and shall be assigned to the College of Arts and Sciences for purposes of voting enfranchisement and representation in the faculty senate. If at any time the number of non-collegiate faculty should be such that they could be apportioned at least one senator, they will be assigned as a separate voting unit.

Colleges

An academic unit, headed by a dean who has basic responsibility for the employment of faculty and the administration of curricula within a unified discipline or group of disciplines, shall be considered an academic college. Other academic units which utilize faculties composed primarily of persons holding faculty rank in the academic colleges of the university do not qualify as colleges under this definition. For purposes of this document, the University Library shall be considered an academic college.

Article III. Election of Senators

The senate shall consist of not fewer than twenty-one faculty members elected from the colleges of the university in accordance with the procedures established in the bylaws. Each college of the university shall be represented by one senator for each ten fulltime faculty members or major fraction thereof. For example, thirty-four faculty members will be represented by three senators and thirty-five faculty members will be represented by four senators. At no time shall any college seat as many as one-half the elected senators. When the number of elected senators reaches thirty-five from UNO, the senate shall redesignate by simple majority vote the number of faculty members to be represented by each senator.

In addition, University of Nebraska faculty from UNL, UNK or UNMC , hereafter deemed "external faculty," whose workload consists of at least fifty percent conducted on the UNO campus, may nominate and elect without respect to university or college up to two voting representatives to the UNO faculty senate. The election of these external faculty senators shall be in addition to the senators from UNO as provided in the prior paragraph. The representation ratio of external faculty senators shall be the same as the representation ratio for senators from UNO, unless the UNO ratio would require more than two external faculty senators or unless the UNO ratio would not allow at least one external faculty senator. These external faculty senators may not become senate officers, senate standing committee chairs or vice chairs, nor may they chair any ad hoc senate committees. If an external faculty senator should change status such that his or her workload no longer constitutes at least fifty percent being performed at UNO, then he or she must resign from the senate. The seat shall be filled according to procedures provided in the bylaws. External faculty senators are subject to all other requirements and restrictions as described in the constitution and bylaws.

The apportionment of seats for senators from UNO shall be based on the UNO faculty roster in effect the first day of classes for the spring semester of each academic year. The chancellor of UNO shall provide the president of the senate with a current roster for this purpose and shall make all reasonable efforts to obtain faculty rosters from UNK, UNL, and UNMC for the election of external faculty senators.

No faculty member shall be eligible for election to the senate until twelve calendar months have elapsed since his/her initial contract became effective.

Those faculty members shall be eligible for election as senators who shall have attained professorial rank (assistant professor, associate professor, or professor) and who meet the employment requirement of the previous paragraph. In addition, faculty members in the rank of instructor who have completed three years of full-time employment with the university at the time of the election shall be eligible for election as senators. Tenure shall not be a requirement for service as a senator.

Terms of elected senators shall be three years. No faculty person shall serve as senator for consecutive terms but may be elected again following the lapse of one academic year.

Questions of eligibility of faculty members for service as elected senators, or for rights to vote for members of the senate, shall be determined by the Executive Committee of the senate, and such determination shall be considered final and binding.

An election of senators shall be held during the spring semester of each academic year as provided by the bylaws. All balloting results shall be printed in the agenda for the May senate meeting and subsequently distributed to the chancellor as provided in the bylaws. After election results have been approved, senators shall themselves elect the officers of the senate except for the president, who shall be elected as provided in Article IV of this constitution. A simple majority of votes eligible to be cast shall be sufficient to elect each officer.

Senators desiring to resign shall do so in writing, and resignations shall not be effective until they have been accepted by the Executive Committee.

Elected senators may be removed from office only by a three-fourths vote of the entire senate. The senator considered for removal shall not vote on this issue. A motion for removal shall not come to the floor of the senate until an investigation and report has been completed by the Executive Committee and presented to the senate.

Senate seats vacated by resignation, incapacity, or removal shall be filled according to procedures provided in the bylaws.

Article IV. Organization of the Senate

The officers of the senate shall consist of the president, the vice-president, and the secretary-treasurer, and, in the spring semester, the president-elect if there be one. The senate shall conduct its business through committees as described in this constitution and in the bylaws.

The president shall first serve as president-elect for a term beginning at the first regularly scheduled meeting of the spring semester, which will be followed by a regular one-year term as president beginning at the last regularly scheduled meeting of the academic year. The president-elect shall be elected at the last regularly scheduled meeting of the fall semester from among the membership of the senate. The president may serve successive terms through re-election, in which case there will be no president-elect for that spring semester and no past-president until the incumbent president completes his or her final term.

The vice-president shall serve a term of one year, assuming office at the last regularly scheduled meeting of the academic year. The vice-president shall be elected from among the membership of the senate. The person serving in this office may serve successive terms through re-election.

The secretary-treasurer shall serve a term of one year, assuming office at the last regularly scheduled meeting of the academic year. The secretary-treasurer shall be elected from among the membership of the senate. The person serving in this office may be re-elected for successive terms.

The president shall appoint a parliamentarian, who need not be a member of the senate.

The senate’s presiding officer shall be the president. In the president's absence, presiding officer of the senate shall be the vice-president or, if the need should arise, as provided in the bylaws.

The senate shall hold at least one regular meeting at a stated time each month during the academic year. In the months of June and July, the Executive Committee and Cabinet (the chairs of the standing committees) shall meet in lieu of the senate and will attend to any matters of faculty interest and responsibility. All decisions taken by the Executive Committee and Cabinet under this grant of authority must be presented to the senate at its next regular meeting and a motion of approval voted upon.

In addition, special meetings may be convened at any time by the senate president's initiative and shall be convened by the president or, in the president's absence, the vice-president:

when requested by the chancellor;
when requested in writing by seven senators and submitted to the president;
when requested by written petition of at least ten percent of the faculty members and submitted to the president.

All meetings of the senate, except duly authorized executive sessions, shall be open to all interested parties, but they shall not be eligible to vote.

The Executive Committee shall prepare an agenda for each meeting of the senate and shall furnish copies of this agenda at least four days prior to the meeting to appropriate members of the university. Petition by ten percent of the members of the faculty shall be sufficient to cause any matter to be placed on the agenda of the next scheduled meeting provided the petition is received by the president at least seven academic days before the meeting. No emergency matter may be withheld from discussion or action by the senate for reason of its not being placed on the prepared agenda.

Minutes of all senate meetings shall be taken by the secretary-treasurer or his/her designee. Copies of the minutes shall be distributed to the chancellor, to the chairperson of the board, to the library archivist and to other appropriate members of the university. Minutes are public documents and shall be available in the senate office for consultation by any senator or any interested faculty member and elsewhere as provided in the bylaws. The secretary-treasurer shall also maintain a file of senate committee minutes and reports.

The president shall make at least one written report annually to the chancellor. This report will be made available to the university faculty in the senate office.

Meetings of the faculty of the university may be called by the president, or vice president, or upon petition to the president by thirty-three and one-third percent of the members of the faculty to review any action taken by the senate or its committees or to consider matters of general faculty concern.

Rules of procedure for the senate and its committees shall be set forth in the bylaws. Adoption of the bylaws or changes to the bylaws shall be by a simple majority vote of the entire senate membership.

A quorum of the senate shall consist of a simple majority of the elected senators.

The president shall prepare, in consultation with the appropriate university official, a budget request for transmittal to the chancellor for funds necessary to accomplish the purposes of the senate. The secretary-treasurer shall monitor the budget.

Article V. Organization of Senate Committees

Committees shall be established to accomplish the tasks of the senate. There shall be a permanent senate committee known as the Executive Committee and such other standing committees as provided in the bylaws.

Special committees and subcommittees of the senate may be established by the president, the permanent or standing committees, or the senate. Composition and responsibilities shall be as determined by the constituting body.

Meetings of the committees shall be open to the faculty, administration and staff unless otherwise provided in the bylaws of the board or relevant state statutes.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall consist of the president, the president-elect, the vice-president, the secretary-treasurer, and such other members of the senate as provided in the bylaws. The vice-president shall chair the Executive Committee. The outgoing president shall continue to serve on the Executive Committee as past-president in an ex-officio, non-voting capacity through the last regularly scheduled meeting of the fall semester.

The Executive Committee shall be responsible for preparing the agenda for senate meetings as provided in Article IV. Questions about the eligibility of faculty members and senators for the privilege to vote or to serve shall be decided by the Executive Committee. It shall coordinate the activities of standing and special committees, and provide liaison with the chancellor. It shall fulfill coordinating and liaison duties with other officers and units of the University of Nebraska, and may delegate such coordinating and liaison duties within the senate as appropriate. It shall review, coordinate, and discuss action by senate and university committees and as requested by other agencies of the university.

It shall review administrative action on senate and committee recommendations and rule upon questions of interpretation of the constitution and the bylaws.

Additional responsibilities may be assigned or delegated to the Executive Committee by the presiding officer of the senate or by simple majority vote of the senate.

The Executive Committee shall be empowered to make decisions in the name of the senate when immediacy demands such action and the senate is unable to assemble to consider the issue. All decisions taken under this grant of authority must be presented to the senate at its next regular meeting and a motion of approval voted upon.

Article VI. Amendments

Amendments to the constitution may be initiated by written petition signed by twenty-one faculty members of the university as defined in Article II. Such petition shall contain a statement of the wording of the proposed amendment. Proposed amendments shall be reviewed by the Executive Committee and presented with a recommendation for approval or disapproval to the full membership of the senate. Petitions for amendment of the constitution must be presented to the Executive Committee at least thirty days before the recommendation of the Executive Committee is to be presented to the senate. Proposed amendments shall be voted upon by the senate and approval by two-thirds of the eligible voting members of the senate shall be necessary. Voting shall be by secret ballot. Approved amendments shall then be presented to the university faculty for ratification. Voting by the faculty members shall be by secret ballot. Amendments which are ratified by two-thirds of the faculty casting ballots shall go into effect thirty days after the completion of the vote. Amendments not receiving the necessary two-thirds vote of the faculty members casting ballots shall be considered defeated and shall not go into effect.

The board of regents, or its successor governing board, acting according to its regular procedures, shall retain the right to veto any amendment which has been ratified by the faculty.

Amendment of the bylaws of the senate shall be according to procedures established by the senate, and such procedures shall be enunciated in the bylaws.

The faculty senate by a two-thirds majority vote may establish a Constitutional Review Committee to evaluate the constitution and propose such changes as are deemed necessary to accomplish the purposes of the faculty. Recommended changes in the constitution must be submitted for approval by the faculty senate and ratification by vote of the university faculty in accord with procedures set forth in the first paragraph of this article.

Article VII. Adoption of the Constitution

This constitution shall be considered adopted by the faculty upon a two-thirds vote of the senate, submission of the constitution to a vote of the faculty of the university and approval by two-thirds of the faculty members casting ballots in a vote by secret ballot, transmittal of the approved constitution by the chancellor to the president of the University of Nebraska, and adoption of the constitution by the board, according to its own procedures.

Approvals and Amendments

Approved by the University Senate, October 11, 1972.
Amended by the Faculty Senate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, April 14, 1982.
Amended by the Faculty Senate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, April 11, 1990.
Approved by the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska, February, 1991.
Amended by the Faculty Senate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, March, 1996.
Approved by the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska, April 27, 1996.
Amended by the Faculty Senate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, January 14, 1998.
Approved by ballot vote the University of Nebraska at Omaha faculty at-large, February 6, 1998.
Approved by the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska, May 16, 1998.

Contact Us

Faculty Senate Office
206 TAC
Monday-Friday 8 A.M. - 5 P.M.
Email: unofacultysenate@unomaha.edu