Faculty Rights Board FY2013


Committee Details:

Committee: Faculty Rights Board
Committee Category: Standing Committees of the Faculty Senate
Fiscal Year: 2013

Committee Description

Faculty Rights Board (FRB) This board is an adjudicatory body that hears disputes and makes recommendations concerning alleged violations of faculty rights, including academic freedom, tenure and related rights, and procedural safeguards in university processes.

Members

Faculty Rights Board (FRB)
Chair: Webb Hecker, Law (2015)
FacEx Rep: Nancy Kinnersley,  EECS (2013)
Jonathan Clark, History, AAUP representative (2015)
Lisa Friis, Mechanical Engineering (2013)
Delores Ringer, Theatre, (2014)
 

Charges

Approved by FacEx: 5/30/12
Approved by Faculty Senate: 9/13/12

  • Contact FacEx chair Andrew Torrance (torrance@math.ku.edu) for further information or to schedule a meeting with FacEx to discuss recommendations for action on the charges.
  • Minutes of each meeting should be e-mailed to the Governance Office (govern@ku.edu) as soon as they are approved. The minutes will be posted to the Governance web site.
  • If the committee is recommending a change to university policy or rules, FacEx must officially receive that recommendation by 03/26/13 in order to meet timeline requirements for full review by Governance.
  • Please send a report of the committee’s actions on each of the charges, as well as any recommendations the committee wishes to make concerning charges or membership for the following academic year, to University Governance, at govern@ku.edu. Please include the names of committee members and submit the report by April 1, 2013. If the committee still expects to conduct business after April 1, please submit a report by April 1 and later submit any addenda that may be appropriate.

Standing charges:

  1. Hear promptly all concerns and claims brought to the attention of the committee by members of the faculty regarding faculty rights, including promotion, tenure, non-reappointment, and academic freedom, pursuant to Article XV, Section 3 of the University Senate Code and Article VI of the FSRR. Report issues or problems of concern to governance to FacEx, with due regard for the confidentiality of individual cases (ongoing).

Specific charges:

Preamble: An important goal is to relocate the faculty dismissal policy from the Policy Library to the Faculty Senate Rules and Regulations (FSRR). Policies and procedures already exist in FSRR VI, Section 8, for appeals to FRB in cases involving promotion and tenure decisions, and in FSRR Article VII, Section 3, for appeals to FRB regarding administrative decisions.

  1. Recommend new language for FSRR Art. 7.3.4 regarding the policies of the Faculty Rights Board for holding hearings on appeals of dismissal of tenured faculty and of dismissal of untenured faculty prior to the expiration of their terms of appointment.
  2. In addition to new text for FSRR Art. 7.3.4 as noted above, recommend specific hearing procedures for FRB’s use in appeals of dismissal cases. (Such hearing procedures would require only the approval of the Faculty Senate and the Chancellor and would be housed in the Policy Library). These would partially replace the current procedures for dismissal in the 1998 Handbook for Faculty and Other Unclassified Staff (Rev. 2002, 2003, 2006), Section C.2.f and C.2.f.3, that are currently housed in the Policy Library at FRB Appeals Procedure for Dismissal. Report to Facex by 2/19/2013.
  3. Following the Chancellor’s final approval of the revised Faculty Code of Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct passed by the Faculty Senate on 5/3/2012, prepare a “flow chart” to clarify the appropriate jurisdiction and procedures for access for various types of faculty complaints or appeals (for example, the Faculty Rights Board, or the University Judicial Board, or a school committee). Work with the Judicial Board Chair, if necessary, to complete this charge. Report to FacEx by March 5, 2013.
  4. Based on FRB’s experience and expertise, what considerations, such as due process, should inform a post-tenure review policy? Report to FacEx and FRPR by November 15, 2012.

Meeting Minutes

Contact Governance office 864-5169, govern@ku.edu

Final Reports and Outcomes

FY-13 FACULTY RIGHTS BOARD
Report

 

The board acted under Article XV, Section 3 of the University Senate Code in one tenure-related matter during the summer 2012.    The Procedures of the Faculty Rights Board for Hearing Appeals From Administrative Actions, Article V. Section 3. Give the Board authority to make a decision without a hearing. The Board dismissed the appeal in its entirety.

They reviewed specific charge 3, regarding a post-tenure review policy.  The Board forwarded their report to FacEx October, 2012. 

It was requested that the remaining charges be forwarded to the FY2014 Board.


Faculty Rights Board FY2013