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Home CAS Undergraduate Council Undergraduate Council Bi-Laws

CAS Undergraduate Curriculum Council
By-Laws

Article I

The name of this organization is the College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Curriculum Council.

Article II

Object

The College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Curriculum Committee will represent the faculty of the College and Arts and Sciences at the University of Memphis in the governance of undergraduate curriculum. Its duties and responsibilities shall include the following:

Approve or disapprove proposals in the following areas and forward those approved to the Dean of the College and upon his/her approval to the University Undergraduate Council.

  • Curricula and programs, including courses, majors, degrees, concentrations, and other academic programs.
  • Undergraduate policy and procedures.
  • Act as liaison between the University Undergraduate Council and departments within the College.

Article III

Membership Sections

  1. The Council shall be composed of one representative (elected or appointed depending on department procedures) from each unit with an undergraduate program in the College and an Associate Dean of the College. The Associate Dean will serve as chair of the Council. In addition, the College of Arts and Science undergraduate advisor will serve as a member of the committee. 
  2. In the event of a vote, only representatives that hold tenure track appointments in the College of Arts and Sciences will be allowed to vote.  The Associate Dean of the College, and Chair of the Council, will vote only in the case of a tie. 
  3. Representatives to the Council may serve successive terms.
  4. Any departmental representative who is absent from three meetings in an academic year will be excused from the Council, and her/his department will not have representation for the remainder of that academic year. A Council representative may send a substitute to Council meetings provided that the substitute meets the department's criteria for election to the Council. Substitutes will be allowed to vote, and the attendance of a substitute will be regarded as attendance by the regularly elected Council representative. The Associate Dean and Chair of the council will inform the department chair, the departmental director of undergraduate studies, and the Council representative when the representative has two absences.

Article IV

Officers

The officer of the Council shall be a chair (an Associate Dean). Minutes will be recorded and maintained by a staff member from the Dean's Office.

Article V

Meetings

(Sections)

  1. The regular meetings of the Council shall be held on the third Thursday of each month from September through May unless otherwise ordered by the Chair or a majority vote of the Council. Changes in meeting dates and specially called meetings shall be communicated electronically and/or by telephone at least one week in advance of the meeting.
  2. Two-thirds of the membership of the Council shall constitute a quorum.

Article VI

Parliamentary Authority

(Sections)

  1. The rules contained in the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Council in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws or any special rules of order the Council may adopt.
  2. The business of the Council is open to all faculty members, but visitors may be asked to leave during executive sessions and voting. Any Council member may request an executive session and/or secret ballot at any time and such requests must be granted by the Council Chair.

Article VII

Amendments to By-Laws

These Bylaws can be amended at any regular meeting of the Council by a two-thirds vote, provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing by a member of the Council during a previous (regular) meeting.