Standing Teams and Councils of Faculty Senate

The Appointments Team functions as the group responsible for generating nominees to fill faculty slots on all university-wide committees with faculty representation. For each such committee, the Appointments Team shall be responsble for:

• Soliciting names of qualified faculty candidates, ensuring that all qualified faculty have equitable opportunity to volunteer for service;
• Disseminating information regarding university-wide committees with open faculty positions on request of the authority responsible for ech respective committee;
• Selecting nominees from among the volunteers in the number requested for the committee slot(s). In the event the nominees for a particular committee are to be chosen by election, the team is responsible for compiling results of the election;
• Communicating the list of nominees to the appropriate authority responsible for the respective committee.

The Faculty Affairs Team is a standing committee of the collegial faculty governance system, reporting to the Faculty Senate. It provides a direct faculty voice regarding all personnel-related matters pertaining to faculty that are not subject to collective bargaining, as well as the traditional professional expectations and responsibilities of faculty. The team, at the direction of the Senate leadership, reviews and recommends policies, consistent with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, concerning matters relating but not limited to:

(a) Faculty Performance and Evaluation Document(s) (FPED);

(b) general faculty status of university employees, in situations where faculty or nonfaculty status is not delineated by the Collective Bargaining Agreement;

(c) annual review, promotion, and reappointment issues across academic units; 

(d) assessment of faculty teaching, research, and service; 

(e) merit criteria;

(f) the availability and allocation of summer support opportunities;

(g) professional development and resource support;

(h) the ownership and use of intellectual property;

(i) academic freedom and integrity issues;

(j) criteria for honorary faculty status, including Emeritus status;

(k) other issues of traditional academic concern related to faculty expectations and responsibilities; and

(l) other matters requested by the Faculty Senate.

The Graduate Affairs and Curriculum Team (GACT) serves as a university-wide body responsible for reviewing, coordinating, and recommending action to the Faculty Senate on matters related to graduate academic policy and curriculum. The team works to preserve the integrity, quality, and public accountability of the university’s graduate programs.

GACT will review and recommend actions on all matters pertaining to university-level policies and procedures concerning graduate education. These include, but are not limited to, graduate faculty eligibility, admission to and completion of graduate programs, theses and dissertations, the graduate grading system, graduate research committees, the distribution of graduate student assistantships and tuition waivers, the review of proposed changes to program-level policies to ensure compliance with university-level graduate policies, and honorary degrees.

The team is also responsible for developing and overseeing policies and procedures related to the creation, revision, and maintenance of graduate curriculum. It reviews proposed additions, deletions, and modifications to graduate programs, courses, catalog descriptions, and related curricular matters, and forwards recommendations to the appropriate administrative offices.

In addition, GACT reviews petitions and appeals related to university-level graduate academic policies and procedures, including admission reconsideration requests, and forwards recommendations to the Director of Graduate Studies. The GACT is not responsible for considering student appeals covered by other university or college committees including, but not limited to, grade appeals, appeals for reinstatement, appeals for residency reclassification, tuition and fee appeals, and withdrawal policy appeals. 

To ensure thorough review and coordination, the team may invite representatives from academic programs to present proposed policy or curricular changes and respond to questions. The team collaborates with relevant university bodies as appropriate and reports its recommendations to the Faculty Senate.

The Grants and Research Team is a standing committee of the collegial faculty governance system, reporting to the Faculty Senate. It provides a direct faculty voice regarding all matters pertaining to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. The team, at the direction of the Senate leadership, reviews and recommends policies, concerning matters relating to research and sponsored programs at the University. The Grants and Research Team has specific responsibility for:  

1. Reviewing proposals for Center and Institute establishment and making  recommendations;  
2. Reviewing annual reports for Centers and Institutes and making recommendations regarding their performance and sustainability;  
3. Reviewing Internal Grant proposals and making recommendations for funding;
4. Reviewing Multidisciplinary Research Initiative (MDRI) proposals and making recommendations for funding;
5. Coordinating and overseeing the review process for multiple grant proposals where grantor imposes institutional submission limits. Where multiple competitive proposals to a limited-submission grant are received, the GRT will consult with Deans/Directors to appoint ad hoc review committees within the relevant colleges or units to conduct comparative reviews and identify the proposal(s) to advance for each college or unit. The GRT will compile the recommendations from the ad hoc committee(s) and provide the GRT's feedback (if any) to ORSP. Final institutional endorsement remains subject to ORSP confirmation;
6. Reviewing guidelines and providing support to university-wide research activities, including but not limited to the research component of FGCU's Eagle X event;  
7. Advising the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs on all policies, procedures, and matters related to research and sponsored programs, including items such as appropriation of return overhead funds and recommendations regarding support services to stimulate successful generation of sponsored research.   

a. Provide recommendations to Faculty Senate for the development, periodic review, and revision of standards, policies, and procedures for university-level management of program review, creation and elimination of all degree and certificate programs, and in compliance with the Board of Governors’ Regulation 8.015.  

b. Participate in the three-year process of program review of all degree and certificate programs, inform and make recommendations to Faculty Senate regarding the outcomes of that process; specifically:  

1. 1. Review guidelines for the selection of, and charges to external reviewers for each program under review.  
   2. Review self-studies and make recommendations on their suitability for program review.  
   3. Review the reports of the external reviewers and make recommendations on the adequacy of the report for program review.  
   4. Review the response to the report from the program and the college leadership.  
   5. Provide comments/recommendations in addition to those of the external reviewer as appropriate.  
   6. Track program review response meetings, their results, and one-year follow-up actions. 
      1. Step 1: PRT reviews CVs of potential external reviewers identified by program and makes recommendation. 
      2. Step 2: Program writes self-study. 
      3. Step 3: External reviewer reviews program’s self-study and submits report of findings. 
      4. Step 4: Program responds to the external review report. 
      5. Step 5: PRT comments on program’s self-study, external review report, and program’s response. 
      6. Step 6: Provost meets with program administrators. 
      7. Step 7: Program writes one-year follow-up report. 
      8. Step 8: PRT comments on follow-up report to Provost’s recommendations. 
      9. Step 9: Provost meets with program administrators.

c. Create additional working groups as deemed appropriate or necessary by the PRT members.  The PRT chair can extend invitations for membership on working groups to FGCU faculty members, administrators, and/or staff members otherwise unaffiliated with the PRT.  

d. In consultation with the Office of Planning and Institutional Performance (PIP), provide recommendations to Faculty Senate on future needs and directions in program review.  

e. Provide information to Faculty Senate on how well FGCU program review procedures and products conform to current and future Florida directives.