GUIDELINES

Department of Mathematics & Statistics

We, the Faculty of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, enact this Charter, which shall serve as the primary governing document for the Department.

The Faculty and the Chair share in the governance of the Department, the former as a self-governing body of scholars, the latter as the Executor and Representative of the interests and mission of the Department.

The Department consists of two units, the Mathematics Unit and the Statistics Unit. These Units are autonomous within their own spheres and share in the governance of the Department in dealing with those issues involving the Department as a whole.

Part I: The Department

The Department consists of the faculty of the Mathematics Unit and the Statistics Unit.

A. Composition

The Faculty consists of all persons employed within the Mathematics Unit or the Statistics Unit, and designated by their Unit as a member of the Faculty.

B. Faculty Meetings

A Faculty meeting is a meeting of the Faculty called by the Chair. All members of the Faculty are eligible to participate. A quorum for a Faculty meeting shall consist of a majority of the Faculty who are in residence, that is, not on leave or sabbatical. The General Faculty is the Faculty present in a Faculty meeting in which there is a quorum. Unless otherwise indicated, a majority of the General Faculty is required for action.

The Chair must call a Faculty meeting upon written petition by three members of the Joint Liaison Committee, or upon written petition by at least one-fourth of the Faculty; the announcement of such a meeting must be made within five working days of receipt of the petition, and the meeting must be held within two weeks of the petition.

The Chair may call a Faculty meeting on the Chair's own authority.

C. Mechanics of Faculty Meetings

Minutes shall be kept of all Faculty meetings, distributed to the Faculty, and approved at the next Faculty meeting. The Chair shall maintain a journal of the approved minutes of all Faculty meetings; this journal shall be available for public inspection.

The annual budget proposal shall be presented by the Chair to the Faculty at a Faculty meeting, and must be approved by the General Faculty before submission to the Administration. The budget approved by the Administration shall be distributed to the Faculty. In addition, all major expenditures as shall occur from time to time shall be reported to the Faculty.

The Faculty meetings shall be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order. Absentee voting with sealed and signed ballots shall be permitted for votes on retention or renomination of a sitting Chair, selection of a new Chair provided the search is internal, and amendments to this Charter. Absentee ballots must be presented to the Chair by the beginning of the relevant Faculty meeting.

D. Powers of the Faculty

The Faculty may enact legislation consistent with this Charter, in particular, on any matter presented to it by the Chair or by the Joint Liaison Committee; however, the authority of the Faculty shall be limited by the autonomous authority of the individual units. All such legislative acts, except those specified below, require a majority of the General Faculty for passage, and are binding on the governance of the Department.

The Faculty shall make nominations for representatives in the College and other higher-level committees and functions.

The Faculty shall be consulted on all extraordinary business affecting the Department as a whole that is before the Department, and may review all regular business before the Department, so long as said review does not impinge upon the autonomy of the individual units.

E. E-votes

Departmental business which requires Faculty approval, and which the Chair judges to be appropriate, may be presented electronically.

Electronic presentation consists of: (1) e-mail to all voting Faculty stating the item to be approved, describing voting procedures, and stating the voting deadline; and (2) complete paper copies of the e-mail message distributed to all recipients. The process will include at least two successive weekdays for Faculty discussion and debate by e-mail, and up to one correction or seconded modification to the item (more than one will throw the issues into a regular Faculty meeting). Discussion may include requests that the issue be handled in a regular Faculty meeting (which, if seconded, will end the e-vote). The stated deadline on voting will be 4 to 7 days after the first announcement.

The voting will be by paper ballot or e-mail to the Chair or whomever the Chair designates. It will be counted if and only if a majority of the Faculty vote; the item will pass if and only if a majority of those voting approve. If the votes are counted, the results will be distributed electronically and to mailboxes. The names of all those voting, with no other information, will be given in alphabetical order.

Article I: The Chair

There shall be a Chair for the Department of Mathematics and Statistics appointed by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in accordance with this Charter.

A. Duties of the Chair

The Chair shall be the Executor and Representative of the interests and mission of the Department. The Chair shall be a tenured or tenure-earning member of the Faculty. The Chair's primary responsibilities shall be to provide leadership and direct the administration of the Department's scholarly, fiscal, and operational activities. The Chair shall act as the liaison between the Faculty and the Administration.

B. Term in office

The Chair shall be appointed for a four-year term. No Chair shall serve consecutive terms without standing in an open election.

C. Selection of a Chair

In the Spring of the third year of a Chair's first term, the Chair shall call a Faculty meeting, in which the Faculty shall elect six tenured members of a Search Committee with at least one member representing each unit. The Dean shall select the seventh member of the Search Committee. The Search Committee shall issue Guidelines to the Faculty explaining the manner in which nominations for the new Chair are to be obtained. The Guidelines shall state whether the search for a new Chair shall include candidates external to the University. These Guidelines shall be approved by the General Faculty and the Dean. The Search Committee shall then begin its search in a manner consistent with the Guidelines.

The Committee shall present to the Faculty a list of names for nomination. At a Faculty meeting called for this purpose, a vote by secret ballot shall be held for each candidate. Candidates receiving a majority vote of the Faculty shall be nominated to the Dean. A candidate not receiving a majority of the Faculty vote shall not be nominated. A list of the candidates nominated by this vote shall be submitted to the Dean along with reports on the nominations submitted by the two units in accordance with their procedures.

D. Selection of an Acting Chair

If the Chair's term ends, and no successor has been nominated, or if the Chair is unable to serve, the Faculty shall nominate to the Dean an Acting Chair from among its tenured members, for a term of at most one year.

E. Removal of the Chair

The General Faculty has the power to recommend the removal of the Chair.

Upon the presentation of a written petition of three members of the Joint Liaison Committee, or by a majority of the Senior Committee of either unit, or a written petition of at least one-fourth of the Faculty, for a meeting of the General Faculty to consider the removal of the Chair, the Chair shall call a General Faculty meeting within five days to institute a departmental referendum on the removal of the Chair. This referendum shall be conducted in a manner to be determined by the General Faculty, and shall be by a secret ballot of the tenured and non-tenure-track Faculty. If two-thirds of the tenured and non-tenure-track Faculty support the removal of the Chair, the recommendation for removal shall be reported to the Dean for action.

Article II: Operations

Most of the operations of the Department shall be done within the two Units. However, certain operations and authority, as described in this Charter, shall be conducted at the Departmental Level.

A. Articulation

The two Units shall, within the limits set by this Charter, have the authority to conduct their affairs and the Department shall give full faith and credit to the internal, personnel, and accreditation actions of each Unit, and the individual Units shall thus be responsible for said actions.

In particular, the Units shall have the power to make faculty assignments and conduct annual and other Faculty evaluations; admit and accredit students; determine and operate their respective curricula, assigning any curricular conflicts to resolution by the Joint Liaison Committee; recommend to the College the appointment, tenuring, promotion, and assignment of emeritus status; and exercise other authority appropriate to the Unit level.

Each Unit shall compose and maintain a Unit Charter which determines the governance and operation of that Unit and which articulates with this Department Charter. In addition, each Unit shall compose and maintain Tenure and Promotion Guidelines. Each Unit must present these documents to the General Faculty for advice, and to the College for consent.

B. Committees

The two units shall select a Joint Liaison Committee to oversee the articulation and liaise between the two Units. Each Unit shall select two members to serve on this Committee, which shall report to the General Faculty of the Department; in this Committee, a majority shall be three or four votes. This Committee shall have the power to call a meeting of the General Faculty and to present matters and issues before the General Faculty.

In addition, the Faculty may, by a majority vote of the General Faculty, create and elect an Ad Hoc Committee, consisting of Faculty Members (and all Faculty Members shall be eligible for membership) to make recommendations on extraordinary business before the Faculty.

Each Committee shall elect its own Chair, distribute its minutes, and hold meetings open to all of the Faculty.

C. Other Department Officials

The Chair shall appoint Administrative Officers for the Department with approval of the General Faculty. The executive authority delegated by the Chair, along with the term of appointment, duties and compensation shall be specified in writing. Among these officers are:

The Associate Chair, who shall serve a term of four years.
The Director of the Center for Mathematical Services, who shall serve a term of four years.
The Teaching Assistant Supervisor, who shall serve a term of two years.

Article III: Amendments

This Charter may be amended in any General Faculty meeting upon proper motion and concurrence of a majority of the Faculty, provided that the motion to amend, including the proposed amendment, was distributed to the Faculty at least twenty working days before the meeting to vote on the amendment, and so long as said amendment does not impinge upon the autonomy of the individual Units.

Article IV: Consistency with Laws and Regulations

The preceding statements shall not be construed in any manner so as to conflict with the Laws of the State of Florida, the Policies of the Board of Regents, the Regulations of the University of South Florida, or the Regulations of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Part II: The Mathematics Unit

Article I: The Mathematics Faculty

The Faculty of the Mathematics Unit is the legislative body of the Unit.

A. Composition

The Mathematics Faculty consists of all persons employed within the Mathematics Unit at the rank of Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, or University Professor. In addition, for each rank, the Mathematics Faculty-at-Rank consists of all Mathematics Faculty at or above that rank.

B. Mathematics Faculty Meetings

A Mathematics Faculty meeting is a meeting of the Mathematics Faculty called by the Chair. All members of the Mathematics Faculty are eligible to participate. A quorum for a Mathematics Faculty meeting or a meeting of Mathematics Faculty-at-Rank shall consist of a majority of the Mathematics Faculty or Mathematics Faculty-at-Rank, respectively, who are in-residence, that is, not on leave or sabbatical. The General Mathematics Faculty is the Mathematics Faculty present in a Mathematics Faculty meeting in which there is a quorum. Unless otherwise indicated, a majority of the General Mathematics Faculty is required for action.

There shall be at least one Mathematics Faculty meeting during each of the Fall and Spring semesters. In addition, the Chair must call a Mathematics Faculty meeting upon written petition by three members of the Mathematics Advisory Committee, or upon written petition by at least one-fourth of the Mathematics Faculty; the announcement of such a meeting must be made within five working days of receipt of the petition, and the meeting must be held within two weeks of the petition.

In addition, for each rank, the Chair must call a meeting of the Mathematics Faculty-at-Rank within five working days of receipt of a written petition from at least one-fourth of the Mathematics Faculty-at-Rank, and the meeting must be held within two weeks of receipt of such petition.

The Chair may call a Mathematics Faculty meeting or a meeting of the Mathematics Faculty-at-Rank on the Chair’s own authority.

C. Mechanics of Mathematics Faculty Meetings

Minutes shall be kept of all Mathematics Faculty meetings, distributed to the Mathematics Faculty, and approved at the next Mathematics Faculty meeting. The Chair shall maintain a journal of the approved minutes of all Mathematics Faculty meetings; this journal shall be available for public inspection.

The Mathematics Faculty meetings and the meetings of the Mathematics Faculty-at-Rank shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order. Absentee voting with sealed and signed ballots shall be permitted for votes on tenure and/or promotion, nomination of a Chair, and amendments to this Charter. Absentee ballots must be presented to the Chair by the beginning of the relevant Mathematics Faculty meeting.

D. Powers of the Mathematics Faculty

The Mathematics Faculty may enact legislation consistent with this Charter. All such legislative acts, except those specified below, require a majority of the General Mathematics Faculty for passage and are binding on the governance of the Unit.

The Mathematics Faculty shall be consulted on all extraordinary business before the Unit, and may review all regular business before the Unit, save that reserved to the Mathematics Faculty-at-Rank and that reserved to the Chair and other officials by College and University regulation.

E. Delegation of Powers of the Mathematics Faculty

The General Mathematics Faculty shall also have specific powers, which it shall normally delegate to various Committees and Officials as described below, from which it shall receive reports and recommendations in a timely fashion. The General Mathematics Faculty may review or overturn any actions of any Committee, by majority vote. Further, the General Mathematics Faculty may, by a majority of all the Mathematics Faculty, dissolve any Committee in order to change its membership.

F. E-votes

Mathematics Unit business which requires Mathematics Faculty approval, and which the Chair judges to be appropriate, may be presented electronically.

Electronic presentation consists of: (1) e-mail to all voting Mathematics Faculty stating the item to be approved, describing voting procedures, and stating the voting deadline; and (2) complete paper copies of the e-mail message distributed to all recipients. The process will include at least two successive weekdays for Mathematics Faculty discussion and debate by e-mail, and up to one correction or seconded modification to the item (more than one will throw the issue(s) into a regular Mathematics Faculty meeting). Discussion may include requests that the issue be handled in a regular Mathematics Faculty meeting (which, if seconded, will end the e-vote). The stated deadline on voting will be 4 to 7 days after the first announcement.

The voting will be by paper ballot or e-mail to the Chair or whomever the Chair designates. It will be counted if and only if a majority of the Mathematics Faculty vote; the item will pass if and only if a majority of those voting approve. If the votes are counted, the results will be distributed electronically and to mailboxes. The names of all those voting, with no other information, will be given in alphabetical order.

G. Public access

All acts and documentation as provided or required by this Charter shall be maintained and made available to the Mathematics Faculty and the public by the Chair.

Article II: The Advisory Committee

The Senior Committee of the Mathematics Unit shall be an Advisory Committee elected by and from the Mathematics Faculty.

A. Term of Membership

The Advisory Committee shall consist of five tenured members elected in the Spring semester for a period of two years beginning the following Fall semester by the General Mathematics Faculty in a Mathematics Faculty meeting called for this purpose. The terms of membership will be staggered so that each year there will be at least two openings in the Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee shall elect its own Chair. Once a member leaves the Advisory Committee, that person may not serve for two years. If a member of the Advisory Committee is to be absent during that member's term in office for one semester or more, excluding the summer sessions, that member shall be replaced for the remainder of the term by a tenured Mathematics Faculty member elected by the General Mathematics Faculty at a Mathematics Faculty meeting called for this purpose.

B. Duties of the Committee

The Advisory Committee shall make its recommendations, separately from the Chair, on promotion, tenure, and annual faculty evaluations and transmit them to the Dean via the Chair. The Advisory Committee and the Chair shall nominate Faculty members to the Standing Committees as detailed in Article V below. Together with the Chair, the Advisory Committee shall approve courtesy and visiting appointments. In addition, the Advisory Committee shall consider all routine matters that the Chair or the Mathematics Faculty put before it.

C. Mathematics Faculty Evaluations

The Advisory Committee shall issue guidelines to the Mathematics Faculty explaining the manner in which the annual evaluations and recommendations on tenure and/or promotion will be conducted. These guidelines will go into effect upon approval by the General Mathematics Faculty at the Mathematics Faculty meeting called for this purpose. University and College guidelines concerning promotion, tenure, and annual faculty evaluations shall be transmitted by the Chair to the Mathematics Faculty immediately upon receipt of such guidelines.

D. Minutes

Minutes shall be kept of all Advisory Committee meetings and distributed to the Mathematics Faculty in a timely manner.

Article III: New Appointments Committees

New Appointments Committees organize the process of hiring new members of the Mathematics Faculty.

A. Election of the Committee

At a General Mathematics Faculty meeting called by the Chair for this purpose, the General Mathematics Faculty shall select preferred areas for hiring people to (possible) positions. The General Mathematics Faculty shall then elect New Appointments Committees; each Committee shall be charged with managing the hiring of people for the position(s) assigned to it. Each New Appointments Committee shall consist of four members of the Mathematics Faculty; a New Appointments Committee searching for a tenure-earning position shall consist of tenured faculty; a New Appointments Committee searching for a non-tenure-earning position shall consist of tenured and/or non-tenure-earning faculty. The Committee shall continue until the position(s) are filled, the possibility of hiring for the position(s) is rendered moot, or until the Mathematic Faculty (by a majority vote) dissolves the Committee. A New Appointments Committee shall elect its own officers. If University policy so mandates, additional University Faculty members from outside the Department shall be selected by the Mathematics Advisory Committee to serve on the New Appointments Committee.

B. Duties of the Committee

The responsibility of this Committee shall be to:

Prepare advertisements for appropriate journals to advertise available positions.
Screen all applications to fill permanent faculty positions in accordance with the priorities determined at the Mathematics Faculty meeting mandated in Section A.
File all forms required by the University Administration.
Present a list of candidates to the Chair for interviews.
Recommend interviewed candidates for the permanent positions to the General Mathematics Faculty for approval for hiring. No candidate shall be recommended for hiring who was not approved by the General Mathematics Faculty.

C. Meetings, communication with Faculty

All meetings of the New Appointments Committee shall be open to the Mathematics Faculty, and shall be announced at least 24 hours in advance. Further, minutes of each meeting shall be distributed to the Mathematics Faculty.

All correspondence and data collected by the Committee shall be available to any Faculty member.

Article IV: The Standing Committees

The Standing Committees are those committees exercising executive and legislative power delegated to them by the Chair and the Mathematics Faculty, for the more effective governance of the Unit. A standing committee, together with the Department Chair, may appoint ad hoc committees to conduct its business; the membership and charge of these ad hoc committees shall be reported to the Mathematics Faculty.

A. General Operations

Each Standing Committee shall have particular responsibilities, as described below. Each Standing Committee shall interpret its mission as described in this Charter, subject to review by the Mathematics Faculty and the Chair, and shall make reports and recommendations to the Mathematics Faculty. Such reports, recommendations, and motions of a Standing Committee need not be restricted to the duties listed below.

B. Selection of the Committees

Standing Committees for the coming academic year will be elected before the end of the Spring semester. The Standing Committees shall be nominated to the Mathematics Faculty by the Chair after consultation with the Advisory Committee. The Chair shall present a slate for each of the Standing Committees at least five working days before the Mathematics Faculty meeting to approve the slate, which shall be called in the Spring semester. The General Mathematics Faculty must approve each committee slate by secret ballot. Should a slate fail to win approval, the Chair, in consultation with the Advisory Committee, shall present another for that Committee. Except for the Lecture Series Committee, all Standing Committee members shall be elected for one-year terms. All new terms begin with the Fall semester. Each Standing Committee shall elect its own officers and keep a record of its actions. The meetings of all Standing Committees shall be open to all Faculty.

C. Duties of the Committees

The Standing Committees shall be:

The Mathematics Graduate Committee — This Committee shall consist of five members. This Committee shall deal with all matters pertaining to the curriculum of the Mathematics Graduate Program and the general welfare of the graduate students. It shall assign an academic advisor to each student, in consultation with that student. It shall oversee the administration of the Qualifying Examinations. It shall review the academic progress of graduate students and make recommendations to the Chair regarding renewal of Graduate Assistantships and Fellowships. Minutes of all meetings shall be distributed to the Mathematics Faculty.
The Mathematics Graduate Admissions Committee — This Committee shall consist of three members. All applications from prospective graduate students shall be forwarded to this Committee, which shall evaluate them and make appropriate recommendations to the Chair. All applications for tuition waivers and similar financial aid such as Assistantships and Associateships from Departmental monies assigned to the Unit for prospective Mathematics graduate students shall be evaluated by this Committee, which shall then make appropriate recommendations to the Mathematics Graduate Admissions Chair.
The Mathematics Undergraduate Committee — This Committee shall consist of five members. This Committee shall deal with all matters pertaining to the Mathematics Undergraduate Program, its curriculum, and the general welfare of its students. Minutes of this Committee shall be distributed to the Mathematics Faculty.
The Travel Committee — This Committee shall consist of two members. This Committee shall recommend to the Chair the allocation of available expense monies for travel.
The Mathematics Library Committee — This Committee shall consist of three members, and shall handle all matters relating to library collection, in consultation with the Mathematics Faculty when practicable.
The Mathematics Colloquium Committee — This Committee shall consist of two members, and shall be responsible for organizing colloquia and making recommendations to the Chair regarding the allocation of available expense monies for Colloquia.
The Mathematics Computing Committee — This Committee shall consist of two members, and shall be responsible for monitoring the computer needs and the website of the Mathematics Unit.
The Mathematics Publicity Committee — This Committee shall consist of four members, and will be responsible for the production of the two issues of the Mathematics Newsletter, the Quaternion, each academic year, as well as communicating major developments to both internal (USF) and external (outside of USF) media organs, in coordination with relevant departmental and university organs.
The Mathematics Lecture Series Committee — This Committee shall consist of five members serving staggered two-year terms. Their responsibility is to plan, organize, advertise, and execute high-profile, general-interest, public lectures during the academic year.

D. Ad Hoc Committees

Article V: Other Mathematics Unit Officials

The Chair shall appoint Administrative Officers for the Mathematics Unit with approval of the Advisory Committee. The executive authority delegated by the Chair, along with the term of appointment, duties and compensation shall be specified in writing. Among these officers are:

The Graduate Program Director, who shall serve a term of two years.
The Graduate Admissions Director, who shall serve a term of two years.
The Undergraduate Advisor(s), who shall serve a term of four years.

Article VI: Emeritus status

The following procedures are to be followed in nominating a retiring Mathematics Faculty member for the granting of Emeritus status:

The process is launched by the retiring Mathematics Faculty member with the submission of a letter indicating an interest in holding the Emeritus title, together with a copy of the applicant's current curriculum vitae, to the Chair of the Department. In the letter, the applicant should express willingness to continue with scholarly activities (research, editing, and community connections) and to be affiliated with the Unit.
The Department Chair must forward the candidate's letter to the Dean of the College, accompanied by a letter in which the Chair endorses, or fails to endorse, the granting of Emeritus status. In either case, the letter should briefly evaluate the candidate's record as a faculty member. In addition, if the Chair fails to endorse the candidate, the letter must include specific reasons for the lack of endorsement. A copy of this letter must be given to the candidate.
The Chair's letter should be accompanied by the candidate's curriculum vitae.
In the event that the Chair fails to endorse the appointment, the faculty member may appeal to the Dean to conduct a separate evaluation and to reach a decision regarding the candidate that may deviate from the Chair's recommendation.

Article VII: Amendments

The foregoing organization and rules may be amended in any General Mathematics Faculty meeting upon proper motion and concurrence of a majority of the Mathematics Faculty, provided that the motion to amend, including the proposed amendment, was distributed to the Mathematics Faculty at least twenty working days before the meeting to vote on the amendment.

Part III: The Statistics Unit

Article I: The Statistics Faculty

The Faculty of the Statistics Unit is the legislative body of the Unit.

The Statistics Faculty consists of all persons employed within the Statistics Unit at the rank of Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, or University Professor. In addition, for each rank, the Faculty-at-Rank consists of all Faculty at or above that rank.

The Statistics Faculty and the Statistics Unit are governed as according to Part III of this Charter, enumerating the legislative and executive governance of the Statistics Unit. The Statistics Faculty shall retain all legislative authority for the Statistics Unit, but shall share as their executive, the Chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics (henceforth in Part III called the Chair). The Chair’s authority and duties in the Statistics Unit shall be defined by Part III of this Charter.

A. Statistics Faculty meetings

A Statistics Faculty meeting is a meeting of the Statistics Faculty called either by the Chair or the chair of the Statistics Advisory Committee. All members of the Statistics Faculty are eligible to participate. A quorum for a Statistics Faculty meeting or a meeting of Statistics Faculty-at-Rank shall consist of a majority of the Statistics Faculty or Statistics Faculty-at-Rank, respectively, who are in-residence, that is, not on leave or sabbatical. The General Statistics Faculty is the Statistics Faculty present in a Statistics Faculty meeting in which there is a quorum. Unless otherwise indicate, a majority of the General Statistics Faculty is required for action.

There shall be at least one Statistics Faculty meeting during each of the Fall and Spring semesters. In addition, the Chair must call a Statistics Faculty meeting upon written petition by a majority of the members of the Statistics Advisory Committee, or upon written petition by a majority of the Statistics Faculty; the announcement of such a meeting must be made within five working days of receipt of the petition and the meeting must be held within two weeks of [receipt of] the petition.

In addition, for each rank, the Chair must call a meeting of the Statistics Faculty-at-Rank within five days of receipt of a written petition from a majority of the Statistics Faculty-at-Rank, and the meeting must be held within two weeks of receipt of such petition.

The Chair may call a Statistics Faculty meeting or a meeting of the Statistics Faculty-at-Rank on the Chair’s own authority.

B. Mechanics of Statistics Faculty Meetings

Minutes shall be kept of all Statistics Faculty meetings, distributed to the Statistics Faculty, and approved at the next Statistics Faculty meeting. The Chair shall maintain a journal of the approved minutes of all Statistics Faculty meetings; this journal shall be available for public inspection.

The Statistics Faculty meetings and the meetings of the Statistics Faculty-at-Rank shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order. Absentee voting with sealed and signed ballots shall be permitted for votes on tenure and/or promotion. Absentee ballots must be presented to the Chair by the beginning of the relevant Statistics Faculty meeting.

C. Powers of the Statistics Faculty

The General Statistics Faculty may enact legislation consistent with this Charter. All such legislative acts, except those specified below, require a majority of the Statistics Faculty for passage, and are binding on the governance of the Statistics Unit. The Statistics Faculty shall be consulted on all extraordinary business before the Statistics Unit and may review all regular business, save that reserved to the Statistics Faculty-at-Rank and that reserved to the Chair and other officials by College and University regulation.

D. Delegation of Powers of the Statistics Faculty

The General Statistics Faculty shall also have specific powers, which it shall normally delegate to various Committees and Officials as described below, from which it shall receive reports and recommendations in a timely fashion. The General Statistics Faculty may review or overturn any actions of any Committee, by majority vote. Further, the General Statistics Faculty may, by a majority of all the Statistics Faculty, dissolve any Committee in order to change its membership.

E. E-votes

Statistics Unit business which requires Statistics Faculty approval, and which the Chair judges to be appropriate, may be presented electronically.

Electronic presentation consists of: (1) e-mail to all voting Statistics Faculty stating the item to be approved, describing voting procedures, and stating the voting deadline; and (2) complete paper copies of the e-mail message distributed to all recipients. The process will include at least two successive weekdays for Statistics Faculty discussion and debate by e-mail, and up to one correction or seconded modification to the item (more than one will throw the issues into a regular Statistics Faculty meeting). Discussion may include requests that the issue be handled in a regular Statistics Faculty meeting (which, if seconded, will end the e-vote). The stated deadline on voting will be 4 to 7 days after the first announcement.

The voting will be by paper ballot or e-mail to the Chair or whomever the Chair designates. It will be counted if and only if a majority of the Statistics Faculty votes; the item will pass if and only if a majority of those voting approve. If the votes are counted, the results will be distributed electronically and to mailboxes. The names of all those voting, with no other information, will be given in alphabetical order.

F. Public access

All acts and documentation as provided or required by this Charter shall be maintained and made available to the Statistics Faculty and the public by the Chair.

Article II: The Statistics Advisory Committee

The Senior Committee of the Statistics Unit shall be an Advisory Committee elected by and from the Statistics Faculty.

There shall be a Statistics Advisory Committee elected by and from the Statistics Faculty. Currently, all tenured Statistics Faculty will be members of the Statistics Advisory Committee. No non-tenured Statistics Faculty will be members of this committee.

A. Duties of the Committee

The Statistics Advisory Committee shall make its recommendations, separately from the Chair, on promotion, tenure, and annual faculty evaluations and transmit them to the Dean via the Chair. The Statistics Advisory Committee, and the Chair, shall nominate Statistics Faculty members to the Standing Committees. Together with the Chair, the Statistics Advisory Committee shall approve courtesy and visiting appointments. The Statistics Advisory Committee will annually transmit the short and long term needs of the Statistics Unit to the Chair to negotiate with the Dean. In addition, the Statistics Advisory Committee shall consider all routine matters that the Chair, or the Statistics Faculty, put before it.

The Statistics Advisory Committee shall issue guidelines to the Statistics Faculty explaining the manner in which the annual evaluations and recommendations on tenure and/or promotion will be conducted. University and College guidelines concerning promotion, tenure, and annual faculty evaluations shall be transmitted by the Chair to the Statistics Faculty immediately upon receipt of such guidelines.

B. Minutes

Minutes shall be kept of all Statistics Advisory Committee meetings and distributed to the Statistics Faculty in a timely manner.

Article III: Statistics Unit Officials

The Chair, in consultation with the Statistics Faculty, shall appoint the following officers:

The Statistics Graduate Program Director, who shall look after all aspects of the Statistics graduate program, including admissions.
The Director of the Statistics Certification Program and the Statistics Consulting Center, whose duties shall include running the certification and overseeing consulting on statistical issues.
The Statistics Undergraduate Advisor, who shall look after all aspects of the Statistics undergraduate program.

The term of appointment, and specific duties and compensation, shall be specified in writing by the Chair.

Article IV: The Standing Committees

The Standing Committees are those committees exercising executive and legislative power delegated to them by the Chair, and the Statistics Faculty, for the more effective governance of the Statistics Unit. A standing committee, together with the Chair, may appoint ad hoc committees to conduct its business; the membership and charge of these ad hoc committees shall be reported to the Statistics Faculty.

Until the number of Statistics Faculty increases, the entire Statistics Faculty will work as a single standing committee, called the Statistics Committee, which shall be responsible for all aspects of the Statistics program. The following specific committee structures will be constituted as and when the number of Statistics Faculty increases.

A. General Operations

Each Standing Committee shall have particular responsibilities, as described below, each Standing Committee shall interpret its mission as described in this Charter, subject to review by the Statistics Faculty and the Chair, and shall make reports and recommendation to the Statistics Faculty. Such reports, recommendations, and motions of a Standing Committee need not be restricted to the duties listed below.

B. Selection of the Committees

Standing Committees for the coming academic year will be elected before the end of the Spring semester. The Standing Committees shall be nominated to the Statistics Faculty by the Chair after consultation with the Statistics Advisory Committee. The Chair shall present a slate for each of the Standing Committees at least five working days before the Statistics Faculty meeting to approve the slate, which shall be called in the Spring semester. The General Statistics Faculty must approve each committee slate by secret ballot. Should a slate fail to win approval, the Chair, in consultation with the Statistics Advisory Committee, shall present another slate for that Committee. All Standing Committee members shall be elected for one-year terms. All new terms begin with the Fall semester. Each Standing Committee shall elect its own officers and keep a record of its actions. The meetings of all Standing Committees shall be open to all Statistics Faculty.

C. Duties of the Committees

The Standing Committees shall be:

The Statistics Graduate Committee — This Committee shall consist of three members. This Committee shall deal with all matters pertaining to the curriculum of the Statistics Graduate Program and the general welfare of the graduate students. It shall assign an academic advisor to each student, in consultation with that student. It shall oversee the administration of the Qualifying Examinations. It shall review the academic progress of graduate students and make recommendations to the Chair regarding renewal of Graduate Assistantships and Fellowships. Minutes of all meetings shall be distributed to the Statistics Faculty.
Statistics Graduate Admissions Committee — This Committee shall consist of three members. All applications from prospective graduate students shall be forwarded to this Committee, which shall evaluate them and make appropriate recommendations to the Chair. All applications for tuition waivers and similar financial aid such as Assistantships and Associateships from Departmental monies assigned to the Statistics Unit for prospective Statistics graduate students shall be evaluated by this Committee, which shall then make appropriate recommendation to the Statistics Graduate Admissions Chair.
The Statistics Undergraduate Committee — This Committee shall consist of three members. This Committee shall deal with all matters pertaining to the Statistics undergraduate program, its curriculum, and the general welfare of its students. Minutes of this Committee shall be distributed to the Statistics Faculty.
The Statistics Travel Committee — This Committee shall consist of two members. This Committee shall recommend to the Chair the allocation of Unit and other available expense monies for travel.
The Statistics Library Committee — This Committee shall consist of two members and shall handle all matters relating to library collection, in consultation with the Statistics Faculty when practicable.
The Statistics Colloquium Committee — This Committee shall consist of two members and shall be responsible for organizing colloquia and making recommendations to the Chair regarding the allocation of Unit and other available expense monies for colloquia.
The Statistics Computing Committee — This Committee shall consist of two members and shall be responsible for monitoring the computer needs and the website of the Statistics Unit.

Article V: New Appointments Committees

New Appointments Committees organize the process of hiring new members of the Statistics Faculty.

A. Election of the Committee

At a General Statistics Faculty meeting called by the Chair for this purpose, the General Statistics Faculty shall elect a New Appointments Committee. The number of members in this committee shall be determined by the majority of the Statistics Faculty, in consultation with the Chair. A New Appointments Committee searching for a tenure-earning position shall consist of tenured faculty; a New Appointments Committee searching for a non-tenure-earning position shall consist of tenured and/or non-tenure-earning Faculty. The Committee shall continue until the position(s) are filled, or the possibility of hiring for the position(s) is rendered moot, or until the Statistics Faculty (by a majority vote) dissolves the Committee. A New Appointments Committee shall elect its own officers. If University policy so mandates, additional University Faculty members from outside the Department may be selected by the Statistics Advisory Committee to serve on the New Appointments Committee.

B. Duties of the Committee

The responsibility of this Committee shall be to:

Prepare advertisements for appropriate journals to advertise available positions.
Screen all applications to fill permanent faculty positions in accordance with the priorities determined at the Statistics Faculty meeting mandated in Section A.
File all forms required by the University Administration.
Present a list of candidates to the Chair for interviews.
Recommend interviewed candidates for the permanent positions to the General Statistics Faculty for approval for hiring. No candidate shall be recommended for hiring who was not approved by the General Statistics Faculty.

C. Meetings, communication with Statistics Faculty

All meetings of the New Appointments Committee shall be open to the Statistics Faculty and shall be announced at least 24 hours in advance. Further, minutes of each meeting shall be distributed to the Statistics Faculty.

Article VI: Emeritus Status

The following procedures are to be followed in nominating a retiring Statistics Faculty member for the granting of Emeritus status:

The process is launched by the retiring Statistics Faculty member with the submission of a letter indicating an interest in holding the Emeritus title, together with a copy of the applicant’s current curriculum vitae, to the Chair of the Department. In the letter, the applicant should express willingness to continue with scholarly activities (research, editing, and community connections) and to be affiliated with the Unit.
The Department Chair must forward the candidate’s letter to the Dean of the College accompanied by a letter in which the Chair endorses, or fails to endorse, the granting of Emeritus status. In either case, the letter should briefly evaluate the candidate’s record as a Faculty member. In addition, if the Chair fails to endorse the candidate, the letter must include specific reasons for the lack of endorsement. A copy of this letter must be given to the candidate.
The Chair’s letter should be accompanied by the candidate’s curriculum vitae.
In the event that the Chair fails to endorse the appointment, the Faculty member may appeal to the Dean to conduct a separate evaluation and to reach a decision regarding the candidate that may deviate from the Chair’s recommendation.

Article VII: College and University-wide representation

The Statistics Faculty shall be accorded the same opportunities as the Mathematics Faculty in participation in College and University level governance, including nomination to College and University level committees, representations as required by the administrative structure, and other administrative, representative, and governance functions, in accordance with Part I of this Charter and College and University rules and regulations.

Article VIII: Amendments

Part III of this Charter may be amended in any General Statistics Faculty meeting upon proper motion and concurrence of a two-thirds majority of the Statistics Faculty provided that the motion to amend, including the proposed amendment, was distributed to the Statistics Faculty at least twenty working days before the meeting to vote on the amendment.