Section 3. Powers and Responsibilities of Academic Council

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• Academic Council will act as coordinating committee of the Faculty and will deliberate on any matter within the province of the faculty for the purpose of formulating general policy for approval or disapproval of the faculty. Those matters that are the responsibility of standing committees will be referred to the appropriate committee.
• On issues that are of broad scope or impact and that do not fall within the purview of a standing committee, Academic Council may create a task force to investigate and offer policy suggestions. In doing so, Academic Council will follow the Guidelines for Academic Council Task Force.
• On issues that are of limited scope or impact and that do not fall within the purview of a standing committee, Academic Council may create a special committee to investigate and offer policy suggestions. Academic Council will specify all expectations of the special committee with its initial charge and with any subsequent revisions. The special committee will submit its report to Academic Council. Academic council will vote (1) to file the special committee's report and to dissolve the special committee when its work is determined to be completed, and (2) to approve or disapprove the special committees proposed changes to the faculty handbook. Academic Council may further vote to adopt the special committee's report in part or in full, which binds it to the report's findings and recommendations. 
• Academic Council will work with the President in planning the agenda for meetings of the faculty in order to provide for timely and appropriate discussion of faculty business and to provide adequate information about matters of concern to the faculty.
• In its role as coordinating committee of the Faculty, Academic Council will communicate regularly with members of standing committees. Faculty representatives of standing committees who have concerns about issues of shared governance in areas relevant to their committees should report those concerns to Academic Council. Academic Council will consider these concerns and, where it deems appropriate, formally address them in regular Academic Council meetings. On matters deemed to be of general concern, Academic Council may report directly to the faculty, or request that standing committees do so. In addition, Academic Council will collect formal reports on a yearly basis from the chairs of all standing committees.
• Academic Council will act in an advisory capacity to the President. It will advise the President on the setting of priorities and the planning of long-range goals for the University. Academic Council will obtain pertinent information that is required to carry out these advisory duties effectively.
• Academic Council will act in an advisory capacity to the administration, assisting in the selection of members for all campus-wide ad hoc committees and advising the administration in the early stages of explorations of new programs that do not originate in a department or school.
• Academic Council will supply the faculty yearly with information relevant to its participation in the formulation of the goals and priorities of the University and will supply the faculty yearly with information relevant to these priorities and goals.
• Academic Council will serve as an appointing committee for elective members of standing committees of the faculty with the exception of Academic Council, the University Curriculum Committee, and the Promotions and Tenure Committee.
• Academic Council will oversee the non-bylaws portion of the Faculty Handbook by approving or disapproving changes. A detailed account of such changes will be included in the minutes of the meeting.
• Academic Council will oversee editorial changes to these bylaws by approving or disapproving the changes. Examples include changes to the bylaws that reflect a modification of the wording of a title, changes in the name of a division, department, etc.
• Academic Council will develop and maintain a Statement of Professional Standards and publish it upon adoption by the faculty. Council will submit proposed amendments to this statement to the faculty. Approval will require an affirmative vote of the majority of the voting members present at a regular meeting of the faculty subsequent to the one in which the proposal was presented.
• Elected members of Academic Council will serve as a hearing committee, using Academic Council's Hearing Committee Procedures (Academic Council's Hearing Committee Procedures) in cases involving the dismissal or suspension of a faculty member when requested by the faculty member. Additionally, any dismissal, suspension, or disciplinary action as a result of a finding of a violation of the University’s Non-Discrimination/Non-Harassment policies may, upon request by the accused faculty member, be heard by Academic Council.
• Academic Council will solicit names and appoint faculty to serve as temporary replacements on all standing committees of the faculty as necessary, except Academic Council, the University Curriculum Committee, and the Promotions and Tenure Committee.
• The union of the collective bargaining unit is the exclusive representative for all limited term, visiting, and adjunct faculty employees teaching at least one credit-bearing undergraduate course in the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Communications, Dr. Jo Watts-Williams School of Education, or Love School of Business.  Part-time faculty not covered by the collective bargaining agreement are represented by elected members from their school or division.