Faculty and Staff

Rules of the Faculty

Revision May 2019, August 2022

I. Name

The name of the organization shall be the Faculty of Somerset Community College (hereafter, the College). The Faculty is a forum for free and open debate and faculty deliberation regarding any and all issues affecting the College.

II. Authority

Rules of the Faculty of Somerset Community College describes the composition, organization, and procedures for the conduct of its functions as authorized by the Board of Regents of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (hereafter, KCTCS) in the Policies and Procedures. This document further describes educational policies for the College and procedures for their implementation.

The Rules shall be reviewed and updated by the current Rules Committee as needed.

III. Functions

The Faculty has authority and responsibility for the educational policies of the College as delegated to it by the Board of Regents of the KCTCS. In keeping with the common practice of institutions of higher education and within the limits established by the governing regulations of the Board and the Rules of the Senate, the Faculty has primary responsibility for monitoring and making recommendations with regard to the matters set forth below.
The Faculty shall make recommendations to the KCTCS Senate on the following matters:
1. academic policies and curricula;
2. policies and regulations governing admission classifications, probation and dismissal of students;
3. an academic calendar;
4. all candidates for degrees, diplomas, and certificates;
5. criteria for faculty appointments, reappointments, promotions, and tenure; and
6. changes in the Rules of the Senate and in other KCTCS governing regulations.
The Faculty may make recommendations on other matters to the President of the College, to the Senate, to the Chancellor of the KCTCS, and to the President of the KCTCS.
The Faculty shall provide consultation to the Chancellor of the KCTCS on the selection of a search committee for a president for the College.
The Faculty shall have no management or administrative functions, except those expressly delegated to it, either in itself or through the instrumentality of its committees.
The Faculty shall perform such other duties and fulfill such other functions as are appropriate to achieve the missions and goals of the College so long as they are not in conflict with the rules and regulations governing the KCTCS or these Rules.

IV. Membership

The President of the College, the Deans and Associate Deans of the Academic Areas, all full-time faculty members, full-time ranked professional counselors, and other administrative officers who have faculty rank in the College shall be the voting members of the Faculty.
All adjunct faculty and special appointment faculty shall be members with floor privileges but without vote.
Disputes regarding individual membership qualifications and voting rights, subject to the above provisions, shall be decided by the Faculty Council of the Faculty.

V. Officers and Election of Officers

Eligibility.
- The following positions shall be held by full-time faculty members eligible to serve and shall be faculty-elected: Chair of the Faculty (by succession from Vice Chair of the Faculty), Vice Chair of the Faculty, Secretary of the Faculty, Parliamentarian of the Faculty, Senators to the KCTCS Senate, Faculty Representative to the Somerset Community College Board of Directors, Faculty Representative to the Lake Cumberland Performing Arts Board, and Faculty-at-Large Representative to the Leadership Council.
- Only full-time Faculty members shall be eligible, excluding those faculty serving in Administrative positions. Also, a Faculty member may hold only one of these positions during any given academic year. The President of the College shall be responsible for submitting a list of eligible faculty members by area to the Chair of the Senate. The Faculty shall be responsible for certification of the eligibility list prior to submission of the list to the Chair of the Senate.
Nominations and Elections.
1. Nominations shall be made directly to the Secretary of the Faculty verbally, by campus mail, or by e-mail prior to the Faculty Council meeting preceding the penultimate (next to the last) Faculty Meeting.
2. Council members shall assemble a slate of nominations for all officers from those eligible names submitted to them by the faculty-at-large and create a preliminary ballot to be distributed via e-mail at least one week before the penultimate Faculty Meeting.
3. At the penultimate Faculty Meeting, additional nominations for all offices will be taken from the floor.
4. At the final Faculty Council meeting, Council members shall create the final ballot from those eligible names submitted. Nominations will be accepted between the penultimate Faculty Meeting and the final Faculty Council Meeting. Such nominations shall be made directly to the Secretary of the Faculty verbally, by campus mail, or by e-mail.
5. A sample final ballot shall be distributed to all Faculty members via e-mail as soon as possible after the Faculty Council Meeting. Any errors or omissions should be reported to the Secretary of the Faculty within 24 hours of the distribution of the sample ballot.
6. Five working days before the final Faculty Meeting, the Faculty Council or its designee shall send the final ballot to all eligible Faculty members. Voting shall remain open until 5:00 p.m. on the day before the final Faculty Meeting.
7. Those candidates who receive the most votes will be declared the winners.
8. At the final Faculty Meeting of the academic year:
  1. winners will be announced;
  2. any offices which resulted in a tie will be dealt with via secret ballot; and
  3. faculty will vote via secret ballot for SCC’s representative to the KCTCS Council, the KCTCS Curriculum Review Committee, and the KCTCS Rules Committee. All elected senators are eligible to run for these offices. Each office will be voted on separately.
Officers.
1. The Chair of the Faculty of the College must be a voting member of the Faculty. In the event of the Chair’s absence or incapacity, the Vice Chair of the Faculty shall act as Chair. The Chair is an ex officio member of all faculty committees. The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Faculty, except as may be delegated. The Chair shall also serve as chair of the Faculty Council. The Chair may call special faculty meetings or call into special session any committee of the Faculty. In the event the Chair-elect is unable to take office, a new Chair will be elected at the first Faculty Meeting of the academic year.
2. The Vice Chair is a member of the Faculty Council. The Vice Chair shall be the Chair-elect. The Vice Chair shall serve as the agent of the Chair or Faculty in his/her absence or incapacity.
3. The Secretary of the Faculty is a member of the Faculty Council and serves as its secretary. The Secretary shall be responsible for the publication and distribution of the agenda, the minutes, and other materials as designated by the Chair of the Faculty Council. The Secretary shall keep a record of attendance of members at meetings of the Faculty. A recording secretary may be provided by the Chair to assist the elected Secretary.
4. The Parliamentarian of the Faculty shall advise the Faculty on procedure and assist the Faculty in ruling on parliamentary questions. The Parliamentarian should be familiar with Robert’s Rules of Order. The Parliamentarian is an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Faculty Council.
5. Senators to the KCTCS Senate.
  1. Number and Composition.
    - Three senators shall be elected to the KCTCS Senate. One additional senator shall be elected for each twenty-five (25), or major fraction thereof (thirteen [13] or more), full-time faculty members above the first twenty-five (25). At least one of the elected senators shall be in the occupational/ technical program area and at least one in the general education program area. From those elected Senators, one Senator shall be elected to serve as representative to the KCTCS Council, one Senator shall be elected to serve on the KCTCS Rules Committee, and one Senator shall be elected to serve on the KCTCS Curriculum Review Committee.
  2. Term of Office.
    - Each elected Senator shall serve for a term of two years and shall be eligible for re-election for a second consecutive term. Senators who have served as members of the KCTCS Council or any Standing Committee of the KCTCS Senate for two consecutive terms are ineligible for further re-election until one year has elapsed. Any elected Senator who has not served as a member of the KCTCS Council or any Standing Committee of the KCTCS Senate for all or part of two consecutive terms shall be eligible to be re-elected for up to two additional terms, after which they shall be ineligible for re-election to the KCTCS Senate until one year has elapsed.
6. Faculty Representative to the SCC Board of Directors.
  1. Number and Qualifications.
    - There shall be one Board of Directors Member elected to represent the Faculty of the College. The Board Member shall serve as a non-voting member of the Faculty Council. The Board Member shall be on the teaching faculty of the College. (Kentucky Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997.)
  2. Term of Office.
    - The term of office for an elected Board Member shall begin August 1 after the election at the final April Faculty Meeting. The Faculty member shall serve for a term of three (3) years and until a successor is elected and qualified. The Faculty member shall be eligible for reelection, but shall be ineligible to continue to serve as a member of the Board if he/she ceases to be a member of the teaching staff of the College. (Kentucky Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997.)
7. The Faculty Representative to the Lake Cumberland Performing Arts Board shall represent the College on the LCPA Board of Directors.
8. The Faculty-at-Large Representative to the Leadership Council shall serve as the third faculty representative on the Leadership Council (in addition to the Chair of the Faculty and a second Faculty Council member). The Representative shall be any full-time faculty member except those currently serving and/or running for another officer position. Further, if a faculty member is running for Faculty-at-Large Representative to the Leadership Council, he or she may not also run for Faculty Council Department Representative.
Faculty-elected Representatives to College-Wide Teams.
1. Elections.
  - Faculty members who hold one of the eight principle offices of the faculty shall be eligible to serve on the College Appeals Board. Faculty elected to College-Wide Teams shall be eligible for re-election, except that he/she may not serve more than two consecutive terms on a single team. Elections for College-Wide Teams shall be held in accordance with election of Faculty Officers at the last April Faculty Meeting.
2. College Appeals Board
  1. In accordance with the Student Code of Conduct (Article III, Section 4.D.E.i), there shall be two full-time Faculty and one full-time Faculty alternate elected by the Faculty to serve on the College Appeals Board, along with the stipulated and appropriately elected/appointed Staff and student representatives.
  2. Members, including the alternate, are elected to staggered three-year terms.
  3. Faculty members cannot be division/department chairs or deans.
  4. There shall be a record of board appointments/elections and staggered terms, even if the board is not active with a case before the board, kept by the Secretary of the Faculty.
Divisional/departmental and Non-divisional/departmental Faculty Representatives to the Faculty Council and the Standing Committees (the Curriculum Review Committee and the Rules Committee).
- Divisional/departmental and non-divisional/departmental faculty representatives to the Faculty Council, Curriculum Review Committee, and Rules Committee shall be full-time faculty members eligible to serve. These faculty representatives shall be elected by their respective division/department and the results shall be sent to the Secretary of the Faculty by the end of each Spring Semester. In the event a full-time faculty member has responsibilities in more than one division/department, the faculty member shall vote only in the division/department of primary assignment. The Chair shall determine the member’s primary assignment.
Terms of Office for Officers and Standing Committee Members.
- Unless otherwise stipulated, all terms of office begin July 1 after the election at the final Faculty Meeting and continue through June 30 of the following year.
Vacancies.
1. In Elected Positions
  - Vacancies occasioned in any elected position shall be filled by secret-ballot election during the first regular Faculty Meeting after the position is vacated. Nominations shall be taken from the preceding Faculty Council meeting until the election itself, with any final nominations coming from the floor prior to the vote. For the positions of Senator and Board Member, service of one year or more in an unexpired term shall constitute a full term.
2. In Appointed Positions
  - Unless otherwise stipulated, vacancies occasioned in any appointed position shall be filled in the same manner of the appointment to the position.

VI. Meetings

Regular Meetings.
- Regular meetings of the Faculty may, at the discretion of the Faculty Council, be held monthly from August through May in accordance with a schedule adopted each academic year during the August meeting. To accommodate the Final Exams schedules, the Chair may re-schedule the December and May meetings, if necessary.
Special Meetings.
- The Faculty may be called into special session by the Chair of the Faculty, the Chancellor of the KCTCS, or in response to a petition signed by a majority of the members of the Faculty. A special meeting requested by petition must be held no later than two (2) calendar weeks after such a petition is received by the Chair or the designated agent of the Chair.
Frequency of Meetings.
- The Faculty shall meet at least two times during each academic semester.
Agenda and Minutes.
- Two weeks prior to the meetings, the Secretary of the Faculty shall invite by email agenda suggestions from the members of the Faculty. The Faculty Council shall develop the items of the agenda. The Chair may add agenda items and shall set the order of the day. One week prior to the regular meeting, the agenda for that meeting and minutes of the previous meeting and minutes of special meetings held since the previous regular meeting shall be distributed to the members of the Faculty.
Quorum.
- A simple majority of Faculty of the total voting membership shall constitute a quorum. This number shall be established on the first day of class or the first faculty meeting in August whichever comes first each academic year. The Faculty may not transact any business until a quorum has been secured, but may take any actions to adjourn the meeting without further notice.
Voting.
- Voting shall be conducted in person at regular faculty meetings, unless situations deemed emergencies by Faculty Council require a vote by the faculty as a whole (refer to VII.D.5 of the Rules of the Senate).
- In the event of an emergency electronic vote, the list of eligible voting faculty must be approved in advance of electronic voting.
- There shall be no voting by proxy.
Open Meetings.
- Except as otherwise provided by KRS 61.810, all meetings shall be open to the public.

VII. Faculty Council

Voting Membership
- The Faculty Council shall be composed of the Chair of the Faculty, the Vice Chair of the Faculty, the Secretary of the Faculty and the representative(s) from each division/department elected by the members of each division/department who have faculty rank at the College.
  1. Number and Composition of Division/Department Representative(s)
    - At least one (1) divisional/departmental representative shall be elected to the Faculty Council. Divisions/departments with full-time faculty membership numbering twenty (20) or below members shall receive one representative on Faculty Council. Divisions/departments with full-time faculty membership numbering twenty-one – forty (21-40) shall receive an additional representative. One additional representative shall be elected for each additional twenty (20) division/department members.
Non-voting Members
- Ex officio non-voting members of the Faculty Council shall be the Parliamentarian of the Faculty and the Faculty Representative to the College Board of Directors (both of whom may have voting rights if elected in one of the groups above). Non-voting, ex officio members of the Faculty Council who are voting members of the Faculty retain the right to vote at meetings of the full Faculty.
Organization.
- The Chair of the Faculty shall serve as chair of the Faculty Council. In the absence of the Chair, the Vice Chair of the Faculty shall preside at meetings of the Faculty Council. The Secretary of the Faculty shall serve as secretary of the Faculty Council.
Functions.
1. The Faculty Council may charge standing committees with matters for study and recommendation.
2. The Faculty Council shall develop the items of the agenda for meetings of the Faculty.
3. The Faculty Council shall establish, time, place, and necessity for regular meetings of the Faculty. In addition, the Faculty Council has full authority to call special faculty meetings.
4. The Faculty Council shall elect a representative from its members to serve on the Leadership Council (in addition to the Chair of the Faculty and Faculty-at-Large Representative). As the three representatives on Leadership Council must satisfy four criteria (Somerset, Laurel, Technical/Professional, and Gen Ed), the representative elected from Faculty Council shall meet any criteria not met by the Chair of the Faculty and Faculty-at-Large Representative. The representative shall be elected at the first Faculty Council meeting of the academic year.
5. The Faculty Council shall perform such other duties as delegated to it by the Faculty.
6. In emergencies, when the Faculty cannot meet, the Faculty Council shall act for the Faculty. Any action taken shall be reported to the Faculty at its next regular Faculty Meeting.
7. As described in SCC Policy and Development, Faculty Council’s role in the shared governance model allows the council leadership to propose a policy to present to leadership council for approval. Faculty council or individual faculty member must first establish need of the policy for discussion within the council. Once the council decides to move forward, a working draft is developed by the individual and faculty council. This working draft is coordinated with other offices impacted by the proposed policy to solicit input. Once initiated the process will be completed under the guidelines of SCC policy number: SPR1.9-1p.
Agenda.
- The agenda of the Faculty Council shall be prepared by the Secretary in consultation with the Chair.
Voting.
- All voting members of the Faculty Council shall be entitled to vote at regular and special meetings of the Council. Each such member shall be entitled to one (1) vote on any question brought before such a meeting. The personal vote of a simple majority of the members who constitute a quorum for the measure voted upon shall decide any question brought before such meeting. Two-thirds (2/3) of the voting members of the Faculty Council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. There shall be no voting by proxy.
Open Meetings.
- Meetings shall be held in accordance with applicable open meetings laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky (KRS 61.810).

VIII. Standing Committees

The standing committees of the Faculty shall be the Curriculum Review Committee and the Rules Committee. Each standing committee shall have one representative from each division/department, and two student members. The SCC faculty representatives to the KCTCS Curriculum Review Committee and the KCTCS Rules Committee shall be the chair of their respective local committees and shall have the responsibility of calling the meetings of their respective committees. A secretary for each local committee shall be elected from its members.

A. Curriculum Review Committee Functions.
- The Curriculum Review Committee shall perform the following functions:
  1. recommend to the Faculty concerning new courses, course changes, and the dropping of courses;
  2. recommend to the Faculty concerning new curricula, curricula changes, and the dropping of curricula;
  3. recommend to the Faculty, upon request or upon its own initiative, concerning the needs of the instructional programs of the College; and
  4. perform other responsibilities as delegated to it by the Faculty or by the Faculty Council.
Rules Committee Functions.
- The Rules Committee shall perform the following functions:
  1. codify the Rules of the Faculty of the College;
  2. recommend to the Faculty, upon request or upon its own initiative, any modification of the Rules of the Faculty of Somerset Community College, the Rules of the Senate, or the Regulations of the Board;
  3. make continuous evaluation of the rules to meet new conditions;
  4. assist in the process of developing the College faculty policies, procedures and governance documents; and
  5. perform other responsibilities as delegated to it by the Faculty or by the Faculty Council.

IX. New Rules and Modification of Rules

In order for action to be taken on a new rule or policy or on modification of an existing rule, notification of such pending action must be given in the call for the meeting at which the action is to be taken. A majority of the quorum shall constitute affirmative action.

X. Permanent Location of Faculty Rules

The Rules of the Faculty of Somerset Community College shall be accessible on the College website and shall be updated within one week of any Faculty Meeting at which changes are approved by the Faculty. In addition, the Chair of the Rules Committee shall keep two copies of each new edition of the Rules, one as a hard copy and the other by electronic means.

XI. Parliamentary Procedures

Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the conduct of business in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with superior laws or regulations including, without limitation, the Rules of the Faculty, the Rules of the Senate, and the regulations of the respective Boards. A vote of a majority of the members of the Faculty present is needed to suspend the Rules of Order. With majority concurrence, meetings of the Faculty may be conducted in an informal manner, consistent with professional courtesy and fairness.

XII. Academic Templates

In order to comply with general education requirements and assessment plans, Faculty shall utilize the Syllabus Template in the preparation of course syllabi and the Blackboard Course Shell Template in the preparation of the Blackboard Shells for all classes.