Offices and Committees of the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences Committee Descriptions
Revised: November 27, 2018

Presiding Officer. [Referenced in Ordinance 23 Section 2.] Dean of the College.

Secretary. Elected for a 5-year term.

Committees established by the College Faculty

Admission and Merit Scholarships Committee (College Faculty standing)

Charge: to advise on policy in the admission of students and in the granting of merit scholarships; to make recommendations to the faculty for modifications of policy governing admissions; to serve as the selection committee for the highest level of merit scholarships; and to act on student applications not delegated to the Dean of Admission for administrative action. [Restructured by Faculty 1998 April 29, effective with academic 1999-2000; charge and Chair modified 2007 Feb. 7; charge modified 2015 April 10.]

Terms: non-tenured faculty who have completed their degrees are eligible to serve after their fourth-year review.

Composition:
  1. Associate Dean of the College, ex officio with vote, Chair
  2. 5 College faculty members, four-year term (staggered)
  3. 2 students elected by the Faculty for a two-year term, upon nomination of the Student Senate (staggered) nominating body changed May 2010
  4. Dean of Students, ex officio with vote
  5. Dean of Admission, ex officio with vote

Appointments Committee (College Faculty administrative)

Charge: to consider requests for appointments to the faculty (including the creation of new faculty lines and continuation of faculty lines held by departing faculty) and to advise the Dean of the College on matters of appointments to the faculty. Appoints one of its members to serve as a liaison to each tenure-track faculty search and other faculty searches as the committee warrants. [Created by Faculty 2007 February 7; temporary expansion slot added 2014 April 2; composition and charge modified 2015 April 10.]

Composition:
  1. 5 College faculty members, five-year term (staggered)
  2. Representative from the Dean of the College’s Office, ex officio without vote
  3. 1 College faculty member, added for period 2014-15 through 2018-19

College Standards Committee (College Faculty standing)

Charge: to administer the academic regulations of the College, and to rule on questions of minor irregularity that arise in individual instances; to determine the ranking of students among those eligible and to declare the Valedictorian and Salutatorian, who must be members of the Order of the Gown – only students who have pursued a full college course at Sewanee are eligible; to handle all grade appeals by students. All legislation affecting requirements for the Bachelor’s degree must be routinely referred to the College Standards Committee before being presented to the faculty for formal action. To rule on a case-by-case basis on appeals for financial aid that relate to “satisfactory academic progress.” To recommend to the Vice-Chancellor and to the faculty modifications of academic policy governing student aid. [Created by Faculty 2007 February 7; composition modified 2015 April 10; charge revised February 2016.]

Composition:
  1. An Associate Dean of the College, ex officio with vote, Chair
  2. 4 College faculty members, four-year term (staggered)
  3. Registrar, ex officio without vote
  4. A representative of the Dean of Students’ office, ex officio without vote
  5. Director of Financial Aid, ex officio without vote

Coordinating Committee (College Faculty standing)

Charge: the Committee is to discuss the Minutes received from the various standing committees and pending policy enactments or revisions received from the Dean of the College, and then arrange for appropriate dissemination (including, but not limited to, forwarding to another Faculty committee, forwarding to the full College Faculty for its information and consideration, or requesting that a Faculty committee offer a report at the next meeting of the College Faculty); and to recommend to the College Faculty changes in faculty committee structure (including changing the responsibilities and/or composition of committees, and consolidation or abolition of committees). In consultation with the Faculty, the Provost, the Dean and the Chair of the AAUP Chapter will select a Delegation of the Faculty to address the Regents on matters of mutual interest. The Chair of the Committee, in consultation with the Committee, will work with the Dean of the College to develop the agenda for each month’s College Faculty meeting; will provide for a record of Committee deliberations; and will be responsible for facilitating the flow of information to and from faculty committees, and to and from the College Faculty. [Created by Faculty 2006 April 5; Charge modified 2007 February 7 and 2007 April 4 and 2015 April 10.]

Composition:
  1. 4 College faculty members, four-year term (staggered)

Curriculum and Academic Policy Committee (College Faculty standing)

Charge: to initiate or to consider proposals for modifications of curriculum requirements; to make recommendations to the Faculty in such matters; responsibility for the academic life of the college in areas not covered by any other committee. [Created by Faculty 1954 May 4; length of faculty term reduced 2007 Feb. 7; composition and charge modified 2015 April 10.]

Composition:
  1. 6 College faculty members, four-year term (staggered) (4 tenured, 2 non-tenured)
  2. 2 students elected by the Faculty for a two-year term, upon nomination of the Student Senate (staggered)
  3. Representative from the Dean of the College’s Office, ex officio without vote
  4. University Registrar, ex officio without vote

Leaves Committee (College Faculty administrative)

Charge: to advise the Dean of the College on applications for leave. To consider and to advise the Dean of the College on matters related to leaves.

Composition:
  1. 5 College faculty members, five-year term (staggered). (At least three members must be tenured. Chair must be tenured). Nominating Committee (College Faculty standing)

Nominating Committee.

Charge: to nominate, at the last regular meeting of the Faculty each year, members of committees to replace those whose terms have expired, except in the case of the

Composition:

1. 3 College faculty members, three-year term (staggered)

Promotion and Tenure Committee (College Faculty administrative)

Charge: the Dean is expected to consult this committee each year for advice on matters of promotion & tenure. [Created by Faculty 1954 May 4; charge modified 2015 April 10.]

Terms: required full-year leave from Committee during the year in which up for promotion and required full-year leave from Committee during year in which immediate family member (spouse, child, parent, sibling) up for promotion or tenure.

Composition:
  1. 5 tenured College faculty members, no two from the same department, five-year term (staggered)

School of Letters Committee (College Faculty standing)

Charge: to administer faculty policy in the admission of students and to act on student applications not delegated to the Director of the School for administrative action; to initiate or to consider proposals for modifications of curriculum requirements (including the offering of new courses) and to make recommendations to the College Faculty in such matters; to administer the academic law of the School, and to rule on questions of minor irregularity that arise in individual instances; to endorse candidates for degrees to the College Faculty for their recommendation to the Senate. [Established by Faculty 2005 February 2, with modifications and charge on 2005 March 2]

Composition:
  1. Director of the School of Letters, ex officio with vote, Chair
  2. 2 College faculty members, four-year term (staggered)
  3. Associate Dean of the College, ex officio with vote
  4. Director of Teacher Education, ex officio with vote
  5. Chair of the English Department, ex officio with vote