Preamble

The faculty of Point Loma Nazarene University, desiring to declare their common and mutual cooperation in promoting the founding purposes of the University and its moral and historic values of mind and spirit, to inscribe and promote professional expectations and responsibilities, and to provide the structure and mechanisms by which the faculty is to organize and carry out its institutional powers, duties, and responsibilities, do agree to the following:

Article I: The Faculty

Members of the faculty are those persons holding the rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, or instructor.

Article II: Purposes

The purposes of the faculty shall be:

1. To engage in teaching, maintain proficiency in instruction, and participate in curricular design and implementation.
2. To be a voice for the academic community.
3. To ascertain, consider, evaluate, and act upon jurisdictional issues, questions, cases, matters, proposals, plans, and actions concerning the faculty.
4. To initiate, to elect members to, and to determine responsibilities of committees of the faculty.
5. To initiate proposals for constructive change within its jurisdiction.
6. To concern itself with, and to contribute to, the development of a University based upon excellence in all respects.
7. To support and creatively advance policies of sound education, fair and just administration, prudent fiscal management, and Christian growth.
8. To foster, encourage, and facilitate communication within the University community.

Article III: Relationships of Authority

1. Point Loma Nazarene University is an institution of the Church of the Nazarene. The final authority for determining the nature, structure, and policies of the University resides in the Board of Trustees. The President of the University is the chief administrative officer of the University and the presiding officer of the faculty. The Provost is the chief academic officer.
2. The faculty has primary responsibility for such fundamental areas as curriculum, subject matter of courses, method of instruction, research, and certain aspects of student life that relate to the educational process.
3. The faculty as a whole exercises those responsibilities which are included under its University-wide jurisdiction (Article IV), and the faculties of the various academic departments/schools exercise those responsibilities which are included under their departmental jurisdictions.

Article IV: Jurisdiction

1. The faculty as a whole acts to develop and modify as needed:
   1. University curriculum, including course offerings, new courses, requirements for majors, general studies, professional preparation, credentials, certificates, and graduation requirements.
   2. Procedures regarding academic advising.
   3. Grading system and standards for evaluation of student performance.
2. The faculty as a whole approves all candidates for academic and professional degrees.
3. The faculty through its committees:
   1. Acts on admission requests, disqualifications, and appeals from students arising from academic suspension or dismissal.
   2. Acts on requests from undergraduate and graduate students for variances from standard academic policies.
   3. Acts on requests for admission to designated programs such as the Teacher Education program and graduate programs in Education, Religion, and Business.
4. The faculty as individuals have jurisdiction, consistent with institutional policy, over:
   1. Advising students assigned to them on their academic programs.
   2. Selection of required course materials.
   3. Establishing appropriate examination sequences for each course, constructing the exams, and insuring honesty in the taking of the exams.
   4. The assignment of grades for each student officially enrolled in his/her class.
5. The faculty as professionals provide advice and make recommendations through departments/schools and the standing committee structure on:
   1. Academic calendar.
   2. Campus religious and social life.
   3. Faculty rank, promotion, and tenure.
   4. Professional development programs.
   5. Salaries, salary policies, and benefits.
   6. Departmental budgets, programs, personnel, and policies.
   7. Library and learning resource policies and budgets.
   8. Admissions and retention policies.

Article V: Meetings of the Faculty

1. Regular meeting times of the faculty shall be established by the voting members of the faculty. Additional meetings or postponement of meetings may be determined by the Agenda Committee.
2. Special meetings of the faculty may be called at the discretion of the President.
3. Attendance and voting privileges shall be extended to all members of the faculty and to professionals with faculty franchise.
4. Within the context of Article III, item #1, the Provost shall preside at regular meetings of the faculty. In the absence of the Provost, a chair pro tempore shall be appointed by the President. Likewise, the chair of the Faculty Council shall preside when items referred by the Faculty Council are under consideration.
5. The agenda for regular meetings of the faculty shall be determined by the Agenda Committee and shall be mailed to those with voting privileges not less than three days in advance of the meeting.
6. A quorum of 50% of the voting members shall be required to conduct business.
7. Action shall be by a majority of those voting at a meeting at which a quorum is present.
8. Meetings of the faculty shall be governed by the rules contained in the most recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

Article VI: Officers of the Faculty Meetings

1. There shall be four officers of the faculty: the President, Provost and chair of the Faculty Council, all of whom may serve as chair of Faculty Meetings under the conditions described in Article V, item #4, and the secretary.
2. All officers shall retain their voting privileges.
3. A Secretary shall be elected for the following academic year during the preceding spring semester.
4. A Parliamentarian shall be appointed by the Provost annually.

Article VII: Faculty Council

1. The faculty shall annually elect a Faculty Council, and its chair and vice chair.
2. The primary functions of the Council are to ascertain the concerns of the faculty and to develop programs of improvement at the direction of the faculty. The Council serves as an informational body, to which any faculty member may bring issues of interest. The Council formulates recommendations or brings issues of interest to the faculty meetings for discussion and appropriate action. The Council reflects, when necessary, general faculty opinion on behalf of the faculty on such issues as faculty compensation, evaluation, social activities, and spiritual vitality. The Council also acts on behalf of the faculty in communicating matters of faculty concern to the Board of Trustees through its representative to the Board.
3. The chair of the Faculty Council shall preside in the faculty meetings when matters under consideration are being referred to the faculty from the Council.
4. The chair of the Faculty Council shall function ex officio as one of the faculty representatives to the Board of Trustees.

Article VIII: Agenda Committee

1. The Agenda Committee shall consist of the President of the University, the Provost, the chair of the Faculty Council, and the secretary of the Faculty.
2. The Agenda Committee shall be responsible for establishing and approving the order of business for each regular faculty meeting.
3. The secretary of the Faculty shall send announcements of regular meetings and an agenda in advance of the meetings to each faculty member.

Article IX: Committees

1. The committee structure shall be designed to expedite the ongoing business of the University, delegate responsibility and obtain the maximum involvement of the faculty in the total program, communicate policy and procedures to all, and secure the best counsel in all interests and projects of the institution.
2. There shall be two distinct types of standing committee assignments:
   1. Faculty committees reporting to the faculty or a body thereof. These committees are described in the document "Standing Committees of the Faculty."
   2. Institutional committees reporting to the Administrative Cabinet or an individual administrator. Administrative committees are outside the jurisdiction of the faculty.
3. For issues that arise which are not appropriate for consideration by an existing committee, an ad hoc committee may be created by the President, the Provost, the administration, the Faculty Council, the faculty, or committees thereof.
4. Fundamentally, the functions of committees are delegated responsibility. All actions taken as policy making/recommending are to be reported back to the faculty for final action unless otherwise indicated by the delegation of responsibility. Those groups indicated within the organization as councils are advisory and shall report back to the individual administrator or body specified by their title.
5. Except when the membership of a faculty committee is indicated as ex officio or by appointment, committee vacancies shall be filled by annual vote of the faculty, in accordance with the prescribed composition of each committee.

Article X: Faculty-Institution Legal Relationships

Legal matters pertaining to relations between individual faculty members and the institution, such as Terms and Conditions of Contract, Grievance Procedures, Promotion and Tenure, and Sabbaticals and Leaves, are specified in appropriate sections of the Faculty Handbook.

Article XI: Amendment

Amendments to the Constitution shall become effective when approved by a two-thirds vote of the faculty voting at a meeting announced for this purpose two weeks in advance and by the Board of Trustees.

Article XII: Bylaws

Bylaws may be adopted to implement, not amend, this Constitution. Bylaws may be proposed by any faculty member. To be considered, proposed bylaws must be submitted in writing to the Faculty Council or the Provost. The secretary of the Faculty shall circulate the proposed bylaws in writing to all voting members of the faculty at least thirty days prior to the time of consideration. Such bylaws become effective when approved by a two-thirds majority of the faculty voting.

Article XIII: Adoption

This Constitution shall be adopted upon affirmative vote of a majority of the faculty of the University at a meeting announced for this purpose two weeks in advance, and the approval of the Board of the Trustees.