UF Mathematics

Organization
and Procedures

Preamble.

This pattern is not intended to be legalistic or technical, but to give basic guidelines for the authority, responsibility, and procedures within the Department. It should function as an aid to the Department in fulfilling its responsibilities, not as an end in itself. It should allow the faculty members to concentrate their efforts on their professional activities in mathematics.

Department Organization.

The Faculty of the Department of Mathematics shall consist of all persons who are budgeted (partially or fully) in the Department and who hold a faculty titled rank of lecturer or above.

The basic administrative responsibility of the Department rests with the Chair. He carries out the procedures outlined by the College and University and acts in concert with the Steering Committee, which sets the policies and procedures for the Department.

The Steering Committee shall have a Speaker, who coordinates and communicates the activities of the steering committee to the Faculty and the chair of the Department; chairs meetings of the Steering Committee when it is not serving as an advisory committee to the chair; and chairs meetings of the Faculty when called by the Steering Committee or at the request of a vote of the Faculty as in Section I. The Steering Committee shall have a Speaker-elect, who shall carry out such duties in the Speaker's absence.

The Chair is responsible for the following items subject to the approval of the Steering Committee: recommending adjunct, permanent and visiting faculty appointments in accordance with section F of Procedures, acting as liaison with the Dean of the College, making budget recommendations, making faculty teaching assignments, and Departmental assignments (Assistant or Associate Chair, Graduate Coordinator, Undergraduate Coordinator, Committees and their Chairs, Undergraduate Student Advisors, etc.), considering leave requests, and faculty evaluations. The Chair and the Steering Committee shall keep the faculty informed of matters of Departmental interest.

In addition to the Steering Committee, there shall be the following standing committees: the Graduate Committee (responsible for the graduate program and the advising of the graduate students), the Undergraduate Committee (responsible for the undergraduate program), the Tenure and Promotion Committee (responsible for supervising promotion and tenure proceedings), and the Visitors and Colloquium Committee (responsible for recommending visiting appointments and arranging colloquium visitors). The Graduate Coordinator will act as Chair of the Graduate Committee.

The Department Chairman may form other committees as necessary subject to the approval of the Steering Committee.

Procedures.

A. Selection of the Chair.

The Steering Committee less the current retiring Chair shall implement the search procedures of the College and University for selecting a new Chair.

The term of service for the Chair shall consist of at most two three-year terms, not necessarily consecutive, with the consent of (1) the Dean of the College, (2) the Chair and (3) the faculty of the Department of Mathematics.

B. Election of the Steering Committee

The Steering Committee shall consist of seven elected members. Elections for members of the Steering Committee shall be held in April. All full-time faculty of the Department shall be eligible to vote and to be elected. The continuing members of the Steering Committee shall supervise elections, in which capacity they shall be chaired by the Speaker-elect, if that person has been elected, and by the Speaker, otherwise. The initial announcement calling for nominations shall review the nomination procedure and specify the timing and the method by which the vote will be held, and how the winners will be determined. There shall be a one-week nominating period. Nominations can be made by a single eligible faculty member with consent of the nominee. The election shall take place by secret mail ballot or by electronic voting no less than one week after nominations are closed. Each individual may vote for no more than the number of candidates to be elected. The full professor with the most votes shall be elected. The associate professor with the most votes shall be elected. If there is no continuing lecturer on the committee, then the lecturer with the most votes shall be elected. The person with the most votes of the remaining candidates shall be elected. The newly elected members shall assume their responsibilities at the beginning of the fiscal year and serve for two years. Special elections shall be held to fill vacancies.

At its first meeting of the spring semester, the steering committee shall elect, by majority vote, a Speaker-elect from among the continuing members. The Speaker-elect becomes the Speaker of the Steering Committee at the beginning of the new fiscal year and serves until the end of the fiscal year.

C. Changes in degree requirements.

Undergraduate degree requirements are recommended by the Undergraduate Committee and must be approved by the tenured or tenure-accruing faculty. Graduate degree requirements are recommended by the Graduate Committee and must be approved by the graduate faculty.

D. Course offerings.

Graduate course offerings for each term shall be determined by the Graduate Committee with approval of the Chair and Steering Committee. Undergraduate course offerings shall be determined by the Chair upon recommendation of the Undergraduate Committee and approval of the Steering Committee.

Near the end of the spring term, the Steering Committee will make available to the faculty an annual report on teaching assignments which includes the number of faculty at each rank, and lists the names of all faculty members whose course load differs from four courses split between fall and spring terms together with reasons for the deviation.

E. Promotion and Tenure.

The policies and procedures for promotion and tenure shall be determined by the Steering Committee. The Promotion and Tenure Committee shall supervise the promotion and tenure proceedings in conformance with the guidelines set up by the Steering Committee, the College, and the University.

Each spring in a year ending with 0 or 5, or more often as circumstances warrant, the Steering Committee, in consultation with the Promotion and Tenure Committee shall review the Department Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure and the Criteria for Merit Pay. Any proposed changes in the written documents will be brought to the Faculty for a vote.

F. Appointments.

All appointments shall be recommended to the Dean by the Chair according to the guidelines of the Department, College, and University. New permanent faculty appointments shall be recommended to the Chair by specially appointed search committees. Visiting appointments shall be recommended to the Chair by the Visitors and Colloquium Committee.

G. Budget.

The Chair shall recommend the Department budget to the Dean in accordance with the procedures of the College and University. He shall present a preliminary draft of the budget to the Steering Committee and bring a final draft to the Steering Committee for approval before making his recommendations to the Dean. The final budget request document sent by the chair to the Dean shall be made available to the faculty.

In October, or as soon as possible thereafter, the Steering Committee will make available to the faculty an annual report on total expenditures of the department for the preceding academic year from all sources, including foundation moneys.

H. Colloquium visitors.

Arrangements for colloquium visitors shall be handled by the Visitors and Colloquium Committee.

I. Faculty meetings.

Faculty meetings may be called by the Chair, the Steering Committee, or by petition of at least five faculty members of the Department. Such meetings may be for the dissemination of information or discussion of issues of importance to the functioning of the Department.

J. Amendments.

This document may be amended by a vote at a faculty meeting or by a mail ballot or electronic voting following a faculty meeting that included a discussion of the proposed changes. The precise wording of the amendment shall be circulated one week in advance of the vote. All full-time faculty members of the Department (including those on leave) are eligible to vote. The amendment will be approved if over fifty percent of those eligible vote in favor.

• The original version dates from pre-1985.
• Bylaws amended April 2007 (approved Oct 2006) to include a speaker for the steering committee.
• Bylaws amended and approved April 9, 2009.
  (Summary of Amendments)

• April 2007