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I. Delegations of Responsibility from the Earlham Bylaws adopted 2021

Fundamental responsibility for the operations of Earlham College rests, by law, with the Earlham Board of Trustees. The Earlham Bylaws, which are enacted by the Board of Trustees, set the basic framework of governance at the college. Article III of the Earlham Bylaws delegates responsibilities to the President. This article reads as follows: 

RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE PRESIDENT

“The President shall be Earlham’s Chief Executive Officer and the chief adviser to and executive agent of the Board of Trustees. The President shall be selected and approved by the Board of Trustees and shall continue in office at the pleasure of the Board. His or her authority shall be vested through the Board of Trustees and shall include responsibility for all educational and managerial affairs. The President shall have the ultimate administrative authority to make and implement decisions on behalf of Earlham and the Board of Trustees, consistent with Board policies and direction and with the best interests of Earlham, and shall have the authority to execute all documents on behalf of Earlham and the Board in the performance of the President’s duties. As the Chief Executive Officer, the President shall be responsible for implementing all Board policies, recommending actions to be taken by the Board including approval of budgets and granting of tenure, keeping the Board informed on appropriate matters, consulting with the Board in a timely manner on matters appropriate to its policy-making and fiduciary functions, and serving as Earlham’s authorized spokesperson.” (Earlham Bylaws, Article III, Section 2, part a)

RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER

“The Chief Academic Officer shall, under the general direction of the President and working closely with Faculty committees and representatives, be responsible for all matters of personnel management affecting the teaching Faculty, including the recruitment of Faculty and the processes for appointment, retention, promotion, and tenure. The Chief Academic Officer is responsible, working closely with the Faculty, for the development of educational policy and curriculum strategy, and with the Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer, for the development of departmental and program budgets.” (Earlham Bylaws, Article III, section 2 part b)

RESPONSIBILITIES FOR CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER AND TREASURER

“The Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer shall be responsible for the financial and business affairs of Earlham with such responsibilities and authority as the President shall designate from time to time with the approval of the Board. The Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer is the chief administrative officer of Earlham reporting directly to the President and having such responsibilities and authority as the President shall designate from time to time with the approval of the Board.  Unless the Board otherwise determines in its discretion, the Chief Financial Officer shall exercise the responsibilities and authority of the President in case of a vacancy in that office and during a period of the President’s absence or incapacity.  The President may appoint one or more Assistant Treasurers to whom some of the duties of the Treasurer may be delegated.“ (Earlham Bylaws, Article III, section 2, part c)

RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF RELIGION

“The Dean of the Earlham School of Religion shall serve as the principal administrative officer of the School of Religion under the general direction of the President and shall have the authority and responsibility which normally accompanies such office. The Dean of the School of Religion shall report regularly to the Board on the programs, finances, and other activities of the School of Religion. (Earlham Bylaws, Article III, section 2 part d)

RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE VICE PRESIDENTS

“Other Vice Presidents of Earlham shall serve for such terms and have such authority and responsibilities as the President shall determine from time to time.“ (Earlham Bylaws, Article III, section 2 part e)

RESPONSIBILITIES FOR OTHER OFFICERS

“The Board may establish other officers as it may deem prudent. Each other officer of the Corporation shall perform such duties as the Board of Trustees or the President may prescribe.“ (Earlham Bylaws, Article III, section 2 part f)

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II. Faculty Meeting

A. CONDUCT OF BUSINESS

The Faculty Meeting exercises the plenary powers of the Faculty.  In the conduct of business, it makes decisions and formulates recommendations through a process of consensus decision-making.  The Faculty meeting may delegate its responsibilities to college committees it creates.

Draft minutes will be distributed via email in advance of approval. Normally, we will continue to read the minutes aloud for approval. The Clerk has the power to waive the reading aloud in situations where the press of other business appears to require it. Notice will be sent out with the agenda. Approval will be asked on the basis of the written minutes thus distributed. Individual Faculty members have the right to call for full or partial reading of the minutes, if needed.. (1-25-2017). As a reliable historical record, the minutes should reflect actual utterances rather than what was later stated as a speaker’s intent. (FM 9-23-2015).

B. OFFICERS

1. Clerk of the Faculty 

The Clerk of the Faculty sets the agenda and presides at faculty meetings, and works with the Recording Clerk on minutes of the Faculty Meeting.  The Clerk convenes Convenors Lunch and attends Board Meetings on behalf of the Faculty. Term is one year, with a possible one-year extension. 

2. Recording Clerk of the Faculty 

The Recording Clerk of the Faculty records faculty discussion and action, notifies all involved when faculty action has been taken, maintains faculty minutes, and notifies faculty committees of reports and evaluations which are to be made to the faculty meeting.  Term is one year, with a possible one-year extension.

C.  OBSERVERS AND VISITORS

1. The Faculty invites Earlham Student Government to appoint one student as an observer to attend Faculty Meetings, and invites Employee Council to name one staff member as an observer.  The editor of the Earlham Word is also invited to attend Faculty Meetings as an observer.  [FM 9-27-1977; 10-23-1979; 3-31-1981; 9-20-1983]

2. Normally, the Clerk will invite student and staff members of committees to attend a Faculty Meeting when the committee to which they belong is making a report or recommendation. 

3. The Clerk may invite others to attend Faculty Meetings as visitors. 

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III. College Committees

A. CREATION OF COLLEGE COMMITTEES

1.  Standing committees

All standing college committees are created by the Faculty. In acting to create a committee, the Faculty will establish the charge for the committee, its composition, and the manner of appointment or election.  The Faculty elects members for two college committees: Nominating Committee and Faculty Affairs Committee. Rules for election of these committees are stated in an appendix to this document.  [FM 3-26-1985, 2-1-1989]  For all other college committees, Faculty members are appointed through nomination by the Nominating Committee and approval by the Faculty. 

2.  Committee composition

a. The normal term of a faculty appointment to a college committee is three years.  Exceptions to this norm are designated under the appropriate committees.  Nominating Committee occasionally recommends appointments for periods that differ from the normal term.  These exceptions are usually in response to cases in which filling mid-term vacancies would compromise continuity or schedule future simultaneous terminations of a majority of the faculty on a committee.  [FM May 1983]

b. The unqualified term ‘faculty’ when used in the composition of a committee refers to the entire pool of Teaching Faculty, Administrative Faculty Who Also Teach, and Administrative Faculty from which we draw nominees.  Under some committees,  the pool is more specifically limited to subsets by Division,  by Administrative or Teaching, etc.  [FM May 1983]

c. “Ex-officio” status on a committee is taken to mean that a member holding a position so designated normally ought not serve as the convener of that committee.  This is especially important in those situations where a committee acts in an advisory capacity to the member holding that office.  [FM May 1983]

d. The President is an ex-officio member of all college committees. 

e. There are student members of all college committees except for committees that make decisions about student standing,  committees that are involved in making judgments about individual members of the faculty or staff.  Student members of committees are chosen through Student Government nominating procedures.

f. When staff members are included on a committee, they are selected by Employee Council.

g. Faculty, student and staff members of committees are of equal status; and, unless otherwise stated, may participate in forming a consensus or serve as convener. 

3. Self-perpetuating committees

Self-perpetuating committees originate by a variety of means, though usually at the formal initiation of the President of the College or the Provost.  Their members are not appointed by recommendation of the Nominating Committee to the faculty meeting.  The activities of these committees seem to cease when common sense so dictates.  [FM May1983]

4. Ad hoc committees

a. From time to time, either the President or the Faculty may create ad hoc committees to accomplish special purposes.  The charge and composition of these ad hoc committees are stated when they are created, and these ad hoc committees are dissolved when they complete the task for which they were created.

b. Within the terms of their charge, committees may create ad hoc sub-committees to further their work.  Final decisions or recommendations should be made by the full committee. 

B. COMMITTEE PROCESS

1. All college committees shall choose a convener from among their members and communicate the name of the convener to the Nominating Committee and the Academic Dean.  The means of selection is left to the committee. In cases where a committee is advisory to or has oversight over an administrative unit, representatives of the administrative unit who serve on the committee may not serve as convener.

2. All college committee meetings are normally open to any members of the college community who wish to attend, except Faculty Affairs Committee. Faculty Interview and Search Committee, and Nominating Committee.  Because of the personal nature of the information discussed these meetings are closed unless someone is expressly invited to attend because they have information the committee wants. Those who choose to attend may observe, but not participate in the discussion unless asked to do so by the committee.  Attenders are also not to be part of consensus decisions reached by the committee in the course of carrying out its business.  In rare instances, committees may choose to go into executive session when only members of the committee will be present during a meeting.  Normally, committees meet in executive session when they are considering cases involving individual persons. 

3. All committee conveners shall prepare and circulate agendas to the committee membership prior to each meeting.  In addition, committees should prepare longer-range agendas for their work over a semester or academic year, and make these agendas available to the clerk of the faculty for possible wider publication to the college community and for the planning of business to be brought to the faculty.

4. Committee decisions are to be reached by a process of consensus that is respectful of the roles and persons of all committee members.

5. All committees shall keep minutes and publish these minutes in the manner determined by the Nominating Committee.  Copies of committee minutes should be posted to the designated college web site (Box, Moodle, WebDB, etc.) and sent to the College Archives.  Furthermore, student members of committees are encouraged to communicate actions that affect students to Student Government.

6.  Committees decide what items they should bring to the Faculty Meeting for information or decisions in consultation with the Clerk of the Faculty.  Committees that are advisory to administrative offices and services report their deliberations to the office or director of the service.

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IV. Faculty Appointments

A. TEACHING FACULTY

1. Consideration of the addition, elimination or reallocation of teaching faculty positions should follow procedures for such matters approved by the Faculty. (FM 11-1-1989, 12-8-2010, )

2. The process and criteria for appointment, promotion, tenure, termination and dismissal are stated in the Faculty Handbook, which is approved by the Faculty, the President and the Board of Trustees.  Changes in the Faculty Handbook require approval of the Faculty, the President and the Board of Trustees

3. “Earlham’s President is responsible for the appointment and contract renewal of Earlham’s teaching faculty and for recommendations to the Earlham Board of Trustees for tenure.   That responsibility is exercised in the context of receiving advice and recommendations from the Faculty Affairs Committee (FAC) and the Student Faculty Affairs Committee (SFAC).  Along with the five elected members of FAC, the Academic Dean fully participates ex officio in FAC deliberations, consensus seeking, and minute writing.”  [Faculty Handbook section A]

4.  “The Earlham Board of Trustees approves tenure and promotion recommendations for teaching faculty, as specified in the college by-laws.  In so acting, the Board does not seek to replace the professional judgment of peers and academic administrators but seeks only to satisfy itself that correct procedures have been followed.”  [Faculty Handbook section A]

B. ADMINISTRATIVE FACULTY

1. There should be consultation with the Budget Advisory Committee before any additions are made of administrative faculty positions.

2. “In appointing and renewing administrative faculty, the President may share this responsibility with the appropriate administrative department head.  For many administrative positions, appointments are made after a broadly constituted search committee has submitted its recommendations.”  [Faculty Handbook section A]

3. Within the guidance provided in the Faculty Handbook, the President may establish additional procedures for the appointment and evaluation of administrative faculty. 

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V.  Mission and Degree Programs

A. MISSION 

The mission of Earlham College will be set by the Board of Trustees on recommendation of the Faculty.

B. DEGREE PROGRAMS

Degree programs in support of the mission of Earlham College will be approved by the Board of Trustees on recommendation of the Faculty. 

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VI. B.A. Program

A. ACADEMIC DIVISIONS, DEPARTMENTS, PROGRAMS

1. Academic Divisions

Divisions are groups of disciplinarily related Departments. The Divisions are Humanities, Natural Science, Social Science and Fine Arts. While some Academic Divisions organize themselves regularly for business, Academic Divisions have no formal responsibilities in the governance structure.  Academic Divisions are available for consultation on matters that particularly affect them. Academic Divisional representation is used in the nominating process to ensure an array of disciplinary perspective on committees where this is deemed important.

2. Academic Departments

Academic Departments and interdisciplinary programs are the planning units responsible for Departmental Majors and Minors and for filling in the staffing and curricular details of the academic program in specific subject areas.   In regular Unit Reports submitted to the Academic Dean, Academic Departments develop the curricular offerings and staffing arrangements for these offerings. Academic Departments operate within the framework of policies established by the Faculty through the Curricular Policy Committee, and by the President through the authorization of tenure lines. Academic Departmental recommendations concerning the curriculum are directed to the Faculty also through the Curricular Policy Committee.

Academic Departments and interdisciplinary programs also have specific responsibilities for recommendations concerning hiring, contract renewal, and tenure of faculty. These recommendations are made in accordance with Section E of the Faculty Handbook.

3. Academic Programs

Academic Programs function in the same manner as Academic Departments with regard to the academic program, with specific responsibility for Interdisciplinary Majors and Minors.

Those Academic Programs that are the primary appointment for individual members of the faculty function in the same manner as Academic Departments with regard to hiring, contract renewal, and tenure of these faculty.

B. COLLEGE COMMITTEES CONCERNED WITH THE B.A. PROGRAM

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VII. Graduate Programs in Education

The Graduate Programs in Education offer the degrees of Masters of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) and Masters of Education (M.Ed.).

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VIII. Community Life

A. NON-ACADEMIC AFFAIRS OF THE COMMUNITY

These responsibilities have been delegated by the faculty, with the concurrence of the Board, to the Campus Life Advisory Committee, which is composed of students, faculty, staff and administrators.  Actions of the Campus Life Advisory Committee are subject directly to review and approval by the President of the College.  Student Government and all student organizations and activities operate within the framework of policies and procedures approved by the Campus Life Advisory Committee.  (FM, BM 02-1977)  Copies of such policies and procedures are available in the office of the President, the Dean of Student Development, and on the Earlham website. 

B. PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF THE EARLHAM COMMUNITY

Expectations of the conduct of community members — students, teaching and administrative faculty, and staff – are stated in Principles and Practices of the Earlham College Community, whichis approved by the Student Government, the Faculty, the President and the Board of Trustees, and is periodically reviewed and revised. 

C. COLLEGE COMMITTEES CONCERNED WITH COMMUNITY LIFE

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IX. Administrative Matters

A. COLLEGE COMMITTEES CONCERNED WITH ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS

In the conduct of their responsibilities, the Vice Presidents and Deans who lead the major administrative divisions of the college are expected to consult broadly before making important decisions.  With regard to some matters, the Faculty may create standing college committees to serve as the established body with which the administrative officer is expected to consult. 

B. STAFF CONCERNS AND COMMUNICATION

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X. Board-Faculty Relations

A. BOARD LIAISONS (STATEMENT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, APRIL 2018)

As a Quaker college, we strive to listen deeply to all voices. At the heart of our decision-making process is an inclusive approach that discerns the way forward after hearing all perspectives.

Earlham faculty and staff have a significant stake in board decisions, and they have important insight and perspectives to offer on key strategic issues to which the Board should be attuned. Listening directly to faculty and staff perspectives in its deliberations may strengthen the Board’s decisions, build trust, help avoid misperceptions, and lead to a better-aligned organization.

In a shared governance model, teaching and administrative faculty have the lead role in shaping the curriculum and supporting students on campus. The trustees, on the other hand, hold the financial and strategic responsibility. During times of change and challenge it is important that both constituents fully understand each other’s motivations and rationale for decisions.

Having faculty and hourly staff representatives observe the Board Meeting and report back to the campus has long been the practice for interaction. But it has become clear that there is a need to reevaluate and improve on that process. To that end, we have had extensive conversation among the Board, faculty and administration over the past several years on how to build a model that can best facilitate collaboration. After much listening and discussion, the Nominating and Governance Committee now makes the following recommendation to broaden and improve our collaborative process:

• The Clerk of the Faculty, and three additional members of the Earlham College teaching or administrative faculty will serve as liaisons to Board Committees.

• In addition, the Clerk of the Faculty and one of the Earlham College faculty Board liaisons will also serve as observers of the Board Meeting. One member of the ESR teaching faculty, and one member of the Earlham College hourly staff will serve as liaisons to Board Committees and observers of the Board Meeting. Two students will continue to serve as observers of the Board Meeting.

The above-stated process replaces the previous system of having two faculty, one hourly staff and two students serve as Board observers.

The Nominating and Governance Committee will accept nominations from the College’s Nominating Committee, the Employee Council, and the Dean of ESR for these positions. Nominated individuals should have experience or expertise relevant to a Board committee. For the three teaching and administrative faculty positions (other than the Clerk), the Board will consider nominations approved through the regular nominating process in faculty meeting. The Board Governance and Nominating Committee reserves the right to give final approval of nominated liaison

Board liaisons are invited to attend the Opening Session of the Board Meeting and will each be assigned, based on their experience and expertise, to attend two of the following committee meetings (one that meets in the morning and one that meets in the afternoon): Academic Affairs, Property and Finance, ESR, Institutional Advancement, Enrollment and Marketing, and Campus and Community Life.

• Board liaisons will not participate in the Executive Sessions (unless by invitation).Board liaisons will not participate in decisions, but will have access to the same pre-meeting committee materials as trustee committee members, except for materials pre-designated for executive session. In cases where committees need to consider a confidential issue, the board liaisons will be excused from the meeting.

• Board liaisons will not publicly discuss or report on committee meetings, and it is expected that sensitive discussions will be treated appropriately. The practice of observers publicly reporting their perspectives on only the full Board Meeting will continue.

• Board liaisons will serve three-year terms, with initial terms for teaching and administrative faculty staggered from one to three years.

• Board liaisons should not function as representatives of departments or constituents. Like trustees, they are not to come to meetings with prepared statements or rigid positions; rather, they are there to listen, engage in the process as appropriate and seek the way forward with the rest of the committee.

• All newly appointed Board liaisons will be expected to attend new board orientation during the October Board meeting of their first term.

Additional administrative or teaching faculty, other than the board liaisons will, when necessary, continue to be asked to participate in Board meetings, share insights or make presentations during various committee or other Board sessions.

 (FM 8-29-2019)