Bylaws

College of Engineering Staff Council Bylaws, Standing Rules and Procedures

(Adopted Fall 2005, amended: Spring 2023, Spring 2018, Spring 2014, Spring 2012, Fall 2009, Spring 2009, Fall 2006, Spring 2006)

 

Article I: Name

The College of Engineering Staff Council is the official name of the organization.

 

Article II: Philosophy

The College of Engineering Staff Council views the importance and the involvement of staff as a vital aspect in the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas.

 

Article III: Purpose

The purpose of the College of Engineering Staff Council is to promote a positive working environment through:

A) Recognition of staff achievements;

B) Encouragement and support of staff development; and,

C) Provide networking opportunitites for College of Engineering staff.

Article IV: Charge

The charge of the College of Engineering Staff Council is to promote professional development of staff members and represent the interests of the staff within the College.

 

Article V: Goals

Section 1: Staff Achievement Recognitions

A)     Employee of the Quarter

B)      Employee of the Year

 

Section 2: Recognize Staff Issues Through Guest Speakers

 

Section 3: Recognize and Support Others in the UA Community

 

Section 4: Staff Development

A)     Funding for professional development and staff training

B)      Staff retreat

 

Section 5: Social Activities (flexible schedule)

A)     Social activities are open to all staff members in non-academic positions, both appointed and hourly

    1. Annual picnic
    2. Other activities as recommended on by the Staff Council members

 

Section 6: Business Meeting

The Staff Council shall conduct an annual business meeting of all COE Staff (if necessary, may be combined with other activities).

 

Article VI: Membership

Section 1: Definition of Staff

Any person employed by, assigned to, or supporting the mission or business of the College of Engineering. This includes hourly or appointed employees in a non-faculty or non-student position whose efforts are directed towards the College of Engineering.

 

Section 2: Eligibility

Membership on the College of Engineering Staff Council is open to all staff, as defined in Section 1, and who are employed within the College of Engineering. There shall be no discrimination for reasons of religion, age, race, or color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status or disability. Any employees willing to serve on the Staff Council should obtain the permission of their supervisor.

 

Section 3: Selection of Representatives

A)     Staff Council will include representatives from each unit within the College of Engineering and two At-Large members:

1)      Biological & Agricultural Engineering

2)      Biomedical Engineering

3)      Chemical Engineering

4)      Civil Engineering

5)      Computer Science and Computer Engineering

6)      Dean’s Office/ENRC

7)      Electrical Engineering

8)      Industrial Engineering

9)      Mechanical Engineering

10)   One At-Large member from each of the following areas:

a)      Administrative/Academic Support

b)      Technical/Research Support

B)      Staff from each unit shall elect one representative from their department and vote for one at-large from their employment designation (Administrative/Academic Support or Technical/Research Support).

C)      Terms will be based on the fiscal year (beginning July 1). Terms of office shall be staggered two-year terms so the council will not be adding new members every election.

D)     The President-Elect will contact each department to initiate the election process at least six weeks prior to July 1. The President-Elect will solicit nominations from administrative staff and technical staff for the at-large positions at least six weeks prior to July 1. Ballots should be distributed no later than May 31. Should no person in a unit have at least 50% of the votes, there should be a run-off election between the top two in that employment designation. The President-Elect’s department should elect another representative for their term as President as needed.

 

Section 4: Rights

A)     All regular members of the College of Engineering Staff Council shall attend meetings, vote, and hold offices. All College of Engineering Staff Council meetings are open to any College of Engineering Staff.

 

Section 5: Vacancy

In the event of a vacancy in a Staff Council position (not holding an office), the President will name a replacement for the at-large representatives from the same group, departments will name a replacement for their representative.

 

Article VII: Officers

Officers of the College of Engineering Staff Council shall be President, President-Elect, Secretary and Treasurer.

 

Section 1: Selection of Officers

A)     Officers will be selected at the first meeting of the year by nominations from the College of Engineering Staff Council. The President will be the immediate past President-Elect.

B)      In the event that a replacement for President-Elect was appointed during the year, the elections will be for all officers – President, President-Elect, Secretary and Treasurer.

C)      The immediate past Staff Council President shall act as mentor to the current President. Should the past Staff Council President not be able to serve in this capacity the previous Staff Council President shall serve.

 

Section 2: Duties and Responsibilities

A)     Staff Council Members

1)      Willingness to organize and/or participate in all staff activities

2)      Attendance at scheduled meetings of the College of Engineering Staff Council

3)      Coordination of Special Staff Council events

4)      Facilitation of the awarding of staff awards

5)      Represent to the College administration issues affecting the staff

6)      Serve on committees as needed

 

B)      President

1)      Shall preside over all meetings of the College of Engineering Staff Council

2)      Shall be liaison between the College of Engineering Staff Council and the Dean

3)      Shall be responsible for disseminating information relevant to the staff within the College

4)      Shall be responsible for bringing staff issues to the College of Engineering Staff Council

5)      Shall prepare an annual report to be added to the minutes

6)      Shall vote only in order to break a tie

7)      Shall communicate to Dean regarding letter of recognition for Employee of the Semester and Employee of the Year

 

C)      President-Elect

1)      Shall serve in the capacity of President in the absence of the President

2)      Shall serve as President for the following year

3)      Shall be in charge of upcoming Staff Council elections

            1. Shall coordinate staff involvement in committees for special programs

 

D)     Secretary

1)      Shall keep minutes of the College of Engineering Staff Council meetings and minutes shall be made available via the Staff Council website after approval by the Staff Council.

2)      Shall keep information on webpage current

3)      Shall assist the President-Elect during elections by verifying the votes

 

E)      Treasurer

1)      Monitor the annual Staff Council budget

2)      Shall keep track of all College of Engineering Staff Council funds and maintain accurate records of receipts, transactions, and deposits in accordance with the Assistant Dean of Finance of the College of Engineering

3)      Shall present a financial report at regular Staff Council meetings

 

Section 3: Vacancies

A)     President – in the event the President is unable to complete their term, the President-Elect shall succeed to the Office for the unexpired term and shall continue in the Office of President for the following year

B)      President-Elect – in the event the President-Elect is unable to complete their term, the Officers shall appoint a replacement to serve the unexpired term. The Acting President-Elect shall not automatically succeed to the Office of President for the following term

C)      Secretary or Treasurer – in the event either the Secretary or Treasurer is unable to complete their terms, the remaining officers shall appoint a replacement for the unexpired term

 

Article VIII: Staff Awards

Section 1: Employee of the Quarter

A)     Employee of the quarter will be determined at the end of each quarter. Selection will be according to the selection guidelines procedural document attached to these bylaws.

B)      Procedural document may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the Staff Council.

C)      Contributions of the four Employees of the quarter will be considered and be the sole basis for the committee’s selection of Employee of the Year.

 

Section 2: Employee of the Year

A)     Employee of the Year will be determined at the end of the academic year.

 

Article IX: Budget and Accounts

Section 1: Staff Council Budget: (added for consistency)

A)     The Staff Council budget is proposed by the President, President-Elect and the Treasurer for approval by the Staff Council.

1)      Standing Committees need to submit a budget which includes door prize requests to Staff Council for approval and incorporate into overall budget by 31 August

2)      President will present the budget to the Dean for funding

 

Section 2: Accounts

A)     The Staff Council Treasurer will administer these funds

 

Article X: Changes to Bylaws

A)     Amendments to the College of Engineering Staff Council Bylaws may be presented by any staff member (as defined in Article VI, Section 1) to the College of Engineering Staff Council.

B)      Adoption of Amendments requires simple majority of votes cast from the College of Engineering Staff, provided that the amendment has been submitted electronically at least two weeks prior to voting. Voting can be done either electronically or at a semi-annual business meeting.

C)      Corrections to grammar and punctuation to these Bylaws, which in no way alter the intent of the Bylaws, shall be effected by the Bylaws Committee.

D)     These Bylaws and/or amendments thereto shall become effective upon vote of the staff, unless otherwise specified.

 

Article XI: Meetings

A)     The College of Engineering Staff Council shall meet once a month or as needed to conduct staff council business.

B)      The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the College of Engineering Staff Council in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the council may adopt.

 

Article XII: Committees

Section 1: Standing Committees

A)     Standing Committees of the Council are

1)      Bylaws & Standing Rules

a)      The Bylaws Committee will attend the first meeting each year to review the by-laws with the members of the Staff Council

b)      Bylaws Committee shall have three members one of which is a current member of the Staff Council

c)       Members shall serve two year terms

d)      Replacement of members shall be on a rotating schedule to maintain continuity across years.

2)      Activities and Service

3)      Awards

 

B)      Committee members and terms are for one year to coincide with the fiscal year.

 

C)      Each Standing Committee shall have in their membership at least one Staff Council member

 

D)     The Activities and Service Committees shall also be comprised of one representative from each unit

 

E)      Standing Committees shall provide a monthly report to the Staff Council

 

Section 2: Special Committees

A)     Special Committees will be appointed by the Council Officers as needed.

 

 

Procedural Guidelines for Selection of Employee of the Quarter and Employee of the Year

 

Employee of the Quarter

1. Timeline

Nominations for the Employee of the quarter will be requested by the President to the staff no later than the last day of each quarter.

 2. Processing

Nominations will be returned to the President. The President may appoint a facilitator if it is deemed needed to assist in the processing of nominations.

 

3. Eligibility

    • Nominees must be employed by the College of Engineering for at least one year.

    •  Persons who received the Employee of the quarter award are not eligible for 2 academic years before receiving the Employee of the quarter award again.

    •  Nominations will remain in the pool for one additional quarter after nominating.

    •  The President will verify eligibility of nominees.

 

4. Nominations

    •  Nomination packets are limited to the nomination form and no more than two pages of supporting documents for each nomination and can be submitted on-line or in paper form.

    • Selection committee members cannot nominate individuals while serving on the committee.

    • Nominations shall not have identifying data about the employee or the department.
    • The employee must be in good standing in the department.

 

5. Selection

Employee of the Quarter will be selected by a committee made up of:

    • The two immediate past Employees of the Year winners
    • Two faculty members (Chair of the Honors and Awards Committee and Chair of the Promotion and Tenure Committee)
    • Two department heads selected by the Dean
    • The Staff Council President will serve as Facilitator. The President may appoint a facilitator to assist in this process if deemed necessary.

6. Award

Employee of the Quarter will be awarded a certificate of appreciation by the Dean of College of Engineering or the employee’s supervisor will be asked to recognize each recipient with a personal letter.

7. Criteria

Selection of Employee of the Quarter for the College of Engineering shall be based on superior job performance and shall meet the following nomination criteria:

The nominated employee shall have made a significant contribution to his/her unit or department, or to the College of Engineering, or to the University itself. Significant contributions can be, but are not limited to, development/changes in departmental/unit processes or services, College processes or services, or University processes or services, or superior customer service that enhances the image of his/her department/unit, the College, or the University. Service above and beyond the scope of an employee’s job description is also considered a significant contribution. Outstanding service to students and faculty programs are also considered.

The nominator must, in his/her nomination, outline in detail the contribution(s) made by the individual taking into consideration what constitutes a “significant contribution.” After weighing the contributions stated in the nominations, the Selection Committee will select the Employee of the Quarter.

Selection will not be based on number of nominations for any individual but will be solely based on significant contributions

 

8. Other

 Employees of the Quarter will automatically be nominated for Staff Senate Employee of the Quarter if they are eligible according to the Staff Senate Guidelines.

 

Employee of the Year

Contributions of the four Employees of the Quarter will be considered and be the sole basis for the Committee’s selection of Employee of the Year.

 

Employee of the Year will be determined at the end of the academic year. The Selection Committee will select the Employee of the Year from the previous winners of the Employees of the Quarter with selection based on significant contributions of each of the previous winners. Employee of the Year will be awarded a certificate of appreciation, name added to the perpetual staff award plaque, and a monetary award or gift certificate at the Faculty/Staff Meeting. The Dean of the College of Engineering will be asked to recognize each nominee in this category with a personal letter.

 

The Staff Council will request that a copy of the Dean’s recognition letter be added to the individual’s departmental and U of A personnel files.