Faculty Handbook Revisions: Minor Changes and Full Approval

Effective Date

Senate passed June 2, 2025. 

Signed by the University President under delegated authority from the Board of Trustees on August 1, 2025.

Background

In October 2023, the Faculty Senate approved a charge to create an Ad Hoc Committee to revise the Faculty Handbook for a number of reasons.

First, several years ago, the Board of Trustees (BOT) noted that there were sections of the Faculty Handbook that should not require BOT approval.  This first originated around discussions of sections of the handbook related to voting rights for NTT faculty, but in further discussions it is apparent that the BOT feels it is unnecessary for them to regularly approve certain matters that it sees as best left to the discretion of the faculty and the Faculty Senate. Oher reasons included the fact that the Faculty Handbook had not been reviewed/updated since 2008, so it is in some places simply outdated and/or inconsistent with the practices that have been adopted since that time, and that some of the practices described in the Handbook overlap with parts of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).  

Since that time, the Ad Hoc Committee has engaged in a comprehensive review of the Faculty Handbook and proposed to the Faculty Senate any modifications and/or updates that it sees as desirable. Due to the scope of work, the Faculty Senate has voted to approve the Handbook in sections, with the understanding that the full document would be voted on in its entirety after review by the AAG and final minor corrections.

Senate approvals to date include:

Senate Action

On June 2, 2025, the Senate considered and approved a series of amendments brought to the floor from Senate Executive Council, all of which passed by consent or by unanimous vote.

Following adoption of the amendments, President Slouber summarized a meeting between Senate President-Elect/Vice President McPhee-Shaw, Handbook Committee Chair Dupont, President Randhawa, and Provost Johnson in which Administration raised concerns from the Assistant Attorney General (AAG) about the Section IV (Creation, Elimination, or Merger) and Constitution, Section I (Appeals). The Provost stated that the AAG had concerns about Section IV language, such as “must” and “shall,” that could be viewed as contract language. Concerns were raised that the AAG is overstepping because curriculum is not subject to bargaining and about time and effort spent on drafting the language. Senators discussed several options to address the concerns, including amending the language, tabling the Handbook or this section until Fall Quarter, or moving forward with the language as previously approved by the Senate. 

President Randhawa summarized the concerns raised by the AAG regarding the appeals language in the Handbook, which involve a question about whether the appeals would apply to items covered by the CBA. There was a comment that there is language in the Constitution stipulating that the Handbook applies only to items not covered by the CBA. 

A motion from Senate Executive Council to approve the Consolidated Faculty Handbook without making changes flagged by the AAG passed unanimously.

The revised Faculty Handbook, following adoption by the Senate, will be submitted to the University President for final approval, under delegated authority by the Board of Trustees.