Grossman School of Business Bylaws | Grossman School of Business | The University of Vermont(title)

These bylaws provide a framework for decision-making and organization behavior while also maintain as much flexibility and collegiality as possible in the achievement of the objectives of the Grossman School of Business.

These bylaws, prepared and adopted by the faculty of the Grossman School of Business, govern the affairs of the School in accordance with the provisions set out in the articles that follow. These bylaws and any subsequent amendments shall be consistent with all applicable sections of the University's Officers' Handbook. In the event of any conflict or inconsistency, the University regulations shall prevail.

Article 1. Organization
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1.1 The Grossman School of Business is one of the basic degree-granting units of the University of Vermont.

1.2 The academic programs of the School of Business Administration consist of the Undergraduate Bachelor of Science, the Master of Accountancy and the Master of Business Administration.

1.3 The chief executive and administrative officer of the School shall be the Dean, who is responsible to the Provost and the President of the University for administration of the School and shall be the agent of the Faculty for the execution of University and School policy and the accomplishment of School objectives. (Section 152.3, UVM Officers' Handbook.) The powers and duties of the Dean shall include recommendation of faculty appointments, reappointments, promotions and tenure, development of the School budget with the advice of the Faculty and appointment of members of School committees as described following Article 7 of these Bylaws. Each academic year, the Dean shall be responsible for conducting reviews of the statement of the School's mission and objectives and progress towards fulfilling them. In conducting these reviews, the Dean will consult with the appropriate stakeholders including faculty, Dean's Student Advisory Committee and the Board of Advisors of the Grossman School of Business.

1.4 The Dean may make administrative appointments as is deemed necessary. These appointments, except for classified employees, are subject to the advice of the Faculty and the approval of the President and the Board of Trustees.

Article 2. Mission and Objectives
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View our mission and strategic plan.

Article 3. Faculty
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3.1 Composition The Faculty of the Grossman School of Business shall include:

a. The President of the University and the Provost.

b. The Dean of the Grossman School of Business

c. Emeriti faculty of the Grossman School of Business

d. Faculty members of the Grossman School of Business with the rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor and lecturer, full-time, part-time or visiting, including adjunct. (Section 156.1, UVM Officers' Handbook.)

3.2 Voting Membership in the Grossman School of Business shall include persons having a full-time University of Vermont appointment as Officer of Instruction or Officer of Research.

Persons holding full-time visiting appointments as Officer of Instruction or Officer of Research and whose term of appointment is at least two years or who have held a visiting appointment for more than two years shall be entitled to vote.

3.3 Faculty Recruiting for each open faculty position shall be the responsibility of the Faculty through an ad hoc committee appointed by the Dean. The Dean shall be responsible for administrative matters in the recruiting process.

a. Each ad hoc recruiting committee shall consist of no fewer than three faculty members, with no fewer than two faculty members with teaching or research interests in the same areas as or in an area related to the open position.

b. The primary responsibility of each committee will be to screen the applicant pool to determine the candidates to be interviewed by the Faculty as a whole.

c. In addition, the committee will advise the Dean on the dissemination of information about the opening and appropriate arrangements for each candidate's visit. The committee will also assist in the development of this pool of applicants.

3.4 Initial Appointment of Faculty Members Recommendations for the initial appointment of faculty members shall be made by the voting Faculty as a whole to the Dean for consideration and action.

3.5 Recommendation for Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure of Faculty Members, Reappointment/Promotion of Officers of Research, and Reappointment/Promotion of Full Time Lecturers

After consultation with all other faculty members, recommendation for reappointment, tenure, or promotion of faculty members shall be made in writing by the Faculty Standards Committee, or a subcommittee thereof, to the Dean for consideration and action. (Section 231, UVM Officers' Handbook).

a. Recommendations shall include: (i) The results of a vote by faculty present for deliberation, either in person or remotely in real-time. A quorum shall consist of at least 50 percent of the FSC’s voting membership. If the discussion of a case goes beyond one FSC meeting, only the members present (in person or over the telephone/videoconferencing) at the time when the vote is called can cast their vote. (ii) a summary of the opinions expressed in the Faculty Standards Committee meeting. Opinions will not be attributed to individuals.

b. The Dean of the School of Business, or his or her designee, will provide a copy of the written summary of opinions to the candidate being reviewed. The candidate will sign a copy acknowledging receipt of the report.

c. Recommendations for reappointment, tenure, and promotion to the rank of Associate Professor of faculty members, reappointment/promotion of Officers of Research and reappointment/promotion of full time lecturers shall be made by the Faculty Standards Committee.

d. Recommendations for promotion to the rank of Professor shall be made by a subcommittee of the Faculty Standards Committee consisting of all Professors.

Article 4. Meetings
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4.1 Meetings

The Faculty of the Grossman School of Business shall normally meet monthly but at least three times during each semester, according to a schedule announced at the beginning of the academic year. Special meetings may be called by the President, the Dean or upon request of at least twenty percent of the voting members of the Faculty, and shall be announced at least one week in advance with a statement of the purpose of the meeting. The President or Dean may call emergency meetings with less than the one week notice.

4.2 Presiding Officer

The Dean of the School, or someone designated by the Dean, shall preside at all faculty meetings, unless the President is present and presides.

4.3 Secretary of the Faculty

The Dean shall appoint a Secretary of the Faculty from among the resident faculty and staff whose duty it shall be to keep a permanent record of its proceedings. An agenda, together with pertinent supporting materials, shall be distributed to faculty members at least 3 working days prior to each meeting, and minutes shall be provided to faculty members no later than four weeks after each faculty meeting.

4.4 Quorum

A quorum shall consist of more than 50 percent of eligible faculty. Faculty on sabbatical or on leave may optionally participate; otherwise they are not included for purposes of recognizing the quorum.

4.5 Voting

All voting shall take place within the time period specified for the meeting.

4.6 Rules of Order

Meetings shall be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order, except as superseded by these Bylaws. Robert's Rules of Order may be suspended by a two-thirds vote of the Faculty present.

Article 5. Nominations and Elections
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5.1 Elections

Elections shall be held for membership on all University committees as specified in Section 7.121 b, d, and e of the Faculty Senate Constitution and Bylaws and School committees as specified in Section 5.1.c of these bylaws.

a. Elections for membership on standing committees of the Grossman School of Business shall normally be held at the last regularly scheduled meeting of the faculty in the spring semester. Elections to fill any positions left vacant at this meeting, or to fill any positions later vacated, will be held at the next faculty meeting or at a special meeting called by the dean.

b. If a vacant position cannot be filled after two election attempts, the Dean may appoint an individual to serve on the committee.

c. Elections to the standing committees of the Faculty Senate and for senator(s) representing the Business School must take place before the end of April. Every eligible member shall be provided with the opportunity to stand for election. A secret ballot will then be conducted in accordance with the Senate Bylaws.

5.2 Nominations

The Dean’s office will determine which positions need to be filled by election. The Dean’s office will request nominations for the vacant positions in April so that the vote may be held at the May meeting. The Dean’s office will submit the names of candidates who have agreed to run for the positions. A slate of nominees will normally be distributed one week prior to the election. Additional nominations will be accepted from the floor at the meeting.

5.3 Unexpired Terms

Elected members who are unable to fulfill their committee responsibilities for a period of two months or more shall be replaced by vote of the Faculty.

Article 6. Committees of the Faculty
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6.1 Structure

a. Standing Committees. There shall be standing committees of the Grossman School of Business as specified below:

  1. Faculty Standards Committee
  2. Undergraduate Studies Committee
  3. 3. Graduate Studies Committee
  4. 4. AOL Committee

b. Ad Hoc Committees. The Dean or the Faculty may establish ad hoc committees to further the work of the Grossman School of Business. After an ad hoc committee has been in existence for two consecutive years, it shall be disbanded unless it is established as a standing committee at that time.

c. Membership

  1. Faculty members on standing committees must be voting members of the Faculty. Non-voting faculty may be members of ad hoc committees.
  2. Elected members shall be chosen by the Faculty. Appointed members shall be those appointed by the Dean.
  3. All members of committees serving ex-officio shall be non-voting members. The Dean, or the Dean's designee, shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.

d. Term of Office

  1. Except as otherwise provided for in these bylaws, members of committees may serve on the same committee for a consecutive period not exceeding two terms, after which one year must elapse before they can be reelected or reappointed to the same committee.
  2. To insure continuity of membership of a committee, an effort shall be made to not replace more than one-half of all members in any year.

e. Officers

  1. Each committee shall annually elect a Chair and a Secretary who shall keep minutes of the committee's actions.
  2. The Chair from the previous year will serve as convener for the first meeting of the committee. The Dean shall serve as convener in the Chair's absence.

f. Quorum. A quorum shall consist of a majority of the members eligible to vote on a committee.

6.2 Descriptions of Standing Committees

Statements on the organization structure and responsibilities of these committees follow Article 7 in these bylaws.

Article 7. Amendments
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7.1 Amendments to these Bylaws of the Faculty of the Grossman School of Business shall be distributed to each Faculty member at least two weeks before the next meeting and presented for action at that meeting. Amendments must be approved by a vote of at least 51 percent of the voting Faculty of the School in residence.

Faculty Standards Committee

Membership: The Faculty Standards Committee (FSC) consists of all tenured faculty members.

Chair: Individuals volunteering to serve as Chair should do expecting to fulfill the entirety of the two year term of office. The chair will be elected for a two-year term by the membership at a meeting held during the spring semester. An individual may be re-elected to serve one additional two-year successive term.

Responsibilities: 

a. Recommendations for reappointment, tenure, and promotion to the rank of Associate Professor of faculty members, and reappointment/promotion of full time lecturers shall be made in writing by the Faculty Standards Committee.

  1. The FSC Chair submits a written report to the Dean and copies all FSC members.  The report includes: (i) the results of a vote by a quorum of the FSC faculty physically or virtually participating in the deliberations at the time of the discussion [a quorum shall consist of at least 50 percent of the FSC’s voting membership], and (ii) a summary of the comments and evaluations expressed in the FSC meeting and/or contained in materials received from external sources.  All materials shared outside the FSC meeting will be appropriately redacted.
  2. The FSC chair will convey the results of the FSC vote and any pertinent committee observations to the candidate.

b. Recommendations for promotion to the rank of Professor shall be made in writing by a subcommittee of the Faculty Standards Committee consisting of all Professors. If the FSC Chair is at the rank of Professor, he/she shall also chair the Subcommittee. If the FSC Chair is not at the rank of Professor, the Subcommittee shall select a Chair for a two-year term.

c. The FSC shall review all challenges and requested journal additions brought under the Journal Ranking Challenge and Evaluation Process. After its review, the FSC members shall then vote to either: 1) accept the challenge or journal addition as submitted, 2) request clarification and/or additional support information from the submitter, 3) offer a counter ranking recommendation for the submitter to either accept or reject while having opportunity to provide their rationale, or 4) reject a submitted challenge to an existing ranking tier.  The FSC Chair will deliver the results of the vote to the applicant.  

d. Following the receipt of a sabbatical application, the Dean appoints a three-member Sabbatical Application Subcommittee of the FSC. This committee drafts a written report that includes its recommendation as to whether the sabbatical should or should not be approved. The draft report is discussed by and voted on by the FSC.  The FSC Chair will deliver a written report including voting results to the Dean and applicant.

Undergraduate Studies Committee

Membership: The Undergraduate Studies Committee shall be composed of the Dean and Director-Undergraduate Programs, ex-officio, two faculty members elected by the Faculty and one faculty member appointed by the Dean.

Chair: The chair will be elected by the committee membership annually.

Term of Office: Members shall be elected or appointed for three year terms with one of the elected members or appointed being selected each year.

Responsibilities: Serve in an advisory capacity to the faculty regarding:

  • Curriculum design
  • AACSB compliance (except AOL Committee responsibilities)
  • Individual course approval(s) and changes in existing courses

Act on student petitions to:

  • Waive a pre-requisite requirement
  • Waive a required course
  • Substitute courses

Independent study petitions

Review cases of students eligible for dismissal

Other duties as requested by the faculty

Graduate Studies Committee

Membership: The Graduate Studies Committee shall be composed of the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, ex-officio, two faculty members elected by the Faculty and one faculty member appointed by the Dean. One of the three members must be from the accounting faculty.

Chair: The chair will be elected by the committee membership annually.

Term of Office: Members shall be elected or appointed for three year terms with one of the elected or appointed members being selected each year.

Responsibilities: 
Serve in an advisory capacity to the faculty regarding:

  • curriculum design;
  • AACSB compliance (except AOL Committee responsibilities);
  • individual course approval(s) and changes in existing courses (only when new courses are added, courses are dropped, and/or learning objectives change to a course).

Review graduate admission procedures to ensure compliance with approved standards and processes, including how they were applied, and also review cases in which applicants were accepted who did not meet the criteria.

Act on student petitions to:

  • appeal an administrative decision,
  • study independently,
  • waive a pre-requisite requirement,
  • waive a required course,
  • substitute courses.

The GSC will review the criteria for deeming a student to be in academic jeopardy and ensure a process is implemented to track and advise such student.

Other duties as requested by the faculty.

AOL Committee

Membership. The AOL committee shall be composed of the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs, ex-officio, two faculty members elected by the Faculty and one faculty member appointed by the Dean. Preferably members should not be from the Graduate Studies Committee or the Undergraduate Studies Committee.

Chair. The chair will be elected by the committee membership annually.

Term of Office. Members shall be elected or appointed for three year terms with one of the elected or appointed members being selected each year.

Responsibilities
Serve in advisory capacity to the faculty regarding:

  • Assurance of learning (AOL) objectives and goals adoption
  • Assessment process
  • “Closing the loop” process

Other duties as requested by the faculty.

Honors Day Steering Committee (HDSC)

Membership. The HDSC committee shall be composed of three faculty members elected by the Faculty with support from the Center for Student Success.

Chair. The chair will be elected by the committee membership annually.

Term of Office. Members shall be elected for three year terms.

Responsibilities
Manage processes pertaining to student awards and Honors Day including:

  • obtaining the nomination materials used in decision making
  • soliciting nominations from faculty
  • thoroughly reviewing nomination materials
  • communicating recommendations made by subsets of faculty for each concentration/theme award
  • making and presenting recommendations for the overall awards
  • facilitating the faculty voting process
  • communicating with nominees and recipients
  • evaluating proposals for new awards, process improvements and changes to Honors Day ceremony

Amended: April 2001, September 2003, November 2005, April 2008, April 2010, March 2012, February 2014, February 2016, March 2021.