College of Engineering Bylaws

The College of Engineering Bylaws are authorized by the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) Bylaws.

The College of Engineering Bylaws provide the organizational and administrative structure and personnel policies and procedures for the faculty of the College of Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno. They shall be consistent with the University Bylaws, and Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Code, the laws of the State of Nevada and the United States. The intent of these Bylaws is to be a statement of general policy for the College of Engineering in areas not explicitly covered by the University Bylaws.

These Bylaws shall be considered as adopted and in full force and effective upon:

1. Review by the Faculty Senate.
2. Approval by two- thirds of the College of Engineering faculty eligible to vote, by secret ballot.
3. Approval by the Dean.
4. Approval by the President.

Any member of the faculty may propose amendments to the Bylaws. Proposed amendments shall be reviewed by the Faculty Senate and then submitted to the entire College faculty for their consideration. The proposed amendments shall be in force if two-thirds of the College faculty approve the amendments by a confidential process in accordance with the university bylaws, and they receive the approval of the Dean and President.

Questions of interpretation of these Bylaws shall be directed to a Bylaws Committee, which shall review the question and forward its recommendations to the Dean. The committee shall be composed of one member from each of the departments in the College. The Dean will make the final decision at the College level on questions of interpretation of the Bylaws based on the recommendations of the Bylaws Committee.

The College of Engineering’s mission is to serve the State of Nevada, the nation and the world by:

1. providing state-of-the-art education
2. conducting high quality fundamental and applied research
3. engaging in high-impact outreach activities, and
4. fostering a culture of respect, inclusiveness and diversity among students, faculty and staff.

The College of Engineering shall be divided into departments. As authorized in the UNR Bylaws, each Department faculty shall develop Bylaws, which shall not conflict with the College of Engineering Bylaws, the UNR Bylaws, or the NSHE Code providing for the organizational and administrative structure and personnel policies and procedures of the Department. In the event of a conflict, the College of Engineering Bylaws, the UNR Bylaws, and the NSHE Code shall prevail. Bylaws of a Department shall be in force upon approval by a two-thirds majority vote of the Department faculty in a written secret ballot, and after approval by the Dean.

1. The Dean

   The administrative head and executive officer of the College is the Dean. Responsibilities and duties shall be specified by the President, and shall be published in the Administrative and Procedural Manual.

2. Department Chair

   The administrative head and executive officer of each Department is the Chair. Responsibilities and duties shall be specified by the Dean and by the Department Bylaws.

3. Committees

   Each College committee shall be composed of a member from each of the departmental units and an additional member nominated by the Dean from the faculty at large. Membership on the committee will be for a period of three years with the terms of office staggered to establish continuity in the composition of the committee, and shall exclude Department Chairs

   1. Personnel Committees

      The Personnel Committee shall report all of its actions to the Dean. The principal functions of the College Personnel Committee will be to:

      1. Review all College promotion and tenure recommendations and make recommendations to the Dean of the College. Recommendations for tenure shall conform with the criteria outlined in the NSHE code.
      2. Serve as the College Peer Review Committee. In this role, the Committee shall review the College faculty evaluations after the individual departments have completed their recommendations to the Dean. Copies of the Dean's evaluation of College faculty and Department Chairs shall be made available to the Committee, which shall make recommendations to the Dean. The principal function of this Committee will be to ensure that comparable criteria and procedures were used in making the Department and College recommendations.
      3. Propose revisions to procedures used for the evaluation of the faculty in consonance with University requirements. These procedures are to be voted on by the faculty and approved by the Dean at least one year before their adoption. The procedures shall attempt to make the evaluation as objective as possible. This task must be completed in time for the departments to establish their evaluation procedures for the next year.
      4. Propose revisions to college procedures for the faculty feedback on the performance of the Dean, Associate Dean, and Department Chairs. These procedures are to be voted on by the faculty and approved by the Dean at least one year before their adoption. The procedures shall attempt to make the evaluation as objective as possible, and they shall be made available at the outset of the particular evaluation period to those being evaluated.
   2. The Curriculum Committee

      The College Curriculum Committee shall advise the Dean and the College Faculty on courses, curricula, College requirements and academic standards. The Committee shall review and evaluate proposed courses and course changes; review and evaluate programs, majors and minors; review and evaluate College degree requirements as necessary. The Committee shall advise the Dean and the faculty of its affirmative recommendations and negative decisions. The Dean shall forward the affirmative recommendations of the Committee to the University Courses and Curriculum Committee and, where appropriate, to the Graduate Council. Negative decisions of the College Curriculum Committee may be appealed by the concerned department to the Dean.

   3. Additional Committees

      The Dean may establish additional committees to meet specific needs of the College, independently or in response to a majority vote at any College Faculty Meeting. The Dean shall define the sphere of activity, scope, method of operation, and composition of such committees. The Dean may seek the Faculty’s advice in defining the sphere of activity, scope, method of operation, and composition of such committees. Members of additional committees may be appointed by the Dean, be elected, or both, depending upon the purpose of the committee.

1. Tenure

   Procedures and criteria for tenure are defined in the NSHE Code and UNR Bylaws.

2. Promotion to Rank III and Rank IV

   Departments and College units may recommend tenured and tenure-track faculty for promotion based on specified professional responsibilities and performance expectations mutually agreed to by the faculty member and the responsible agent as specified in department bylaws and outlined in the faculty member’s role statement.

   1. Promotion to Associate Professor (Rank III)

      A faculty member at Rank II shall be eligible for promotion to Rank III when he or she has established a substantial record of achievement in the following categories: teaching, research, and service. A departmental recommendation for promotion to Rank III may precede, accompany, or follow a recommendation for tenure. Such a recommendation shall include as a minimum at least an “excellent” evaluation for either research or teaching with at least a “satisfactory” ranking in the other two categories.Departments and College units shall obtain appropriate external evaluations of the faculty member’s achievements according to procedures defined in their Bylaws.

   2. Promotion to Professor (Rank IV)

      A faculty member at Rank III shall be eligible for promotion to Rank IV when he or she has established a sustained record of excellence in a professional field. The record shall document research funding, publication or creative work judged significant by peers external to the University in the field; distinguished professional service; and distinction in teaching or related activities. The record may document exceptional administrative achievement as well. Departments and College units shall obtain appropriate external evaluations of the faculty member’s achievements according to procedures defined in their Bylaws.

3. Promotion of Non-tenure Track Faculty

   Departments and College units may recommend non-tenure-track faculty for promotion based on specified professional responsibilities and performance expectations mutually agreed to by the faculty member and the responsible agent as specified in department or unit bylaws. A departmental recommendation for promotion of Rank 0 faculty shall require a rating of “excellent” in their primary responsibilities (teaching or scholarly or creative work), at least a “satisfactory” rating in service, and no rating below “satisfactory.” Departments shall obtain appropriate external reviews of Rank 0 research faculty being considered for promotion. Evaluation of promotion applications shall include the following criteria:

   1. Promotion to Rank 0(II). A non-tenure-track faculty member in Rank 0(I) shall be eligible for promotion to Rank 0(II) when he or she has demonstrated professional achievement in teaching, scholarly or creative work, and service.
   2. Promotion to Rank 0(III). A non-tenure-track faculty member at Rank 0(II) shall be eligible for promotion to Rank 0(III) when he or she has established a substantial record of achievement in teaching, scholarly or creative work, and service.
   3. Promotion to Rank 0 (IV). A non-tenure-track faculty member at Rank 0 (III) shall be eligible for promotion to Rank 0 (IV) when he or she has established a sustained record of achievement in teaching, scholarly or creative work, and service.

1. College faculty meetings shall be held at the request of the Dean, a Department Chair, or any three faculty members. The College faculty must meet at least once per semester during the academic year.
2. The Dean or his/her designee will preside over all College meetings.
3. The office of the Dean will ensure that meeting minutes are distributed to the faculty.
4. Agenda items will be distributed to the faculty at least three college working days prior to a faculty meeting.

Each Department Chair shall annually evaluate the department faculty according to the evaluation criteria approved by the COE faculty prior to the evaluation period. The evaluations shall be forwarded to the Dean.

Each department faculty shall annually provide feedback on the performance of the Chair with respect to all duties and responsibilities of the chair according to procedures recommended by the College Personnel Committee and approved by the Department faculty. This feedback shall be made available to the Chair and forwarded to the Dean.

The faculty shall annually provide feedback on the performance of the Associate and Assistant Deans with respect to all their duties and responsibilities according to procedures recommended by the College Personnel Committee and approved by the faculty. This feedback shall be made available to the individual associate and/or assistant dean and forwarded to the Dean.

The Dean shall evaluate annually the Associate and Assistant Deans in accordance with UNR Bylaws procedures.

The faculty shall provide feedback on the performance of the Dean annually according to the procedures recommended by the College Personnel Committee and faculty. The Committee shall be responsible for making the results of this review available to the Dean and forwarding it to the President for consideration.

All members of the faculty shall be evaluated and formally considered annually for merit increases. Recommendation for merit increases shall be based up on annual evaluations.

In accordance with the UNR Bylaws, the President shall appoint a faculty screening committee. The minimum membership of the committee shall consist of one member selected from each Department, one member elected from the College-at-large, and one member from outside the University. The committee can be expanded at the discretion of the President. The screening committee will make a recommendation to the President.

Before appointing associate or assistant deans, the Dean shall appoint a faculty screening committee composed of six members. Each of the departments in the College will select one member and the Dean will select the sixth member from the college faculty at large. The screening committee will make recommendations to the Dean.

A department’s faculty may make a recommendation to the dean for appointment of a department chair following procedures specified in Department Bylaws. The dean will recommend appointment of a chair to the president. The president appoints department chairs.

Recommendations for the appointment of new faculty shall originate in the Department concerned and shall follow Departmental Bylaws. Recruitment procedures shall follow the UNR Bylaws and Administrative Manual. Except in the case of emergency, recruitment shall be performed during the academic year. It is desirable that a seminar or equivalent be arranged for the candidate to present.