CONSTITUTION FOR THE
COUNCIL OF FACULTY REPRESENTATIVES
(as amended effective 1/15/06)

The Council of Faculty Representatives is hereby established for the purpose of coordinating and formulating recommendations relative to matters affecting higher education in the state colleges and universities of Washington. The Council of Faculty Representatives seeks to establish the means for providing direct communication with the Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Governor’s office, the State Legislature, the Council of Presidents, the other appropriate groups and organizations for the purposes of exchanging information on matters of mutual interest and improving the quality and delivery of higher education in Washington state.

Article I. Definition of Faculty

Section I. The Council of Faculty Representatives shall have as its membership duly designated faculty members from the state colleges and universities. Each institution shall define "faculty" in its own way, and shall choose its representatives on the Council in accordance with the concept of local determination.

Article II. Council of Faculty Representatives

Section 1. The Council of Faculty Representatives shall represent faculty members in state colleges and universities of Washington.

State colleges and universities are identified as Eastern Washington University; Central Washington University; The Evergreen State College; University of Washington; Washington State University; and Western Washington University.

Section 2. Membership on the Council of Faculty Representatives shall consist of no more than three faculty members from each state college and university. Each institution will be responsible for selecting and determining the term of office for each of its representatives.

Section 3. The Council of Faculty Representatives shall have an Executive Committee consisting of one member of the Council from each institution. The faculty of each institution shall name a chair of its delegation to the Council. The chair of each delegation shall serve automatically on the Executive Committee.

Section 4. The Council of Faculty Representatives shall elect a chair or two co-chairs to serve as its presiding officer or officers, with the term of office to begin on June 15. The term of office shall normally be two years and an individual may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms.

At its first meeting of the academic year the Council of Faculty Representatives may elect a vice chair, secretary, treasurer, and other officers as it shall determine.  The Council of Faculty Representatives may establish its own procedural rules and adopt by-laws consistent with the Council’s Constitution. It may appoint standing and ad hoc committees at its discretion.

Section 5. The Council of Faculty Representatives shall determine the frequency of its meetings. The minutes of each meeting shall be distributed to Council members as soon as possible following the meetings. It shall be the responsibility of the Council members to inform their respective faculties of Council activities.

Section 6. Statements, reports, and other public actions of the Council shall be made only after approval by a majority of the members entitled to vote with not more than one dissenting institutional vote.

Section 7. In order to fund its legislatively mandated responsibilities, the Council of Faculty Representatives shall establish and maintain a budget account with The Evergreen State College serving as fiscal agent.  Beginning January 15th, 2006, the faculty organization from each member institution shall pay dues in the amount of $500.00 per year.  Signatories to this account shall be the Chair(s) of the council and/or other designee elected by majority vote of the Executive Committee. Expenditures greater than $100.00 must be approved by majority vote of the Executive Committee (either in person or via email). Expenditures exceeding $200.00 in any calendar year must be approved by majority vote of the Executive Committee (either in person or via email).

Article III. Amendments

Section 1. Amendments to the Constitution shall require approval by majority vote of the Council members and ratification by the represented faculty bodies (e.g., Faculty Senate) with no more than one dissenting institutional vote.

Article IV. Ratification

Section 1. The Council of Faculty Representatives shall be established and this Constitution placed in force upon approval by the appropriate faculty bodies (e.g., Faculty Senate) of five of the six state colleges and universities.

Addendum: Resolutions

Resolution 1 (November 11, 2005):  It is the intent of the Council of Faculty Representatives to rotate the four-year faculty representative to the HEC Board Advisory Committee among the six member institutions, so that each term a faculty member from a different institution serves as representative.

Resolution 2 (January 13, 2006): The Council of Faculty Representatives applauds the leadership shown by the faculty of Eastern Washington University in adopting their Faculty Values Statement.  We endorse the principles articulated in that statement on academic freedom, the value of a liberal arts education, and the critical role of faculty in shaping higher education goals and policies.

Updated April 2009 Contact Site Management