School of Engineering Bylaws, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Bylaws

PRINT DISCLAIMER: Official version of this document is accessible in the online policy library at https://policyoffice.ku.edu/. Printed copies may not reflect the most recent updates.

DOCUMENT TYPE:

Policy

PURPOSE:

The mission of the University of Kansas Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) is to provide high quality, accredited programs of studies leading to bachelors, masters or doctoral degrees in the various academic programs of study offered by our department, and to conduct leading-edge impactful research in our disciplines.

APPLIES TO:

School of Engineering, Deptartment of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

CAMPUS:

Lawrence

POLICY STATEMENT:

I. Mission and Objectives:

Support and strengthen student scholarship and faculty research
Enhance the academic culture within the department
Continually review and enhance the curriculum to reflect the discipline
Support the recruitment and retention of talented students
Conduct and publish high-impact research in our disciplines
Support the recruitment, retention, and research activities of top faculty in areas of interest

These goals guide our department in providing the highest quality educational experience for our students and facilitate the academic and scholarly activities of our faculty.

II. Educational Policy

Educational policies for the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department are maintained on the Department’s web site and are freely accessible to the public.

Undergraduate Programs webpage

Graduate Programs webpage

III. Accreditation

EECS academic programs are accredited by two Accreditation Commissions of ABET. Computer Science (BSCS) is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission, while Electrical Engineering (BSEE) and Computer Engineering (BSCoE) are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission. ABET requires that Program Objectives for these degree programs be publicly posted on the departmental web site. These can be found at the following location on the EECS web site:

Program Objectives

IV. Department Organization

A. Department Chair

The Department Chair is elected/approved by the EECS faculty and appointed by the Dean of the School of Engineering. The Chair serves for a five-year term. At the end of the five- year term the chair will undergo an evaluation conducted by the Dean. If the evaluation is successful the term of service for the chair is extended for another five years. Chairs can only serve two consecutive five-year terms. The Department Chair serves at the pleasure of the Dean, however the Chair works for, and is responsible to the EECS faculty for the following:

Encourage, facilitate and enable the success of the faculty in teaching and in research.
Ensure that all academic programs are conducted with the highest quality.
Evaluate faculty annually for their performance in research, teaching and service activities. Provide feedback on individual evaluations.
Evaluate staff personnel annually in accordance with KU Human Relations policies and procedures.
Assign differential workload expectations (teaching, research, service) to faculty members annually.
Determine and assign pay raises to faculty and staff in accordance with guidance from the School of Engineering.
Assign office space and provide administrative support to faculty to execute their academic responsibilities.
Conduct the day-to-day business of the department and ensure that the department remains financially viable.
Work with KU Endowment, assisting them with information they need to talk to potential donors.
Execute other duties as assigned by the Dean of the School of Engineering.

B. Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies

The Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies is appointed by, and serves at the pleasure of the EECS Department Chair and is responsible for managing, coordinating and administering all undergraduate degree programs in the EECS Department. This position also includes the following responsibilities:

Serve as Chair for the Undergraduate Studies Committee.
Serve as Chair for the Accreditation Committee.
Coordinate curriculum/program accreditation activities in support of periodic ABET evaluations for all undergraduate programs.
Participate and help with recruiting, visitation and orientation activities organized by the School of Engineering.
Teach EECS 101 – Introduction to EECS every fall semester in order to provide new students with an orientation to the department and their chosen majors.
Monitor the quality of the curriculum.
Convey updates concerning the undergraduate programs – enrollments, course changes, etc. – to the faculty, advisory board and the School Curriculum Committee on a regular basis.

C. Associate Chair for Graduate Studies

The Associate Chair for Graduate Studies is appointed by, and serves at the pleasure of the EECS Department Chair and is responsible for managing, coordinating and administering all graduate degree programs in the EECS Department. This position also incudes the following responsibilities:

Serve as Chair for the Graduate Studies Committee.
Lead EECS activities in recruiting, visitation and new student orientation while coordinating with events organized by the School.
Convey updates concerning the graduate programs – enrollments, course changes, etc. – to the faculty, advisory board and the School Curriculum Committee on a regular basis.
Work with EECS Chair to maintain high academic standards for the Department’s graduate curriculum.
Teach EECS 802 – EECS Colloquium and Seminar on Professional Issues

D. Associate Chair for Edwards Campus Programs

The Associate Chair for Edwards Campus Programs is appointed by, and serves at the pleasure of the EECS Department Chair and is responsible for managing, coordinating and administering all Departmental degree programs that are delivered at the Edwards Campus in Overland Park. This position also includes the following responsibilities:

Supervise the day-to-day workload of the permanently assigned Professors of Practice and instructors that support the academic programs at the Edwards Campus.
Interface with Edwards Campus administrators to ensure that EECS faculty members have the infrastructure (i.e., classrooms, offices, educational technology, etc.) necessary to conduct academic programs.
Participate in outreach and recruiting activities in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Coordinates curriculum/program accreditation activities in support of periodic ABET evaluations for the Edward’s Campus undergraduate programs.
Work with EECS Chair and the other Associate Chairs to maintain high academic standards for the Edwards Campus programs.

V. Faculty Evaluation and Promotion

A. Expectations for Tenure and Promotion

The Department’s performance standards for tenure and promotion to Associate Professor and Professor are contained within the EECS Department Faculty Evaluation Plan, which is approved every year by the EECS faculty and is available from the Department Chair’s administrative assistant.

B. The Path to Tenure and Promotion

The path to tenure and promotion begins with the department. A mentor (for Assistant Professors) or an advocate (for Associate Professors) is assigned to help the candidate prepare the promotion package. For Assistant Professors, the mentor guides the faculty member towards the tenure point, providing advice and feedback. Each year the untenured candidate will receive feedback from the Untenured Faculty (UTF) Committee via the Department Chair. During the 3rd year of employment the untenured candidate will undergo the Progress To Tenure Review (PTTR), which requires the results of the annual evaluation by the UTF to be reported to the SoE Dean and then to the Provost.

No later than the 6^th year of employment, the untenured candidate formally submits the promotion package to the EECS faculty. Associate Professors seeking promotion are not constrained by a time limit within which they must submit their package for promotion. An Associate Professor’s promotion package may be submitted for consideration when the faculty member and advocate both agree that promotion is appropriate.

At an appropriate time during the fall semester, the Promotion and Tenure Committee as defined below meets to evaluate the untenured candidate’s package and submit a vote to endorse or oppose a recommendation for tenure and/or promotion. Candidates for Professor will be evaluated only by the Professors in the Department. At that meeting, the faculty member’s mentor or advocate presents the case for tenure/promotion and leads the faculty discussion. The faculty recommendation is sent to the Chair who endorses or opposes the faculty’s recommendation. The recommendation of the faculty and the chair are then forwarded to the School of Engineering. These activities constitute the initial review.

The intermediate review is conducted by the School of Engineering Tenure and Promotion Committee. This committee examines the packages of all faculty candidates for promotion/tenure in the School and provides recommendations to the Dean. The Dean endorses – either favorably or unfavorably – the recommendation of the School P&T Committee and forwards the candidate’s package, the results of the initial review and the results of the School review to the Provost.

The final review is conducted by the University Committee for Promotion and Tenure (UCPT). This committee reviews the candidate’s promotion packages and recommends an appropriate tenure/promotion decision to the Provost, who serves as the chair of the UCPT Committee. The Provost’s tenure/promotion recommendation is forwarded to the Chancellor and then finally to the Kansas Board of Regents.

C. Annual Faculty Evaluations

In the spring semester of each year, faculty evaluations are conducted according to the EECS Department Faculty Evaluation Plan. All faculty members submit Faculty Activity Reports that describe their accomplishments in the three primary areas of responsibility – research, teaching and service.

D. EECS Post-tenure Review

Tenured EECS faculty will be reviewed using the process defined in the EECS Post-tenure Review Policy.

E. Differential Workload Assignment

As part of the evaluation process the Department Chair and the faculty member being evaluated mutually agree on an appropriate distribution of workload. The default distribution of workload is 40% research, 40% teaching and 20% service. These percentages can be adjusted to recognize a faculty member’s desire to adjust his or her effort to focus more on research or teaching, for example. The differential workload assignment determines the faculty member’s teaching load for the upcoming academic year.

F. Allocation of Pay Raises

Assigning pay raises based on merit is the responsibility of the Department Chair. Eligibility requirements for a merit raise are determined by the School of Engineering Dean and the Department of Human Resources. The School of Engineering requires that a current Faculty Activity Report be on file in order for a faculty member to be eligible for a merit raise.

VI. Department Committees

Standing Committees provide a venue for Department Faculty to exchange information between faculty and the administration of the department, and to communicate information to the Dean. These committees may recommend the use of physical resources, approve purchases, and establish policies and practices.

Unless stated otherwise, all members of a committee have voting rights within that committee. Typical committee votes define committee recommendations that will advance to the full Department faculty for a final vote (e.g. a proposal to add a new elective course to the curriculum.). Standing committees are those that address the ongoing activities of the Department. The Chair will form ad hoc committees to address needs of a more immediate and temporary nature, such as new faculty hires.

The Chair will designate chairpersons for each standing committee. Committee compositions will be determined based on faculty interests to the maximum extent possible. Committee membership may be ongoing, unless a faculty member requests to shift his or her participation to a different committee.

The following is a list of EECS Department Standing Committees:

A. Accreditation Committee

The Accreditation Committee is responsible for preparing the Department’s accredited undergraduate degree programs for periodic accreditation review. This committee is chaired by the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies.

B. Class Scheduling Committee

The Class Scheduling Committee assigns faculty members to classes according to the workload guidelines provided by the Chair. The committee is chaired by the Department Chair, with one member from the faculty who primarily teaches courses required by CSCoE majors, one member from the faculty who primarily teaches courses required by EE majors and the faculty member appointed by the Department Chair who serves as the departmental course scheduling officer.

C. Equipment Committee

The Equipment Committee approves expenditure of Department funds for laboratory equipment and supplies that support the academic laboratories. Membership should be composed of faculty members who are directly involved in one or more of the Department’s academic laboratories.

D. Faculty Awards Committee

The Faculty Awards Committee nominates deserving faculty for awards sponsored by the School of Engineering, the University, and external organizations. The nomination process may include preparing packages with supporting information, including requesting letters from outside sources.

E. Student Awards Committee

The Student Awards Committee nominates deserving students to receive departmental honors that will be awarded at the EECS Awards Banquet at the end of the Spring semester. This committee works closely with the Undergraduate and Graduate Program Assistants to identify students for these awards.

F. Graduate Studies Committee

The Graduate Studies Committee is chaired by the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies. The purpose of this committee is to screen applicants for the EECS graduate program, approve waivers and other requests from students, and to assist the Associate Chair with recruiting and the administration of the graduate program.

G. Undergraduate Studies Committee

The Undergraduate Studies Committee is chaired by the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies. The purpose of this committee is to deal with issues pertaining to the Department’s undergraduate program, approve waivers and other requests from students, and to assist the Associate Chair with the administration of the graduate program.

H. Untenured Faculty Review Committee

The Untenured Faculty Review Committee is responsible for the annual evaluation of untenured faculty. The purpose of this evaluation is to provide the faculty member with feedback on progress toward tenure. Suggestions may be made to the faculty member and recommendations may be made to the Department Chair concerning the faculty member’s teaching schedule, committee assignments and other information to help the faculty member achieve tenure and promotion to Associate Professor. The Department Chair will communicate a summary of their annual evaluation to the untenured faculty member under review.

I. Ph.D. Qualifying Exam Committee

The Ph.D. Qualifying Exam Committee is responsible for writing, administering and grading the annual doctoral qualifying exam to graduate students in the Spring semester. This committee consists of at least one faculty member from each the major research areas within the department.

J. Promotion and Tenure Committee

The Promotion and Tenure Committee consists of all faculty member of higher rank than a faculty candidate who is presented for promotion or tenure. The committee is chaired by the Department Chair, and advocates/mentors of the faculty candidates for promotion present their case to the appropriate group of faculty – Associate Professors and Professors for candidates for tenure and promotion to Associate Professor; and Professors for candidates seeking promotion to Professor.

K. Scholarship Committee

The Scholarship Committee is responsible for awarding scholarships to eligible EECS students based upon criteria specified by the School, the University or the donor of the scholarship funds.

L. Post-tenure Review Committee

The Post-tenure Review Committee is responsible for conducting the Post-tenure Review according to the EECS Post-tenure Review Policy. EECS Post-tenure Review Policy describes the committee selection process.

VII. Amendments to the EECS Department Bylaws

These bylaws are subject to change as needed to support the best interests of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Any Department faculty member may propose an amendment to the bylaws. The Chair will circulate proposed amendments to all Department faculty members at least two weeks in advance of any meeting for a vote on said amendments. The Department Faculty shall approve, modify, or reject any proposed amendments to these bylaws by majority vote of a quorum of assembled faculty members.

CONTACT:

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
2001 Eaton Hall
1520 West 15th Street
Lawrence, KS 66045
785-864-4620

APPROVED BY:

Engineering Senate Executive Committee

APPROVED ON:

2015-04-10

EFFECTIVE ON: