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University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
June 2007 Revision
Contents
These Bylaws are subject to the provisions of the Policies of the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York and other relevant provisions of the University at Buffalo’s procedure and policies (see the Faculty and Professional Staff Handbook), and the Current Agreement Between the State of New York and United University Professions. Unless specified to the contrary by these Bylaws, the business of the University Libraries Professional Staff shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.
To further the mission of the University at Buffalo by supporting the development and advancement of the Professional Staff, and by promoting the services, collections, and resources of the University Libraries to the community.
§2.1 Members of the Professional Staff shall include, as non-voting members, the President of the State University of New York at Buffalo and the Associate Vice President for University Libraries. Professional Staff shall include as voting members all permanent and non-permanent, full-time or part-time state employees who are professional staff (as defined in the Policies of the Board of Trustees), Management Confidential, and the exempt staff of the Research Foundation and U.B. Foundation.
§2.2 The Professional Executive Committee shall provide interpretation of the above definition of membership.
§3.1 To promote the general welfare of its members and of the University Libraries, the Professional Staff shall:
(a) Provide a forum for the exchange of information, discussion of ideas, and consideration of matters related to the advancement of the University Libraries;
(b) Advise the Associate Vice President for University Libraries on any matters pertaining to the goals, policies and operations of the University Libraries;
(c) Cultivate collegiality among all members of the University Libraries and the Community;
(d) Extend the reach of the University Libraries by encouraging its members to participate in local, regional, and national organizations and events.
§3.2 The duties and prerogatives of the Professional Staff are detailed within the sections dealing with the various Committees. However, the procedures of any Committee may not take precedence over these Bylaws.
§4.1 Regular meetings of the Professional Staff shall be held quarterly during January, April, July and October. The Chair of each Committee, or a designated representative, shall present written reports at the quarterly meetings. Annual written reports of the Professional’s Standing Committees shall be presented at the annual meeting by the Chair of each Standing Committee or a designated representative. The Chair of the Professional Executive Committee shall preside at all regular and special meetings of the Professional Staff. In the temporary absence of the Chair, the Secretary of the Professional Executive Committee shall act as Chair and designate another member of the Professional Executive Committee to act as Secretary. If both the Chair and Secretary are absent, the Executive Committee members shall designate a Chair and Secretary Pro tempore.
§4.2 The Professional Executive Committee shall prepare a written notice of and an agenda for any regular meeting, and shall send them to each member of the Professional Staff. Such written notice and agenda shall be placed in the Library mail or emailed at least fourteen days before the date of the meeting. The agenda, under the heading of ‘New Business’, shall provide for discussion of items suggested from the floor. However, no item shall be voted on at a regular meeting that has not appeared on the agenda. One-third of the voting members of the Professional Staff shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any regular or special meeting. Upon the request of any three voting members of the Professional Staff at a meeting, a vote on any matter shall be taken by secret ballot. In all votes taken at Professional Staff meetings, a simple majority of those present and voting shall decide the issue. If a quorum is not present, a two-thirds majority of those present and voting shall decide the issue. Amendments to these Bylaws shall be conducted by ballot, distributed through the Library mail or email, and shall require a two-thirds majority of those voting.
§4.3 The Professional Executive Committee may call special meetings of the Professional Staff. It may do so on its own initiative, and shall do so upon written request from at least ten percent of the voting members of the Professional Staff, or upon the sole request of the Associate Vice President for University Libraries. The Professional Executive Committee shall place a notice of and an agenda for the meeting, which shall include the items requested to be placed on the agenda, for each member of the Professional Staff in the U.S., Library mail, or email no later than seven days from the receipt of the request for the special meeting. At special meetings, only the matter(s) on the agenda shall be considered. A special meeting is to take place no later than seven calendar days after issuance of the notice and agenda for the meeting. If an amendment to these Bylaws is to be included in the agenda, such a meeting shall be called to meet two weeks after issuance of the call.
§4.4 The Professional Executive Committee shall take minutes of all meetings of the Professional Staff, and distribute a copy thereof to the Associate Vice President for University Libraries and to all voting members of the Professional Staff as expeditiously as possible.
§5.1 The Associate Vice President for University Libraries shall serve as Chair ex officio, without vote, of the Professional Staff.
§5.2 The Chair of the Professional Executive Committee shall preside at all regular and special meetings of the Professional Staff.
§5.3 The Secretary of the Professional Executive Committee shall act as secretary at all regular and special meetings of the Professional Staff.
§5.4 A Parliamentarian may be appointed to give advice on procedural matters at meetings.
The Professional Staff shall have two Standing Committees—the Professional Executive Committee, and the Elections Committee.
All voting members of the Professional Staff shall be eligible to serve on the Professional Executive Committee.
(1) Elections
(a) Members of the Professional Executive Committee shall be elected at large, with voting by ballot, beginning in November. The Elections Committee shall conduct these elections. The Committee members so elected shall take office at the end of the January meeting of the Professional Staff. Complete election results shall be sent to all members of the Professional Staff as soon as is practicable after the elections, and the Elections Committee, upon the completion of the election schedule, shall distribute a Roster to all voting members of the Professional Staff.
(b) All members of the Professional Staff shall be eligible to vote for candidates to fill vacancies in the Professional Executive Committee.
(c) Through email or other electronic medium, the Elections Committee shall announce the candidates. The members of the Professional Staff shall have seven calendar days to propose changes or additions to the ballot.
(d) The candidates receiving the highest number of votes for the vacancies available shall be elected to fill those vacancies. Tie votes shall be resolved by run-off elections.
(2) General Elections
(a) In November, the Elections Committee shall mail to each member of the Professional Staff an Elections Packet containing an Election Schedule, Current Roster, and a Declination/Affirmation form.
(b) The Election Schedule will list dates for the election, provide deadlines for returning the Declination/Affirmation forms and election ballot, and state the duration of the terms that newly elected Professional Executive Committee members shall serve.
(c) The Current Roster will show the members of the Professional Executive Committee and the expiration date of each member’s term.
(d) The Declination/Affirmation form will contain instructions for determining eligibility, and a form for requesting that a Professional Staff member’s name should be included or excluded from the ballot. Members of the Professional Staff who do not return their Declination/Affirmation form will be omitted from the ballot.
(e) The Professional Executive Committee election shall be scheduled so that it can be completed by the third Tuesday in December.
(3) Mid-Term Vacancies
(a) In the event that resignation or extended absence (missing two consecutive meetings or three meetings in a calendar year) creates a vacancy on the Professional Executive Committee, the Chair of the Professional Executive Committee shall notify the Elections Committee, giving the effective date of the vacancy.
(b) If an elected member vacates their term, members of the Professional Executive Committee shall determine if a special Declination/Affirmation form will be sent out to all members of the Professional Staff to determine eligibility for a mid-term election. The member elect shall fill the unexpired term
(c) The Elections Committee shall distribute a ballot listing alphabetically all eligible candidates to all voting members of the Professional Staff, within one month before or after the effective date of the vacancy. The candidate who receives the highest number of votes shall be elected. Tie votes shall be resolved by a run-off election.
(1) The Professional Executive Committee shall appoint three eligible members of the Professional Staff to the Elections Committee.
(2) No member of the Professional Executive Committee may serve simultaneously on the Elections Committee.
(3) The Professional Executive Committee shall establish necessary and detailed appointment policies and procedures.
With majority consent of either Standing Committee, members of that Committee may request the creation of ad hoc committees to consider special matters within the jurisdiction of that Standing Committee. The Professional Executive Committee shall determine the actual composition, duration, and charge of ad hoc committees. Ad hoc committees shall be responsible to the Professional Executive Committee.
The Professional Executive Committee shall be able to create subcommittees from among its own members to consider any particular matter within its jurisdiction. Such subcommittees shall be responsible to the Professional Executive Committee.
All committees may adopt Standing Rules to govern their internal operations. All such Standing Rules, and any revisions thereto, shall be subject to the approval of the Professional Executive Committee, and provided annually to all members of the Professional Staff.
(a) All committees shall maintain minutes of their meetings.
(b) All committees shall submit quarterly written reports to the Professional Executive Committee.
(c) Members of University-wide committees shall present reports on matters of interest to the Professional Staff at the quarterly meetings.
(1) Composition
The Professional Executive Committee shall consist of five voting members of the Professional Staff. Each Professional Executive Committee member shall be elected for a two-year term. To assure continuity, there will be a rotation of Professional Executive Committee membership, with three members elected in one year and two members elected in alternate years.
(2) Duties
(a) The Professional Executive Committee shall act as the representative of the Professional Staff, and advise the Associate Vice President for University Libraries.
(b) The Professional Executive Committee shall review and make recommendations, including courses of action, to the Associate Vice President for University Libraries on all matters of interest to the Professional Staff.
(c) A representative from the Professional Executive Committee, appointed by the Professional Executive Committee, shall serve on the Management Advisory Group.
(d) The Professional Executive Committee shall proactively solicit opinions from the Professional Staff on whatever topics and by whatever methods it deems most appropriate. It is incumbent upon the Professional Executive Committee to act on any matter(s) of interest to the members of the Professional Staff that is brought to its attention.
(e) The Professional Executive Committee shall draw up and distribute the agenda for all general and special meetings of the Professional Staff.
(f) The Professional Executive Committee shall submit reports to the Professional Staff at all regular meetings of the Professional Staff.
(g) The Professional Executive Committee shall keep minutes of its meetings and meetings of the Professional Staff, and distribute these minutes to the Associate Vice President for University Libraries, and all members of the Professional Staff.
(h) The Professional Executive Committee shall determine the composition and charge of the Standing Committees and Ad Hoc Committees. Such Committees are fully accountable to the Professional Executive Committee as specified within their charges.
(i) With the exception of personal information about another individual, the Professional Executive Committee shall make all documents and other materials in its files freely available for inspection, upon request, by any member of the Professional Staff. It shall be incumbent upon the Professional Executive Committee to identify, collect, maintain, and bring to the attention of the members of the Professional Staff any documents that the Professional Executive Committee considers important to the Professional Staff as a whole.
(j) The Professional Executive Committee shall proactively seek information from the Associate Vice President for University Libraries on matters of interest to the Professional Staff. The Professional Executive Committee shall also proactively seek advice from the Professional Staff to be communicated to the Associate Vice President for University Libraries.
(k) The Professional Executive Committee shall request a “State of the Libraries” report from the Associate Vice President for University Libraries, to be delivered at the regular quarterly meeting of the Professional Staff.
(l) The Professional Executive Committee may appoint a Parliamentarian to advise the presiding officer on points of procedure or error that may arise at meetings of the Professional Staff.
(m) The Professional Executive Committee shall maintain liaison with organizations and groups both internal and external to the University Libraries.
(3) Officers
(a) The Professional Executive Committee shall elect its Chair and Secretary for one year renewable terms. No individual may serve as Chair for more than a total of two years in any four-year period. No individual may serve as Secretary for more than four consecutive years.
(b) The Chair of the Professional Executive Committee shall preside at all regular and special meetings of the Professional Staff and of the Professional Executive Committee, shall draw up the agenda for meetings of the Professional Staff and meetings of the Professional Executive Committee (with the assistance of Committee members), and shall represent the Professional Executive Committee and the Professional Staff as a whole in matters both internal and external to the University Libraries.
(c) The Secretary shall take minutes at all meetings of the Professional Staff and Professional Executive Committee, and shall keep and maintain Professional Executive Committee files. The Secretary shall forward Professional Executive Committee files to the University Archives annually, and make them available digitally. In the temporary absence of the Chair, the Secretary shall act as Chair and designate another Professional Executive Committee member to act as Secretary. In the temporary absence of the Secretary, the Chair shall designate another Professional Executive Committee member to act as Secretary. If both the Chair and the Secretary are absent, the Professional Executive Committee members present shall designate a Chair and Secretary Pro tempore.
(4) Meetings
(a) Regular meeting of the Executive Committee shall be held once monthly on the first Tuesday of each calendar month, or the nearest day when a simple majority can be present.
(b) Additional meetings of the Professional Executive Committee may be called at any time by the Chair of the Professional Executive Committee, at the request of at least two members of the Professional Executive Committee, or at the request of the Associate Vice President for University Libraries.
(c) Professional Executive Committee meetings shall be open to all members of the Professional Staff and to others by invitation of the Professional Executive Committee, unless the Professional Executive Committee votes unanimously to go into executive session.
(d) Under the heading of ‘Other Business’, any member of the Executive Committee may present items for discussion and/or vote that do not appear on the written agenda. Any member of the Professional Staff may propose items to be added to the agenda of an upcoming meeting. Such proposals shall be submitted in writing, to any member of the Executive Committee, up to two business days before the meeting. A revised agenda will be distributed by email to all members of the Professional Staff one business day before the meeting.
(e) Non-Professional Executive Committee members present at a Professional Executive Committee meeting may comment from the floor on items on the agenda. Only members of the Professional Executive Committee can vote at Professional Executive Committee meetings.
(1) Composition
The Elections Committee shall consist of three voting members of the Professional Staff. Each Election Committee member shall be appointed for a three-year term. To assure continuity, there will be a rotation of membership, with one member appointed each year.
(2) Duties
(a) The Elections Committee shall conduct all elections of the Professional Staff in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws.
(b) The Elections Committee shall maintain a current list of voting members of the Professional Staff.
(c) The Elections Committee shall establish necessary and detailed election procedures and policies, and shall record them in its Standing Rules.
(d) The Elections Committee shall distribute election results to all voting members of the Professional Staff as soon as is practicable after elections.
(e) The Elections Committee shall present regular reports to the Professional Staff at the quarterly meetings of the Professional Staff.
(3) Officers
The Elections Committee shall elect its Chair and Secretary for one year renewable terms.
(4) Meetings
Meetings of the Elections Committee shall be called by its Chair when deemed necessary to conduct business pursuant to this Committee.
§7.1 The University at Buffalo’s [Procedures for Consideration of Permanent Appointment], as approved by the President October 1992, sets out University-wide philosophy and criteria governing the appointment, promotion and granting of permanent appointment to qualified professional employees. It is incumbent on every professional employee to be familiar with these procedures, and with the sections of both the [SUNY Board of Trustees’ Policies] and the SUNY/UUP Agreement dealing with initial appointment, change in professional title, and permanent appointment.
(a) Appointment
The basic criteria for permanent, term, probationary, and temporary appointment of Professional Employees are established by the SUNY Board of Trustees [SUNY Board of Trustees’ Policies, Article XI, Title C, D, E, and F].
(b) Evaluation and Promotion
The basic criteria for evaluation and promotion of Professional Employees are established by the SUNY Board of Trustees [SUNY Board of Trustees’ Policies, Article XII, Title C].
Amendments may be proposed to these Bylaws by the Professional Executive Committee, or by petition containing the text of the proposed amendment and the signatures of at least ten percent of the members of the Professional Staff. Petitions shall be submitted to the Chair of the Professional Executive Committee.
Through a mail ballot, a two-thirds majority of those members of the Professional Staff voting shall amend these Bylaws. Ballots are to be returned to the Chair of the Professional Executive Committee. The Professional Executive Committee will count the ballots, either at one of its regular meetings or at a special meeting called for this purpose. To be counted, all ballots must be received within fourteen calendar days of the distribution date shown on the ballot.
(a) Through Library mail or another appropriate method, the Professional Executive Committee shall submit proposals to amend these Bylaws to the voting members of the Professional Staff.
(b) Proposals to amend these Bylaws and accompanying ballots may be submitted to the Professional Staff at any time.
An amendment to these Bylaws shall become effective immediately upon its adoption. The date of adoption shall be considered the date on which the vote is counted.
Provisions of these Bylaws concerning consultation of the University Libraries Administration with the Professional Staff shall be subject to the approval of the President of the University.
Bylaws approved January 2004 by the Professional Staff Executive Steerinig Committee. The 2005 revision was approved in December 2005. The 2007 revision was approved June 7, 2007.
Content provider: MaryEllen Donathen
Comments: lib-staffweb@buffalo.edu
Last update:
14 November, 2007
