Chairs' votes

Chairs vote only when the vote of faculty present at the meeting has resulted in a tie. Chairs are encouraged, but not required, to reveal the numerical vote to the faculty present and voting. Department bylaws should address this issue directly. (See this manual, Appendix A, SAMPLE BYLAWS for a model of departmental bylaws.)

Proxy votes

University policy does not permit proxy votes on personnel cases, that is, votes cast by one faculty member on behalf of another faculty member.

Absentee votes

University policy does permit absentee votes. A faculty member who is unable to be present when the vote is cast may leave a written ballot with the Chair. When the Chair reports the results in the letter to the Dean, that officer will tally all absentee votes separately. Thus, the Chair will report that XX faculty were present and voting (naming them) and that the vote was Y in the affirmative and N in the negative. The Chair will next report that ZZ faculty were absent and voting (naming them) and that the vote was Y in the affirmative and N in the negative. Notwithstanding this general policy, it is advised that departments state their policy concerning absentee ballots in their bylaws. (See this manual, Appendix A, for a model of departmental bylaws.)

In all cases, faculty are free to write letters to the review committee to be inserted in the file and shared with the entire faculty present and voting, or to write directly to the Chair, for the benefit of the Chair and the upper administration, or to write directly to the Dean, or to write directly to the APT Committee, or to write directly to the Provost.

Regular rank voting eligibility

While some schools’ policy permits all regular rank faculty to vote on search committee reports, department bylaws may modify this policy. Bylaws should describe departmental voting policy in detail. (See this manual, Appendix A, for a model of departmental bylaws.)

For initial appointments at the senior ranks (both tenure track and non-tenure track), the process requires a formal review after the Dean has approved the initial recommendation to review a candidate for appointment. In these appointment reviews for non-tenure track faculty, only faculty at the equivalent or superior rank (tenure track and non-tenure track) have access to the file and may vote. In these appointment reviews for tenure track faculty, only tenure-track faculty at the equivalent or superior rank have access to the appointment/tenure review file, and only they may vote.

For all cases of internal reappointment, promotion, or tenure involving tenure-track faculty, only tenure-track faculty of the appropriate rank (described above) have access to the file, and only they may vote on the recommendation.

Notwithstanding the general policies described above, departments may restrict the right to vote more severely in their bylaws.

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