WHEREAS, the University Faculty Committee (UFC) was instructed in the Resolution on Academic Decision-Making Processes (passed by the Senate on April 12, 2000) to develop and present an agreement at the meeting of the Faculty Senate to be held on May 10, 2000, and

WHEREAS, the President, Provost-designate and the UFC met to develop such an agreement and have agreed upon a set of principles for future cooperation and consultation,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate ratifies the document titled “Principles of Cooperation and Consultation between the President and Faculty Senate”, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Senate instructs the Dean of the Faculty and the UFC to meet with the President and Provost at the end of the 2000-2001 academic year to review the effectiveness of these principles and to consider any needed modifications. Any modifications of these principles will be submitted to the Faculty Senate for ratification.

The document titled “Principles of Cooperation and Consultation between the President and Faculty Senate” is the result of agreements reached during a meeting carried on in a cooperative spirit that included the President, Provost-designate, Dean of the Faculty and the UFC. Inasmuch as this set of principles was reached after negotiation, the alternatives available to the Senate at this time are to accept or reject this document or refer it back to the UFC for further negotiation.

Adopted unanimously by the Faculty Senate, May 10, 2000.

Principles of Cooperation and Consultation Between the President and Faculty Senate

The Faculty Senate and the President acknowledge that a positive working relationship between the Faculty Senate and the Cornell central administration (hereinafter referred to as the administration) is vital for maintaining and improving the quality of Cornell University. To enhance coordination, communication, and consultation, the Faculty Senate and the administration affirm the principles that are enumerated below. These principles are in conformance with the Organization and Procedures of the University Faculty (OPUF), and are subject to the University Bylaws, which is the overarching document that sets forth the authority of the Board of Trustees, the President and the Provost, the University Faculty, and the Deans and faculties of the individual colleges and schools.

1. The President and the administration recognize the Faculty Senate as the bona fide representative of the University Faculty.
2. The President and the administration recognize the Dean of the Faculty as the principal liaison between the Faculty and the administration. He or she will be included in all meetings of the Vice Presidents’ Group and the President’s Council. The Dean of the Faculty will meet regularly, at least monthly, with the President and Provost, who will inform the Dean of the Faculty of the agenda for the Academic Cabinet and will advise the Dean of the Faculty of issues under consideration that come within the purview of the Faculty Senate.
3. The President and/or the Provost will meet with the Dean of the Faculty at the end of each academic year to plan a shared agenda for the following academic year, identifying two or three major issues of concern to the administration and the university faculty. The parties recognize that additional issues of concern to the administration and the university faculty may be identified during the course of the year, which may also be addressed by the Faculty Senate.
4. The President, the Provost, and the other members of the administration will look to the University Faculty Committee for advice and consultation on all major educational policy issues that affect more than one college or school. To facilitate that advisory and consultative relationship, the President will meet regularly, at least twice a semester, with the University Faculty Committee. The Provost will meet regularly, at least once a month, with the University Faculty Committee.
5. For joint faculty-administration committees, the Dean of the Faculty and the Provost will work together to create the committee charge and to appoint the faculty members to such committees. The Associate Dean of the Faculty will seek nominations for committee members from the Committee on Nominations and Elections, and will meet with the Provost to discuss these nominations. For committees established by the administration in which the university faculty has a stake and to which faculty members will be appointed, the Provost and the Associate Dean of the Faculty will meet to discuss committee membership after the Provost has made the final decision on the charge for such committees. Whenever possible, however, the Dean of the Faculty and the Provost will work together to create the charge for committees established by the administration. For both joint faculty-administration committees and committees established by the administration, the Provost will make the final decision about faculty membership, half of which will be selected by the Provost from the nominations submitted by the Associate Dean of the Faculty.
6. Meaningful faculty governance requires adequate time for consideration of issues and development of recommendations. To that end, the President or other members of the Administration will not reach final conclusions or take action on major multi-college educational policy issues until the normal steps for securing faculty input, including a reasonable period for relevant Faculty Senate Committees to act and for subsequent deliberations by the Faculty Senate to occur, have been completed. Adequate time for deliberations by the Faculty Senate on such issues will include at least two consecutive regularly scheduled Faculty Senate meetings, unless the Faculty Senate completes its deliberations in fewer meetings. The President and the Faculty Senate acknowledge that there may be occasions when it will not be possible to plan months in advance to bring an issue to the Senate. In such cases, the President and/or Provost will inform the Dean of the Faculty and seek his/her advice about how to provide for input from the Faculty Senate.
7. The Provost will attend the Faculty Senate meetings, will address the faculty and answer their questions in the time allotted for that purpose. The President and/or the Provost will make a timely response to the Faculty Senate on Senate motions directed to the administration. The President will inform the University Faculty Committee and the Faculty Senate of his/her decisions on major policy issues of interest to the faculty and explain his/her reasons for them.