Department of Germanic and SlavicLanguages and LiteraturesBylaws

Updated March 19, 2024

Note: All faculty are expected to be familiar with the guidelines of the Faculty Handbook. These bylaws address the practical governance of the department.

I. THE DEPARTMENT

Definition and Functions

The department is a single administrative unit, created by action of the Board of Regents, whose constituent programs shall be governed in such a way that each may flourish without jeopardizing the integrity of the whole.

Membership in the Department

Only those persons who are teaching professor rank on multiple year appointments, tenured and tenure-track rank (t-tt) faculty, and persons who have been granted voting privileges are members of the teaching faculty of the department.

Administration

  1. The department is administered by a Chair who is recommended by the faculty and appointed by the Regents to serve for a specified term. The Chair will come from the tenured faculty and serve for a period of three years with a limit of two consecutive terms, elected by a simple majority of all full-time faculty members. The Chair will hold regular standing meetings with the Program Heads.
  2. The associate Chair for undergraduate studies (UGAC) may come from any t-tt rank in any of the major degree programs in the department and normally serves for a period of three years. They will receive a stipend and course reduction according to current college policy. The length of service of the UGAC is determined by the relevant program and should be no less than one year. If the Chair chooses to appoint an interim summer Chair, for all or part of the summer, the right of first refusal for this position should go to the UGAC. The UGAC is elected by simple majority of all voting faculty.
  3. Both German Studies and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (REEES) shall be represented in these two positions, whenever possible.
  4. The associate Chair for graduate studies in German (GAC) may come from any t-tt rank. They will receive a stipend and course reduction according to current college policy. The director of graduate studies (DGS) in REEES may come from any t-tt professorial rank and receives $3,000 in research funds from the department each year for serving as DGS, provided funds are available.
  5. If elected in the same year, and faculty from both REEES and German Studies are running for Chair, the election of the Chair will take place before the election of the UGAC to ensure representation of both German Studies and REEES in these positions.

Administrative Duties

The Chair

The Chair is responsible for the effective and efficient administration of the department according to the duties outlined in the University of Colorado Boulder “Professional Rights and Responsibilities” document. The Chair shall also have the responsibility for providing intellectual leadership toward achievement of the highest possible level of excellence in the teaching, research, and service activities of the department, and for providing direction in academic planning and support for faculty development. Moreover, the Chair shall act in a manner consistent with the terms of their appointment as they pertain to the department's objectives.

In particular, the Chair will plan and call meetings of the departmental faculty at the beginning of each academic term. The meetings shall be conducted on a monthly basis during the academic year, or as circumstances dictate. Any voting member of the department may call a special meeting by notifying the Chair in writing. The Chair shall call a meeting of the department within fourteen days of receiving the notification.

The Undergraduate Associate Chair (UGAC)

Program head for their respective Program (see the responsibilities of Program head).

Serves as Chair when Chair is unavailable.

Minutes are recorded by the Undergraduate or the Graduate Associate Chair and approved at the beginning of the next departmental meeting.

Faculty Advisor

The Faculty Advisor collaborates with the professional advisor to provide students with transfer advising or information about education abroad, advanced standing, placement, careers and other topics. The Faculty Advisor approves transfer credit toward major and minor requirements, including education abroad transfer credit; approves course substitutions for fulfilling major or minor requirements; and participates in recruitment events. If no faculty advisor has been designated, the Program Head serves as Faculty Advisor.

The Graduate Associate Chair (GAC) in German, and Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) in REEES.

  • oversee graduate studies in their respective programs.
  • work with the Chair on budget and appointment of TAs and on graduate exchanges. (Only the Chair has signature authority in appointments and budgetary matters.)
  • are responsible for recruiting nationally and locally (correspondence, campus visits).
  • are responsible for tracking comprehensive exams and milestones of all graduate students
  • are the first advisors for all graduate students (students are later assigned to an advisor); help select committee members; correspond with the Graduate School regarding waivers, requirements, etc.; do career and graduate school advising.
  • develop graduate initiatives in respective programs concerning recruiting, staffing, program review and program development.
  • help the Chair staff courses in German, REEES, and Nordic by identifying and recruiting graduate students in all areas.
  • Chair the graduate studies/scholarship committees.
  • mentor BAM students and coordinate the recruiting of BAM candidates.
  • evaluate CU graduate fellowships when appropriate; write nominating letters, as appropriate, for CU fellowships .
  • In the absence of the Chair the Undergraduate Associate Chair serves as Chair; in the event that they are not available, the Graduate Associate Chair serves.
  • Minutes are recorded by the Undergraduate or the Graduate Associate Chair and approved at the beginning of the next departmental meeting.

Program Head

The responsibilities of each program head include the following:

  • Collaborating with the Chair to schedule courses
    • Organizing and calling meetings
    • Assigning service and other responsibilities to the program’s members
    • Supervising program events, outreach efforts, and advertising of the program’s scholarships
    • Chairing undergraduate scholarship committees
    • In programs consisting of fewer than five full-time faculty members, the program head is also responsible for undergraduate advising

The Chair and Undergraduate Associate Chair function ex officio as program heads of their respective program (German or REEES).

In programs consisting of fewer than five full-time faculty members, the program head is chosen by a vote of all members of the program, as well as the votes of GSLL’s Chair and UGAC. All full-time program members are eligible and can be elected to head the program.

Once elected as program head, a faculty member is expected to serve in this capacity for three years.

Election should take place by the end of spring semester.

Executive Committee

Duties
  • Advises and assists the Chair in the conduct of departmental business and handles matters assigned to it by the Chair.
  • Acts as a conduit for communicating issues of general concern in the faculty; as a forum for reflective discussion on these issues.
  • Acts as review committee for the department in cases of student, staff, and faculty grievances.

Membership
  • The Committee shall consist of the Chair, UndergraduateAssociate Chair, and the Head of the Nordic Program as ex officio members and three members elected by the department. The Chair of the Executive Committee shall not be the same person as the Department Chair. The Executive Committee will be composed according to the following formula. One (1) member shall represent tenured/tenure-track members of the German faculty. One (1) member shall represent tenured/tenure-track members of the REEES faculty. One (1) member shall represent the voting s teaching professor/instructor rank faculty of all sections. Election should take place by the end of spring semester.
  • All voting members of the faculty shall participate in the election of each of the three members of the Executive Committee. The election will follow majority rule, with the candidate gathering the most votes being elected.
  • Members of the Executive Committee shall serve for a one-year term. No elected member shall serve on the Executive Committee for more than two consecutive years. If an elected member leaves the committee prematurely, the elected replacement shall serve only the remainder of the unexpired term.
  • A quorum requires participation by 2/3 of the members of the committee. Since the committee acts both as a deliberating and a decision-making body, matters requiring a vote will be decided by a simple majority.
  • Meetings shall be conducted on a monthly basis during the academic year, or as circumstances dictate.

II. VOTING

General.

Voting members of the department are all tenured and tenure-track faculty, and all teaching professor rank faculty on multiple year contracts, and faculty that have been granted voting privileges by majority vote of voting members after 3 years of service at GSLL.

ýĻƷing faculty and others on one-year or part-time appointments may not vote on any departmental matters and may not participate in personnel discussions or discussions about appointments; however, they may participate in general discussions at departmental and program meetings.

In cases of promotion of Teaching Professors and t-tt faculty, as well as in cases of tenure, only faculty who are senior in rank to the faculty member may vote.

In cases of reappointment of Teaching Professors, only faculty at equal rank or above may vote. Teaching Professors who have not yet gone through a reappointment may not vote.

Votes on recruitment will always originate in the search committee, and then proceed to a full vote of faculty at equal rank or above. In cases of retention offers, only tenured faculty vote.

The Department Chair votes with the department.

Committees.

The Chair (or an Associate Chair acting for the Chair ) is an ex-officio members of all standing department committees.

Committee Chairs vote as members of their respective committees.

Standing committees include: the Executive Committee and the Peer Evaluation Committee.

Procedure.

Voting will be done by anonymous electronic ballot in all personnel cases, and generally whenever an issue has generated controversy or at the Chair's discretion. Any voting member of the department may demand a secret ballot on any vote before or during a meeting by emailing the chair or program head. Two-thirds of the voting faculty, excluding those on sabbatical or other leave, must vote for a quorum.

Faculty who have been released from both teaching and research appointment in the department for more than two years do not vote.

III. ADDITIONAL DEPARTMENTAL DUTIES

Language Coordinator

The existence of a qualified language coordinator is essential in the case of multiple section courses, and wherever TA supervision is required. The Chair shall appoint a language coordinator when appropriate. The responsibilities of language coordinators who receive course reductions for their work include providing coordinated syllabi, lesson plans, and assessments for teaching assistants; supervising and training TAs and GPTIs; observing TAs’ and GPTIs’ teaching on a regular basis; supervising final examinations; and working closely with the respective program head to maintain instructional integrity and language program development.

Library Liaison

The Chair shall appoint one member from each appropriate discipline to serve as liaison to the library (indefinite term). The liaison should report to the Chair each year concerning budget recommendations. Collection development in each of the programs should proceed according to the program's academic goals.

Honors Liaison

The Chair shall appoint one member of the department to serve in this capacity.

Mentoring of Assistant Professors

Each tenure-track faculty member is mentored by two tenured GSLL faculty members. The faculty mentors will be appointed by the department Chair in consultation with the pre-tenure faculty member and the relevant program head. At least one of the two mentors will be from the pre-tenured faculty member’s discipline. In exceptional cases (such as when a pre-tenured faculty member’s research is primarily in another discipline), one of the two mentors may come from an outside department. This determination will be made by the department Chair in consultation with the pre-tenure faculty member and tenured members of the faculty.

Faculty mentors will meet with their mentees at least once a semester during the probationary period. At these meetings, they will discuss with the pre-tenure faculty member their progress toward comprehensive review and tenure. Faculty mentors are also available on a regular basis to discuss any questions the mentee may have concerning research, teaching, and service expectations.

Mentoring of New Teaching ProfessorRankFaculty

Each new teaching professor rank faculty member is mentored by one tenured GSLL faculty member who has had an appointment in GSLL for at least three years. The faculty mentor will be appointed by the department Chair in consultation with the teaching professor rank faculty member and the relevant program head. Preferably, the mentor will be from the program that the teaching professor rank faculty member is joining. During the first three years, faculty mentors should meet at least once a semester with their mentee to discuss progress toward reappointment and promotion. Faculty mentors will be available on a regular basis during the first twelve semesters of teaching to discuss any questions their mentees may have concerning teaching and service expectations.

Grievance Committee

The committee advises the Chair on grievances brought by any member of the faculty, as well as graduate students, against another member or members of the faculty, in accordance with procedures outlined in the university Professional Rights and Responsibilities policy. Some grievances are subject to special procedures according to the university Professional Rights and Responsibilities policy; in those cases the departmental grievance committee is not used.

The grievance committee is an ad hoc committee that will be constituted by the Chair upon receipt of a written grievance. It functions as follows:

  • All grievances should be submitted in writing to the supervising authority, in most cases, the department Chair
  • The Chair should first seek to resolve the grievance informally as outlined in the Professional Rights and Responsibilities document.
  • In the event that informal resolution is unsuccessful, the Chair will constitute an ad hoc grievance committee composed of not less than three members of the tenured faculty, including the Chair.
  • If the Chair is named in the grievance, the grievance must be brought to the relevant supervising authority (the Divisional Dean of Arts and Humanities) according to the procedures outlined in the CU Professional Rights and Responsibilities policy.
  • The Chair will promptly inform the executive committee of the receipt of the grievance and will keep the EC informed about all subsequent actions taken by the grievance committee.
  • The grievance committee will determine within a period of two weeks whether the complaint is legitimate.
  • The committee will investigate the grievance and recommend actions to the Chair, which may include any of following:
    • Making oral request or reprimands to the appropriate parties.
    • Recommending outside mediation and requiring resolution.
    • Making written reprimands or requests, to be placed in the personnel file of the person being reprimanded.
  • The Chair determines sanctions or recommendations for sanctions as outlined in the Professional Rights and Responsibilities document.

A record of all committee recommendations and Chair’s actions should be kept in the grievance committee file.

Student grievance issues are handled in accordance with CU and A&S procedures.

Salary equity appeals

Salary equity appeals will be handled according to university guidelines and timelines.

Salary equity appeals will be reviewed by all members of the PEC who are at equal or senior rank to the person filing the appeal. The following factors will be considered in assessing career merit in response to the appeal: rank, years in rank, years since PhD (during which the faculty member was employed in academic positions), years at CU, and annual merit scores for the prior five years.

Additional Committees

Additional committees can be formed on an ad hoc basis as the need arises.

The Chair is responsible for constituting any such committee and determining the length of their terms in consultation with the Executive Committee.

IV. PROMOTION AND TENURE

Tenure-track Faculty

The standard appointment is 40%/40%/20% for teaching, research, and service. In the case of research, the standard measure of satisfactory performance is refereed publication.

The procedures for promotion and tenure, and promotion to the next rank shall be in accordance with the Office of Faculty Affairs guidelines as well as the GSLL Policies on Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure. The Chair shall appoint an ad hoc committee, the Primary Unit Evaluation Committee (PUEC), consisting normally of three tenured faculty members in the discipline who are senior in rank to the candidate. Working with the committee, the Chair will follow University procedures for preparing a candidate for tenure and promotion (recommending referees, soliciting letters, organizing documentation, etc.). Once a dossier has been created, each tenured member of the department who is senior in rank to the candidate will study the dossier in preparation for a vote. A narrative report drafted by the committee shall accompany the reporting of the vote to the Dean’s office.

In some circumstances it may be desirable for the Chair to appoint members of the committee who are outside the department. The PUEC records a formal vote in its report, and its members do not vote again with the department.

In order to ensure that each candidate is able to create the strongest possible dossier for consideration, certain important procedures must be followed. An individual whose case will be considered in the fall semester, for promotion beginning in the fall semester of the following year, should declare their intentions in spring. Before the faculty departs for the summer, names of referees will already be in the PUEC Chair’s possession, ensuring that referees will have several months to accomplish their work. This procedure enables the department to secure the best-qualified referees, insofar as outstanding colleagues frequently receive many requests for evaluative service and should not be asked to perform this service without sufficient notice.

Teaching Professor Rank Faculty

The procedures for promotion to the next rank shall be in accordance with the Academic Affairs Guidelines for the Appointment, Evaluation, and Promotion of Teaching Professor Rank Faculty and the GSLL Policy Statement on Promotion and Reappointment of Teaching Professors .

The department may consider promoting Teaching Assistant Professors/Instructors to the rank of Senior Instructor with the working title of Teaching Associate Professorsafter they have held the rank of Teaching Assistant Professor for at least six years.

After a minimum of three years at the rank of Teaching Associate Professor/Senior Instructors, Teaching Associate Professors who have been exemplary teachers and members of the university community may be considered for the rank of Principal Instructor with the working title of Teaching Professor.

There is no expectation that the granting of this title will occur at a particular point in the individual’s career, nor is there an expectation that each Teaching Associate Professor should seek this title. Although Teaching Associate Professors/Senior Instructors may, as a matter of convenience, seek promotion to Teaching Professor/ Principal Instructor at the point of regular reappointment and contract renewal, a Teaching Associate Professor may seek promotion at any time after three years in rank. Teaching Associate Professors should consult with the Chair about consideration for promotion to Teaching (Full) Professor. An individual whose case will be considered in the fall semester, for promotion beginning in the fall semester of the following year, should declare their intentions in spring. If someone is nominated for the title of “Teaching Professor” and then is not approved, that decision has no implications for the individual’s status as a Teaching Associate Professor; that individual could be nominated for promotion to Teaching Professor again.

For reappointment or promotion, the Chair will appoint an ad hoc committee, the Primary Unit Evaluation Committee (PUEC), consisting normally of three faculty members who are at equal or senior rank to the candidate (Teaching Professors serving on the PUEC must have been reappointed at least once). Working with the committee, the Chair will follow college and university procedures for preparing a candidate for reappointment and/or promotion. Once a dossier has been created, each tenured member of the department who is equal or senior in rank to the candidate will study the dossier in preparation for a vote (voting Teaching Professors must have been reappointed at least once). A narrative report drafted by the committee shall accompany the reporting of the vote to the Dean’s office.

V. APPOINTMENT, REAPPOINTMENT, EXPEDITED REVIEW AND POST-TENURE REVIEW

Assistant Professor

Appointments will accord with Office of Faculty Affairs specifications. Persons holding tenure-track appointments as assistant professor will be reviewed according to Office of Faculty Affairs guidelines and according to the GSLL policy on reappointment, promotion and tenure.

Teaching Professor Rank Faculty

Appointments and reappointments, including expedited reviews, will accord with specifications outlined in the College of Arts and Sciences Teaching Professor Rank Guidelines,the Office of Faculty Affairs Teaching Professor Rank Reappointment Guidelines, and the “GSLL Policy Statement on Promotion and Reappointment of Teaching Professors.”

Tenured Professors

Tenured professors undergo post-tenure review every five years in accordance with the Office of Faculty Affairs policy statement.

One-year appointments, limited appointments, all ranks

One-year appointments may be renewed depending on departmental needs, and upon approval of the Divisional Dean. Each such contract shall include starting and expiration dates of the limited appointment.

Partner hiring guidelines

If a faculty member of GSLL wishes a spouse/partner (hereafter: “partner”) to be considered for an open faculty position in GSLL, the partner must apply as a regular applicant, and the faculty member must notify the Chair, who will discuss the matter with the tenured faculty. The tenured faculty vote to decide whether the partner should be interviewed. This decision will be forwarded to the search committee as a non-binding recommendation.

If a faculty member of GSLL wishes a partner to be considered for a faculty position in GSLL when there is not a search in progress, the faculty member must submit the partner’s CV to the departmental Chair, who will forward it to the tenured faculty for discussion. The tenured faculty will decide if the hiring of the partner should be a priority for future searches.

In all hiring decisions, the Dean of Arts and Humanities, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Provost must approve according to current division, college and campus policies.

Notwithstanding anything in these guidelines to the contrary, all hiring decisions will be made in accordance with Division, College, Boulder campus and University of Colorado policies, procedures and laws.

VI. ANNUAL EVALUATION


Classroom evaluation

The Chair constructs a schedule for all teaching faculty that enables yearly classroom peer evaluation, so that faculty have access to materials for yearly review, reappointment, promotion, or post-tenure review. Classroom interviews are also conducted regularly as needed for reappointment and promotion purposes. Faculty are encouraged to provide the evaluators with access to the learning management system for the course, and further provide materials pertaining to the class, such as lesson plans or outlines explaining the pedagogical goals of classroom activities, syllabi, and relevant textbook sections. The evaluator should meet with the faculty member being evaluated at a convenient time after the class prior to submitting the report to discuss any questions pertaining to the observation or class interview. Faculty members may request additional evaluations at any time. The department Chair is responsible for accommodating this request.

Peer Evaluation Committee (Merit)

A Peer Evaluation Committee will be elected by the end of the spring semester for the purpose of conducting peer evaluation for each faculty member whose appointment shall continue into the next year, including faculty on continuous tenure, regardless of rank. The regular committee shall generally consist of three senior, tenured members of the faculty from each major program and include the department Chair.

Eligible faculty not on sabbatical or leave can be expected to be on the ballot for PEC elections. Exceptions can be granted at the discretion of the EC. The expanded committee shall include two non-voting members at the Teaching Associate Professor or Teaching Professor rank, who will participate in evaluating teaching professor rank faculty. The expanded committee members may observe proceedings of the committee.

Purpose

The Peer Evaluation Committee deliberates each spring to produce a narrative report for each member of the department on continuing appointment, as well as to provide a performance evaluation in accordance with College of Arts and Sciences procedures. The narrative report is both descriptive and evaluative. Based on student evaluations, classroom observation where appropriate, and individual annual reports containing details of accomplishments, faculty members are evaluated in the three areas of teaching, scholarship, and service. In addition to materials readily available to the department office (previous FRPA and peer evaluations), each faculty member is encouraged to submit documentation that might assist the committee: copies of syllabus, exams, correspondence with acceptances/invitations for scholarly work or service, reprints of publications, copies of book reviews/notices, explanations of teaching, explanations of committee work, service on graduate committees, etc. The narrative report produced for each faculty member should be candid and specific, giving credit for accomplishments and constructively pointing out where a colleague's annual performance is lacking. The Peer Evaluation Committee's work shall be done in strict confidence, and responsibility for the evaluations resides in the elected committee, representing the department, and not in any individual evaluator. Further see GSLL Salary Procedures.

Procedures

Each spring the Chair will call for an election of members for the Peer Evaluation Committee, who will serve for the upcoming academic year. The committee members will elect a Chair. Evaluators will not be present when their case is discussed in committee. Generally, each evaluator will be assigned a certain number of dossiers for anonymous evaluation, will prepare a rough draft of the narrative. A checker will then review the evaluation and present the case to the committee. The draft narrative will be prepared and distributed to all members of the committee prior to meeting. Evaluators will not see the rough draft of their own evaluation. During meetings of the committee, each rough draft will be examined in detail and revised according to consensus. It is the responsibility of the committee and its elected Chair to ensure that actual evaluation is evident in the final narrative report, and that evaluative language is supported by documentation and other evidence.

Completion of Committee Work

When the committee has completed its deliberations, a final draft of the evaluation will be prepared and copies submitted to the individual and the Chair. Upon request the Chair will be available for the purpose of discussing the evaluation,. If after consultation with the Chair the individual chooses not to accept their peers' evaluation, a separate narrative of comparable length may be attached to the committee's narrative.

Use of the Evaluation.

The Chair shall be guided by the reports of the Peer Evaluation Committee for purposes of annual faculty evaluation and in consideration of salary increases, teaching assignments, and related duties. A signed copy of the evaluation will be kept on file in the department.

VII. Changing the Bylaws

The bylaws may be changed or suspended by a simple majority vote of the faculty. Written notice of motion is to be given at least two weeks before a vote on the motion may be taken.