1. Faculty: refers to individuals holding salaried tenure or tenure-track appointments or joint appointments in American Studies at the rank of Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, or currently are on unpaid leave from such an appointment.
2. Affiliate Faculty: refers to individuals on the budget of another unit in the college or university holding a 0% appointment in American Studies at the rank of Professor or Associate Professor for a term of one to three years, subject to renewal. A 0% appointment can be offered to a faculty member who wishes to affiliate with and support the interdisciplinary mission of American Studies, if the appointment is deemed appropriate by both departmental faculties and the college. The mechanism for gaining approval of a secondary appointment at 0% is described on the CLAS Resource site. All Affiliate Faculty enjoy the same faculty rights as Faculty for the duration of their appointment.
3. Visiting Faculty: refers to individuals holding temporary non-tenure track appointments in American Studies at the rank of Professor, Associate Professor, or Assistant Professor. A visiting faculty member may have voting rights for the duration of his/her/their appointment, subject to a simple majority vote at a departmental meeting.
4. Instructional Track Faculty: refers to individuals holding appointments in American Studies at the rank of Lecturer, Associate Professor of Instruction, Associate Professor of Practice, Professor of Instruction, Professor of Practice. Instructional Track Faculty enjoy the same faculty rights as Faculty for the duration of their appointment.

Both individually and as a body, the faculty is responsible for carrying out the mission of the department in accordance with the policies and procedures of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Graduate College, and the university. Individual faculty members fulfill these responsibilities in accordance with the university’s policy on professional ethics and academic responsibility. All Faculty are expected to attend and participate in departmental meetings. Non-tenure track faculty may attend departmental meetings and vote, if that right has been extended, except those meetings dealing with personnel decisions (including hiring, reviews of probationary faculty, and grievances).

The DEO, in consultation with departmental faculty, distributes teaching and service assignments to faculty. The department provides guidance through periodic reviews to ensure that all faculty participate appropriately and equitably in the teaching, research, and service missions of the department, the college, and the university.

1. All tenured and tenure-track faculty members as defined in section IIA.1 above have full voting rights.
2. All visiting faculty members as defined in section IIA.3 above may have voting rights for the duration of his/her/their appointment.
3. All instructional track faculty as defined in section IIA.4 above may have voting rights for the duration of his/her/their appointment.
4. American Studies graduate student representatives have full voting rights, except on any appointments or evaluations regarding current faculty, staff, or graduate students. Graduate student representatives may not attend the portions of those meetings dealing with appointments or evaluations of current faculty, staff, or graduate students.

1. Selection, Term, and Conditions of Appointment: The DEO (Departmental Executive Officer) is appointed by the dean with the advice or the faculty and approval of the provost. In the normal course of events, the DEO shall take office at the beginning of the academic year and shall typically serve for a five-year term. A DEO may serve additional consecutive terms.
   1. The DEO is the chief administrative officer of the department. Her, his or their primary responsibilities are:
      1. To administer the policies established by the departmental faculty and the college
      2. Execute, review, and revise objectives, priorities, and programs of the department
2. Administrative Responsibilities: The DEO ensures the general operations of the department and has primary administrative responsibility for, and is accountable to, the departmental voting group for:
   1. Developing faculty hiring plans
   2. Recommending faculty appointments, promotions, and salary raises
   3. Reviewing faculty
   4. Overseeing faculty development
   5. Mentoring junior faculty
   6. Ensuring the development, implementation, and evaluation of the department’s curriculum at graduate and undergraduate levels
   7. Reviewing departmental sections in all publications related to the curriculum
   8. Ensuring supervision of student advising at graduate and undergraduate levels
   9. Admitting graduate students to degree programs in accordance with recommendations forwarded by the Graduate Admissions Committee and with CLAS approval
   10. Appointing graduate Teaching and Research Assistants funded by the department and making recommendations for appointing Teaching Assistants funded by other programs (e.g., Rhetoric, General Education Literature)
   11. Appointing, overseeing, and evaluating the work of non-academic staff, as needed
   12. Assigning faculty and staff to offices
   13. Preparing course schedules
   14. Establishing teaching assignments
   15. Procuring and regulating equipment
   16. Overseeing submission of reports and other documents requested by the College and University offices
   17. Supervising the maintenance of departmental records and files
   18. Managing the department’s budget
3. The DEO shall be the representative of the department to the administration of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the university. The DEO shall have the task of explaining departmental needs, priorities, and policies to CLAS and university administration and communicating CLAS and University policies to students and faculty in the department.
4. Acting DEO: In the event of a period of absence from campus, the DEO appoints an Acting DEO from the tenured faculty for the duration of his/her/their absence. The appointment of the Acting DEO is subject to approval by the Dean.

Departmental Meetings are convened by the DEO and include the departmental voting group: the DEO, all Faculty, two Graduate Student Representatives, and eligible Instructional Track Faculty and Visiting Faculty. The Department Administrator and Administrative Services Coordinator attend ex officio.

Meetings shall be scheduled no less than 24 hours in advance, with written notice given to all committee members. Minutes of all departmental meetings shall be recorded, approved, and maintained in the department office. A quorum consists of those members who are present. Any faculty member may call for the DEO to schedule a departmental meeting by contacting the DEO.

Meetings at which confidential personnel issues are discussed (e.g., meetings of the departmental consulting group for tenure and promotion decisions, meetings of the tenured faculty to discuss probationary faculty reviews) are not “departmental meetings” and are not governed by this section of the departmental manual of operations and procedures.

1. Graduate Admissions Committee: convened by the DEO or a faculty member appointed by the DEO as chair of this committee. The committee consists of the DEO, Faculty, and any Affiliate Faculty, Visiting Faculty, or Graduate Student Representatives invited by the DEO to participate. Faculty who are not appointed or formally affiliated with American Studies also may be invited by the DEO to serve. This committee normally meets as needed between January and March each year to respond to applications for admission to the American Studies graduate program and to make recommendations for admission and for financial aid awards.
2. Director of Graduate Studies: The Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) is appointed by the DEO. The director will chair the Graduate Admissions Committee and respond to inquiries from potential and current MA and PhD students. The DGS will ensure that all students have a faculty advisor and will coordinate with advisors to help students progress in the program and adjudicates disputes. The DGS also serves as the department’s liaison with the Dean of the Graduate College.
3. Curriculum Committee: convened by the DEO or a faculty member appointed by the DEO as chair of the committee. The curriculum committee consists of three members of the faculty who will meet during the month of September to plan the next academic year schedule. Prospective courses are initially submitted to the DEO and the Department Administrator. The curriculum committee then organizes a draft schedule that ensures the teaching of required and elective courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and submits the draft schedule to the DEO and Department Administrator.
4. Director of Undergraduate Studies: The Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) is appointed by the DEO. The director will chair the Curriculum Committee and respond to inquiries from potential and current undergraduate students. The DUS helps students progress in their program of study and adjudicates disputes. The DUS also serves as the department’s liaison with the College for undergraduate curricular matters.
5. Ad Hoc Committees: The DEO shall appoint any ad hoc committees she or he deems necessary for conducting the business of the department. Any personnel search conducted by the department for tenure-track or non-tenure track faculty shall require the appointment of an ad hoc committee to oversee the search; all search committees may include in their membership at least one graduate student representative.