By-Laws of the Global Medieval Studies Program
Rutgers University
Revised December 2022

These bylaws are designed to facilitate the participation of faculty in the work of the Program in Global Medieval Studies and to expedite the Program's administration. They are not intended to conflict with the Bylaws of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, which take precedence over them, and they are subject the approval of the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

ARTICLE I. Membership and Voting

  1. Membership in the interdisciplinary Global Medieval Studies Program is open to all persons at Rutgers-New Brunswick who hold a 51 per cent or greater line in any department or school and who are involved in teaching, research, and/or professional activity in any branch of medieval studies.
  2. Membership rights include but are not limited to the following:
    1. Voting on Global Medieval Studies policy and curricular changes;
    2. Electing the members of the Executive Committee and the Director;
    3. Serving on the Executive Committee and, if tenured, as Director;

ARTICLE II. Program Director

  1. Any tenured faculty member at Rutgers-New Brunswick who has been granted voting membership in the Program is eligible to serve as Director.
  2. The term of office of the Director is 3 years with the possibility of one consecutive renewal. A member of the Program can serve for any number of nonconsecutive terms.
  3. The Director is appointed by the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences upon recommendation by the Program. The recommendation shall take the form of an election by voting members of the Program, according to the following procedure:
    1. The date of the election shall not be less than three months before the new director is to take office.
    2. Any member may withdraw her/his name from consideration from the first ballot. The three persons (or more in the event of a tie in third place) receiving the highest number of votes on the first ballot will constitute the second ballot.
    3. If the second ballot produces a tie for the highest vote, those names will constitute a third ballot.
  4. The time a Director is on leave shall constitute part of a term. If the Director's leave is for one year or less, the Executive Committee shall select an Acting Director, subject to approval by the Dean of Arts and Sciences. If the leave is for more than one year, Program members shall elect a new Director following the procedures specified in Article II.
  5. The Director is a member of the Executive Committee and chairs its meetings.

ARTICLE III. Executive Committee

  1. The Executive committee shall consist of four elected Program members plus the Program Director. Elected members will serve staggered four-year terms (beginning July 1) such that every second year, two seats on the committee are up for election.
  2. If an elected member of the Executive Committee is on leave, the Executive Committee shall designate an alternate to serve for the duration of the leave.
  3. The Executive Committee shall be elected according to the following procedure:
    1. The date of the election shall not be less than two months before the Committee members' term is to begin and shall follow completion of the election of the Program director in years when both elections take place;
    2. Any member may withdraw her/his name from consideration from the first ballot. The four persons (or more in the event of a tie in fourth place) receiving the highest number of votes on the first ballot will constitute the second ballot.
    3. If the second ballot produces a tie for the highest vote, those names will constitute a third ballot.
  4. The Executive Committee shall meet upon call of the Director or any other Committee member to discuss matters affecting the Program. Normally the Executive Committee shall meet once each semester.
  5. A quorum for Executive Committee meetings shall be three members.
  6. The Executive Committee is responsible for approving budget allocations, for the development of new Medieval Studies courses and for curricular matters in general, and for advisory recommendations concerning personnel actions. The Executive Committee will refer major policy decisions to the full membership of the Program.
  7. The Executive Committee is the only standing committee of the program. It shall have the power to appoint ad hoc committees as necessary.

ARTICLE IV. Meetings of the Program Members

  1. Meetings will be called as required by program business, normally not more often than once a year. The meeting announcement shall include an agenda clarifying what will be discussed at the meeting and relevant decisions already taken by the Executive Committee. Any member may add to the agenda in writing before the meeting or from the floor at the meeting.
  2. A quorum shall consist of 25% of members of the Program. If a quorum is not present, the meeting may proceed, but no votes may be taken on matters of Program policy.
  3. Minutes shall be taken at each meeting and afterward distributed to all program members.
  4. The Director of the Program shall chair the meetings.

ARTICLE V. Appointments and Promotions

  1. Any Global Medieval Studies Program member whose promotion or reappointment decision rests within a department may at her/his discretion request the inclusion in a promotion or tenure packet of an evaluation by the Program, taking the form of a letter to the Chair of the candidate's department, with a copy to the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The Program Director, on receipt of a request for such a letter, shall convene the appropriate tenured members of the Program (i.e., those at or above the rank to which the candidate aspires) to draft a joint statement. The names of those participating in the meeting shall be indicated in the Director's letter.

ARTICLE VI. Amendments to the Bylaws

  1. The bylaws may be amended by proposal of at least two voting members of the Program who circulate the proposal at least two weeks prior to a meeting called to discuss it, provided that the proposal subsequently receives a majority vote of the full membership by mail ballot.
  2. Such amendments shall be forwarded to the Office of the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences within thirty days of their approval by the Program members, and are subject to the Dean's approval.

ARTICLE VII. McDonnell Committee

  1. A medieval studies librarian employed by the Rutgers University Libraries shall manage the endowed McDonnell Fund for the support of medieval studies collections. The librarian shall ensure that the McDonnell Room in the Alexander Library is available for classes and meetings of program faculty when the Room is not otherwise reserved. The McDonnell Committee shall advise the librarian as needed to ensure that the Fund and the Room serve the needs of the program.
  2. The McDonnell Committee shall consist of four elected Program members plus an ex-officio librarian to be appointed by the library administration. Elected members will serve staggered four-year terms (beginning July 1) such that every second year, two seats on the committee are up for election.
  3. If an elected member of the McDonnell committee is on leave, the Executive Committee shall designate an alternate to serve for the duration of the leave.
  4. The election by voting members of the Program shall take place according to the procedure described in Article III.C
  5. The librarian and program members are jointly responsible for convening the committee and preparing its agenda. The committee will typically meet once a semester.