RULES FOR GOVERNANCE

A version of these Rules for Governance which includes the reasoning behind the change statements is available to any faculty member from the Rush Archivist, the Office of Legal Affairs, the Rush University Library or Academic Administration.

Section 1. The purposes of the Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center Corporation, as stated in its Articles of Incorporation, are:

The Corporation also has such powers as are now or may hereafter be granted by the General Not for Profit Corporation Act of the State of Illinois. The University cannot as an institutional policy take a position in electoral politics or on public issues except on institutional functions as set forth in Article I, Section 1, of these Rules for Governance.

Section 2. Mission Statement. The purpose of Rush University is to educate students as practitioners, scientists and teachers who will become leaders in advancing health care and to further the advancement of knowledge through research. As a major component of Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center, the University integrates patient care, education and research through the practitioner-teacher model. Rush University encourages the growth of its students by committing itself to the pursuit of excellence, to the advancement of knowledge, to free inquiry and to the highest intellectual and ethical standards.

Section 3. (a) The term Medical Center as used herein refers to Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center Corporation including all patient care, educational and research institutions under the jurisdiction of the Corporation and the term President to the Chief Executive Officer of the Medical Center.

(b) The term University as used herein refers to all offices, colleges and other institutions involved with the academic programs of the corporation.

Section 4. (a) The term Governing Body/Board of Trustees as used herein refers to the legally designated persons or group empowered to conduct the affairs of the Corporation as may from time to time be defined in the bylaws of the Corporation.

(b) The Governing Body of the Medical Center rules in all matters, including those for which it has delegated authority to the President or other officers or bodies within the Medical Center.

(c) When acting on matters having to do with academic policy and organization of a college(s), the Governing Body shall rely upon the advice of the Senior Representative Body(ies) of Faculty(ies) as transmitted to it by the Dean(s) and the President.

(d) Members of the Governing Body may be designated as Visiting Trustees to any college department or any other academic unit of the University.

Section 5. (a) An Academic Liaison Committee shall be appointed by the Rush University Board of Overseers of the Governing Body of the Medical Center. The Committee shall consist of four members of the Rush University Board of Overseers of the Governing Body, selected by itself annually, and two representatives of the faculty of each College who shall be members of and selected by the Senior Representative Body of each [See Article II, Section 9(a)]. The President, the Provost and the Dean of each College of the University shall be ex-officio members.

(b) The Academic Liaison Committee shall meet as needed to hear and make recommendations on matters relating to the creation or dissolution of a college as provided by Article VI.

Section 6. (a) A Senior Management Body is constituted, the members of which shall be appointed by the President and shall include: the President as Chairperson, the Provost and the Deans of the Colleges.

(b) The Senior Management Body is responsible to the Governing Body for the general policies of the Medical Center/University.

Section 7. (a) The term "College" as used herein refers to any existing or subsequently established college that has a separately organized faculty and/or student body for implementation of academic programs at the Medical Center. The term "dean" as used herein refers to the chief executive officer of such unit, who may be a Vice President of the corporation.

(b) These Rules for Governance deal with certain matters concerning the administration, organization, powers and responsibilities of the officers, faculty and students of the colleges. They are adopted by the Governing Body, acting upon the advice of the faculties as transmitted by the President of the Medical Center/University.

Section 8. The faculty of each college shall establish policies and procedures for carrying out these Rules which, after approval by a majority of the faculty of the College voting by a secret mail ballot, approval by the University Council as called for in Article II, Section 4(a), approval by the Provost, approval by the President and approval by the Governing Body, shall become part of these Rules.

Section 9. In all matters concerning faculty, students and other persons, the Medical Center/University requires that the colleges shall promote equal opportunity as defined in its Affirmative Action Program and other policies.

Section 10. The parliamentary authority for the Rules for Governance shall be the current edition of Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised.

Section 1. (a) A faculty is hereby constituted for Rush Medical College, Rush College of Nursing, Rush College of Health Sciences, Rush Graduate College and for any subsequently organized College of the University.

(b) Faculty members of all colleges shall be members of the faculty of Rush University.

Section 2. (a) The Active Faculty of each college shall be made up of duly appointed members whose titles are given below in order of seniority: (i) Professors and University Professors; (ii) Associate Professors; (iii) Assistant Professor; (iv) Instructors; and (v) Assistants. All these members have the right to cast votes in faculty elections and meetings and to serve on college committees. University Professors are to be individuals who hold the rank of Professor in a College and are expected to make major and broad contributions to the purpose and functions of the University.

(b) The Honorary Faculty shall include those former members of the Active Faculty who have been promoted to Emeritus status and Distinguished Professors. The Visiting Faculty shall include those individuals appointed for a limited function whose ranks shall be recommended by the Chairperson and, for those who have a primary appointment on the faculty of another institution, shall ordinarily be the rank held on that faculty. The Complemental Faculty shall include members appointed to a faculty without rank. Members of the Honorary, Visiting and Complemental Faculty may take part in college faculty meetings but do not have the right to vote. Those faculty members who held the rank of Associate upon the date of adoption of these Rules of Governance by the Governing Body shall retain the rights of members of the Active Faculty as the only exception to this paragraph.

Individuals who have a primary appointment with another university or institution who are not based at Rush University but who make a contribution to Rush’s academic programs in a designated area may be appointed Lecturers. Lecturers have no faculty rights or privileges. The term for a Lecturer shall be for up to one year with renewable appointment. On the recommendation of the Departmental Chairman, and subject to the appointment procedures of the college in question, in special circumstances and on an individual basis, the Dean, at his/her option, may allow faculty appointments at other faculty ranks providing that they would be without vote.

(c) All new appointments, reappointments and promotions of members of a faculty that have been approved by the Senior Representative Body and the Dean of that faculty shall be presented by the Provost to the President for his/her approval.

(d) All recommendations for faculty appointments, reappointments and promotions for Assistant Professors or below shall originate with the department Chairperson and shall be presented to the College Dean for transmission with a recommendation to the Senior Representative Body of the college.

(e) All recommendations for initial appointments, for reappointments and for promotions to positions on a faculty as Associate Professor or Professor shall originate with the department Chairperson, and, after review and approval by the appropriate senior faculty committee of the college, shall be presented to the college dean for transmission with a recommendation to the Senior Representative Body of the college.

An appointment as University Professor shall originate with the department Chairpersons in at least two colleges and after approval by the appropriate senior faculty committees of the colleges concerned, shall be presented to the Deans of the appropriate colleges for transmission with conjoint recommendations to the University Council.

(1) Whenever possible, all appointments to the faculty shall be made in the colleges and the departments representing the primary professional-academic disciplines and activities of the faculty member.

(2) There should be a written understanding between the department Chairperson and all faculty, whether salaried or voluntary, as to the contributions they intend to make to the University. When a faculty member receives a salary, either full-time or part-time, the terms and conditions of the receipt of such salary, including the anticipated time to be spent in health care services, in teaching and/or in research, including administration in each category, will be stated and confirmed in writing in a contract signed by the faculty member, the department Chairperson and the Dean. In the case of joint appointments, the college of primary appointment and the time allocated to each college and department shall be stated explicitly in writing. A copy of such agreement, be it a contract or a letter of understanding, will be supplied to the faculty member. Any subsequent extensions or modifications of an appointment, any special understandings or any notices incumbent upon all parties to provide, which are mutually agreed upon by all parties, will be stated and confirmed in writing and a signed copy will be given to the faculty member of any conditions referred to therein.

(3) Conjoint appointments in other colleges or other departments must be made through joint decision of the department Chairpersons and the faculty member involved and with the approval of the Dean for mutually agreed upon functions and proportions of time. A faculty member shall be responsible to the department Chairpersons in which the conjoint appointments are held for those functions and proportions of time.

The primary appointment should be the department where the individual receives most of his/her salary and/or spends most of his/her time. For those individuals who have a primary appointment in other than their area of professional qualifications, there must be a conjoint appointment in the department more closely related to their professional qualifications. This should be prior to or at the same time as any primary appointment. Disagreements over primary departments and conjoint departments should be considered by the Senior Representative Body and the Dean for departments within a college. The specific mechanism for resolution of disagreements within colleges should be developed by each college. The requirement for a conjoint appointment in the department more closely related to their professional qualifications may be waived upon the agreement of the respective Chairs, the Dean, and the Senior Representative Body of the College.

Disagreements between colleges should be resolved by the University Council with the advice of the Senior Representative Body of and the Dean of each college involved.

The responsibility for the salary of a faculty member falls to each department paying his/her salary unless by mutual agreement of the department Chairpersons. Each department shall be responsible for that portion it has agreed to pay or is paying, unless an agreement to the contrary exists. Faculty members may be offered tenure of salary, tenure of salary but for a specific term, a nontenured salary or no salary. This could be in a primary or conjoint department.

A faculty member’s letter of appointment and/or the contract should include the following:

b. For Assistant Professors, a statement, that at the end of each term of appointment, which may be up to three years, the department Chairperson is free to choose one of the following three options: (1) termination of faculty appointment, (2) reappointment for another term of up to three years, or (3) recommendation for promotion to Associate Professor.

c. For Associate Professors and Professors, a statement whether the position is tenured or nontenured and whether the salary is tenured or nontenured. If the position is nontenured, the term of the appointment must be stated.

d. Should the department Chairperson elect termination, appropriate notice must be given to the faculty member as required by Article II, Section 3(b).

Promotions can be in any primary or conjoint department(s) without prejudice to the faculty member. It is unnecessary to receive the permission of the other conjoint departments or the primary department to recommend a faculty member for advancement.

Voluntary time should be assigned by joint agreement between the primary and conjoint departments and the faculty member involved. As a rule, this should be related to the percentage of salary supported by each conjoint department(s) providing at least one half of the voluntary time goes to the primary department.

For faculty from clinical disciplines with an appointment at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center, the primary faculty and primary clinical department appointment should be the same as their training and they must retain their faculty appointment in their primary clinical department in order to retain their medical staff appointment at Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Hospital.

(4) With the exception of special appointments clearly limited to a brief or partial association with the institution, and reappointments of retired faculty members on special occasions, all appointments to the rank of Associate Professor or higher are two kinds: (i) nontenured appointments and (ii) tenured appointments.

(5) For colleges with a tenure system, appointment as Professor, University Professor, or Associate Professor shall be made for a tenured term. For colleges without tenure, appointment as Professor, University Professor, or Associate Professor is for a contracted term. Each college shall establish its own policies for terms of appointment for its faculty in conformity with these Rules. Appointments to Assistant Professor or below are for nontenured terms in all colleges. Upon retirement from Rush University a faculty member may be recommended by the department chairperson, with the approval of the Senior Representative Body of the college, for promotion to Emeritus status, which shall be tenured.

(6) In the case of retiring Deans or Department Chairpersons, the Dean or the President in the case of Deans may grant that the word Emeritus be used along with their former academic administrative title with the approval of the Senior Representative Body, providing they are also Emeritus faculty. The rights and privileges of Emeritus faculty will be defined by their given college.

(7) Appointments and reappointments as Assistant Professor shall be for nontenure terms between one and three years and may be renewed on recommendation of the department Chairperson. Nonrenewal of reappointments made according to these Rules for Governance in Article II, Section 3(a) and (b), are not grievable except for faculty whose Medical Staff appointment depends upon their faculty appointment.

(8) Appointments and reappointments to ranks of Instructor or Assistant shall be made for terms of up to two years and thereafter be recommended for renewal yearly at the discretion of the department Chairperson.

(9) With special written agreement, approved by the Dean, and with the consent of the appointee, a temporary appointment of an Assistant Professor, Instructor or Assistant as an active faculty member may be made for shorter terms than prescribed above.

(10) Appointments and reappointments to the visiting faculty of a College shall be for terms of one year or less.

(11) Colleges may appoint individuals to the Honorary or Complemental Faculty without rank or vote with privileges and responsibilities defined by each college and for one-year terms.

(12) Appointees to a college, whose primary appointment is with another college of Rush University, shall be subject to the same policies and procedures that are applicable to those faculty members whose primary appointment is in the college.

(13) "Appointment" as used herein shall denote the conferral upon the faculty member of a rank and certain privileges accompanying such rank as defined herein except in the case of Complemental Faculty. An appointment may or may not be accompanied by a salary payable to the faculty member by the Rush University Medical Center. A faculty member's salary cannot be reduced during the period of his/her appointment without a simultaneous withdrawal of appointment, except as stated in paragraphs 14 and 15 below.

(14) When a faculty member of any rank is to receive a salary from the Medical Center for his/her faculty activities, the total compensation, and his/her allocation of effort as defined in paragraph (f) (2) of this Section, shall be stated in a written contract. The contract shall be in effect for a period of one year unless a term of other duration is specifically stated. The terms of the contract shall be recommended annually during the period of his/her appointment to the Dean by the departmental Chairperson after review with the faculty member. Said contract cannot conflict with the regulations set forth in these Rules for Governance. The salary in the contract shall be at least at the level of that in the most recent preceding contract, providing the quality, quantity or kind of the individual's functions are unchanged, or unless another level is mutually agreed upon by the faculty member, the department Chairperson(s) and the Dean. Each college will devise in conformity with these Rules its own process for awarding of academic rank and the process for removal of appointments and salary. All such processes would require the review and approval of the University Council.

(15) In the case of institutional economic difficulty, as determined by the Governing Body, a reduction of salaries of faculty members may be made as an institutional policy.

(16) The term of a contract will ordinarily be for one year. If the contract is to be terminated by the faculty member prior to the end of its term, he/she must provide at least ninety days written notice to the department Chairperson and the Dean, unless there is a mutual agreement upon a shorter interval. The new contract will ordinarily be renegotiated and signed during the last sixty days of its term.

(17) The faculty of each college shall also determine procedures governing leaves of absence of its members with or without salary in accordance with Medical Center policies. Leaves of absence are of two types: (1) nonscholarly leaves of absence and (2) scholarly leaves of absence.

(i) Nonscholarly leaves of absence include any leave of absence that does not have a scholarly basis such as maternity, paternity, health or other personal considerations.

(ii) Scholarly leaves of absence are for the purpose of improving one’s knowledge of an area relevant to one’s primary academic field of endeavor, doing research or other pursuits felt to fall within the generally accepted range of activities with approval of the department Chairperson. An Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and full Professor may be eligible for consideration for an initial scholarly leave of absence after a period of three or more continuous years of fully-affiliated salaried experience in the college at the level of Instructor or above. Additional scholarly leave may be granted to an individual periodically and could be granted after the third year following completion of the previous leave. The leave may be granted to a faculty member who has an appointment that would continue after the leave was completed and who intended to return to the college. All such requests for leave shall be submitted to the appropriate department Chairperson for consideration and then forwarded to the Dean with recommendations. The requests must also include the proposed plans to carry out the functions of the faculty member while he/she is on leave, including the designation of a deputy for any administrative responsibilities. The granting of all requests for scholarly leaves is based upon the provision that adequate fiscal and personnel resources are available to the college as determined by the Dean.

(iii) A salaried faculty member with six years or more of full-time service is eligible for a scholarly leave of absence of six months at full salary or a twelve month leave of absence at half salary. A salaried faculty member with three to six years of full-time service is eligible for a scholarly leave of absence of one month for each year of such service at full salary or of two months for each year of such service at half salary. The leaves of absence shall not be cumulative.

(iv) Each person who has been on a scholarly leave of absence shall, on the termination of his/her leave submit a written report to his/her department Chairperson concerning the nature of his/her studies, research or other scholarly work undertaken by him/her during his/her leave of absence. The department Chairperson shall transmit such a report to the Dean.

(v) No one to whom a leave of absence with pay has been granted shall be permitted while on such leave to accept remunerative employment or engage in remunerative professional practice or work which shall exceed his/her compensation prior to the date of the leave of absence at the Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center. Exceptions may be made only with the express permission of the Dean.

(vi) A nonsalaried faculty member may take a leave of absence of up to one year with the approval of the department Chairperson and the Dean. Extensions require reapproval by the department Chairperson and the Dean at least once a year.

(vii) A salaried member of the faculty may take a personal leave of absence without compensation from the Medical Center with the written approval of his/her department Chairperson and the Dean. The terms of the leave of absence, including the terms for the resumption of duties and maintenance of faculty appointment, shall be negotiated between the department Chairperson and the faculty member and shall be stated in writing. Such a leave of absence may be for reasons of maternity, paternity, health or other personal considerations and shall not exceed one year, unless approved by the department Chairperson and the Dean. Military leaves of absence shall be an exception to this rule.

(18) a. A College or a department in a College can only be created or eliminated by a vote of the Governing Body. When a College or department is eliminated, the University shall be responsible for continuing faculty members’ appointments and for continuing salaried faculty members’ academic salaries, at their current level until another compensated position is taken or according to the following:

(i) Appointment and salary until acceptance of another position or three years whichever comes first for Professors and Associate Professors with more than 20 years service;

(ii) Appointment and salary up to but not to exceed two years for Professors and Associate Professors with at least 10 but less than 20 years service;

(iii) Appointment and salary up to but not to exceed 18 months for Professors and Associate Professors with less than 10 years service; and

(iv) Appointment and salary up to but not to exceed one year for Assistant Professors regardless of length of service.

b. During the period of appointment and salary continuation, the University shall make good faith efforts to:

(i) Reassign faculty members to appropriate academic and/or professional duties in other Colleges or departments;

(ii) Support retraining of faculty members for appropriate academic and/or professional positions in other Colleges or departments; and

(iii) Assist faculty members in out-placement to other appropriate academic and/or professional positions.

c. During the period of appointment and salary continuation, faculty members shall:

(i) Accept reassignment to appropriate academic and/or professional duties in other Colleges or departments;

(ii) Retrain for other appropriate academic and/or professional positions in other Colleges or departments; and

d. A college or department will not be construed as being eliminated, in the event that a college is merged with another college or a department with another department or the functions are shifted to another entity in the Medical Center. Therefore, the tenure rights of the faculty members shall be continued.

Section 3. (a) Appointments to a faculty may be terminated by (i) non-renewal of the specified term of appointment; (ii) retirement; (iii) acceptance of resignation; or (iv) discharge for cause.

(b) When a faculty member with an appointment for a nontenured term is not to be recommended for reappointment, the member must be notified in writing by the department Chairperson. For Instructors this notice must be at least three months prior to the expiration of the appointment. For the rank of Assistant Professor or above, the notice should be at least six months prior to expiration if the appointment has been held for three years or less and one year for appointments as an Assistant Professor or above that have been held more than three years. If this deadline is missed, the appointment shall be extended for an additional three months beyond the termination date for the rank of Instructor and an additional six months beyond the termination date for the rank of Assistant Professor or above. For Assistant Professors who have served more than three years and for those Associate Professors or above who may be nontenured the combined time period for notice and extension must be not less than one full year.

(c) The department Chairperson is responsible for initiating suspension or discharge procedures. Suspension is temporary withdrawal of specified faculty responsibilities and/or privileges with or without salary, as deemed appropriate by the respective department Chairperson. Cause for discharge or suspension from the faculty shall consist of any or all of the following: (i) neglect of duty including serious violation of faculty rules for governance or corporate by-laws, rules, and regulations; (ii) violation of generally accepted standards of professional ethics; (iii) material breach of contract with the Medical Center; (iv) conviction of a crime deemed to render the faculty member unfit to carry out his/her professional activities; (v) professional incompetence; and (vi) conduct that is seriously and clearly prejudicial to the best interest of the Medical Center.

(d) Each college shall establish policies and procedures for actions against and appeals by a faculty member under this Article.

Section 4. (a) The faculty of each college shall establish requirements for admissions, policies for recommendations of individuals to receive degrees and for appointments and promotions to senior faculty ranks. The faculty shall also be responsible for the quality of teachers, teaching and research and shall be responsible for other matters of academic policy of the college and for their implementation. The actions of the Senior Representative Bodies of the faculty of each college shall be subject to the approval of the University Council regarding their consistency with respect to the University Rules for Governance. Such review will be on the initiation of the University Council or following petition by six faculty of the University or as a result of a grievance procedure filed as described in Section 11, University Council, Item 4.

(b) Academic activities of faculty not related to Medical Center programs shall not be in conflict with the interests of the Medical Center/University and are subject to the restraints imposed by Article 4 of these Rules.

Section 5. (a) The College Dean shall exercise the chief executive function of the college.

(b) Each college Dean shall be appointed by the Governing Body, on the nomination of the President, from a candidate or candidates recommended by a Deanship search committee, appointed by the President and the Senior Representative Body of the college. The appointment shall be for an unspecified term at the pleasure of the Governing Body. The committee shall consist of the following:

Members Appointed by the President
Member of the Governing Body	1
Faculty from each of the other colleges not seeking a Dean, who may be Deans	3
One faculty from each of the colleges	4
Department Chairpersons from the college seeking a Dean (one from each of the academic offices if existent)	2
Student from the college seeking a Dean	1
Members Appointed by their Senior Representative Body of the college seeking a Dean
Two from the Professors and Associate Professors, and two from the Assistant Professors and Instructors	4
	15

The President shall appoint the Chairperson of the Search Committee from among its members. The Chairperson of the search committee shall present the final recommendation(s) of the search committee to the President.

(c) On the recommendation of a college Dean and on the nomination of the President, the Governing Body may appoint Associate and Assistant Deans for unspecified terms at the pleasure of the Governing Body.

(d) The College Dean: (i) shall call meetings of the faculty at such times as he/she or the Senior Representative Body may deem necessary, at least one such meeting must be held each year; (ii) shall formulate and present policies to the College faculty for its consideration; (iii) shall serve as the medium of communication for all official business of the college with other Medical Center/University authorities, students, and faculty; (iv) shall prepare the budget of the College; and (v) shall provide consultation and recommendations concerning faculty appointments and promotions and student admissions, evaluation, and promotions.

Section 6. (a) Each College shall establish procedures for creating and abolishing departments, or in the case of the Graduate College, Divisions, with definition of the objectives and mechanisms for decision making and activities within each.

(b) Each active faculty member in each department and/or division shall be eligible to vote in departmental and/or divisional academic matters.

(c) Each department, or division in the case of the Graduate College shall have a head designated as department Chairperson, or division Director, in the case of the Graduate College. The faculty of a college shall define the responsibilities for the professional and academic work of the department or division in the case of the Graduate College, as well as the qualifications, the mechanism for appointment and removal, and the term of office of the department Chairperson or division Director.

(d) Each college shall establish policies and procedures for regular department review, or divisional review in the case of the Graduate College, at least every five years including the evaluation of the quality of the activities of its departments, or divisions in the case of the Graduate College, and of the department Chairpersons, or division Directors in the case of the Graduate College. The periodic review should consist of three components: (1) a review of the department’s objectives, (2) a review of the department or division and its activities in fulfillment of these objectives, and (3) a review of the department Chairperson or division Director in his/her performance in fulfillment of these objectives. The Senior Representative Body is to be notified that a review is to be carried out and shall receive a report on the review.

Section 7. Institutes, centers or other administrative entities may be organized with approval of the Governing Body for specific functions in areas of health care, education, or research that may best be carried out by collaborative efforts of faculty members from two or more departments of one or more college(s). The granting of degrees, offering of courses for academic credit, and faculty appointments, reappointments or promotions shall reside within the colleges.

Section 8. The faculty of each college shall hold at least one regular meeting during the academic year on a date it shall determine. Special meetings of the faculty of any college at which only the specific items on the agenda shall be discussed, may be called by the President, the dean of the college, or upon receipt by the Dean of an appropriate petition of the faculty. Each faculty shall establish the number and dates of its meetings, the number of members constituting a quorum, and regulations governing the calling and conduct of special meetings.

Section 9. (a) Each College shall organize a Senior Representative Body to be elected by the active faculty members from among all of the active faculty members of the college in such manner that all categories of rank and major divisions, if existent, of the faculty are represented.

(b) As appropriate, each college may organize standing committees and establish procedures for election and/or appointment of members and for their functions.

Section 10. There may be a Provost and/or Dean(s) of the University who shall be appointed by the Governing Body for unspecified term(s) at the pleasure of the Governing Body, on recommendation of the President following discussions with the Deans of the colleges. These Officers shall function in a staff relationship to the President, Vice President(s), and/or to the Deans of the colleges and shall be responsible for certain academic affairs.

Section 11. A University Council shall be constituted to make recommendations to the Senior Management Body or to other individuals or groups of the University concerning University standards or other matters that involve the relationships among the academic components of the University.

(a) The members shall be three faculty members, elected annually from among the members of the Senior Representative Body of each college, or as otherwise determined by each College, and one full-time student selected annually by the students of each college, from among the student members of the Senior Representative Body.

(1) At least one faculty member from each college shall hold the rank of Professor or Associate Professor.

(2) At least one faculty member from each college shall hold the rank of Assistant Professor or Instructor.

(4) Deans of the colleges and the Provost shall be members ex-officio without vote.

The Council shall select its Chairperson annually and the previous year’s Chairperson should call the meeting for the purpose of electing a Chairperson. If none exists, the President should appoint a Chairperson pro tem to call the meeting for this purpose. The Council shall meet by request of the President, the Provost, the Chairperson of the University Council, the Dean of a college or by the motion of the Senior Representative Body of any college of the University, and as necessary to act on recommendations of the University committees. The University Council shall meet at least quarterly and have additional meetings as necessary to carry out its functions as described in these Rules for Governance.

Section 1. (a) This Article and Article IV and their Sections apply to all Rush University students of all colleges on the Medical Center campus and on other campuses affiliated with the University.

(b) There shall be two categories of students in Rush University: those enrolled and registered for Rush degrees (Regular Students) and those enrolled for studies which do not lead to a degree (Special Students, also called Unclassified Students).

(c) Only Regular Students have the right to vote in student affairs. Only students in good standing are eligible to hold office, serve on committees or otherwise vote in plenary affairs of the students or faculties.

(d) The process for determining academic status and grounds for dismissal should be made known in writing to the students. Each college shall establish an appeal mechanism for student-related grievances. The determination of the status of a student in a College shall be made by the Dean of the College with the advice of the appropriate committee within each college and the Treasurer of the Corporation.

(e) A degree candidate who holds a faculty appointment shall participate in academic matters as a faculty member and not as a student. Without a faculty appointment, the student is either a Regular or Special Student/Unclassified Student, depending upon the student's registration.

Section 2. (a) Student representative government may be organized for the student body of each college. Such a representative body shall be organized in such a manner as to provide appropriate representation for all students in that student body.

(b) The members of such a student representative body shall serve as the designated representatives for the students in matters between the student bodies, faculties and administrative officers of the college and University.

(c) A Rush University Student Representative Council may be organized and, if so, should be constituted equally from among the students of each college. If a college has an established student representative body, its delegates to such a council shall be the Chairperson and members of the body. If no such student representative body exists, delegates to such a council shall be selected by a student body in such a manner as to provide appropriate representation for all students in that student body. A council shall elect its own Chairperson annually.

(d) The members of a Rush University Student Representative Council shall serve as the designated representatives for all students in matters between student bodies, faculties and administrative officers of the University.

Section 1. (a) It is the policy of the University to maintain and encourage full freedom within the law for inquiry, discourse, teaching, research and publication, and to protect the faculty and students against influences that would restrict the exercise of these freedoms.

(b) Faculty and students of the University who express public opinions on public issues must clearly represent themselves and not the University in whole or in part, unless that opinion has been authorized by the President.

(c) Although the administrative processes and activities of the University cannot be regarded as ends in themselves, such functions are vital to the orderly pursuit of the work of all members of the University community. Willful and persistent interference with members of the University community in the performance of their normal duties and activities must be regarded as unacceptable obstruction of the essential processes of the University.

Section 1. (a) A proposal for amendment of these Rules for Governance may be initiated by any of the following: a petition signed by at least twenty members of any faculty and/or students, by the President, by the Provost, by any college Dean, or by a majority of the members of the Senior Representative Body of a college faculty. All such proposals shall include a written, reasoned argument for the proposed change. The proposal for amendment shall be submitted by the initiating parties to the University Council, which shall approve, disapprove stating the reason for disapproval, or return the proposal to the initiators with recommendations for further review and resubmission. Those who initiate the proposal shall be informed of the action of the University Council.

(b) Amendments approved by the University Council shall thereafter be submitted to a vote of the faculty by a secret ballot at any regularly or specially called faculty meeting or by secret mail ballot. Each amendment must be approved by a simple majority of one Rush faculty voting in such an election.

(c) The University Council shall thereafter transmit the faculty-approved amendment to the President and the Governing Body for final approval.

Section 2. (a) Each College should set up mechanisms for amending its own policies and procedures.

(b) Proposed policies and procedures, and amendments (‘proposals") approved by the Senior Representative Body of the college must be transmitted to the University Council, which shall review each proposal for consistency with the University Rules for Governance. Upon approval by the University Council, the proposal shall thereafter be returned to the Senior Representative Body of the College which shall submit the approval proposals to a vote of the faculty of the College by secret mail ballot. Each proposal must be approved by a majority of those voting. Thereafter the proposal shall be transmitted with recommendations to the Provost, the President and the Governing Body for final approval.

Section 1. The creation or dissolution of a college may be proposed by a Senior Representative Body of faculty, by the University Council, by the President, by the Provost, or by the Rush University Board of Overseers and the Governing Body. The proposal to create or dissolve a College shall be submitted for discussion and recommendation to the Senior Representative Body, if existent, of that faculty at a regular or specially called meeting, the conclusions of which shall be transmitted to the University Council for discussion and recommendation which shall submit its recommendation to the Provost who shall submit the proposal to the President. The President shall then submit the proposal, together with recommendations, to the Rush University Board of Overseers and the Governing Body for action. (See also Article II, Section 2(f)(18).)