Chapter 3: University Governance

Article IV: Instruction

Section 1: Faculty

Responsibility for the instructional programs of the university shall be vested in the University Faculty under the direction of the President. The faculty shall include the President, the Provost, the Executive and other Vice Presidents, Deans, Professors, Associate Professors, Assistant Professors, Instructors, and persons of such other rank or title as the President may recommend. 

The faculty of any school or college of the university shall include all such officers as have responsibility for instruction in that school or college. A member of the University Faculty may be a member of the faculty of more than one school or college. 

Subject to general university policy and regulations and to the powers vested in the President of the university and the University Senate, the faculty of any school or college shall have jurisdiction over the educational program, and the internal affairs of that division, instruction, schedules, and degree requirements.

The Dean of a school or college shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees or its Executive Committee upon recommendation of the President, who shall have conferred regarding such recommendation with the Provost and/or Executive Vice President for Health Affairs. The President also shall seek the advice of an appropriately appointed committee, which shall include members of the faculty of the school or college concerned and shall inform the Board of the views of that committee. The Dean of a school or college shall have general responsibility for the direction of the work of the dean’s division and shall be responsible to the President for the administration thereof; shall exercise leadership in the development of educational policies and programs; shall preside at meetings of the faculty of the dean’s school or college except when the President chooses to preside; shall supervise the work and direct the discipline of the dean’s division; and shall advise with the President in the formation of the faculty, the determination of curricula, and concerning all the interests of his or her division, including its relationships to other divisions of the university and to the interests of the university as a whole. 

Section 3: Faculty appointments

Appointments to membership on the faculty, other than the President, Provost, Executive and other Vice Presidents, and Deans, shall be of two kinds—limited and continuous. A limited appointment is terminated at the close of a period of time specified in writing to the appointee. A continuous appointment is one which will not be terminated by the university except as specified in the principles approved and published by the Board of Trustees, or by retirement in accordance with the provisions of the Emory University Retirement Guide. 

Limited appointments shall be made by the Dean of the academic unit primarily concerned and shall be reported annually to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs or the Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, whichever is appropriate. 

Continuous appointments shall be made by the Board of Trustees or its Executive Committee upon the recommendation of the President, who shall have conferred regarding such recommendation with the Dean of the academic unit primarily concerned and the Provost. 

The Deans shall establish and communicate to their faculty the procedures for expressing faculty opinion in matters of individual appointment, promotion, and termination. The precise terms and conditions of each appointment shall be stated in writing, shall be in accordance with the principles approved and published by the Board of Trustees, and shall be in possession both of the university and the appointee before the appointment is final.

Article VI: Curricula and Degrees

Section 1: Curricula

Courses of study in the university, including admission and degree requirements, shall be arranged by the deans and faculties of the several schools and colleges, with due consideration of interdivisional relationships; and when such courses have been approved by the President of the university after conference with the appropriate Dean, they shall be published as the authorized curricula of the university. 

Section 2: Degrees in course

Degrees in course, as authorized, shall be conferred upon students who have completed satisfactorily the courses of study prescribed for such degrees, who are recommended by the Dean and faculty of the appropriate school or college, and who are approved for such degrees by the Board of Trustees or its Executive Committee. 

Section 3: Honorary degrees

Honorary degrees may be conferred upon such persons as may, from time to time, be selected by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Trustees. The University Senate may, in accordance with procedure prescribed in its bylaws, make recommendations for honorary degrees to the Board of Trustees. Such recommendations from the Senate must have the approval of the President of the university prior to being submitted to the Board of Trustees for vote. All members of the Board shall be furnished with written statements of the qualifications of each nominee prior to any ballot being taken. Ballots on honorary degrees may be taken by mail or by voice vote at any meeting of the Board of Trustees. 

Emory University pursues excellence and insists on high standards of conduct and performance. The rules expressed in the Standards of Conduct are designed to maintain the positive environment which Emory strives to provide for all employees. Application of uniform and consistent standards is Emory's objective. 

Listed in these Standards are some of the rules and regulations of Emory as well as descriptions of the types of behavior and conduct that Emory considers inappropriate and that could lead to disciplinary action, up to and including an unpaid suspension or termination of employment without prior warning, at the sole discretion of Emory. This policy is also referenced in Section 12.1 of this handbook. 

The Emory University Board of Trustees, established in 1915, governs the university by establishing policy and exercising fiduciary responsibility for the long-term well-being of the institution. The board and its Executive Committee act on recommendations from board committees, university officers, and the University Senate. Board committees in addition to the Executive Committee include Academic Affairs; Audit and Compliance; Campus Life; Development; Executive Compensation and Trustees' Conflict of Interest; Finance; Governance, Trusteeship, and Nominations; Investment; Real Estate, Buildings, and Grounds; and the Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center Committee.

According to the Emory University Bylaws, the Board of Trustees may consist of a maximum of 45 voting members. The university president is a voting, ex officio member of the board. The university also relies on the wisdom and counsel of trustees emeriti who have retired from the board. Trustees emeriti may attend board meetings but do not vote.

The chair of the Emory University Board of Trustees appoints non-voting faculty counselors to serve on eight of the board’s committees. Besides the president and president-elect of the University Senate, who serve ex officio on the Academic Affairs Committee, faculty counselors are selected from among faculty in the nine schools and colleges and are appointed to three-year terms which begin at the start of the academic year.

The President of the university is elected by the Board of Trustees and serves at the pleasure of the Board. The President is the chief executive and administrative officer of the university. The roles and responsibilities of the President are described in the Bylaws of Emory University. Gregory L. Fenves was appointed Emory's 21st president in 2020. 

The President's Leadership Team (PLT)considers and makes recommendations on matters of policy and programmatic priorities of the university and advises the President on urgent matters. The PLT exists to enhance the ability of the President and the PLT to lead more effectively in pursuing the mission and vision of Emory. It is the one key place where the President and the PLT seek advice and counsel. The PLT meets weekly and consists of those Executive Vice Presidents, Senior Vice Presidents, Vice Presidents and Advisers, whose respective areas of responsibility together embrace all staff, faculty, and student concerns. Specifically, the PLT includes the President of the university, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and CEO of Emory Healthcare, Executive Vice President for Business Administration and Chief Financial Officer, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Senior Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement, Senior Vice President for Research, Senior Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs, Vice President and Secretary of the University, Vice President and Dean for Campus Life, University Chaplain and Dean of Spiritual and Religious Life, Chief Diversity Officer and Adviser to the President and Senior Adviser to the President.  

In addition to the members of the PLT, individuals holding the following positions also report directly to the President of the university: Executive Director of The Carter Center and University Ombuds. 

The Board of Trustees, on nomination of the President of the university, elects the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Provost is the principal academic officer of the university, representing the President in the President’s absence, and acts as the President's primary liaison with the deans and faculty on academic matters. The Provost is responsible for overall academic program management and support activities most closely tied to academic programs including research administration, global strategies, the library, and the Michael C. Carlos Museum. The Provost shares oversight of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Rollins School of Public Health and School of Medicine with the Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and CEO of Emory Healthcare.  

Ravi V. Bellamkonda is Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs. Provost Bellamkonda was appointed in 2021. 

Each of the schools and colleges has a Dean. The Dean is the chief academic officer of the respective school or college. The Dean is responsible for the direction of the academic programs, and academic planning of the relevant division; exercises leadership in the development of educational policies and programs; generally presides at meetings of the faculty of the relevant his school or college; supervises the work and directs the discipline of the relevant division; and advises the President, Provost and Executive Vice President of Health Affairs and CEO of Emory Healthcare concerning the formation of the faculty, determination of curricula, and concerning all the interests of the relevant division, including its relationships to other divisions of the University and to the interests of the university as a whole. 

The University Senate is composed of elected members of the faculty, student body, staff, alumni, and academic deans. Its membership includes, ex officio and non-voting, the President, Provost, Executive Vice Presidents, Senior Vice Presidents, Vice President, Deputy Provosts, Vice Provosts, and Secretary of the University; the President of the Student Government Association; the President of the Graduate Student Government Association; the President, Immediate Past-President, and President-Elect of the Senate; the Chairpersons of the Standing Committees of the Senate; and the elected President, Past-President, and President-Elect of the Employee Council. The Bylaws of the Senate address its membership, election process, terms of office, functions and jurisdiction, organization, meetings, and procedure. 

The University Senate, subject to the powers vested in the President of the university and the Board of Trustees, shall (1) consider and make recommendations concerning all matters of general university interest, as distinguished from those affecting a single school; (2) review all changes in existing policies or the establishment of new policies relating to matters of general university interest; (3) consider and make recommendations on any matters referred to it by the President of the university or the Board of Trustees or by its own membership or constituencies; (4) make recommendations as to Honorary Degrees, as provided in Article VI of the Bylaws of the university; and (5) make recommendations on its own initiative to the President on any matter affecting the university. 

The Senate is a forum for communication, discussion, review, and consideration of initiatives and proposals in any area of policy or other matter that affects the university as a whole. Elected representatives carry information and points of discussion back to their constituencies to enhance communication, bring feedback, and, through continuous iterations, build a sense of shared purpose. 

The University Senate includes the following committees: Executive Committee, Athletics and Recreation, Campus Development, Campus Life, Environment, Fringe Benefits, Governance, Honorary Degrees, Library Policy, Open Expression.  

The Faculty Council is the chief representative body of the faculty. The membership of the Faculty Council includes the elected faculty members of the University Senate, chosen in accordance with the Bylaws of the University Senate, as approved by the Board of Trustees, and eight additional members of the faculty appointed annually by the Faculty Council Executive Committee, in consultation with the President and Provost of the university who shall serve as non-voting members. The faculty members represent all of the schools and colleges. The President, President-elect, and Immediate Past-President of the University Senate are ex-officio members of the Faculty Council and serve as its officers. The President of the university and Provost are members, ex officio, of the Faculty Council, together with others as called for in the Faculty Council Bylaws. 

The Faculty Council, subject to the powers vested in the President of the university and the Board of Trustees, shall: (1) consider and make recommendations to the President concerning the academic affairs of the university as distinguished from those affecting a single school or division thereof, or upon any other matter referred to it by the President, the Board of Trustees, or its own members or constituencies; (2) review all changes in existing policies or the establishment of new policies relating to matters of general interest to the University Faculty, either at the initiative of its own members or constituencies or when these policies are brought before the Council by the President of the university or the Board of Trustees; (3) monitor and review, in its regular deliberations or by the appointment of special committees, the terms and conditions of faculty employment, the state of facilities and administrative policies that affect scholarship and teaching, the budgetary commitments and general financial condition of the university, and the relationship between faculty and administration; and consider any suggestions or problems raised by any recognized faculty group; (4) recommend faculty for university-wide committees on institutional planning. 

Also, in consultation with the Faculty Council of the University Senate, the Chair of the Board of Trustees appoints faculty members to serve as Faculty Counselors on each of the major board committees. According to the Bylaws of Emory University, "Each committee may, upon nomination from the Chair of the Board, appoint Counselors, who shall have full authority to engage in the deliberations of the trustee committee but shall not have a vote." The terms for the Faculty Counselors are three-year terms, other than the President and President-elect of the Senate (who serve ex officio). Faculty Counselors begin their terms of service at the start of the academic year. 

As noted above, the Faculty Council is the representative body for the entire university faculty. Each school or unit has its own faculty governance and voting policies for specific school-wide matters.