BYLAWS

of the GLENN KORFF SCHOOL OF MUSIC

in the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts

at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

 

1. Name

1.1. The name of this organization is the Glenn Korff School of Music.

2. Mission

2.1. The Glenn Korff School of Music nurtures the creativity, artistry, and scholarship of students and faculty; educates students to achieve excellence as educators, performers, composers, and scholars; and enriches the education of all students through the study and practice of music and dance. The historic and continuing commitment of the Glenn Korff School of Music to teacher education infuses a fundamental commitment to the teaching of comprehensive musicianship into all aspects of the curriculum. The School provides opportunities to understand, participate in, and enjoy music and dance. It has a responsibility for fulfilling this mission, not only for the citizens of Nebraska, but also for its constituency regionally, nationally, and internationally. In fulfillment of its mission, the School:

  • Offers programs of study in music at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels
  • Offers programs of study in dance at the bachelor’s level
  • Provides professional preparation for educators, performers, composers, and scholars
  • Stimulates research and creative work that fosters discovery, pushes frontiers, and advances society
  • Serves the state and region as an important educational, artistic, and cultural resource
  • Develops supportive and knowledgeable audiences and patrons for music and dance
  • Sustains a strong commitment to liberal education through its course offerings and performance opportunities
  • Maintains a strong commitment to life-long learning
  • Provides leadership that fosters the development of music and the arts in the state, region, and nation

3. Voting membership

3.1. The voting membership of the School shall consist of faculty who hold continuous, specific term, or special appointments of 0.5 FTE or greater and who are not working toward an advanced degree in the Glenn Korff School of Music.

3.2. Faculty associated with more than one department shall vote in the department designated on the personnel action form as the home or tenured home department.

4. Administrative Organization

4.1. Director

4.1.1. Administrative duties of the Director are not rigidly prescribed, but responsibilities include:

  • Budgetary matters
  • Personnel matters
  • Teaching schedules and workload assignments of the faculty
  • Recruitment of new faculty and staff
  • The business affairs of the department or school
  • Recruitment and retention of students
  • Maintaining an awareness of the teaching and research activities of the School’s faculty members, and their service as advisers and committee members, both within and outside the university

4.1.2. The Director is an ex-officio member of all standing committees.

4.1.3. The Director may have a smaller than customary teaching load or no teaching load at all.

4.1.4. Terms of appointment

  • The Director is recommended for appointment by the Dean to the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
  • Unit faculty must be consulted by the Dean as a part of the appointment process.
  • The Director is appointed for a specific term, normally three to five years.
  • The Director is evaluated annually by the Dean, in accordance with University of Nebraska-Lincoln policy.
  • Near the end of the appointment period, a cumulative performance review of the Director will be conducted by the Dean, in accordance with guidelines set forth in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln policy relative to Review and Reappointment of Academic Administrative Officers.
  • The Dean also has the prerogative of reviewing the performance of the Director at any time during his/her term of office.
  • The Director shall, at least once annually, in consultation with the Executive Committee, report to the faculty on the financial status of the Glenn Korff School of Music.

4.2. Associate/Assistant Directors

4.2.1. Administrative duties of the Associate/Assistant Directors are not rigidly prescribed, but responsibilities include:

  • Serving as the Chair of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and the Graduate Curriculum Committee
  • Representing the School on the Hixson-Lied College Curriculum Committee
  • Serving as Director of Graduate Studies
  • Overseeing semester teaching schedules, workload assignments, and course rotations of the faculty, as assigned by the Director
  • Serving as non-voting members on the School’s Executive Committee
  • Advising the Director on the general operations of the School as a member of the GKSOM Administrative Team
  • Representing the Director as needed (due to travel, illness, etc.)
  • Performing other duties as assigned by the Director

4.2.2. The Associate/Assistant Directors of the School may have a smaller than customary teaching load or no teaching load at all at the discretion of the Director.

4.2.3. Terms of appointment

  • Associate/Assistant Directors are appointed by the Director, in consultation with the Music Executive Committee
  • Associate/Assistant Directors are not appointed for specific terms, but serve at the discretion of the Director
  • Associate/Assistant Directors are evaluated annually by the Director, with the prerogative of additional review at any time, in accordance with University of Nebraska-Lincoln policy

4.3. Areas

4.3.1. An area is a group of faculty who share similar instructional and professional activities.

4.3.2. The following areas have been established:

4.3.2.1. Performance Areas

  • Brass and Percussion
  • Conducting and Ensembles
  • Dance
  • Jazz
  • Keyboard
  • Strings
  • Voice and Opera
  • Woodwinds

4.3.2.2. Academic Areas

  • Composition/Music History/Music Theory
  • Music Education

4.3.3. Faculty are assigned to areas by the Director subject to approval by the Executive Committee.  Faculty whose major teaching responsibilities fall into more than one area may be assigned to more than one area.

4.4. Area Heads

4.4.1. Each area shall have an Area Head whose chief responsibility shall be coordinating the administrative and academic operations of the area.

4.4.2. Area Heads shall be appointed by the Director. Any member of the voting faculty may be appointed Area Head.

4.4.3. Area Heads shall serve 3-year terms and may serve additional terms.

4.4.4. Area Head responsibilities:

  • Management of the area including:
    • Student issues
    • Juries
    • Departmentals
    • Curricular matters
  • Calling and chairing area meetings
  • Representing the area to the Director, the Undergraduate Committee, and the Graduate Committee
  • Assigning students to studios in consultation with the area faculty and the Director, or his/her designee, as appropriate
  • Distributing information and fostering communication throughout the area

5. Faculty Meetings

5.1. Regular meetings

5.1.1. Regular meetings of the faculty shall be held at least twice per semester.

5.1.2. A schedule of regular meetings for the entire academic year shall be announced by the Director at the first faculty meeting of that academic year.

5.1.3. The first faculty meeting of the academic year shall be called by the Director at least one month in advance.

5.2. Special meetings

5.2.1. A special meeting of the faculty may be called by:

  • The Director
  • The Executive Committee, upon formal request to the Director
  • A written request by at least ten (10) of the School’s voting membership

5.2.2. A call for a special meeting stating the purpose of the meeting shall be distributed in writing to the faculty by the Director no less than three days before the meeting.

5.3. Quorum

5.3.1. Half the voting members of the School shall constitute a quorum.

5.4. Presiding

5.4.1. The Director shall preside at meetings of the faculty.

5.4.2. In the absence of the Director, the Associate Director shall preside.

5.4.3. In the absence of the Director or Associate Director, s/he may appoint a faculty representative to preside.

5.5. Secretary

5.5.1. The secretary of faculty meetings shall be the Assistant to the Director.

5.5.2. If the Assistant to the Director is not present, the s/he shall appoint a secretary.

5.6. Agenda

5.6.1. Items may be placed on the agenda:

  • By the Director
  • By the Executive Committee, upon written request to the Director
  • By any individual faculty member or group of faculty members upon written request to the Executive Committee

5.6.2. Copies of a preliminary agenda and pertinent information shall be provided to the faculty no less than one week prior to the meeting.

5.7. Voting

5.7.1. The following categories of motions shall be decided by secret ballot:

  • Election of faculty to committees
  • Selection of students for awards

5.7.2. All other matters may be decided by voice vote or show of hands.

5.7.3. The Chair may call for any vote to be by secret ballot if s/he feels that secrecy of members’ votes is desired.

5.7.4. Any voting member who believes that a secret vote will give a truer expression of the assembly’s will on a pending motion can move that the vote on the motion be taken by secret ballot.

5.7.5. When a question is called during an in-person meeting, the majority shall consist of more than 50% of members present at that meeting. When a question is called electronically, the majority shall consist of more than 50% of the membership eligible to vote.

5.8. Elections

5.8.1. All elections shall be decided by majority vote.

5.8.2. If a majority is not reached on the first ballot, a second balloting on the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be held.

5.9. Electronic ballots

5.9.1. A motion to refer an item to an electronic ballot of the faculty may be made before the vote is taken on any matter before the faculty.

5.9.2. In the case of an electronic ballot, a summary of the arguments germane to the motion’s issue shall be prepared by the Chair of the meeting and sent, along with the ballot, to each voting member of the School faculty.

6. Committees

6.1. The Standing Committees of the Glenn Korff School of Music are:

  • Executive Committee
  • Graduate Committee
  • Undergraduate Committee
  • Library Committee
  • Technology Committee
  • Health & Wellness Committee

6.2. Executive Committee

6.2.1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Director, the Associate Director (non-voting), the Assistant Director (non-voting), and six tenured or tenure-leading faculty members elected by the faculty.

6.2.2. The Director shall serve as chair.

6.2.3. Elected members shall serve two-year staggered terms. 

6.2.4. Elected members may not serve consecutive terms. 

6.2.5. The elected membership of the Executive Committee shall consist of four faculty members assigned to Performance Areas (4.3.2.1) and two faculty members assigned to Academic Areas (4.3.2.2).

6.2.6. Responsibilities of the Executive Committee:

  • To represent the full faculty to the administration
  • To assist in the conduct of Glenn Korff School of Music business in such areas that the faculty or the Director requests
  • To recommend items for inclusion on the agenda of School of Music faculty meetings (See section 5.6.1)
  • To approve assignment of faculty to areas (See section 4.3.3)
  • To review faculty petitions to amend the Faculty Handbook (See section 7.3.2)
  • To evaluate the professional achievement of faculty members in accordance with school, college, and university regulations as specified in the Bylaws and other regulatory documents of those units
  • To make nominations for appropriate faculty/staff awards and professorships at the School, College, and University levels

6.2.7. A member of the faculty may request that the Executive Committee consider a topic for debate or discussion by forwarding the request to any member of the Executive Committee.

6.3. Graduate Committee

6.3.1. The Graduate Committee shall consist of the Associate or Assistant Director and six faculty members elected by the faculty

6.3.2. Elected members of the Graduate Committee must hold Graduate Faculty status.

6.3.3. The Associate or Assistant Director shall serve as chair.

6.3.4. Elected members shall serve three-year staggered terms. 

6.3.5. Members may serve consecutive terms.

6.3.6. The elected membership of the Graduate Committee shall consist of four faculty members assigned to Performance Areas (4.3.2.1) and two faculty members assigned to Academic Areas (4.3.2.2)

6.3.7. Responsibilities of the Graduate Committee:

  • To review and make decisions on all incoming graduate admission files and portfolios
  • To make Fellowship recommendations to the Director
  • To vote on all graduate Program of Studies and Memorandum of Courses
  • To assist and advise the faculty on graduate curricular matters
  • To vote on all independent study requests
  • To bring important graduate matters before the entire music faculty
  • To review all graduate course substitutions

6.4. Undergraduate Committee

6.4.1. The Undergraduate Committee shall consist of the Associate or Assistant Director, the chief advisor of the BA/BM performance degrees, the chief advisor of the BME degree, the chief advisor of the BA dance degree, and three faculty members elected by the faculty.

6.4.2. The Associate or Assistant Director shall serve as chair.

6.4.3. Elected members shall serve three-year staggered terms.

6.4.4. Elected members may serve consecutive terms.

6.4.5. The elected membership of the Undergraduate Committee shall consist of one faculty member assigned to Conducting and Ensembles, one faculty member assigned to any other Performance Area (4.3.2.1), and one faculty member assigned to Academic Areas (4.3.2.2).

6.4.6. Responsibilities of the Undergraduate Committee:

  • To assist and advise the faculty on undergraduate curricular matters
  • To vote on all independent study requests
  • To bring important undergraduate matters before the entire music faculty
  • To rank qualified undergraduate students for applicable scholarships

6.5. Library Committee

6.5.1. The Library Committee shall consist of the UNL Music Librarian and five faculty members appointed by the Director.

6.5.2. The Chair of the Library Committee shall be appointed by the Director.

6.5.3. Appointed members shall serve three-year staggered terms.

6.5.4. Appointed members may serve consecutive terms.

6.5.5. Responsibilities of the Library Committee:

  • To serve as a conduit for conversations between the Music Librarian and the rest of the School regarding the holdings, acquisitions, and future directions of the collections in the UNL Music Library

6.6. Technology Committee

6.6.1. The Technology Committee shall consist of the College IT Services Manager, the School of Music IT Associate and five faculty members appointed by the Director.

6.6.2. The Chair of the Technology Committee shall be appointed by the Director.

6.6.3. Appointed members shall serve three-year staggered terms.

6.6.4. Appointed members may serve consecutive terms.

6.6.5. Responsibilities of the Technology Committee:

  • To make recommendations on all matters pertaining to technology in the service of teaching, creative activities, and scholarship within the Glenn Korff School of Music

6.7. Health and Wellness Committee

6.7.1. The Health and Wellness Committee shall consist of five faculty members and/or staff appointed by the Director.

6.7.2. The Chair of the Health and Wellness Committee shall be appointed by the Director.

6.7.3. Appointed members shall serve three-year staggered terms.

6.7.4. Appointed members may serve consecutive terms.

6.7.5. Responsibilities of the Health and Wellness Committee:

  • To advise on matters of health, wellness, and safety for faculty, staff, and students in the School of Music.
  • To assure adherence to health and safety standards set forth by the National Assoication of Schools of Music and the National Association of Schools of Dance

6.8. Special committees

6.8.1. Special (“ad hoc”) committees may be appointed by the Director to carry out tasks not normally assigned to standing committees.

6.8.2. All special committees shall be given a specific charge and a time frame for the execution of their responsibilities.

6.8.3. On completion of their charge, special committees are discharged.

7. Faculty Handbook

7.1. The GKSOM shall maintain a Faculty Handbook that describes policies and procedures concerning faculty affairs, including, but not limited to:

  • Promotion and tenure
  • Reappointment
  • Annual Evaluation
  • Load calculation

7.2. The Faculty Handbook shall be available to faculty on the website of the Glenn Korff School of Music as a downloadable document.

7.3. Changes to the Faculty Handbook:

7.3.1. Changes to the Faculty Handbook may be made only by approval of the faculty by majority vote.

7.3.2. Any faculty member who wishes to propose changes to the Faculty Handbook may petition the Executive Committee.  Upon approval of the Executive Committee, the proposed change will be brought to the faculty for a vote.

7.3.3. The faculty shall be notified immediately by the Director or Associate Director of any changes to the Faculty Handbook.

7.3.4. Each revised version of the Faculty Handbook shall include the date of revision.

7.4. Where anything in these bylaws conflicts with the Faculty Handbook, the provisions of these bylaws shall govern the Faculty Handbook.

8. Parliamentary Authority

8.1. The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the School in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws, of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, or any special rules of order the School may adopt.

9. Amendment of Bylaws

9.1. These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the School by a two-thirds vote, provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing at the previous regular meeting.