Departmental BylawsMathematics & Statistics

Bylaws
Department of Mathematics & Statistics
College of Arts & Sciences 
Texas Tech University

Last Updated May 18, 2026

 

1. Preamble:
   
   1. Mission & Vision Statement
      1. The Department of Mathematics and Statistics is committed to excellence in teaching, research, service,outreach, and engagement. It strives to constantly improve research quality and productivity, research expenditures, and faculty retention and success, along with optimizing student retention and success.
   2. Our Commitment to Shared Governance
      1. Every faculty member of every rank is entitled to and expected to contribute to the shared governance of the department. This commitment extends to all faculty, including tenure-track faculty, tenured faculty, professors of practice, and lecturers.
   3. Commitment to Ethics and Transparency
      1. The Ethics Statements of the Department are the same as the TTU OP10.11: Ethics Policy and TTU System Regulation 01.05: Ethical Conduct and Required Training.
2. Structure and Governance
   1. Leadership Positions
      1. Department Chair
         1. The chair will be appointed by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in consultation with the department faculty as per the current college operating procedures.
         2. In the event the chair temporarily cannot perform their normal duties, the chair will assign those duties to an associate chair. In such an event, the faculty, staff, and dean will be informed.
      2. Associate Chairs
         1. The Chair appoints all associate chairs.
         2. The Department of Mathematics & Statistics has the following standing Associate Chairs.
            1. Associate Chair for Graduate Studies
            2. Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies
         3. The Chair may create up to two other Associate Chairs as needed (for example, an Associate Chair for Research or an Executive Associate Chair).
         4. The Chair will consult the Executive Committee on appointing associate chairs, but the Chair retains final authority over the selection.
         5. All associate chairs are given one course release per semester, and/or additional compensation as deemed appropriate and agreed upon.
   2.   Committees
      1. There are three standing departmental committees: Executive Committee, Graduate Committee, and Undergraduate Committee.
         1. The Executive Committee consists of the department chair, all  
            associate chairs, and 3 tenured elected members. Elected members serve a term of 2 years and are ineligible for re-election for 1 year following the end of their term. The 3 elected members will each represent one of the following areas: theoretical/pure mathematics, applied mathematics, and statistics/probability (including Math Finance), with one member per area.
         2. The Executive Committee’s regular responsibilities include
            1. Conducting the annual faculty evaluations. Elected members assign T/R/S scores. Associate Chairs provide written input on faculty performance to inform the evaluation, but do not assign scores.
            2. Functioning as the department’s Tenure and Promotion Committee
            3. Facilitating the nominating process for university and college awards
            4. Considering requests from graduate students for exceptions to the Terms and Conditions for Support and/or degree program time limits
            5. Developing and reviewing department policies as needed
            6. Reviewing the work of the Undergraduate and Graduate Committees
               
               Any faculty member may bring a departmental issue to the attention of the Executive Committee.
         3. The Graduate Committee consists of the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, the Graduate Program Director, and 4 elected tenured or tenure-track faculty.  Elected members serve a term of 2 years and must wait 1 year before seeking another term.
         4. The Graduate Committee oversees the graduate program of the department.  Regular responsibilities include
            1. Developing graduate program policies as needed
            2. Selecting graduate students for assistantship and scholarship support. By the first Monday in October each year, the departmental Business Manager, in consultation with the Chair, the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, and the Graduate Program Director, will analyze the department budget and the expected number of returning students and then recommend to the Graduate Committee a range for the number of students to whom new offers of support could reasonably be made.  The Graduate Committee will consider the applicants for graduate program admission and/or support, select students to whom to extend offers of support, and recommend students for university, college, or department scholarships. No further departmental vote shall be required.
            3. Approving the preliminary exams before administration and the preliminary results after grading
         5. The Undergraduate Committee consists of the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies, the Undergraduate Program Director, and 4 elected tenured faculty, tenure-track faculty, or lecturers with continuing appointment. Elected members serve a term of 2 years and must wait 1 year before seeking another term.
         6. The Undergraduate Committee oversees the undergraduate program of the department.  Regular responsibilities include
            1. Developing undergraduate program policies as needed
            2. Revising course descriptions in the Department Handbook, which can be found on the department’s website under Teaching > Resources, as needed
            3. Reviewing the department’s degree program assessment plans every two years
         7. Committees Appointed by the Chair
            1. The Hiring Committee assists in hiring tenured and tenure-track faculty as specified by TTU OPs.  All Hiring Committee members must complete all university-required training.
            2. The Undergraduate Scholarship Committee awards scholarships to undergraduate students from the department’s endowments.
            3. The Third-Year Review Committee (as appropriate/needed) is appointed by the chair for eachcandidate, by the beginning of the academic year during which the candidate undergoes Third-Year Review.
            4. The Textbook Committee selects textbooks for undergraduate courses.
            5. Ad Hoc Committees may be appointed by the chair as needed.
   3. Faculty Meetings
      1. Scheduling
         1. Faculty meetings may be called at any time by the chair. The department will hold at least one regular meeting per semester, announced at least one month in advance.
      2. Agenda
         1. A brief agenda will be provided at least one week in advance.
         2. Faculty are welcome to propose agenda items and may do so anonymously.
      3. Meeting Minutes
         1. The business manager or their proxy records and maintains minutes for departmental files.
         2. Past minutes and documents generated by faculty meetings are stored permanently.
3. Voting Process & Eligibility
   1. All departmental votes for elected positions will be conducted electronically via an anonymous, secure web form.
      1. The winners will be decided using the Borda count method.  The web form will require each voter to rank their candidates and will not allow a vote unless all candidates are ranked.  Abstentions and blank ballots will not be added in the Borda count.
      2. The faculty and IT staff will not observe the results of the election while the election is underway.  The first time the results will be inspected is when they are officially tallied by the chair and at least one associate chair, with assistance from the IT staff, as needed.
      3. All tenured or tenure-track faculty, lecturers, and professors of practice may vote, subject to TTU and College of Arts and Sciences Operating Procedures and all federal, state, and local regulations.
   2. All departmental votes on substantive matters, including tenure, promotion, third-year review, comprehensive performance evaluation, hiring, amendments to the bylaws, and any other matter formally brought to a department vote, will likewise be conducted electronically via an anonymous, secure web form.
      1. Unless otherwise specified by state, university, or college regulation, or announced before the beginning of voting, a simple majority of votes cast will decide the outcome of the vote.  If no choice receives a majority of votes cast, a runoff will be held between the two choices with the most votes.  Recusals or blank ballots do not count toward the total number of votes cast for the purpose of deciding the outcome
      2. The faculty and IT staff will not observe the results of the vote while voting is underway.  The first time the results will be inspected is when they are officially tallied by the chair and at least one associate chair, with assistance from the IT staff as needed.
      3. Eligibility to vote in department votes is determined by TTU OP 32.01, TTU OP 32.34, TTU OP 32.38, CAS OP 5.2, CAS OP 5.3, and other CAS policies, and implemented by the department as follows:
         1. Only tenured faculty may vote in tenure-track third-year review and tenure cases.
         2. Only full or associate professors may vote in cases of promotion to associate professor.
         3. Only full professors may vote in cases of promotion to full professor.
         4. Only tenured faculty and faculty with continuing appointment may vote in continuing appointment third-year review and continuing appointment cases.  
         5. Only tenured faculty and senior lecturers may vote in cases of promotion to senior lecturer.
         6. The chair does not vote in any tenure, promotion, third-year review, or comprehensive performance evaluation case. Associate chairs vote in tenure, promotion, third-year review, and comprehensive performance evaluation cases only if they meet the rank eligibility requirements applicable to any other faculty member and do not have a conflict of interest in the case.
         7. Only tenure-track or tenured faculty may vote on hiring an assistant, associate, or full professor.  Voting eligibility for appointing a new hire at the rank of associate or full professor follows the same rules that apply to voting on promotion cases for current faculty members at the respective ranks. Only tenured faculty may vote on the recommendation of tenure for a new hire.
         8. The previous regulations intend that, in general, only faculty holding a higher rank than the candidate may vote on third-year review or promotion cases.
         9. For any vote on amendments to the bylaws, all tenure-track faculty, tenured faculty, lecturers, and professors of practice may vote, reflecting the department’s commitment to shared governance across all ranks.
         10. For any vote on changes to the graduate program, all graduate faculty may vote.
         11. For any vote on amendments to the Procedural Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure for Tenure-Track and Tenured Positions, only tenure-track and tenured faculty may vote.
      4. From the first Monday in April until the Friday before the third Monday of April, the chair will solicit anonymous nominations via a web form for any elected committee positions that will be vacant in the upcoming academic year. Self-nominations are encouraged. Only nominees who affirm willingness to serve will appear on the ballot.  After that, the chair will open voting starting on the third Wednesday of April and ending at noon on the fourth Wednesday of April. Voting will be anonymous and via a web form, which requires each voter to rank all the candidates in order of preference. The winners will then be determined by Borda count and announced to the department via email.
4. Hiring
   1. All hiring—whether for staff, faculty, or any other role—must comply with all applicable laws, statutes, guidelines, policies, and operating procedures at every level, including federal, state, local, university, college, and department.
   2. In implementing TTU OP 32.16, the normal hiring process for tenured or tenure-track faculty (not including hiring for the chair position, which is governed by Arts and Sciences Operating Procedures CAS OP 1.3, 1.4, and 1.5 rather than the process described here) will be as follows:
      1. The chair appoints the Hiring Committee, which completes all necessary training.
      2. The Hiring Committee and chair place advertisements for the position, in concert with all relevant TTU offices.
      3. Following all applicable laws and operating procedures, the Hiring Committee reviews the applications, conducts preliminary interviews as needed, and selects candidates for on-campus interviews.
      4. Following the on-campus interviews, the Hiring Committee makes a hiring recommendation, which is then voted on in accordance with the procedures outlined in Article II.
      5. With approval of the Executive Committee and in compliance with all applicable laws, statutes, guidelines, policies, and operating procedures at every level, including federal, state, local, university, college, and department, the normal process may be modified in special circumstances as needed.  However, in all cases, a vote of all tenured and tenure-track faculty must be held on finalists and job offers. For strategic hires and direct hires, an eligible faculty vote is required and may not be waived by the Executive Committee alone.
5. Faculty Workload Policies
   1. Teaching
      1.  Faculty workload is regulated by TTU OP 32.18.  All faculty must generate workload as required by OP 32.18.
      2. Course assignments are determined on a case-by-case basis.  The department does not use fixed rotations.  Assignments are made in consideration of disciplinary area, teaching/research balance, grant award contributions, career stage (early/mid/late), and overall performance in T/R/S scores as recorded annually by the Executive Committee.
      3. Additional Policies
         1. Course releases or buyouts must be discussed with the department chair well in advance. The cost of acourse release is determined and announced at the beginning of each fiscal year, after consulting with the executive committee and ORS.
         2. Summer teaching is not guaranteed and is subject to availability and performance.  Faculty aregenerally expected to support their summer salaries through grants/awards.
         3. The Undergraduate and Graduate Committees, with approval of the chair, propose and process new courses or revisions to existing courses.
         4. Absences from class are not permitted in general, and if deemed necessary, each instructor of recordmust find and delegate a substitute; in extraordinary circumstances, they may deliver the class online, or at an alternate time, as approved by administration. For extended absences, the department chair will work with the Dean’s office to find a replacement.
   2. Research
      1. Each faculty member has access to their entire share of Facilities and Administrative (F&A) funds.  Thedepartment does not retain F&A allocation, except as stated in the offer letters, startup packages, designated faculty endowments, or individual agreements. These funds can be used to support research activities.
      2. The Unit Manager and IT Director provide guidance about building usage and computers.  The IT Director is also the Emergency Action Plan Officer for the Department.
   3. Service
      1. Service appointments and expectations are specified in job offers and are guided by TTU OP 32.18 FacultyWorkload and the IRIM Faculty Workload database.
      2. Service may compensate for the required teaching according to the appropriate paragraph of OP 32.18.
      3. Assistant professors in their first 2 years are exempt from departmental committee work unless they ask to serve and are approved to do so by the chair.
   4. Outreach/Engagement
      1. Departmental definitions
         1. Outreach – Academic and scholarly activities that impact the local community, academic community, or society, including innovative activities.
         2. Engagement – Integrating students, faculty, staff, partners, and public in the university missions (integrated teaching, research, service, and outreach)
      2. Faculty are encouraged to engage in outreach as stated in the offer letters and provisional employment 
         proposals (see Office of the Provost templates).
6. Annual Performance Evaluations
   1. Annual Faculty Reviews
      1. Before the annual deadline specified by college or university (TTU OP 32.32) operating procedure, each tenure-track and tenured faculty member, postdoc, professor of practice, lecturer, and instructor will submit an annual report as specified by university policies.  Currently, this is done through the Digital Measures system.
      2. Each elected member of the Executive Committee must evaluate each report, except where there is a conflict of interest, producing separate ratings for Teaching, for Research, and for Service.  A conflict of interest includes, but is not limited to, close personal, family, financial, or supervisory relationships. Members must disclose conflicts to the Chair (or designee) before deliberation and recuse themselves from discussion and voting. The ratings will typically be recorded in a spreadsheet and then collected by the Chair for compilation.
      3. Each rating will be an integer between 0 and 4 (inclusive), with a 4 indicating truly exceptional performance, a 3 indicating satisfactory performance and satisfactory progress toward promotion, if applicable, a 2 indicating unsatisfactory performance, a 1 indicating significant deficiency in performance, and a 0 indicating no significant activity was performed in this area during the preceding year.
      4. The Chair and the Executive Committee will meet and discuss the ratings and the performance of each tenure-track and tenured faculty member, postdoc, professor of practice, lecturer, and instructor.  The Chair will use these ratings and discussions to produce final annual ratings in teaching, in research, and in service for each person.  The Chair will then write annual performance evaluations for each person based on the Executive Committee’s discussions.  If the university has provided funds for merit raises, the Chair will decide the percentage raise for each person based on these evaluations.
      5. In accordance with TTU OP 32.32, faculty who wish to dispute their annual performance evaluation ratings may request mediation by a committee of peers. The Chair will inform faculty of this right when evaluations are distributed. The Executive Committee is responsible for establishing and maintaining a procedure to implement this right.
      6. Executive Committee members will recuse themselves from the rating and discussion of any member of the department with whom they have a conflict of interest.
   2. Peer Teaching Evaluations
      1. The department is committed to conducting peer teaching evaluations regularly. All tenured faculty must be evaluated by their peers at least once every 6 years.  Candidates for promotion should be provided with peer teaching evaluations at the latest in the semester prior to their application for promotion.
      2. Full-time tenure-track or non-tenure acquiring faculty must be evaluated at least once per year.  For tenure-track faculty, per CAS OP 7.1, an evaluation must occur in the year in which the faculty member applies for tenure and/or promotion.
   3. Third Year Review
      1. The department follows all TTU and College of Arts and Sciences policies related to Third Year Review. These include TTU OP 32.38, CAS OP 5.2, and CAS OP 5.3.
      2. A designated Third Year Review committee of 3 tenured faculty members and/or lecturers with continuing appointment, where applicable, including the faculty research/teaching mentor(s), customized for each candidate, is appointed by the chair and writes their report between February 1 and February 15.  The Third Year Review dossier is presented to the faculty by the end of February for voting.
   4. Tenure & Promotion
      1. The department follows all TTU and College of Arts and Sciences policies related to tenure and promotion.
      2. Internal policies
         1. The department has the same process, criteria, and evaluation as stated in College and University Policies.
         2. No public discussion of candidates is held.  The department has a preliminary “straw” poll for the full professor rank before the candidate is advised to prepare a promotion dossier.
   5. Comprehensive Performance Evaluations (CPE)
      1. The department follows all TTU and College of Arts and Sciences policies related to CPE (TTU OP 32.31 and CAS OP 5.6).
      2. Each faculty member who is tenured or who receives an academic promotion is subject to a comprehensive performance evaluation.  The evaluation shall be conducted not more often than once a year, and no less often than once every six years.
      3. The Executive Committee votes on CPE and provides feedback. 
   6. Staff Evaluation
      1. In accordance with TTU OP 70.12, each staff member will be evaluated by the chair or by their direct supervisor.
      2. Each staff member must complete an annual self-assessment.
7. Resource Allocation
   1. Office Space and Computer
      1. Office assignments are established by the Chair based on seniority and performance, considering space availability and department needs.
      2. In general, the department attempts to replace computers on a five-year cycle. New faculty use their startup packages to fund their computer needs. Faculty with grant funding that allows equipment purchases or generates F&A funds are encouraged to use these funds for their computer needs.
      3. Favoritism and retaliation are both prohibited in the allocation of resources.
   2. Travel
      1. Because research travel is a critical part of research dissemination, the department will attempt to fund travel for faculty and students to the greatest extent possible.  In August each year, the department Business Manager/Associate Director of Finance and the Chair will analyze the department budget and estimate how much will be available for professional travel in the upcoming year.  The Chair, in consultation with the Executive Committee, will then set the department’s travel support policy for the upcoming year.
      2. Faculty with grant support are expected to use that funding before seeking funds from the department.
      3. Students whose advisors have grant support for student travel are expected to use that funding before seeking funds from the department.  Graduate students must seek funding from the Graduate School and any other such sources before seeking funds from the department.  Undergraduate students must seek funds from any available sources, such as TrUE, CASURA, or the Honors College, before applying to the department.
   3. TTU Conferences and Visitors
      1. Because conference organization and research visits are critical parts of research dissemination, the department will attempt to fund both to the greatest extent possible.  In August of each year, the department Business Manager and the Chair will analyze the department budget and estimate how much will be available in the upcoming year for conference organization and research visitors.  The Chair, in consultation with the Executive Committee, will then set the department’s policy for such support during the upcoming year.
      2. Faculty organizing conferences should seek grant support before seeking funds from the department.
      3. Faculty wishing to invite research visitors should seek external support before seeking funds from the department.
      4. Historically, the department has funded the Red Raider Minisymposium each year, usually with support from the endowments of our faculty’s Horn professors or external funds.  The department will continue this commitment to the greatest extent reasonable.  Faculty members wishing to organize the Red Raider Minisymposium should contact the Chair.  The Chair, in consultation with the Executive Committee, will approve the organizers.
8. Amendments
   1. Proposals
      1. At any time, any individual faculty member may address proposed amendments to the Executive Committee, which will discuss these amendments and decide whether to put them to a faculty vote, and in what form.
      2. Every five years, the Executive Committee will review the bylaws and solicit proposals for amendments.  They will decide whether to put these amendments to a faculty vote, and in what form.