CUNY Trustee Bylaws
The specific and detailed regulations that govern the operation of BMCC are the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees of The City University of New York. Members of the faculty should refer to these Bylaws for details concerning the governance structure of the University and the regulations relating to appointment, reappointment, promotion, and tenure. Information on the Bylaws may be found on the Board of Trustees website.
College Governance
BMCC Administration
The Academic Senate and the College Council are the two legislative bodies of the Borough of Manhattan Community College.
College Council
Recognizing the legislative authority of the Academic Senate in matters of curriculum and degree requirements, the College Council shall be the body which establishes college policy on all matters except those specifically reserved by the laws of the State of New York, the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees of the City University of New York, and by the collective bargaining agreements in force.
The College Council shall serve as a forum for discussing issues and problems of general college concern, shall advise the President both in response to his request for counsel and, upon its own initiative, and shall provide, through its existence, a formal body for each constituent group to express its viewpoint and to communicate with each other.
Academic Senate
The Academic Senate is responsible for the principle academic policy decisions of the college including admissions criteria, academic programs, degree requirements, and graduation requirements. It is the agent of the faculty for carrying out the functions of faculty, according to the provisions of the By-laws of the Board of Trustees.
College-Wide Personnel and Budget Committee
The College-Wide Personnel and Budget Committee examines departmental decisions regarding personnel considering the totality of college-wide interests and uniformity of criteria and recommends action thereon to the President. The membership consists of the Chairs of departments, Senior Vice President and Provost, and President. The committee makes recommendations regarding reappointment, promotion, fellowship award, scholar incentive award and professional leave in the libraries, as well as hears appeals for faculty not recommended by their departmental personnel and budget committees; and other academic matters. The committee’s procedures are outlined in the College-Wide Personnel and Budget Committee Policies and Procedures Guidelines as they may be changed from time to time.
Personnel Review Committee
The Personnel Review Committee reviews negative personnel recommendations of the Department Personnel and Budget Committees and/or College Personnel and Budget Committees concerning reappointment, promotion or fellowship awards. Information regarding the committee is available in the BMCC Governance Plan.
Department Organization
Each department outlines the educational policies of the department, subject to the approval of the Academic Senate, through the vote of its faculty members. The Department Personnel and Budget Committee makes recommendations for appointments, reappointments, promotion and fellowship award, scholar incentive award and other academic matters, to the College-Wide Personnel and Budget Committee. Department elections for a department chair and the department personnel and budget committee members are generally held every three years, the first week of May. Information regarding department organization is available in the BMCC Governance Plan.
Professional Staff Congress
The Professional Staff Congress is the union that represents more than 27,000 faculty and staff at the City University of New York (CUNY) and the CUNY Research Foundation. It is dedicated to advancing the professional lives of its members, enhancing their terms and conditions of employment, and maintaining the strength of the nation’s largest, oldest and most visible urban public university.
