Governing Regulations VIII ("University Appointments") describes the composition of the committee that is charged by the Board of Trustees to identify a candidate(s) for the position of University president; these rules dictate that a search committee for a president must include three faculty members, selected through a process determined by the University Senate.Senate Rules 1.5.1 ("Election of Joint Board-Faculty Presidential Search Committee") repeats the language from GR VIII but also describes in detail the process for identifying the three faculty who will serve on the search committee.
Below are descriptions of official policies established in the University Senate Rules, available HERE in their entirety.
1.5.1 ELECTION OF JOINT BOARD-FACULTY PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH COMMITTEE
1.5.1.1 Committee Composition
Governing Regulations VIII, adopted by the Board of Trustees June 12, 2005, provide: “The President is appointed by the Board of Trustees with the advice of a joint committee of the Board of Trustees, University Faculty, staff employees, student body and alumni. The committee shall consist of six (6) members of the Board of Trustees, at least one of whom shall be from among the three alumni trustees, appointed by the Chair of the Board of Trustees; three (3) regular full-time faculty members selected by a procedure determined by the University Senate; one (1) regular full-time staff employee, appointed by the Chair of the Board from a list of three (3) staff employees selected by a procedure determined by the Staff Senate; two (2) full-time students, one (1) undergraduate and one (1) graduate or professional student, appointed by the Chair of the Board of Trustees from a list of three (3) undergraduate and three (3) graduate or professional students selected by a procedure determined by the Student Government Association; and one (1) member of the alumni appointed by the Chair of the Board of Trustees from a list of three (3) alumni selected by the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee of the University of Kentucky Alumni Association. The committee shall provide opportunity for discussion among representatives of administration, University Faculty, staff employees, student body, alumni groups, and prospective presidential candidates."
1.5.1.2 Election Procedures
In the event of a vacancy, or official announcement of an impending vacancy in the Office of President, the following procedure shall be utilized in selecting the three members of the University Faculty to serve on the Search Committee. Elections shall be conducted by electronic secret ballot or paper secret ballot if electronic election is not feasible. Three (3) elected Faculty Senators, representing the University Faculty, shall be elected by this procedure. The election shall be conducted under the supervision of the Chair of the Senate Rules and Elections Committee.
1.5.1.2.1 Nominating Round
On the nominating ballot, each elected Faculty Senator may nominate up to three (3) eligible elected Faculty Senators, as certified by the Chair of the Senate Rules and Elections Committee and made available to Senators.
There shall be six (6) names on the voting ballot. The six (6) elected Faculty Senators receiving the largest number of nominations shall be placed on the voting ballot, except that not more than two names from any one college shall be eligible for being placed on the voting ballot. All ties will be resolved by lot. Prior to placing the names of nominees on the voting ballot, the nominees’ willingness to serve shall be ascertained by the Chair of the Senate Rules and Elections Committee.
1.5.1.2.2 Voting Round
The eligible voters are the full-time members of the University Faculty who are eligible to vote in their respective college election of faculty members to the University Senate. Each voter must rank order exactly three (3) candidates from the list of the six (6) nominees on the voting ballot. Failure to rank order exactly three (3) different candidates will disqualify the ballot. References in sections (3), (4), and (5) below to “ballots” refers only to those ballots certified as countable.
1.5.1.2.3 Tabulation Round(s)
First, the total number of eligible ballots is determined.
Next, each of the six (6) candidates shall be allocated the number of ballots on which the candidate has been ranked first. Any candidate whose total allocation is at least one-third (1/3) of the total number of ballots is elected. Except that if, at any time in the entire tabulation process, a total number of candidates from any one college is elected that is equal to that college’s total number of eligible seats, then any remaining candidates from that college will be removed from the ballots, and the ballots re-tabulated according to the rankings of the remaining candidates on each of them.
If three (3) candidates are elected at this point, the election ends here. If fewer than three (3) are elected, the following “Sequential Run-off” process will be followed.
1.5.1.2.4 Sequential Run-off
If fewer than three (3) candidates are elected pursuant to section (3) above, then the following run-off tabulation will be followed: On each ballot, the name(s) of the elected candidate(s) will be removed, and the ballots re-tabulated according to the rankings of the remaining candidates on each of them. Any candidate who is allocated at least one-third (1/3) of the total number of ballots after this re-tabulation shall be declared elected.
If no candidates are elected pursuant to section (3) above, then the name of the candidate with the fewest top rankings shall be removed. In case of a tie, the candidate with the fewest total number of votes of any rank will be eliminated, with any further ties decided by a random draw. The ballots will then be re-tabulated again according to the rankings of the remaining candidates on each of them. Any candidate now allocated at least one-third (1/3) of these re-tabulated ballots shall be elected.
If a total of three (3) candidates are elected at this point, the election ends here. This procedure shall be repeated as necessary until three (3) candidates are elected.
1.5.1.2.5 Runners-Up
After three (3) candidates have been elected, three (3) ranked runners-up will be chosen according to the number of ballots allocated to them at the end of the last tabulation round. In case of a tie, the candidate with the most total number of votes of any rank will be ranked first, with any further ties decided by a random draw. If there are fewer than three (3) such runners-up, then additional runners-up will be chosen to bring the total to three (3), with the additional runners-up ranked according to the reverse order of their elimination. The runners-up will be considered in the order so ranked in case of future vacancies on the Senate Council.
1.5.1.2.6 Vacancies
Upon resignation of any of the three (3) elected University Faculty representatives to the Search Committee or when a member is no longer eligible to be a Senator, a vacancy for that position shall be declared by the Chair of the Senate Council. A vacancy on the Search Committee shall be filled by the eligible candidate who in the election ranked the highest without being elected and who is eligible and willing to serve.
If the above procedure still does not fill the vacancy, the vacancy shall be filled with an eligible and willing elected Faculty Senator nominated by the Senate Council Chair and approved by the majority of the voting faculty members of the Senate Council.