AMSC - Plan of Organization

The purpose of this Plan of Organization shall be to provide a means for the faculty and students of the Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation Program (Program) to carry out their responsibilities with respect to the educational and other affairs of the Program.

ARTICLE I: Participating Departments

1. The departments or units of the College Park Campus participating in the Program are expected to support it in the best way possible within their resources. This should include encouraging their faculty members to participate in the Program, granting of financial support for graduate students in the Program, and generally providing aid and assistance in the administration of the Program. The current Participating Departments of the Program are listed in Appendix 1 of this Plan of Organization.

2. Any department or educational unit of the College Park Campus may become a Participating Department in the Program upon approval of the Dean of the College to which the unit belongs, the Dean of the College of Computer, Mathematical Physical Sciences (CMPS), and the Graduate Committee for Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation (AMSC).

3. Any department may terminate its participation in the Program upon written notification to the Dean of the College to which the unit belongs, the Dean of CMPS, and the AMSC Graduate Committee.

ARTICLE II: The Constituent Assemblies of the Program

Section 1: The Faculty Assembly

1.1. The Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation Faculty consists of Charter Members and of all those faculty members who hold an appointment at the rank of assistant professor or above and who have been admitted to membership by means of the procedure stated in Sections 2 and 3. The duties of an AMSC Faculty member include the teaching of courses and seminars, the advising and supervising of students and the participation in committees. The current AMSC Faculty is listed in Appendix 2 of this Plan of Organization. The entire AMSC Faculty constitutes the Faculty Assembly.

1.2. Admission of new AMSC faculty members is made through the Committee on the AMSC Faculty (see ARTICLE V.)

1.3. Upon application of the faculty member and with the concurrence of the chairman of the department in which the faculty member holds his principal appointment, the Committee on the AMSC Faculty approves admission with a majority vote. In addition, for the implementation of this Plan of Organization, the Committee, in consultation with the faculty member, identifies the member as representing either the mathematical base of the Program or an area of application. The criteria for this assignment include the major area of the doctoral degree, the field of present research, and the department affiliations.

1.4. A faculty member may terminate his membership in the AMSC Faculty upon written notification to the Committee of the AMSC Faculty.

Section 2: The Student Assembly

The Student Assembly consists of all officially registered graduate students of the University who are enrolled in the Program under the AMSC label.

Section 3: Functions of the Constituent Assemblies

3.1. Each one of the two Assemblies as defined under Sections 1 and 2 above shall be nonlegislative but shall be the voice of its members within the Program with the following functions:

(a) to approve the Plan of Organization of the Program and any of its amendments as set forth in ARTICLES VIII AND X;

(b) to initiate suggestions to the Director of the Program on any matter of concern to the Program;

(c) to act as the electorate in all elections related to the Program in which the members of that Assembly are entitled to vote and to identify, where applicable, its own candidates either by petition or nomination for any such election;

(d) to act as a referendum body for any referendum of the Program called by the AMSC Graduate Committee. Such referenda are advisory in nature.

Section 4: Organization and Meetings of the Constituent Assemblies

4.1. Each Assembly shall be entitled to formulate its own plan of organization which shall not contravene this Plan of Organization. Any such organization plan shall be filed with the AMSC Graduate Committee.

4.2. The Assemblies need not hold regularly scheduled meetings but upon petition of twenty percent (20%) of the membership of any one Assembly the Director shall call a meeting of the particularly Assembly and chair that meeting pro tempore if necessary.

ARTICLE III: The Director

The Director of the Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation Program is appointed by the Dean of the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences for a term not to exceed three years. Reappointment is not excluded. Prior to a new appointment or to a reappointment of an incumbent director, the Chair of the Department of Mathematics, the Director of the Center for Scientific Computation and Mathematical Modeling, and the elected members of the AMSC Graduate Committee shall be consulted. The Director of the Program is administratively responsible for the Program and has those responsibilities and powers assigned by the Campus and University administrations. The Director chairs the AMSC Graduate Committee.

ARTICLE IV: The Graduate Committee for Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation

Section 1: Membership

The AMSC Graduate Committee shall consist of the Director of the Program, eight elected members of the Faculty Assembly, and one elected member of the Student Assembly.

Of the eight elected members of the Faculty Assembly, three shall represent the mathematical base. Two shall represent the Center for Scientific Computation and Mathematical Modeling. The other three shall represent areas of applications, but no two of them shall be from the same department. Faculty members are elected to two-year, staggered terms and shall serve until replaced. They may succeed themselves.

The student representative shall be elected by and from the full-time members of the Student Assembly to serve a term of one year and may succeed himself/herself.

If a member of the Graduate Committee leaves office before the normal termination date, the office shall be filled for the remainder of the term by appointment by the Director with consent of the remaining members of the Graduate Committee.

The Director of the Program shall chair the Graduate Committee.

Section 2: Functions of the Graduate Committee

The AMSC Graduate Committee is primarily responsible for the academic content of the Program. This includes in particular the following functions:

(a) to monitor and review the operation of the Program, including its courses and examinations, the admission and retention of students, advising and financial aid. (Only faculty members of the Committee may decide whether or not a student has passed the comprehensive examination.)

(b) to review and recommend to the Director proposals for changes, additions or deletions in the educational aspects of the Program;

(d) to consult with, advise and assist the Director on all matters concerning the AMSC Program including the appointment of liaison officers in participating departments;

(e) together with the Dean to approve admission and accept termination of the participation of any department in the Program;

(f) to consult with the administration of the University prior to the selection of a new Director or the reappointment of an incumbent Director;

(g) to review the Plan of Organization every fifth year and submit changes of this plan for ratification under the procedure outlined in ARTICLE VIII;

(h) when necessary or desirable, initiate proposed amendments to this Plan of Organization in accordance with the procedures of ARTICLE VIII;

(i) to elect the necessary number of people to serve as representatives of the Program on the CMNS Unit Review and Administrator's Review Committees.

Official records of the meetings shall be kept and made available to the membership.

Section 3: Subcommittees

The Graduate Committee has the power to establish subcommittees as may be needed or desirable. When establishing any such subcommittee, the Graduate Committee shall specify, with the concurrence of the Director, the areas of activity of the subcommittee, the rules for the selection of its membership, and the termination of the subcommittee. Membership in such subcommittees is not restricted to the members of the Graduate Committee.

ARTICLE V: The Committee on the Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation Faculty

Section 1: Membership

The Committee on the AMSC Faculty shall consist of six members of the Faculty Assembly, three of whom represent the mathematical base of the Program. The other three represent areas of applications, but no two of them are from the same department. Members are elected to two-year, staggered terms and shall serve until replaced. They may succeed themselves. If a member of the Committee leaves office before the normal termination date, the office shall be filled for the remainder of the term by an election by the remaining members of the Committee.

Section 2: Officers

The Director shall call the first meeting after an election of the Committee on the AMSC Faculty; the first order of business in this meeting shall be the election of the officers of the Committee from among its elected members.

Section 3: Functions

The functions of the Committee on the AMSC Faculty are as follows:

(a) to admit by majority vote members to the AMSC Faculty of the Program and to identify these members as representing either the mathematical base of the Program or an area of application;

(b) to encourage the active participation of the faculty members in the work of the Program;

(d) to act as the election board on all elections of the Program conducted under this Plan of Organization.

ARTICLE VI: Elections

Section 1

All elections to the Graduate Committee, the Committee on the AMSC Faculty, and all those subcommittees of the Graduate Committee consisting of elected members shall be by secret ballot.

Section 2

The Committee on the AMSC Faculty acting as election board shall set dates for the initiation and completion of elections and shall specify the procedures for conducting these elections. These procedures shall include and be consistent with the following rules:

(a) there shall be a designated period for nominations;

(b) for each Assembly sufficient ballots shall be prepared for all eligible voting members. Ballots shall contain only the names of eligible candidates from the Assembly.

(c) a date shall be specified on which all returned ballots shall be counted. The results shall be reported at the next meeting of the election board.

(d) in the case of a tie, the election board shall decide which candidate shall be reported as the winner of the election.

ARTICLE VII: Parliamentary Authority

Robert's Rules of Order Revised (most recent edition) shall govern the procedures followed by any Assembly, the Advisory Council, the Graduate Committee, the Committee on the AMSC Faculty, and any other recognized unit of the Program in all cases in which these rules are applicable. In the case of conflict or inconsistency of the Plan of Organization with duly established rules of the Campus or University, such rules shall govern.

ARTICLE VIII: Amendments

Amendments to this Plan of Organization including those generated by the review procedure under ARTICLE IX shall require approval by a simple majority vote of the entire membership of the Graduate Committee before being submitted to a written ballot. The text of the proposed amendment should be sent to each faculty member and officially registered student of the Program at least two weeks before the return of the written ballot. The amendment passes either

(a) if in each assembly it is approved by a three-fifths majority of those voting, or

(b) if a simple majority of eligible voters in one assembly approves it while not more than 25% of eligible voters disapprove it in the other assembly.

Any amendment to the Plan of Organization must also be approved by the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences before filing with the College Park Senate.

ARTICLE IX: Review of the Plan of Organization

The Plan of Organization shall be reviewed every fifth year by the AMSC Graduate Committee as stipulated in ARTICLE IV, Section 2(g).

ARTICLE X: Ratification of Plan of Organization

This Plan of Organization shall go into effect upon approval by a three-fifths majority of all those voting in each of the two constituent assemblies in a written ballot, with approval of both assemblies required.

Thereafter, the Plan of Organization shall be submitted to the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences for approval. It will then be filed with the College Park Senate.