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The Executive Council

The Executive Council is charged to oversee campus governance; to identify what issues need governance attention; to prioritize policy and governance issues; to charge standing Committees and to form and charge ad hoc teams as necessary; to set agendas for College Faculty Assembly and General Faculty Assembly meetings; and to perform other tasks as enumerated below.

The Executive Council shares responsibility with the Strategic Planning Council to identify emerging issues that have institution-wide implications; and to communicate broadly with the campus community regarding the major issues that need to be addressed and to use the appropriate governance channels to address them.

The Executive Council coordinates the efforts of the various program councils and is generally responsible for the effective functioning of campus governance. On an ongoing basis it monitors operation of the governance system and, if necessary, recommends modifications for faculty approval. When directed, it also considers other matters of substance or procedure which concern either the College or General Faculty and which are not explicitly assigned to a program council. In addition, it regularly performs the following specific tasks:

  1. Annually designates the chair of College Faculty Assembly and General Faculty Assembly meetings.
  2. Designates the Faculty Secretary and appoints an alternate to record minutes if necessary.
  3. Sets the agenda for faculty meetings, distributes particulars of the agenda one week before the meeting, and, when necessary, arranges forums in advance of the meetings for faculty discussions of items on the agenda. Agendas, organized by the Executive Council, designate items for action by the College Faculty Assembly or the General Faculty Assembly.
  4. Forms ad hoc committees/teams as needed. The Council may appoint individuals to serve on ad hoc committees/teams.
  5. Serves as the nominating body for faculty councils and committees and for positions that are considered as committee service (e.g., Faculty Assemblies Chair, Faculty Secretary, Faculty Liaison to the Board of Trustees, and Faculty Advisors to the Student Government Association). This work is typically led by the Nominating Subcommittee which is comprised of the past chair, the chair-elect, the at-large College Faculty Assembly member, and the at-large General Faculty (non-College Faculty Assembly) member.
  6. Approves the official College Calendar.
  7. Assists the President as liaison between the faculties and the Board of Trustees.

The Executive Council is composed of the following:

The President of the College

A Vice President-level position appointed annually by the President

The chairpersons or a consistent designee from each of the following: Academic Program Council, Faculty Status Council, Labor Program Council, and Student Life Council.

The faculty co-chair of the Strategic Planning Council

The designated co-chair of the Staff Forum

A representative of the Executive Committee of the Student Government Association

Three persons elected at-large for three-year staggered terms from the General Faculty by the General Faculty Assembly, serving as chair-elect, chair, and past-chair during their terms of service.

Two persons elected at-large for three-year terms by the General Faculty Assembly; one must be a College Faculty Assembly member and one must not.

The Executive Council has three constituent committees: the Awards Committee, the Committee for Socially Responsible Investing, and the Sustainability Committee.

Faculty Assemblies Chair

The Faculty Assemblies Chair presides at meetings of the General and College Faculty Assemblies and assists both the Executive Council in setting agendas and the Secretary and Support Staff in maintaining the faculty minutes. Service as Faculty Assemblies Chair counts as committee service. This position is appointed by the Executive Council from the membership of either the College Faculty or General Faculty. In the absence of the Faculty Assemblies Chair, the Executive Council will appoint an alternate.

Faculty Secretary

The Faculty Secretary is the recorder of official proceedings of the College Faculty Assembly and the General Faculty Assembly meetings. The minutes of this body are disseminated and approved by this body. Service as Faculty Secretary counts as committee service. This position is appointed by the Executive Council from the membership of either the College Faculty or General Faculty. In the absence of the Faculty Secretary, the Executive Council will appoint an alternate.

Awards Committee

The Awards Committee nominates honorary degree candidates and the Berea College Service Awards candidates for approval by the College Faculty Assembly and General Faculty Assembly, respectively. The Committee solicits suggestions for honorary degrees and service awards from the College community. The faculties may choose to have other awards determined by this committee.

The Awards Committee consists of two elected members of the College Faculty Assembly, two elected members of the General Faculty who are not members of the College Faculty Assembly, one member of the Board of Trustees as appointed by the Board, one student member as appointed by the Student Government Association, and three non-voting ex officio members:  a representative of the President's Office, the Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty, and a representative of the Center for Excellence in Learning through Service (CELTS). College Faculty Assembly and General Faculty members of the Awards Committee will be elected by the General Faculty Assembly and will serve staggered three-year terms.

Committee for Socially Responsible Investing

The Committee for Socially Responsible Investing is charged with helping to understand and develop investment strategies in light of the Great Commitments.  Its responsibilities include:

  • Educating and informing the campus community about socially responsible investing, the community investment fund, and other issues pertaining to the management of the College’s endowment;

  • Evaluating the College’s investing practices through the endowment, to evaluate how and monitor that investing practices are aligned with the goals outlined in the Berea College Investment Policy;

  • Formulating recommendations to the President, Vice President for Finance, and  the Board of Trustees’ Investment Committee pertaining to investments, strategy, and responsible and community investing issues;

  • Examining, in conjunction with the Board of Trustees and on-campus constituents, actual policies and practices pertaining to the investment of the endowment.

The Committee shall meet jointly, at least once per term, with the President and Vice President for Finance. The Committee shall choose a member to represent it as a guest at the invitation of the Chair of the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees. 

The Committee will consist of eight members--two students appointed by SGA; two graduates of the College appointed by the Executive Council; two elected College Faculty Assembly members; and two elected General Faculty members who are not College Faculty members.  Elected members serve staggered three-year terms and will be elected by the General Faculty Assembly.

Sustainability Committee

The Sustainability Committee exists to address important contemporary issues surrounding Berea College’s seventh great commitment, especially as that commitment relates to “a way of life characterized by plain living…high personal standards, and concern for the welfare of others.” It is important for Berea College to follow and innovate sustainable practices in order to reduce waste, CO2 emissions, and its overall environmental footprint in order to preserve the natural environment and to set an example for others. However, our greatest potential for promoting sustainability as an institution lies in educating the generations of students who will pass through the College and carry away the knowledge and motivation to create the path toward a more sustainable world.

The purposes of the Committee are to:

  • Advise the Vice President for Operations and Sustainability, the Vice President of Labor and Student Life, and the Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty in regard to sustainability goals, progress, opportunities, and initiatives; 

  • Monitor the progress of the College Climate Action Plan and College Sustainability Plan;

  • Provide routine reporting and communication about key sustainability indicators and initiatives to the campus community;

  • Establish and monitor annual metrics by which to drive continuous improvement of sustainability across the campus community;

  • Assure recommended greenhouse gas emissions and STARS reporting is completed on time;

  • Review and recommend policies and procedures that affect the sustainability efforts, integration, and achievements of the College’s various operations and extra-curricular programs;

  • Promote, support, and measure learning and leadership in both academics and labor; and

  • Support routine assessment of campus attitudes and knowledge of sustainability concepts and practices. 

The Committee will be co-chaired by the Compton Chair in Sustainability and the Sustainability Coordinator. The Sustainability Committee provides a bridge across governance structures, including students, faculty and staff, and key administrators. The primary way that students become educated and motivated about sustainability while at Berea is by their immersion in campus life, where attention to sustainability will be the norm. By nature of its composition, the Committee will be aware of sustainability efforts and initiatives and can offer advice and support to co-curricular and extracurricular programs and activities such as CELTS and other centers, Enactus, Campus Life, Residence Halls, the Collegium, the Learning Commons, and the Student Government Association, etc. The Committee can also be a resource for curricular bodies such as COGE and Academic Divisions, where appropriate. 

The Composition of the Committee includes the Compton Chair in Sustainability (Ex-Officio and Co-Chair), the Sustainability Coordinator (Ex-Officio and Co-Chair), the Vice President of Operations and Sustainability, one elected member of the College Faculty, one elected General Faculty member who is not a member of the College Faculty, and two students appointed by the Student Government Association. College Faculty and General Faculty members will be elected by the General Faculty Assembly and will serve staggered three-year terms.