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Committee Membership and Operations

  1. The President of the College is an ex officio member of all councils and committees except the Faculty Status Council and the Faculty Appeals Committee.
  2. Neither College Faculty Assembly members nor General Faculty shall serve on standing or ad hoc committees or councils in their first year; nor shall they chair standing or ad hoc committees or councils in their first two years. Exceptions may be made only in unusual circumstances, as in the case of faculty who assume positions that entail ex officio service, faculty not new to the profession, or faculty with expertise critical to the work of a committee.
  3. No person elected by the faculties to serve on a council may be elected by the faculties to any other council or committee, with the exception of the Faculty Status Council. (See Elections and Appointments for additional information about Faculty Status Council nominations and elections.) Only the chairpersons or representative of the above councils, by also serving as members of the Executive Council, serve on more than one council. These individuals may not serve on any other committee or council. No council member is eligible for nomination to another council, but members of committees are eligible for election to a council. Since some council members are also assigned to a subordinate committee, if a committee member is elected to a council, he or she will relinquish membership on the original committee.
  4. No person may be elected by the faculties to serve on more than two committees or councils simultaneously. (Service as Faculty Advisor to the Student Government Association, Faculty Liaison to the Board of Trustees, Faculty Secretary, and Faculty Assemblies Chair count as committee service.)
  5. The committee system is partially designed with the principle of overlap between committees and councils in mind, to facilitate communication and discussion. Therefore, council members may also be required to serve as committee members. Unless otherwise specified, service by council members on committees is decided by the appropriate council in consultation with the individual members. The length of term for council representatives on subordinate committees is one year, subject to reappointment.
  6. Student positions are filled by the Student Government Association.
  7. Unless otherwise specified, a simple majority of committee or council membership shall constitute a quorum.
  8. Council chairpersons are elected annually by and from the councils themselves.
  9. Unless otherwise specified, ex officio members of councils and committees have vote as well as voice.
  10. With only a few exceptions, councils and committees do not typically meet during the summer months.
  11. All committees are expected to keep a record of their proceedings. No action of a committee or council is considered official unless noted in its minutes. Unless advance notice is given, or for reasons of confidentiality, committee meetings are open to interested members of the relevant faculty. In many cases, committees make a special effort to identify such persons in advance and extend invitations.
  12. The official copy of the minutes of each program council and its subordinate committees are maintained in the office of the Vice President who serves ex officio on that council. Minutes for the Executive Council, the Strategic Planning Council, and the Faculty Appeals Committee are maintained in the President’s Office. The Vice President for Finance is responsible for Budget Committee minutes. The Registrar maintains the minutes for the Enrollment Policies Committee.

    Copies of the minutes of the program councils and their related committees for previous years are publicly available in the College Archives in Hutchins Library. Minutes containing confidential information are not included in the public files.

  13. Councils and committees follow appropriate rules of order to insure that each member is afforded opportunity to voice opinions and raise concerns.
  14. As stated in Article VII, Section 1, of the Constitution of the General Faculty Assembly and College Faculty Assembly, changes to the governance structure shall be sent to the faculty two weeks in advance of action.