D.
COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES REPORT (2007/2009)
POLICY FOR COMMITTEE STRUCTURE
Introduction
The committee structure at Minnesota State University Moorhead
is designed to provide the use of expertise in planning and decision
making. By serving on committees,
members contribute to recommendations that assist in carrying out the mission
of the University.
I. Definitions
A. Committee. A committee is a group of people with a
defined membership appointed annually (or as otherwise noted) to provide
expertise and recommendations in a prescribed area of ongoing University
activity.
1.
University Committee. A
committee that is appointed to consider areas and activities that have the potential to affect the academic community as a
whole.
2.
Programmatic
Committee. A committee that is appointed to consider
curricular issues of programs that are approved through
the established institutional process and for which two or more departments are
responsible for offering the requisite coursework, or a committee that is
created and operates under federal guidelines to ensure compliance with federal
law. Programmatic committees are
appointed upon the recommendation of the President or his/her designee in
consultation with the Faculty Association.
Recommendations are advice to the dean and will be shared with the
departments involved in the program.
3.
Departmental Committee. A
committee appointed by the department to consider issues internal to the
department or to make recommendations on behalf of the department as a whole.
4.
Student
Affairs Committee. A committee, a majority of whom are students,
that considers areas and activities of primary importance to students and makes
recommendations to the President or his/her designee concerning the same.
5.
19A Peer
Review Committees. A committee established by the President
under Article 19, Subd. 3, to provide recommendations
for the award of 19A funds and ensure faculty participation in the process.
B. Task Force. A task force is a group of people appointed
to make recommendations to the President about an institutional concern. Upon submission and acknowledgment of
recommendations a task force ceases to exist.
C.
College.
The terms college or unit when used to describe areas from which
appointments shall be made refers to the academic units known as colleges
except that the Library, Athletics, Counseling and the
D. Ex Officio. A person who serves as a member of a committee or task force because of another position which they hold. Ex Officio members are voting members unless otherwise specified.
II. Appointment
A. All committees are appointed in compliance with
existing collective bargaining agreements and established University
procedures.
B. To ensure continuity, the term for most
non-student committee appointments shall be January 1 of the odd numbered year
to December 31 of the even numbered year (two-year terms). The exceptions are: 1) the Institutional Review Board (IRB) has
three-year revolving terms for faculty, 2) the University Planning and Budget
Committee has three-year staggered terms for faculty, and 3) 19A Committees have one-year terms that coincide with the academic year.
C. University Committees have a defined membership prescribed and established
by mutual agreement of the faculty association and the administration. Faculty members of those committees are
appointed by the relevant faculty association (IFO/MSUAASF) after consultation
with the President. Membership may
include students and/or administrators and/or staff.
D. Programmatic Committees are composed of representatives from the departments
that offer the requisite coursework for the program and such other faculty as
appropriate. Faculty
are appointed upon the recommendation of the President or his/her
designee in consultation with the Faculty Association.
E. Departmental Committees are appointed through procedures democratically
agreed upon by the department. (See A.
above)
F. Student Affairs Committees are appointed by the President or his/her designee in
consultation with the Student Senate. Membership may include faculty and/or
staff as well as administrators responsible for the area of consideration.
G. Task Forces
are appointed by the President after appropriate consultation with the relevant
collective bargaining units.
H. Student members
on committees are chosen by the Student Senate (stusen@mnstate.edu). Students will be appointed in the spring/fall
(awaiting a recommendation from the Student Senate) and serve for an academic
year.
I.
Committee members
from classified staff are selected by AFSCME.
J. Faculty elect representatives to the APAC. All other groups follow the usual
recommendation and appointment procedures.
K. All appointments to task forces and committees shall
be reported to the Administrative Assistant to the Vice President for Academic
Affairs who shall maintain an updated list of member names.
L. Resignations or any other form of vacancy shall be
reported to the Administrative Assistant to the Vice President for Academic
Affairs. She/he will ensure that the
appropriate appointing person or body is notified of the vacancy.
III. Authority – Responsibility-Reporting
A. Advisory –
All committees and task forces are advisory to the President or his/her
designee.
B. Website – The
University shall maintain a central website for information about all
committees and task forces.
C. Minutes –
All committees and task forces shall maintain timely minutes including, at a
minimum, the date of the meeting, attendance (members present and absent) and a
summary of discussion and actions taken.
Such minutes shall be made available to the University community through
the committee website.
D. Annual Report – All committees shall prepare an annual report before July 1 of each year including, at a minimum, a summary of attendance of members, accomplishments of the committee and issues or action items for the future. Such report shall be made available to the University community through the central committee website and a printed copy shall be sent to the President, any other person to whom the committee reports and to the Presidents of the IFO, MSUAASF, AFSCME, and MAPE unions and to Student Senate. Task forces shall provide similar reports at the end of their term and, annual reports, while still functioning.
IV. Procedures
A. Each committee shall conduct an orientation
for all members that reviews such items as committee
structure, mission, goals, how the committee will choose to operate and
organize themselves throughout the academic year.
B. Ensure that committee chairs are sensitive to the
issues of student’s roles and responsibilities within the committee;
soliciting information such as class schedules/work schedules from individual
students that will allow the maximum opportunity for involvement in the
committee.
C. When organizing and scheduling meetings and
distributing information, committees should be mindful that most faculty are
not on duty nor is student senate in operation over breaks or in the
summer. This issue is important when the
faculty or the student association is to be consulted in the activities and
decision making of the university.
D. Committees that are concerned with members not
attending should first consult with the member.
If attendance continues to be an issue, the committee may direct the
chair to contact the appointing authority.
Any decision to replace a non-attending member resides with the
appointing authority.