University Committees

I. REASON FOR THIS POLICY

This policy exists to govern committee creation, committee charters, and procedures for all university committees to ensure shared governance, communication, and transparency. The President is responsible for the administration of the institution and its respective component entities pursuant to SDBOR 1.1.1. Dakota State University believes that institutional excellence requires the regular and/or special consultative advice of administration, faculty, staff, and students to strengthen decision making and enhance DSU’s ability to meet strategic goals and achieve its vision. University committees provide a framework of collective ownership and accountability for the institution’s present and future (Shared Governance: Changing with the Times. Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, March 2017, p. 3).

II. DEFINITIONS

1. Advisory Councils. Groups convened by a university leader for the purpose of providing counsel to the leader at the leader’s request.
2. Charter. Defines the basic scope of a university committee.
3. Committee Chair. Selected by the committee members or appointed based on a specific role or position, the chair is responsible for establishing the meeting schedules, identifying the committee’s annual priorities based on the President, or designee’s charge, setting the agendas, presiding over meetings, delegating responsibilities, communicating with the responsible officer (i.e., provost, vice president of student affairs), and providing the end-of-year report to President’s Cabinet.)
4. Committee Vice Chair. An optional position, the committee vice chair may be selected by the committee members or appointed by Nature-of-Office. The vice chair is responsible for assisting the chair in the completion of his/her duties.
5. Committee Secretary. Selected by the committee members, the secretary supports the work of the chair and the operation of the committee – typically through taking minutes, recording attendance, and ensuring approved minutes are distributed to the university through the university-designated mechanisms.
6. Ex-Officio Member. A member appointed to the committee due to his/her position or status. An ex-officio member does not have voting responsibilities on the committee.
7. General Faculty Standing Committees. Groups that have specific functions in the operation of Academic Affairs whose function is continuous rather than short-term or special project oriented.
8. Governing Bodies. Groups that represent a specific employee classification whose function is advocacy, information-sharing, and/or engagement.
9. Institutionally Established Committees. Committees established to support the success of a special interest or function.
10. Nature-of-Office Member. A member appointed to the committee due to his/her position or status. A nature-of-office member has voting responsibilities on the committee.
11. Sub-Committee. These committees are formed by a standing committee to focus on a specific project or task. The sub-committee reports its activities and results to the standing committee.
12. University Standing Committees. Committees that help carry out the regular operations of the institution. A standing committee is an advisory and/or task completion committee that represents a broad range of constituents, has broad/significant impact, and is continuous rather than short-term or special project oriented. 

III. STATEMENT OF POLICY

1. University President. The president shall establish, continue, or abolish institutional committees
   1. The President shall approve new institutional committees.
   2. The President shall have final approval for the committee charter and may task the Shared Governance Committee with periodic review of committee charters to make recommendations to improve shared governance.
   3. The President shall provide the charge of each standing committee.
   4. The President may appoint additional members to a committee on an annual basis beyond the committee charter based on university initiatives.
   5. The President may charge the Provost as designee for some or all of these responsibilities.
2. Committee Representation. Committee work is essential to the governance of the university. Dakota State University committees are representative of faculty, NFE, and CSA employees as appropriate to the mission of each committee. To ensure committee work remains relevant and transparent, and to ensure committee membership is representative of university employees, the university governs committee missions, membership, appointments, tenure, and process.
   1. Equitable Representation
      1. Faculty, NFE, and CSA groups shall be vigilant in their nominations and voted membership to university committees to ensure sufficient shared governance across group membership.
      2. No one faculty or staff member shall hold so many committee memberships that other faculty and staff members lack sufficient opportunity to be engaged.
      3. Similarly, dean or Cabinet member committee appointments shall seek to be representative of the university.
3.  Committee Leadership. Unless the committee chair role is prescribed by Nature of Office, committees will be responsible for electing a chair and secretary to serve one-year terms. It is recommended the election be held at the last meeting of an academic year, and members with at least one additional year of committee tenure be eligible for election to ensure committees are organized and convened in a timely manner at the beginning of the subsequent academic year.
4. Committee Member Responsibility. The contribution of every committee member is important and needed. If a committee member is unable to attend or contribute to committee meetings, that member should notify his/her supervisor so another member from the college or unit may be appointed or elected. If the committee member does not notify his/her supervisor and fails to adequately attend committee meetings, the committee chair may request the supervisor appoint or elect a replacement.
5. Committee Charter. All approved committees shall possess a committee charter to be published as an appendix to this policy. All committees must operate within a committee charter that include, but are not limited to, the following required components
   
   1. Committee Mission. All committees must have a general mission statement, stating their purpose and provenance. The mission should also state to whom the committee is answerable and to whom it should make recommendations, if appropriate.
   2. Committee Membership. Membership of the committee shall be explicitly described, to include the number of members and any specific position/college/unit the members must represent. Required membership roles (i.e., chair, vice chair, ex-officio, nature of office members) must be indicated.
   3. Committee Appointment. The manner of appointment for all members shall be identified to include voting from university bodies (i.e., faculty, College, NFE), ex-officio appointment, nature of office appointment, appointment by specific skill or qualification, or appointment by university administrator). Those appointed by nature-of-office may select a designee from their unit with appropriate qualification to serve in their stead.
   4. Committee Tenure. Faculty and staff membership on a committee shall be for a 3-year term unless the member is appointed due to nature-of-office or in an ex-officio role. Committee members shall not serve consecutive three-year terms. To ensure faculty and staff have sufficient opportunity to engage in multiple governance roles across campus, the President, or designee, enforces term limits. Student membership on a committee shall be for a 1-year term. No term limits will be enforced.
   5. Meetings. Committees must meet as frequently as necessary to accomplish their mission and the President’s annual charge but at least once annually.
6. Communication and Transparency. Committees are responsible for taking minutes at every meeting, to include the time, location, members present, length of meeting, agenda, summary of discussion, actions by members, record of committee voting results, and action items. Committees whose purpose is to make recommendations of a confidential nature should keep public and private versions of its minutes. Minutes must be disseminated to the university according to the required dissemination procedures.
7. Reporting. Each committee chair shall submit an annual report to the President’s Office by June 30 using institutionally defined content and processes.

IV. PROCEDURES

1. New University Committee Approval
   1. Employees who believe a new institutional committee would benefit the university shall draft a committee charter to be presented for consideration to the President or designee.
   2. The President or designee shall consult with the President’s Cabinet, the Shared Governance Committee, and/or other bodies to make a determination of approval.
2. Membership
   1. The Office of the Provost will serve as the coordinator of committee membership.
   2. The Office of the Provost shall notify voting bodies (academic colleges, general faculty, NSF, CSA) of open committee seats at the beginning of the fall academic term.
   3. Voting bodies shall conduct their voting as soon as possible following the onset of the fall academic term and report results to the Office of the Provost.
   4. Administrators responsible for making committee appointments shall report their appointments to the Office of the Provost as soon as possible following the onset of the fall academic term.
   5. The Office of the Provost shall publish committee memberships in a manner available to all employees.
   6. The President and Provost may appoint additional members to any committee for a 1-year appointment at their discretion.
   7. Unless otherwise specified within the committee charter, each committee will elect a chair and secretary annually.
3. Minutes
   1. Meeting minutes shall be provided to the Office of the Provost following their formal approval by the committee members.
   2. The Office of the Provost will publish the minutes in a manner available to all employees through the DSU intranet portal.
   3. Minutes of specific committees whose charge is confidential shall be kept by the committee.