7.02.04 - Committees - Function, Structure & Membership

Policy Title: Committees – Function, Structure, and Membership

Impact: Employees, Staff, Faculty, Students

Responsibility: College Senate

Effective Date: 02/26/1999

Revised Date: 05/04/2021

Reviewed Date:

Relates to Procedure: 7.02.04

Legal Citation(s): None

I. Policy Narrative

The committee structure of North Idaho College exists to promote participatory governance and collaborative management of specific college processes. Faculty, students, staff and administrators serve on committees to contribute ideas and opinions from a variety of perspectives. In doing so, members participate in collaborative decision-making and build consensus for positive change within the institution. The current committee structure, charges, and membership are maintained by the President’s Office and are available on the NIC website.

II. Standing Committees

College wide standing committees deal with long-term issues that affect employee and student groups broadly and have no foreseeable end-date (e.g. governance committees, councils, curriculum committees, operational advisory committees, etc.). Standing committees focus on strategic issues and key processes vital to the operations of the college and its future direction. Through these committees, constituent groups perform research, exchange information, deliberate, reach consensus, and make recommendations to the college administration and through the president to the board of trustees. The establishment, and/or discontinuance of college standing committees require approval by the president and the Senate. In cases of disagreement, the board of trustees will make the final decision.

III. Ad Hoc Committees of Standing Committees

Ad hoc committees are formed at the discretion of the college president.  Ad Hoc Committees are important, temporary committees created as needs arise, often responding to special, one-time issues or one-time events (e.g. task forces, steering committees, etc.).  In the event that an ad hoc committee remains active for more than three years, it will be reviewed by the president and the appropriate vice president for consideration as a standing committee.

IV. Constituent Group Committees

Constituent groups set up and govern their committees’ charges, membership, and procedures through the groups’ constitutions and bylaws, with the exception of specific committees designated by the college as standing committees. Constituent Group Committees can be permanent or temporary.  As an important part of participatory governance, constituent groups are responsible for recommending members to college-wide standing and ad-hoc committees.

Procedure Title: Committees – Function, Structure & Membership

Impact: Administration

Responsibility: College Senate

Effective Date: 1/26/2010

Revised Date: 2/20/2020

Reviewed Date:

Relates to Policy(s): 7.02.04

Legal Citation(s): 

I. President’s Responsibilities:

1. In March, the president’s office verifies with administrators, the description of each committee’s charge, membership, and structure, and requests committee membership lists from administrators and constituent groups.
   
   
2. The president of the college, or the president's designee, is a member ex-officio without vote of all campus-wide standing and ad-hoc committees.
   
   
3. The list of members serving on standing committees is published by the president’s office in April of each academic year for the following academic year. Copies of this publication are updated and maintained by the president's office and are available online.

II. Administrators’ Responsibilities:

1. Administrators request and collect necessary reports from the committees under their supervision.
   
   
2. The restructuring of a standing committee requires the approval of the administrator responsible for the committee.
   
   
3. Administrators are members ex-officio without vote of these campus wide standing and ad-hoc committees that they supervise.

III. Constituent Groups’ and Committee Members’ Responsibilities:

1. After receiving the president’s request for committee membership in March, the constituent group leaders will solicit interest in college committees within their respective constituencies. Committee selection by employees is generally voluntary, sometimes appointed or nominated, with members requesting to participate on specific committees but with leaders balancing these requests to assign members.
   
   
2. Faculty members are expected to participate on at least one committee. This responsibility may be fulfilled by service on a campus-wide standing committee, a constituent group committee, or an ad hoc committee.
   
   
3. Staff members are strongly encouraged to participate on committees.
   
   
4. Students are to be represented on campus wide standing and ad-hoc committees that deal with matters directly affecting them. ASNIC will fill these committee 
positions as necessary.
   
   
5. In April, constituent leaders will collaborate with sitting committee chairs to fill committee vacancies by sharing the lists of prospective member names. Once committee assignments are made, constituent group leaders submit new committee lists to the president’s office, and the president’s office will update and publish the master committee list for the following academic year. 
Unless otherwise provided, these committee assignments are completed with 
the publication of the committee membership list.
   
   
6. Unless otherwise indicated by the committee’s charge, during the May meeting, the newly organized committee members select a chair, review the charge of the committee, and schedule meetings for the following academic year. It is strongly encouraged that the chairs of all standing committees are rotated so that no committee comes to be identified with one person.
   
   
7. Members are responsible for fulfilling the committee’s charge. Proxy votes are not permitted in committees.
   
   
8. When filling their own constituent group committees not on the president’s list of regular standing or ad-hoc committees, constituent leaders follow their groups’ constitutions and bylaws. The chair of each constituent group (faculty, staff and senate) is a member ex-officio without vote of all committees under the jurisdiction of that group.

IV. Term Limits/Guidance

1. Unless otherwise specified in the committee charge or as defined in individual job duties, terms on standing committees shall be limited to no more than five (5) consecutive academic years. Each singular term shall be defined as one (1) academic year. Committee chairs shall be responsible for monitoring, managing, and enforcing term limits.
   
   
2. Persons desiring to serve more than five (5) terms shall wait a minimum of three (3) academic years before being eligible for reappointment.
   
   
3. An appointment to committee service is at the discretion of constituent group leadership in collaboration with committee chairs. Priority is to be given to those with no prior service on a stated committee to avoid stagnant membership or over-dominance by any one individual.
   
   
4. Service limits on task forces and ad hoc committees shall be limited to the time of the appointment.

V. Accountability

1. Each committee/task force/ad hoc chair will submit a list of members to the supervising administrator.
   
   
2. Supervising administrators will hold quarterly reviews with chairs.
   
   
3. Reviews will consist of agenda and project reviews, attendance and participation, future potential projects (for standing committees only) and other feedback vital to the viability and overall health of the participatory governance system on campus.
   
   
4. Responsible administrators will communicate findings to the President’s Cabinet with recommendations for approval where appropriate.

Committee members who fail to or are unable to actively participate or contribute to committees will be replaced by recommendation of the chair in consultation with the supervising administrator.  Actively employed committee members are responsible to communicate with committee chairs if they are unable to meet committee responsibilities.