GOVERNANCE CONSTITUTION
Preamble
Participatory
Governance
Participation is defined to mean
that (a) those parties affected by college-wide policies, regulations,
practices, and procedures have the right and responsibility to participate in
developing, reviewing and recommending them, and (b) those parties who develop,
review and recommend college-wide policies, regulations, practices, and
procedures are accountable for their recommendations.
The
major principles underlying participatory governance include the following:
1. A genuine desire
and commitment to share decision making among the various relevant
constituencies;
2. Providing each constituency with the opportunity to pursue
its legitimate interests within a cooperative framework, which
will, at the same time, minimize the possibility that the special interests of
a specific group will exercise a controlling influence within the process;
3. Providing each constituency, and those with special
expertise, the opportunity to influence decision making at all appropriate
levels (such as the Standing Committees, the Steering Committee and the College
Forum) while insuring that only the relevant parties and constituencies are
involved in the process by directing issues to the appropriate bodies (largely
a function of the Steering Committee);
4. Developing extensive, open and honest communication between
and among the members and constituencies of the College community;
5. Developing mechanisms of accommodation to maximize the
frequency of agreement;
6. Maintaining a streamlined structure to prevent the
overlapping of responsibilities and duplication of resources by keeping
standing committees to a minimum; and
7. Ensuring accountability of those responsible for
implementing policies and procedures (usually in the Forum and the Steering
Committee.)
COLLEGE
FORUM
Charter
The College Forum is a
deliberative body that engages in collegial discussion of any issue of concern
to the college community. The College Forum shall be the forum for discussion
and debate of issues of college-wide concern and votes of the College Forum
shall communicate the will of the College community to the President. All new business must be initiated within the
Forum except where urgency of action makes this impossible (see Steering
Committee, Function, item 4.)
Function
1. The College Forum may consider and may act upon any issue
of college-wide concern which a member, the Steering Committee, the President
of the College or the Board of Trustees wishes to place on the agenda.
2. The Chair of the College Forum may instruct the Steering
Committee to consider and/or act upon any issue of college-wide concern after
discussion by and a consensus vote of the Forum members present.
3. The College Forum may ratify, amend, reject or return to a
committee for reconsideration those proposals that are submitted to it by the
Steering Committee, the Standing Committees or ad hoc committees.
4. Proposals acted on by the Forum will be forwarded to the
President of the College for his/her action.
These proposals will be accompanied by a form, to be returned to the
Chair of the Forum, which will include (a) the President's action, (b) the
Board's action, (c) the proposed date of implementation and (d) the office that
will implement the action or proposal.
The Chair will report on these actions at the earliest possible
regularly scheduled Forum meeting.
5. There shall be annual kick-off and wrap-up meetings of the
governance system at the beginning and end of each academic year.
Bylaws
Membership
The College Forum shall include
all of the full-time and part-time members of the College community: faculty,
administration, staff, and students.
Officers
1. There shall be a Chair and a Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) - one
will be faculty, administrator, or staff member, and the other will represent a
different constituency
2. The
Vice-Chair one year shall become the Chair the next year and serve a one-year
term in that capacity. Each year a new
Vice-Chair, representing a constituency different from that of the previous
Vice-Chair, shall be elected on a college-wide basis by three voting
constituencies: faculty, administrators, and staff. There is no election for
Chair. The Chair may not serve as
Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) again for at least two years after his/her term of
office has expired. The Steering
Committee shall institute proceedings to replace a Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) who
resigns during his/her term of office.
3. Candidates for election to Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) must
have at least five years of experience at the College. The Office of the President shall provide the
clerical help needed to perform the following functions:
a. Typing and
circulation of the agenda and supporting material for Forum meetings;
b. Circulation of the Governance Gazette prepared by the
Vice-Chair (Chair Elect);
c. Attendance and taking minutes at, and providing follow-up
assistance for, all Forum and Steering Committee meetings;
d. Making arrangements for all Forum and Steering Committee
meetings;
e. Making arrangements for annual kick-off and wrap-up
sessions of the governance system;
f.
Assist in the annual elections to the
Steering Committee;
g. Maintenance of accurate rosters of membership of all
governance committees;
h. Maintenance of the official files of the governance system.
4. The Officers of the Forum will hold regularly scheduled
monthly meetings with the President of the College for the purpose of
maintaining communications between the Forum and the President.
5. The roles of the Chair are to (a) preside at all Forum
meetings, (b) preside at all Steering Committee meetings, (c) break a tie vote in the Forum or in the Steering Committee. The Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) shall fulfill
these roles in the absence of the Chair.
6. The roles of the Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) are to (a)
fulfill the roles of the Chair in his/her absence and (b) assume responsibility
for the monthly Governance Gazette.
7. The officers of the Forum and the
members of the Steering Committee may be removed from office for cause by a
recall vote.
a. One
hundred fifty full-time employees of the College must sign a petition to obtain
a recall vote.
b. The petition must be presented at a regular meeting of the
Forum and discussion will take place (with the Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) acting
as presiding officer if the Chair is the subject of
the recall.)
c. At the next Forum meeting, two-thirds of the membership of
the Forum voting constituencies will be required to recall a Chair, Vice-Chair
(Chair Elect) or other Steering Committee member.
d. In the event of a recall of the Chair, the Vice-Chair
(Chair Elect) shall assume the responsibilities of the chair for the remainder
of the term. An election for a new
Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) shall be held as soon as possible by the Steering
Committee.
e. In case of inactivity:
i.
If a Chair or
Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) is absent from duties for a month or more (without
notification), he/she will be notified in writing by the other officer. If unable to continue, he/she will be asked
to resign and an election will be held. (If the Chair resigns, the Vice-Chair
(Chair Elect) shall fulfill the Chair's term.)
ii.
If a member of the Steering Committee is
absent for two consecutive meetings (without notice), he/she will be notified
in writing of the need for their attendance.
He/She will be asked to resign if unable to continue and an election to
replace him/her will be held as soon as possible.
Meetings:
1. The College Forum shall hold regularly scheduled monthly
meetings at the beginning of September, October, November, December, February,
March, April, and May.
2. The Chair, in consultation with the Steering Committee, may
call extraordinary meetings with one week's notice.
3. The Chair may declare a Forum meeting closed to all except
the regular membership.
4. There shall be a Parliamentarian appointed by the Chair in
consultation with the Steering Committee. Robert's Rules of Order shall
prevail.
5. Forum agenda items must be submitted to the Steering
Committee no later than ten working days prior to a Forum meeting; the final
agenda must be distributed at least three working days before a Forum meeting.
The agenda will always include a report of any Steering Committee actions taken
since the last Forum meeting.
6. Suggestions and issues to be considered may be made from
the floor at Forum meetings, but a clear, detailed and precise written motion
must be submitted to the Steering Committee within ten days.
Voting
1. The Forum
shall have four voting constituencies:
a. full-time
faculty
b. full and
part-time regular (base/salaried) administrators, to include police personnel
with the rank lieutenant and above
c. full and
part-time regular (base/salaried) staff, to include police personnel with the
rank sergeant and below
d. the fourteen students who serve on the six Standing
Committees.
2. A majority vote of the full membership of the Steering
Committee shall determine which voting constituencies are eligible to vote on
each issue before the Forum. The
Steering Committee's determination may be challenged from the floor and
overruled by a two-thirds majority of the eligible voters present.
3. Members of the College community who are not members of the
four voting constituencies shall have a voice but not a vote.
4. The chair may only vote to break a tie.
5. A quorum exists when thirty voting members are
present. A minimum of seven members of a
voting constituency is required for the constituency to vote on an issue that
the Steering Committee has determined they may vote on. In the case of students, the minimum shall be
three.
6. The Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) and the members of the
Steering Committee are counted in the quorum and may vote on issues for which
they are eligible.
7. An
abstention shall be counted as a non-vote rather than a negative vote.
Procedure for
Amendments
Proposed
amendments to the Constitution must be in writing and be submitted to the
Steering Committee for discussion and action.
Such amendments must be supported by a majority vote of the Steering
Committee before being brought to the Forum for action. Proposed amendments, which have been rejected
by the Steering Committee may be brought before the
College Forum by securing a petition signed by 100 Forum members. Copies of proposed amendments shall be
distributed to the College community with the notice of the meeting at least
ten days prior thereto. A Forum meeting
to discuss the amendment shall precede a Forum meeting to authorize voting on
that amendment. The vote will be by
ballot. An affirmative vote of
two-thirds of those responding shall be necessary to adopt any amendment.
STEERING
COMMITTEE
Charter
The Steering Committee is the
organizational and management body of the governance system and the College
Forum. When an issue is forwarded to the
Steering Committee from any source, the committee will route it, in a timely
manner, to the appropriate party for further consideration. Should the committee refuse a recommendation
or request, it must support its decision to the source of the request with a
written rationale as soon as possible.
Function
1. The Steering Committee may direct a specific issue to one
of the six Standing Committees along with written instructions detailing both
the responsibilities of the committee and the time frame within which a
recommendation is to be forwarded in writing to the appropriate party. The Steering Committee may also send issues
to the College Forum, to an administrator or to an ad hoc committee (if such a
committee is deemed necessary.) In all
cases, these issues are to be accompanied by a suggested schedule for their
action.
2. The Steering Committee may create an ad hoc committee to
address issues, which, in its judgment, do not fit into the jurisdiction of any
of the six Standing Committees or which overlap the jurisdiction of several Standing
Committees. The creation of an ad hoc
committee must be accompanied by a written charge detailing its
responsibilities and time frame within which a recommendation is to be
forwarded in writing to, and reported at, the College Forum and/or to the appropriate
administrative office.
3. A majority of the membership of the Steering Committee
shall determine the voting constituencies at Forum meetings.
4. The Steering Committee shall consult with the chair in
setting the agenda of the Forum meetings.
5. The President of the College may request a meeting of the
Steering Committee when the urgency of a decision makes the normal
decision-making process impossible
6. The Steering Committee will prepare, in consultation with
the chairs of the six Standing Committees, an annual calendar of meetings for
the governance system (Forum, Steering Committee, and Standing Committees) at
the end of the Spring term for the next academic year.
7. The Steering Committee shall meet at least twice a month
and be available twelve months a year or when called by the President of the
College. The Steering Committee shall
serve to represent the Forum during July and August, with any actions approved
by the Forum at its first scheduled meeting in September.
8. The
Steering Committee shall entertain and recommend changes to the governance
system and shall determine the best method for dealing with any difficulties in
its operation. The College Forum shall
be responsible for the final decision on any changes in the governance
structure including the method of voting on such changes. Any changes that are approved by the Forum
are then to be forwarded to the President of the College for his approval.
Membership
The Steering Committee shall have
ten members: two full-time faculty, two administrators, two full-time staff,
the Executive Assistant to the President, one
currently enrolled student who has earned 15 credits at Brookdale, and the
Chair and Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) of the College Forum. All members are empowered to vote; the Chair
votes only to break a tie.
ElectionS to the Steering Committee
1. In order to ensure continuity on the
Steering Committee over time, the terms of office of the members will be
staggered.
2. Each year five offices will be open for election:
Vice-Chair (Chair Elect), one faculty position, one administrator position, one
staff position and the student position.
3. The term of office of each member of the
Steering Committee shall be two years except for the student position, which is
one year.
4. Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) will be elected
by the faculty, administrative, and staff constituencies (see above under
College Forum); the other four members will be elected by their own
constituencies on a college-wide basis.
5. An ex officio member of a Standing Committee may also serve
on the Steering Committee; other members of Standing Committees may not also
serve on the Steering Committee.
6. The transition date to a newly elected Steering Committee shall be May 1.
7. The former Chair of the Forum will be a non-voting member of the Steering Committee in an advisory capacity for the first semester of the next academic year.
8. Elections to the Steering Committee shall be completed and
the results counted no later than the end of the first full week in March each
year.
9. Vacancies: Should a vacancy occur on the
Steering Committee, nominations will be solicited from that constituency and an
election held as quickly as possible. Persons elected
in this manner can fill out the term of the previous member. They are then
eligible to serve for two more terms, provided they run and are elected.
STANDING
COMMITTEES
The Academic Council is charged with oversight of the establishment and
discontinuance of all courses and programs and other matters relating to
curricula. Its purpose is to assure
adherence to College policies on academic matters and to review any actions
that affect curricula.
The Academic Standards Committee is charged with the review of academic
standards pertaining to programs and services offered by the College. The committee will review and recommend
revisions of existing policies, regulations, procedures, and practices which
impact upon the achievement and maintenance of College standards in the
academic purview and, when appropriate, will suggest new ones.
The College Life Committee is charged with considering and recommending
policies concerning the overall quality of life of the Brookdale
community. Matters relevant to this
concern include, but are not limited to, the campus environment, non-academic
services, facilities use and management, and relations between the college and
the community.
The Institutional Planning and Effectiveness Committee is charged with
developing, monitoring, and evaluating the College’s strategic planning and
assessment processes. The committee’s
purposes are: 1) to provide a set of institutional strategies and objectives
that align with each other, address the appropriate external factors, and drive
the College’s budget, and 2) to develop, monitor, and assess the major
indicators of institutional effectiveness.
The Professional Development Committee is charged with developing and
evaluating the policies of the faculty, support staff, and administrative
professional development committees for full and part-time employees of
the College. The committee coordinates
with Human Resources to provide college-wide orientation and training programs
for all employees.
The Student Development Committee is charged with addressing the needs
and concerns of students outside the classroom by recommending policies to
enhance student success, growth, and development. Such matters may include co- and
extra-curricular activities, student behavior, and/or issues that affect a
student’s development.
OTHER
COMMITTEES
Presidential Task Force or Commission: Task Forces or
Commissions on governance and other college-wide issues will be established by
the President of the College in consultation with the Steering Committee. The membership will be appointed by the
President in consultation with the Steering Committee. All Task Forces and Commissions will be given
a precise charge and time frame for completion.
Recommendations made by such a committee shall be forwarded to the Forum
for its consideration and vote.
Ad Hoc Committee: May be formed on as an as-needed basis by the
Steering Committee and will have a precise charge and time frame.
Permanent College-Wide Committees: It is recognized that there is a need for various
committees at the College whose major purpose is not normally related to
governance and which carry out but do not formulate policy. The purpose of such committees may be to
facilitate communication between groups, to coordinate activities, to develop
strategies for dealing with certain specific situations or to carry out
policies determined by the governance process.
Examples of these committees are the Basic Skills Committee, the General
Education Committee, Diversity Council, and the Honors Committee. It is
expected that such committees will advise the Steering Committee and the
appropriate Standing Committee to provide assistance in their areas of
expertise. Each committee shall prepare a monthly report for inclusion in the
Governance Gazette. Committee Chairs will have the opportunity to give an oral
report at the monthly Forum meeting and will be available to lead further
discussion or to answer questions.
Any issue involving the
formulation of recommendations for college-wide policy will be taken to the
Steering Committee and College Forum for deliberation.
STANDING
COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
1. Academic Council
Ex officio: Dean of Academic Affairs, a member of the Basic Skills
Coordinating Team, Assistant Registrar, Director of Transfer Resources,
Representative of the General Education Committee, Representative of the Honors
Committee
A & E: One representative
Faculty: One
instructional faculty from (a) Arts/Communication, (b) Business,
(c)
Health Sciences, (d) Humanities, (e) Mathematics/Sciences, (f) Social Sciences,
(g) Technologies,
two Student Development Specialists, one Librarian
Staff: One member at large and one
Learning Assistant
Students: Two representatives
Liaison
from the Steering Committee.
2. Academic
Standards Committee
Ex officio: Executive
VP for Educational/Student and Outreach Services, Manager of Testing,
Registrar, a member of the Basic Skills Coordinating Team
A & E: One
representative
Faculty: One
instructional faculty from (a) Arts/Communication, (b) Business,
(c)
Health Sciences, (d) Humanities, (e) Mathematics/Sciences, (f) Social Sciences,
(g) Technologies,
two Student Development Specialists, one Librarian
Staff: Two
Learning Assistants
Students: Two
representatives
Liaison
from the Steering Committee.
3. College Life
Committee
Ex officio: Director of Student Life/Activities, Executive Director of Business and Community Development, Executive Director of Auxiliary Services, Executive Director of Facilities Planning, Representative of Public Relations & Marketing, Diversity Management Officer, Representative of Diversity Council, Chief of Police, Director of Disability Services, Learning Center Administrator
A & E: Two
representatives
Faculty: One
instructional faculty from (a) Arts/Communication, (b) Business,
(c)
Health Sciences, (d) Humanities, (e) Mathematics/Sciences, (f) Social Sciences,
(g) Technologies,
one Student Development Specialist
Staff: Two
representatives
Students: Four
representatives
Liaison
from the Steering Committee.
4. Institutional
Planning and Effectiveness Committee
Ex officio: V.P. of Planning/Development and Governmental Relations, Executive Director of Planning, Assessment and Research, VP for Finance and Business Services, Assistant to Executive VP of Educational/Student and Outreach Services, Executive Director of Marketing Services, Executive Director, Information Technology Services, Executive Assistant to the President, Assistant to Executive VP for Administration, Operations, and Technology Services, Dean of Human Resources, VP for Outreach, Business, and Community Development
A & E: Two
representatives
Faculty: One
instructional faculty from (a) Arts/Communication, (b) Business,
(c)
Health Sciences, (d) Humanities, (e) Mathematics/Sciences, (f) Social Sciences,
(g) Technologies,
one Student Development Specialist, one Librarian
Staff: Two
representatives
Students: One
representative
Liaison
from the Steering Committee.
5. Professional
Development Committee
Ex officio: Staff
Development Specialist, Dean of Instructional Technology
A & E: One
representative from Administration/Operations, Educational/Student and Outreach
Services, and Planning and Development; two at-large representatives
Faculty: One
instructional faculty from (a) Arts/Communication, (b) Business,
(c)
Health Sciences, (d) Humanities, (e) Mathematics/Sciences, (f) Social Sciences,
(g) Technologies,
one Student Development Specialist, one Librarian
Staff: One
representative each from Administration/Operations and Educational Services;
two at-large representatives
Police: One
representative
Liaison
from the Steering Committee.
6. Student
Development Committee
Ex officio: Dean
of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, Director of Student Affairs and
Support Services, Director of Recruitment Services, Director of Experiential Learning,
Director of EOF, Director of Financial Aid, a member of the Basic Skills
Coordinating Team, a Learning Center Administrator
A & E One
representative
Faculty: One
instructional faculty from (a) Arts/Communication, (b) Business,
(c)
Health Sciences, (d) Humanities, (e) Mathematics/Sciences, (f) Social Sciences,
(g) Technologies,
two Student Development Specialists
Staff: Two
representatives
Students: Four
representatives
Liaison from the Steering Committee.
STANDING
COMMITTEE BYLAWS
1. A quorum for voting purposes will consist of two-thirds of
the committee membership; students will not be counted in determining a quorum.
2. A member will be dropped from a committee if that member
fails to attend more than two consecutive meetings (unless special arrangements
are made.) The Chair of the committee will seek a replacement as soon as
possible.
3. Each committee shall have a recording secretary to keep
minutes and monitor attendance.
4. Membership on the Standing Committees shall be staggered on
the basis of three-year terms.
5. Standing Committees may establish any subcommittees they
wish. Each subcommittee will be given a
specific charge and time frame for its work.
Permanent subcommittees may only be formed in consultation with the
Steering Committee.
6. Committees may consult with any individual or
non-governance committee that they think is appropriate.
7. Each committee will elect a Chair or Co-chairs for the next
academic year at the last meeting of each Spring
term. Eligible voters include those who
are completing their election cycles, current members, and newly-elected
members.
8. The Chairs of the Standing Committees will consult with the
Steering Committee at the end of each Spring term to
establish a calendar of governance committee meetings for the next academic
year.
9. Each Standing Committee shall submit a monthly report to
the Steering Committee; this report will include decisions made, matters
currently under consideration and progress made so far. Committee Chairs will
have the opportunity to give an oral report at the monthly Forum meeting and
will be available to lead further discussion or to answer questions.
10.
No person may serve on more than one
Standing Committee. No person may run
for office on more than one committee.
11.
Robert's Rules of Order will define
procedures in the Standing Committees.
12.
Members of Standing Committees are
expected to attend Forum meetings.
13.
Standing Committee meetings are open to
all members of the College community.
14.
A person may not be elected to more than
two consecutive three-year terms on a particular Standing Committee, but may
run for office on another committee or the Steering Committee immediately.
15.
The chair or designee of a Standing
Committee must appear before the Steering Committee when a motion is ready to
be presented to the Forum for its consideration; the Steering Committee shall
review the motion for clarity, but not content.
16.
Each committee shall prepare a monthly
report for inclusion in the Governance Gazette.
17. Ex officio means appointment to a Standing Committee by
virtue of an administrative position; all ex officio members are voting members
of their respective committees.
ELECTIONS TO
STANDING COMMITTEES
1.
Students on
Standing Committees must be currently enrolled. Student nominations will be
solicited from the college community. Steering will appoint student
representatives to each Standing Committee and the Steering Committee unless
the number of students exceeds the allotted number of student positions on that
committee. In that case an election will be held, and the Steering Committee
and the Student Life Board will coordinate the process.
2. Elections of faculty members to Standing Committees will be
held on a rotating basis by Divisions.
One year the Business/Computer Science and Arts/Communications Divisions
will elect representatives; the next year English and Social Sciences
representatives will be elected; and lastly representatives from Math and
Science/Technologies
and Health Sciences will be elected. This sequence will be continued into the
future.
3.
Staff and
Administrative and Exempt elections will be held by ballot according to
procedures determined by the Steering Committee.
4.
Elections should
be completed by early April each year.
5. Vacancies: Should a vacancy occur on a Standing Committee,
the Steering Committee will solicit recommendations from that constituency and
appoint a member as soon as possible. Persons appointed in this manner will
serve until the end of that academic year. That position will be included in
the first election following the appointment. The appointed member is then
eligible to serve for two more terms, provided they run and are elected.
Updated