College Committee Formation and Dissolution

Operational Standard/Purpose

College-wide committees are an essential part of the governance structure of the College and help carry out the mission and core values of the institution. The College recognizes committees as essential bodies that help contribute to the development and operations of the College. On occasion, there may be the need to form a new committee or dissolve an existing committee. This standard outlines both procedures.

Scope/Applicability

This SOP applies to standing college committees and does not override any committees or terms explicitly identified in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Faculty Forum and the Board of Trustees, particularly provisions laid out in Articles 14 and 31.

Definitions

• A committee is an officially recognized cross-functional group essential to the development or operations of the College as a whole. Committees have a defined purpose and function and work to ensure that all relevant constituencies are considered in meeting their charge and are appropriately consulted for input. Membership may be appointed or voluntary and may change over time but will be in accordance with the committee’s charter.

Procedure(s)

1. New Committee Formation  
   • a. Committees are proposed using the Committee Application Form Anyone at the College can propose a new committee, but the Cabinet member with oversight must be consulted before the application is submitted. 
   • b. Applications will be reviewed by Executive Cabinet for discussion and decision during the same semester. 
   • c. Decisions will be communicated to the originators of the request by the AVPIEI within three weeks of receiving the application. 
     • i. If approved, information from the Committee Application Form should be used to create the Committee Charter by the proposer(s) of the committee. A copy of the Committee Charter, when completed, should be sent by the Chair(s) of the committee to the AVPIEI to be posted on the College Committees website. The AVPIEI will also communicate the formation of the new committee via Employee Notice.
     • ii. If denied, reasons for the decision will be emailed to the proposer(s) of the committee for possible modification and resubmission of the request.
   • d. Requests for faculty participation on committees should be sent to Faculty Forum leadership; staff and administrative participants will be solicited via Employee Notice. Requests will provide at least two weeks lead time, and should include the following information:
     • i. Description of the committee or project 
     • ii. Expected duration of the project 
     • iii. Expected time commitment (e.g., weekly, monthly, meeting frequency, hours, etc.) 
     • iv. Expected start date for the committee or project 
     • v. Criteria for membership (e.g., CTE and/or LAS faculty, number of desired faculty participants, required prior experience or knowledge, particular departments or disciplines, etc.)
     • vi. If compensation is to be provided, specify the compensation structure (e.g., stipend, release time, etc.)
     • vii. Deliverables (if any)
   • e. Interested faculty members should respond to the call from Faculty Forum leadership soliciting participation for committees. 
   • f. Staff and administrative participants should contact their supervisor for permission and contact the new committee co-chairs to express their desire to participate. If more participants than needed respond to the call, the committee co-chairs will consult with the Cabinet oversight member to determine which participants are selected. 
2. Dissolution of Existing Committees  
   • a. The following are potential causes for a committee to disband:
     • i. Committee has not met within two years (unless exempted by their Charter);
     • ii. Committee lacks sufficient membership;
     • iii. The purpose of the committee can be consolidated with another committee;
     • iv. There is no longer a need for the committee.
     • v. There is no longer an interest in the committee.
   • b. Process to disband:
     • i. If a committee has not met within the last two years, the AVPIEI will reach out to the most recent co-chairs and faculty forum leadership to notify and ask for historical context. If appropriate, existing committee chair(s) will initiate a written request to disband the committee and submit it to the AVPIEI. In the event that there are no existing chairs, the AVPIEI will initiate the written request.
     • ii. AVPIEI shares the recommendation with Executive Cabinet for consideration and posts to Hub for review.
     • iii. If the request to disband the committee is approved, the AVPIEI will remove it from the list of college committees and archive any existing committee materials on the College Committees site (https://illinoiscentralcollege.sharepoint.com/sites/O365CommitteesTeams)
     • iv. The committee dissolution will be communicated via Employee Notice.

Additional Provisions/Information

Appendices: New Committee Request Form, Committee Charter 

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