Article VIII: Standing Committees

Section 1. Election and Appointment of Members to Standing Committees

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Election of members for the Promotion and Tenure Committee will be held at the regular March meeting of the faculty. Election of at-large members of the University Curriculum Committee will be held at the regular March meeting of the faculty and the School/College representatives will be elected at the February School/College Faculty meetings. Elections of members for School- and Division-Based Curriculum Committees will occur at the February School/College Faculty Meetings. Membership on other standing committees will be appointed at the April meeting of Academic Council, based upon a slate provided by Academic Council’s Committee on Committees. Faculty of the Law School are excluded from service on standing committees. Appointments for student representatives on standing committees (for the following academic year) will be completed by the Student Government Association no later than May 15.

Section 2. Staggering of Terms on Standing Committees

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Notwithstanding other provisions of the article, upon initial election total membership will be provided, and where staggered terms of membership are required, elected committee members will assign themselves to short terms by lot.

Section 3. Student Membership on Standing Committees

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Student members will be full-time students and will have at least a 2.0 cumulative average. Unless otherwise provided for in this article, students will be elected annually in May by the newly installed Student Senate from nominations submitted by the President of the Student Government Association. Members appointed by the President of the Student Government Association will be approved by the Student Senate. No student will serve on more than one committee at the same time. Those standing committees with student members may submit a list to the Student Government Association President and Student Senate of suggested names for future membership on their committees.

Section 4. Meetings of Standing Committees

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  • Standing committees will meet at least once each academic semester and at other times as called by the chair.
  • When they are considering matters of general concern to the faculty, standing committees will announce the time, place, and agenda of their meetings and will seek out information from faculty, and other knowledgeable sources.
  • Any standing committee may convene in executive session at its own discretion.

Section 5. Operating Procedures for Standing Committees

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Standing committees will agree on procedures for carrying out their duties, including their method of reporting to the faculty and Academic Council, and will publish these procedures as information in the Faculty Handbook.

  • Administrative officers are responsible for insuring that necessary information and clerical assistance are provided to the committees.
  • Standing committees will furnish Academic Council with regular, written, and substantive reports of their activities.
  • Standing committee members who have concerns about the degree of participation in decision-making on issues falling within their purview should report those concerns to Academic Council.
  • Standing committee chairs will communicate with the chairs of other standing committees as appropriate on issues of shared concern.

Section 6. Academic Standing Committee

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For procedures, policies, and the names of current members, refer to Academic Standing Committee.

Membership

  • Provost/Executive Vice President or designee, administrative officer
  • Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students
  • Registrar
  • Six members of the teaching faculty elected for two-year terms, one from the College of Arts and Sciences and one from each of the schools into which the institution is organized, and two members-at-large from among the teaching faculty. Three members will be elected each year, with at-large members elected in different years. The committee will elect annually in May a chair from among these faculty members.
  • Representative appointed by and from the Academic Advising Office, ex officio, without vote
  • Two student members appointed by the President of the Student Government Association
  • Faculty of the Law School are excluded from service on this committee

Duties

  • To periodically review standards for satisfactory academic performance by undergraduate students of the University
  • To periodically review academic standards for probationary status or suspension of undergraduate students whose work fails to meet these standards
  • To recommend an appeals procedure for undergraduate students contesting academic standing decisions
  • To establish procedures for the readmission of suspended undergraduate students
  • To periodically review the operation of the grading system and to propose changes that will provide for academic quality
  • To publish periodic reports of its work to the faculty
  • To advise on standards for making Dean’s list, Honors, and other academic programs and recognition for the undergraduate program
  • To consider special projects or policies as proposed by Academic Council
  • To evaluate the effect of curricular or program change on academic standing issues (e.g., Elon Core Curriculum changes, student body changes)
  • To periodically review the grade appeal process
  • None of the above duties of the committee will apply to the law school or graduate programs

Section 7. Academic Technology and Computing Committee

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For procedures, policies, and the names of current members, refer to Academic Technology and Computing Committee Section .

Membership

  • Assistant Vice President for Technology/CIO
  • Dean and University Librarian or designee, without vote
  • Faculty Fellow for Technology, without vote
  • Seven faculty members: three from the College of Arts and Sciences (one from each division) and one each from Love School of Business, School of Communications, School of Education, and School of Health Sciences. Each member will serve a three-year term. To ensure membership continuity, membership is staggered in a three-year cycle:

Year One

    • One member from the division of Fine Arts and Humanities
    • One member from the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business
    • One member from the School of Health Sciences

Year Two

    • One member from the division of Social Sciences
    • One member from the School of Communications

Year Three

    • One member from the division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
    • One member from the School of Education

Further, the committee membership will annually elect a Chair-Elect from the first-year members at the final meeting. The Chair-Elect will assist the chair during the second year of service and then assume the responsibilities of Chairperson in the third year.

  • Two student members appointed annually
  • Faculty of the Law School are excluded from service on this committee.

Duties

  • To make recommendations regarding improvement, extension, and development of the services and facilities provided to make computational and multimedia technologies available for academic use
  • To report to the faculty regarding the level of provision of educational technology to the academic community both in absolute terms and in comparative terms relative to other institutions
  • To serve as a liaison committee between the faculty, the students, and Instructional and Campus Technologies. The committee should also discuss administrative matters pertaining to the provision of suitable technological support of the academic function.

Section 8. Admissions Committee

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For procedures, policies, and the names of current members, refer to Admissions Committee Section (C35M).

Membership

  • Provost/Executive Vice President
  • Vice President of Admissions and Financial Planning, administrative officer
  • Registrar
  • Four faculty members, serving two-year terms, with two elected each year. The committee will elect annually in May a Chair from among these four faculty members.
  • Faculty of the Law School are excluded from service on this committee.

Duties

  • To recommend to the President standards for the admission of students to the University
  • To establish procedures for reviewing individual applications that are on the borderline of acceptability and collectively making decisions on acceptance
  • To publish periodic reports of its work to the faculty
  • None of the above duties will apply to the Law School.

Section 9. Athletics Committee

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For procedures, policies, and the names of current members, refer to Athletics Committee Section.

Membership

  • Director of Athletics, ex officio, without vote
  • Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Administration Compliance and Campus Relations, ex officio, without vote
  • Associate Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator, ex officio, without vote
  • Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR), appointed by the University President, with vote
  • Six faculty members elected for three-year term, all with vote. Elections occur in three-year cycles:

Year One

    • One member from the School of Communications
    • One member from the College of Arts and Sciences

Year Two

    • One member from the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business
    • One member from the School of Education

Year Three

    • One member from the College of Arts and Sciences
    • One at-large member

The committee will elect a Chair in May from among these members.

  • Two student members including one student representative appointed by the President of the Student Government Association, with vote, and the President of the Elon University Student Athletic Advisory Council or his/her designated appointee from the SAAC Executive Committee, with vote.

Duties

  • To oversee the intercollegiate athletics program and make recommendations about its academic and fiscal integrity; gender equity, diversity and student athlete welfare; and athletics governance
  • To monitor adherence to approved Athletics Department gender equity and diversity plans
  • To serve as a liaison and provide faculty oversight of intercollegiate athletics and to report annually to Academic Council
  • To review and recommend guidelines regarding participation in and scheduling of intercollegiate athletics contests
  • To review and recommend general institutional guidelines for awarding, reducing, and terminating grants-in-aid
  • To review and make recommendations regarding the University’s athletics conference and to advise the Faculty Athletics Representative concerning institutional positions on NCAA and conference legislative matters
  • To review annually the Athletics Department’s progress toward meeting its established priorities and to advise the Athletics Director regarding priorities

Section 10. Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee (University)

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For procedures, policies, and the names of current members, refer to Curriculum Committee Section.

Membership

  • Provost/Executive Vice President, or designee
  • Dean and University Librarian, without vote
  • Registrar, without vote
  • Director of the Elon Core Curriculum
  • Three elected teaching faculty members serving three-year terms, representing the College of Arts and Sciences, one each from Fine Arts and Humanities, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.
  • Four elected teaching faculty members serving three-year terms, representing the following schools: one each from the Love School of Business, the School of Communications, the School of Education, and the School of Health Sciences
  • Two at-large teaching faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences and one University wide at-large faculty member serving three-year terms, elected by the teaching faculty members
  • At least seven of the ten elected teaching faculty members must have achieved the rank of Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, or Professor.
  • Faculty from the School of Law are excluded from service on this committee.

Elections

Elections of faculty members to the Curriculum Committee (University) will occur on a three-year cycle.

Year One

    • One member from Fine Arts and Humanities
    • One member from Mathematics and Natural Sciences
    • One member from Social Sciences

Year Two

    • One member from the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business
    • One member from the School of Communications
    • One member from the School of Education
    • One member from the School of Health Sciences

Year Three

    • Two at-large members from Arts and Sciences
    • One at-large University-wide member

One of these elected representatives will be elected by the committee each May as Chair and one as Vice-Chair. Faculty members serving in these offices must have achieved the rank of Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, or Professor.

Duties

  • To study and make decisions, Subject to Article V, Section 2 of the Faculty Bylaws, in regard to all areas of the instructional program of Elon University, including the content, methods, and objectives of all courses and major fields of study. Proposals for new graduate programs are subject to the provisions of Procedures for Proposal of New Graduate Programs.
  • To evaluate proposed additions to or deletions from the curriculum and to approve curricular changes
  • To be responsible for periodic studies of the curriculum in order to provide an instructional program which is consistent with the aims and objectives of Elon University and which will meet the needs of the students who are currently enrolled
  • To review and make recommendations on major changes in curriculum in early planning stages
  • To review and make recommendations on all major grant proposals with curriculum implications
  • To review and approve independent major proposals submitted to the Director of the Elon Core Curriculum
  • To serve as the coordinating committee of the elected standing committees that deal directly with the curriculum (the Global Education Curriculum Committee, the Elon Core Curriculum Council, and the Graduate Council)
  • Upon receipt by the Chair of Academic Council of a written request, decisions made by the University Curriculum Committee will be subject to discussion and vote at the next scheduled faculty meeting. The request for a faculty vote must be signed by at least 15% of the fulltime teaching faculty and must be received by the Chair of Academic Council at least one week prior to the next scheduled meeting of the full faculty. In that event, the decision made at the faculty meeting will take precedence.
  • None of the above duties of the committee will apply to the curriculum of the Law School, nor will the Law School faculty participate in the decisions of this committee.

Curriculum Committees (School and Division-Based)

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For procedures, policies, and the names of current members, refer to Curriculum Committee (School and Division-Based) Section.

Defining the Curriculum Committees (School and Division-Based)

  • Three division-based curriculum committees will be created in the College of Arts and Sciences, one each for Fine Arts and Humanities, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.
  • School-based curriculum committees will be created for each of the schools (the Love School of Business, the School of Communications, the School of Education, and the School of Health Sciences).

Membership of Curriculum Committees

Membership of each committee will be determined by the school or division in question. In doing so, these guiding principles will be followed:

  • The committee will include the Academic Dean or his/her designee.
  • The committee will consist of at least five elected teaching faculty members.
  • The committee will be chaired by one of the elected representatives.

Duties

  • To evaluate proposed additions to or deletions from the curriculum in departments or majors located in their school or division and to report to the University Curriculum Committee recommendations for curricular changes 
  • To study and make decisions regarding minor changes (those designated as reportable items) to the curriculum in departments or majors located in their school or division

  • Upon the request of any member of the University Curriculum Committee, any decision made by a school- or division-based curriculum committee will be subject to discussion and vote at the next scheduled University Curriculum Committee meeting. In that event, the decision made by the University Curriculum Committee will take precedence.

  • To ensure that proper consultation with the appropriate Deans, Department Chairs, and Curriculum Committee Chairs has occurred on any and all grant proposals that have implications for other divisions, schools, or colleges 
  • To ensure that proper consultation with the appropriate Deans, Department Chairs, and Curriculum Committee Chairs has occurred on any and all curriculum proposals that have implications for other divisions, schools, or colleges

Section 11. Elon Core Curriculum Council

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For procedures, policies, and the names of current members, refer to Elon Core Curriculum Committee Section.

Membership

  • Director of the Elon Core Curriculum
  • Members of the teaching faculty elected for three-year terms, one from each of the divisions and schools into which the departments are organized, except the Law School, and two at-large from among the teaching faculty. At-large members must represent different divisions. Elections to the Elon Core Curriculum Council occur in a three-year cycle:

Year One

    • One member from the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business
    • One member from the School of Communications
    • One at-large member

Year Two

    • One member from Fine Arts and Humanities
    • One member from Mathematics and Natural Sciences
    • One member from Social Sciences

Year Three

    • One member from the School of Education
    • One at-large member

The Elon Core Curriculum Council will elect annually in May a Chair from among the eight teaching faculty members.

  • Two student members elected for two-year terms, one elected each year
  • Writing Across the Curriculum Director, ex officio
  • Faculty of the Law School are excluded from service on this committee.

Duties

  • To advise the Director of the Elon Core Curriculum in implementation of the core curriculum program
  • To work in consultation with the departments to insure that department courses satisfactorily meet Core Curriculum requirements
  • To provide leadership in creating, modeling, and promoting effective teaching methods for Core Curriculum courses
  • To develop and implement assessment criteria and procedures to evaluate courses, student development, and the progress of the Core Curriculum itself
  • To promote the goals of Core Curriculum across campus
  • To review periodically and make recommendations to the University Curriculum Committee for curricular changes in the core curriculum
  • To approve petitions from departments not included in liberal studies for acceptance for one semester of an appropriate class for credit in the Core Curriculum at the advanced (300-400) level
  • To approve petitions from departments for acceptance of courses carrying a Core Curriculum prefix
  • To plan, implement, and review Core Curriculum seminars (first year foundations and advanced)

Section 12. Faculty Research and Development Committee

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For procedures, policies, and the names of current members, refer to Faculty Research and Development Committee Section.

Membership

  • Teaching faculty members elected for two-year terms. In odd numbered years one member will be elected from each of the divisions and schools, except the Law School. Four at-large members will be elected in even numbered years. The committee will elect annually in May a chair from among these teaching faculty members.
  • Provost/Executive Vice President, or his/her designee
  • Director of Sponsored Programs, without vote
  • Faculty of the Law School are excluded from service on this committee

Duties

  • To develop and recommend to the President policy regarding faculty development
  • To help monitor the effectiveness of such policies
  • To plan and help coordinate workshops, seminars, or other individual proposals related to faculty development
  • To devise criteria for the administration and evaluation of individual proposals related to faculty development
  • To receive, evaluate, and approve such proposals
  • To receive, study, and evaluate proposals for research and advanced study submitted by members of the faculty, and approve those proposals which, in the judgment of the committee, should receive financial assistance
  • To receive, study, and evaluate requests for sabbatical leaves and approve those requests that, in the judgment of the committee, should be granted
  • To form a subcommittee, composed of teaching faculty from both the FR&D Committee and the broader University, to select the recipient of Elon’s Distinguished Scholar Award
  • None of the above duties will apply to the Law School.

Section 13. Global Education Curriculum Committee

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For procedures, policies, and the names of current members, refer to Global Education Curriculum Committee Section.

Membership

  • Dean of Global Studies, the Director of Study Abroad, and the Director of Domestic Programs, ex-officio, without vote
  • Assistant Dean of Global Education, ex-officio, without vote
  • Members of the teaching faculty elected for staggered three-year terms with three members elected each year as follows:

Year One

    • One member from Mathematics and Natural Sciences
    • One member from Fine Arts and Humanities
    • One member from Social Sciences

Year Two

    • One member from the School of Business
    • One member from the School of Communications
    • One member at-large from the teaching faculty or support staff with faculty rank (The two at-large members must represent different divisions/schools)

Year Three

    • One member from the School of Education
    • One member from the School of Health Sciences
    • One member at-large from the teaching faculty or support staff with faculty rank (The two at-large members must represent different divisions/schools)

All members will have experience teaching a study abroad or Study USA course at Elon. Each May the committee will elect a chair from among the nine teaching faculty members.

Faculty from the School of Law are excluded from service on this committee.

  • Director of the Elon Core Curriculum, ex officio, with vote
  • Two student members, with study abroad experience or Study USA, elected annually by the Student Government Association
  • Faculty of the Law School are excluded from service on this committee.

Duties

  • To promote the goals of global education
  • To develop and apply criteria and procedures for reviewing and approving global education program proposals by Elon faculty
  • To work in consultation with faculty and departments on the development of global education courses
  • To review periodically and to make recommendations to the University Curriculum Committee for general curricular changes in the Elon global education program
  • To promote the integration of global education experiences with other components of the academic programs of Elon University
  • To work in collaboration with the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center on developing and conducting assessments to evaluate credit-earning Elon global education courses and programs, including both academic and the development of intercultural competence
  • To work in collaboration with the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center on reviewing and evaluating relevant programmatic aspects of the Elon University global education program
  • To consult with the Dean of Global Studies on the implementation of the Elon global education program

Section 14. Graduate Council

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For procedures, policies, and the names of current members, refer to Graduate Council Section.

Membership

  • Provost/Executive Vice President, or designee
  • Director of each graduate program, except the Law School, without vote
  • Associate Dean for Admissions and Administration for the Law School, or designee, ex officio, without vote
  • Director of Graduate Admissions, or designee, ex-officio, without vote
  • Registrar, or designee, ex-officio, without vote
  • Dean and University Librarian, or designee, ex-officio, without vote
  • Three elected teaching faculty members serving three-year terms, representing the College of Arts and Sciences, one each from the Fine Arts and Humanities, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. Must have achieved the rank of Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, or Professor.
  • Four elected teaching faculty members serving three-year terms, representing the following schools, one each from the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, the School of Communications, the School of Education, and the School of Health Sciences. Must have achieved the rank of Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, or Professor.
  • Two at-large teaching faculty members serving three-year terms, elected by the teaching faculty members. At-large members must represent different divisions or schools and be elected in alternate years.
  • Elections to the Graduate Council occur on a three-year cycle. In the first year of the cycle representatives from the College of Arts and Sciences will be elected. In the second year of the cycle, representatives from the schools will be elected. In the final year of the cycle, at-large representatives will be elected. At the May meeting, one of these elected representatives will be elected by the committee as Chair.

Duties

  • To evaluate proposed additions to or deletions from the graduate curriculum and to approve graduate curricular changes
  • To review proposals for new graduate programs and to report to the University Curriculum Committee recommendations on those proposals
  • To recommend standards for admission and retention of students in graduate programs
  • To develop and recommend policy with regard to graduate programs
  • To recommend academic support and student services pertinent to graduate students
  • To be responsible for periodic review of the graduate curriculum in order to provide an instructional program that is consistent with the aims and objectives of the Elon University Graduate Program Mission Statement and that will meet the needs of the students who are currently enrolled.
  • To publish an annual report of its work to the faculty
  • None of the above duties of the committee will apply to the curriculum of the Law School, nor will the Law School faculty participate in the decisions of this committee.

Section 15. Library Committee

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For procedures, policies, and the names of current members, refer to Library Committee Section.

Membership

  • Dean and University Librarian
  • Six at-large teaching faculty members, three elected each year for a two-year term. Annually in May, the committee will elect a Chair from among these six teaching faculty members
  • Two student members elected for a one-year term
  • Associate Dean for Library and Information Services for the Law School or his/her designee, without vote

Duties

  • To serve as a liaison committee between the faculty, the students, and the librarian and to discuss administrative matters pertaining to the library and make recommendations for the best possible library services
  • To develop and recommend policy with regard to the library and library services
  • To allocate funds for each department from the budget provided for the purchase of library materials; to evaluate requests for expenditures not provided for in the budget; to make recommendations regarding such requests
  • To make recommendations regarding improvement, extension, and development of the services and facilities of the library

Section 16. Promotion and Tenure Committee

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For procedures, policies, and the names of current members, refer to Promotion and Tenure Committee Section.

Membership

The Promotion and Tenure Committee will consist of nine post-probationary teaching faculty members, at least four of whom will be full professors. Of the nine, at least four will be tenured, and all will hold the rank of Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, or Professor. Members will serve two-year terms with no person serving more than two consecutive terms, nor more than three terms within a ten year period. Members will be elected annually on a two-year cycle.

Year One

  • One member from Mathematics and Natural Sciences
  • One member from Social Sciences
  • One member from the School of Communications
  • One at-large member from the College of Arts and Sciences

Year Two

  • One member from Fine Arts and Humanities
  • One member from the School of Education
  • One member from the School of Health Sciences
  • One member from the Love School of Business
  • One at-large member

A Chair will be elected from and by the membership of the committee. Faculty members will be ineligible for promotion or tenure while serving on this committee. Faculty members will be ineligible for service on this committee the year following their promotion or tenure applications. Faculty of the Law School are excluded from service on this committee.

Duties

  • To receive from the Provost/Executive Vice President a list of faculty members who are eligible for promotion in rank and/or tenure
  • To consider each eligible faculty member who applies for promotion and/or tenure based on the portfolio provided to the committee by the candidate and in accordance with University policies. Members from a candidate’s department serving on Promotion and Tenure may engage in the deliberations of Promotion and Tenure related to the candidate; however, they may not write a letter for inclusion in a candidate’s application materials while on Promotion and Tenure.
  • To submit to the Provost/Executive Vice President of the University recommendations for the next academic year no later than December 31 of each year and prior to meeting with the Provost/Executive Vice President and each candidate’s Dean
  • To meet with the Provost/Executive Vice President and each candidate’s Dean to discuss the recommendation for each candidate and the rationale for the recommendation
  • After notification of Promotion and Tenure decisions, to make available to any eligible faculty member upon request, through the Provost/Executive Vice President, its recommendations concerning the faculty member and an explanation of the basis for that recommendation
  • None of the above duties of the committee will apply to the promotions and tenure of the faculty of the School of Law.

Section 17. Religious and Spiritual Life Committee

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For procedures, policies, and the names of current members, refer to Religious and Spiritual Life Committee Section.

Membership

  • University Chaplain
  • Four at-large faculty members, serving two-year terms, with two elected each year. The committee will elect annually in May a Chair from among these four faculty members.
  • One to four student members elected for two-year terms, two elected each year
  • This committee may supplement faculty and/or student membership by electing non-voting members.

Duties

To exercise an overall concern for the religious and spiritual life of the University and to advise the University Chaplain on needs in this area of campus life

Section 18. Student Life Committee

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For procedures, policies, and the names of current members, refer to Student Life Committee Section.

Membership

  • Four faculty members, serving two-year terms with two elected each year. The committee will elect annually a Chair from among these four faculty members.
  • Four student members appointed to two-year terms by the President of the Student Government Association. Student membership should reflect the variety of experiences and perspectives found in the student body. The committee will elect annually a Vice Chair from the student members.
  • Vice President for Student Life/Dean of Students, ex officio. The Dean will serve as Secretary to the committee.
  • President of the Student Government Association, ex officio
  • Director of Student Activities

Duties

  • To advise and assist the Vice President for Student Life/Dean of Students and Student Organizations
  • To review extracurricular student activities and organizations periodically
  • To recommend changes in policy and procedures affecting student life to the faculty and/or administration of the University
  • To recommend to the Vice President for Student Life/Dean of Students the bylaws of all new student organizations
  • To promote more effective communication among the several campus constituencies in connection with student development and/or student life