HAW 3.301 College Committee Structure

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The purpose of this policy is to establish the framework for effective structures and requirements for approved College committees and to provide for the review of proposed new College committees through a process that will clarify roles, improve communications, enrich campus decision making processes, provide for centralized coordination of campus committees, and confirm there is no overlap in function or purpose among committees.

Definitions:

An approved College committee is an officially recognized organization essential to the development or operations of the College as a whole. Committees have a defined purpose and function and may have multiple tasks. Membership may be appointed or voluntary and may change over time but will include a minimum of three members of the College.

Sanctioning Authorities: College organizations identified as Sanctioning Authorities for approved College committees include the following:

Academic Senate

The responsibilities of the Academic Senate are faculty governance and academic issues, including curriculum and academic policy. Senate committees are governed by the Academic Senate Charter.

Administration

Administrative committees deal with matters relevant to administration of the College. These may include committees sanctioned under the Chancellor’s Office, the Offices of the Vice Chancellors, and Offices of the Directors of the College. Membership appointment method(s) are determined by the relevant administrator.

College Council

The Hawai‘i CC College Council is a College-wide group representing all functional areas, which serves as a vehicle for dialogue and consultation on College-wide matters not governed by other bodies. College Council committees deal with College-wide issues. Committee membership is governed by the College Council.

Committees will be categorized within the organizational structure of the Sanctioning Authority under which they are established as being either a Standing Committee, Ad Hoc Committee, or Task Force per the following definitions:

• Standing Committees have a defined purpose and function related to on-going and/or long- term College-wide issues. Standing committees are subject to the review process outlined below.
• Ad Hoc Committees and Task Forces are temporary committees, created by the relevant Sanctioning Authority as needs arise, and are not subject to review as outlined below.

Coordination of Committees

The College Council will assume responsibility for the centralized coordination of all approved College committees. The Council’s Committee on Committees (CoC) will review proposals for the establishment of new committees from any of the College’s Sanctioning Authorities and will determine if there is overlap or duplication in function or purpose with an existing approved committee. The CoC also will review all proposals for new committees to determine if the committee structure complies with this policy regarding purpose, function, tasks, and membership. The CoC will provide a copy of its review to the appropriate Sanctioning Authority and to the College Council. Final approval of new proposed committees will be the responsibility of the appropriate Sanctioning Authority.

The CoC will also assist approved committees to fill committee memberships through annually recruiting volunteers and notifying committee chairs about potential volunteers. The CoC also will periodically review and update the Committee Handbook and will post it to the College’s website.

Establishment of Committees

New committees are proposed using the Committee Application Form, which is submitted to the CoC by the Sanctioning Authority requesting their establishment. Deadlines to submit applications are October 1 and March 1. The CoC will review applications per the guidelines in this policy and will provide a written report of findings to the Sanctioning Authority and the College Council in a timely manner.

Information from the Committee Application form may be used to create the Committee Charter by the Chair of the committee. A copy of the Committee Charter, when completed and approved by the appropriate Sanctioning Authority, will be sent to the CoC to be used in updating the Committee Handbook.

Modification of Committee Charters

Modifications to an approved committee’s charter should be submitted by the Sanctioning Authority as a memo to the CoC Chair by March 1, to be updated in the Committee Handbook.

Dissolution of Committees

The following are causes for a committee to disband:

1. Committee has not met within two years.
2. Committee lacks sufficient membership.
3. The purpose of the Committee can be consolidated with another committee (incorporated into an existing committee).
4. Other issues, with justification provided by the Sanctioning Authority.

Process to disband:

1. The Sanctioning Authority will provide the College Council Chair and the CoC with a written request to disband the committee, including the rationale for the dissolution.
2. The CoC will review the request to determine if the committee’s purpose and function are no longer needed and/or can be consolidated with an existing committee, and will provide a copy of its review to the Sanctioning Authority and to the College Council.
3. Following the CoC’s review of the Sanctioning Authority’s request for dissolution of the committee, if the Sanctioning Authority approves the dissolution, the Sanctioning Authority shall inform the College Council Chair and the CoC in writing. The CoC will then remove the dissolved committee from the College’s list of approved committees.

Duties of Committee Chairs

Unless otherwise specified by the Charter or established protocols of its Sanctioning Authority, the duties of chairs of approved College committees shall include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Solicits appropriate members of the College to fill any vacant committee seats not filled through the CoC’s annual recruitment process.
• Sets and informs members of the date, time, and place of committee meetings.
• Prepares and distributes the agenda to committee members in a timely manner, together with any resources pertaining to the matters to be discussed.
• Conducts the committee meetings and guides the committee through the agenda items.
• Communicates any proposed changes/updates to the committee’s charter to its Sanctioning Authority, which will forward the proposal to the College Council Chair and the CoC for review.
• Prepares reports/updates to its Sanctioning Authority as per that organization’s Charter or protocols or as needed.
• Writes and sends appreciation/acknowledgment letters to committee members at the end of the academic year.