The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Policy # [####]
All-University or Joint Committees and Related Governance Structures (GOV 6.2)
Original Issuance Date: MMMM DD, YYYY
Last Revision Date: MMMM DD, YYYY
Next Review Date: MMMM DD, YYYY
1. PURPOSE
2. RESPONSIBLE OFFICER
3. SCOPE
4. BACKGROUND
5. DEFINITIONS
6. POLICY STATEMENT
GOV 6.2. Principles Concerning All-University or Joint Committees and Related Governance Structures.
Revised 12/93
1. Consistent with the principles of shared governance, where there is a clear need, the Chancellor (or designee) may establish all-University or joint committees comprised of representatives selected or nominated by the University’s three governance organizations (i.e., the Faculty Senate, the Senate of Academic Staff, and the Oshkosh Student Association).
A. Temporary or emerging issues should be addressed through the establishment of ad hoc all-University or joint committees, rather than the creation of another standing committee. Ad hoc committees are generally formed for the purpose of reviewing or addressing a specific issue or problem. Once an ad hoc committee has completed its assignment, it shall be disbanded.
B. Requests for nominations of committee members shall be sent to the Presidents of the three governance groups and the representative members of the committees will be nominated by those governance organizations. Unless an exception is stated below for a given committee, the governance group representatives shall serve no more than two consecutive three-year terms on any given committee. [Note: In preparing these materials, we recognize the value of a decision made at the time of merger by former Chancellor Birnbaum that significant student participation on all-University committees is a desired goal, and that we should strive for a minimum student representation level of 20 percent of each committee.] All committee members, regardless of how appointed, will continue to serve as full members until a replacement name has been submitted by the appointing authority. In addition to the identified members, please note that additional persons may regularly or periodically attend meetings in resource or liaison roles.
1. Whenever reference is made to participation by academic staff, requests for appointment shall be presented to the President of the Senate of Academic Staff.
2. Whenever reference is made to participation by faculty, requests for appointment shall be presented to the President of the Faculty Senate.
3. Whenever reference is made to participation by students representing the Oshkosh Student Association, requests for appointment shall be presented to the President of the Oshkosh Student Association.
a. Given the annual change in student government leadership, student terms will be for the duration of the academic year.
4. Whenever reference is made to participation by represented classified staff personnel, requests for appointment shall be presented to the President of the WSEU local union.
5. Whenever reference is made to participation by nonrepresented classified staff personnel, requests for appointment shall be presented to the Director of Human Resources, as liaison to those nonrepresented employees. Please note: The formation of committees, the appointment of classified staff to serve on committees, and the scope of issues addressed by committees impacting on subjects of collective bargaining negotiations with the Wisconsin State Employees Union (WSEU) shall be done in a manner consistent with the contractual requirements pertaining to those employees.
6. Whenever reference is made to participation by administrative representatives, the appointment shall be made by the Chancellor (or designee) or Provost and Vice Chancellor (or designee).
C. Committee appointments shall begin effective July 1 and continue through to June 30 of the year of expiration. It is anticipated that most committees will regularly meet during the academic year (September to May) with some committees on occasion meeting during the summer months, provided that suitable and appropriate arrangements have been made to facilitate faculty and student participation and involvement.
2. At the time of their formation, all committees shall receive a written statement of their charge (or of the issue or topic to be addressed). The statement of charge should also be included in the listing of materials that are included in the section that follows in the Faculty and Academic Staff Handbook. Committees should also be informed of any deadlines for the completion of work by the committee.
A. Unless another method of selection is stated at the time the committee is charged, the committee chair or co-chair, if any, shall be elected by the members of committee at the committee’s organizational meeting.
B. Each committee should make suitable arrangements to prepare minutes or a summary of proceedings from committee meetings.
C. All committees shall operate in accordance with their charge or any other applicable organizing documents. Committees shall utilize Sturgis as the source of parliamentary authority.
D. After the end of a given academic year, the last sitting chair of the committee shall assume responsibility to be the convener of the next committee meeting, unless other suitable arrangements have been made. The administrative representative on a committee shall assist in convening the committee early in the fall should there be a break in the continuity of the committee’s meeting schedule.
3. The charge of all-University committees, and their rationale for continued existence, shall be reviewed cooperatively by the administration and the governance groups at least once every three to five years.
4. The Provost and Vice Chancellor’s Office shall serve in a resource role to facilitate the dissemination of all committee-related information. The Faculty and Academic Staff Handbook shall identify all existing all-University committees and the applicable information concerning organizational structure. Rosters of committee members and other materials shall be filed with and maintained by the Provost and Vice Chancellor’s Office.
5. All University committees shall prepare a written annual report for the Provost and Vice Chancellor and the governance groups that includes, at a minimum, the following items: (1) the committee charge; (2) the roster of committee members; (3) the dates of all committee meetings (including the total number of hours spent in those meetings); and (4) a brief description of committee activities (e.g., the formation of sub-committees and/or a listing of committee projects and activities). Note: Some of the committees have established or mandated lines of reportage to functional area administrators or offices (e.g., Intercollegiate Athletic Committee and the Segregated Fee Committee).
A. Committee reports may, as appropriate, include a discussion of the importance of committee projects or activities to the goals and mission of the University. The report may identify resources or information necessary for the committee to be more effective in accomplishing objectives or fulfilling its charge. The report may also propose modifications to, or a restatement of, committee charges. Further, if the members of the committee do not believe that the committee is fulfilling an important role or function, the report can recommend disbanding the committee or the consolidation or reorganization of two or more committees.
B. Copies of the report shall be sent to the Chancellor and to the Presidents of the Faculty Senate, the Senate of Academic Staff, and the Oshkosh Student Association.
C. Unless a committee is mandated by a source of external authority, committees shall be dissolved if one of the governance groups submits such a request to the Chancellor and the other governance groups concur.
In August 2005, the committees listed in this document were modified to reflect those known to be currently in existence. Committee rosters and updated copies of this information are available upon request from the Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor. Proposals to create new committees or to modify existing charges, composition levels, or provisions relating to the chair should be presented to the Provost/Vice Chancellor.
Academic Computer Users Group
Charge: To serve as an advisory group to the Chief Information Officer to address issues regarding the use of technology for instruction, research, and support services.
Composition: Faculty or Instructional Academic Staff – 11 (two each from COB, COEHS, CON and five from COLS); Governance – 5 (two from the Faculty Senate, one each from Senate of Academic Staff, Classified Staff Council, and OSA); Residence Life Staff – 1; Information Technology Staff – 4 (one each from Media Services, Polk Library, Academic Computing, and Networking, Telecommunications, & Administrative Programming); Ex Officio – 1 (Chief Information Officer).
Chair: Director of Academic Computing.
Advisory Council for Academic Advising
Charge: To provide guidance and support to the Director of Advising and to provide the university community information and support around issue of academic advising.
Composition: Faculty – 7 (one from each professional college and four from Letters & Science/each division); Academic Staff – 2 (one instructional academic staff member and one administrative/professional administrative/professional staff member to be drawn from the areas of Career Services, Counseling Center, Student Support Services, Residence Life, Registration, Student Health Center and Undergraduate Advising Resource Center (UARC); Students – 2; Classified Staff – 1; Ex Officio – 1 (Director of UARC).
Chair: Chosen by committee.
Allocations Committee
Charge: To review funding requests and make recommendations to the Chancellor on the disbursement of the allocatable portion of student segregated fees.
Composition: Faculty — 2; Academic Staff — 2; Students — 7 (5 voting, 2 non-voting); Advisor (ex officio and non-voting) — 1.
Chair: A student elected by the committee.
American Disabilities Act Advisory Committee
Charge: To evaluate existing programs, investigate unmet needs, and make recommendations to the Coordinator of Services to Students with Disabilities and the administration of the University in accordance with Board of Regents’ policy 96-6 (nondiscrimination on basis of disability). The committee will have specific responsibility for hearing disability-related student grievances.
Composition: Faculty – 4 (one from each college); Academic Staff – 2; Classified Staff – 2; Students – 2; Administration – 1; the Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities.
Chair: The Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities.
Compensation Committee
Charge: To review state or system compensation guidelines and other information, and develop policies and procedures to administer faculty and academic staff compensation. Serves as the salary review committee.
Composition: Faculty — 8; Academic Staff — 4; University Staff – 4; Ex Officio – 2 — Provost and Vice Chancellor and Associate Vice Chancellor; Ex Officio and non-voting – 3 — Budget Director, Director of Equity and Affirmative Action, and AVC of Human Resources.
Chair: Provost and Vice Chancellor co-chairs with a member chosen by the committee.
Distinguished Teaching Award Committee
Charge: To oversee the nomination and selection process for the Distinguished Teaching Award.
Composition: Faculty – 7 (1 from each professional college, and 4 from Letters and Science/each division, including, if possible, a prior award recipient); Instructional Academic Staff — 3 (including, if possible, a prior award recipient); Administration — 1 (appointed by the Provost and Vice Chancellor as an ex officio non-voting member); Students – 3; Alumni Board — 1 (the Chancellor should make this appointment based upon the joint recommendation from the Director of University Relations and the Director of Alumni Affairs).
Chair: Chosen by committee.
Employee Assistance Program Advisory Board
Charge: To advise the Director of the Employee Assistance Program regarding the offering of services intended to assist faculty, academic staff, and classified staff whose job performance is being adversely affected by cultural, physical, social or psychological problems.
Composition: Faculty — 3; Academic Staff — 3; Represented Classified Staff — 1; Nonrepresented Classified Staff — 1; Ex Officio — 2 to 5 — Represented Classified Staff, WSEU Local 579; representative(s) from the following designated areas (one person may represent more than one area) — Chancellor’s Office; Human Resources Office; Office of Equity and Affirmative Action; Associate Vice Chancellor.
Chair: Chosen by committee.
Ethics Code Committee
Charge: To provide consultation and advice for unclassified staff members on the application of Chapter UWS 8, Administrative Code (“Unclassified Staff Code of Ethics”). Each member of this committee shall review Chapter UWS 8 prior to taking any action. (This is a mandated committee.) Created under section UWS 8.035.
Composition: Ex Officio — 5 –Faculty — 2 (Senate President and President-Elect); Academic Staff — 2 (Senate President and President-Elect); Administration — 1 (Associate Vice Chancellor).
Chair: The Associate Vice Chancellor.
Faculty Development Board
Charge: To make recommendations to the Provost and Vice Chancellor on proposed faculty development projects and administers the Faculty Development Program. The Board monitors program budgets, administrative procedures, drafts changes in program policy, and organizes the program evaluation efforts.
Composition: Faculty — 10 (two from each college and two at-large members); Ex Officio — 3 –(designee of the Provost and Vice Chancellor; designee of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for the Office of Graduate Studies; Director of Grants). No more than four members of all the same college.
Chair: Elected from among the faculty members on the Board.
Gender Equity Council
Charge: The Gender Equity Council advocates for the needs of all genders. In consultation with the Chancellor and in collaboration with other campus groups, the Council will identify, address, and end all forms of gender inequity at UW Oshkosh.
Composition: Faculty – 4 representing the College of Letters and Science, College of Business, College of Nursing, College of Education and Human Services; Academic Staff – 2 representing administrative/professional and instructional; University Staff – 2 representatives; Access Campus Representatives – 2 representing Fox Cities and Fond Du Lac campuses; Students – 2 representatives; Administration – 1 representative; and 1 representative from each of the following: Office of EOEAA, Women’s & Gender Studies, Women’s Center, LGBTQ+ Resource Center, Human Resources, Title IX Committee, and AAUW Oshkosh.
Chair: Council members elect Chair annually.
Graduate Council
Charge: To formulate policies concerning the graduate programs of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, and to serve as an advisory body to the Office of Graduate Studies concerning the implementation of these policies. (The specific responsibility of the Graduate Council are outlined in Article II., Section 4., of the Graduate Studies Bylaws.)
Composition: Faculty — 12 (with 8 members of the graduate faculty from units offering graduate programs, two elected by the graduate faculty of each college and 4 members, each appointed by the applicable college deans with approval by the Provost and Vice Chancellor); Students — 2 (graduate students who represent each of the four colleges on an alternating basis); Ex Officio — 1 (Director of Graduate Services.)
Chair: A graduate faculty member.
Health and Safety Committee
Charge: To review health and safety concerns, work to resolve issues or problems informally where possible, and provide recommendations to the administration. (Note: The Committee shall not address any issues which are or may be matters of negotiation with the Wisconsin State Employees Union.)
Composition: Faculty — 2; Academic Staff — 2; Represented Classified Staff — 3; Nonrepresented Classified Staff — 2; Students — 2; Administration — 1; Ex Officio — 2 — Director of Risk Management, Director of Student Health Center.
Chair: The Director of Risk Management co-chairs with a member chosen by the committee.
Honorary University Degrees Committee
Charge: To review, consider and recommend candidates for honorary degrees.
Composition: Faculty — 4 (one from each college, with staggered 3 year terms); Academic Staff — 1 (3 year term); Student — 1 (2 year term); Administration — 1.
Chair: The Chancellor will appoint the chair from among the members of the committee.
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
Charge: To oversee compliance with all conditions and requirements established and imposed under federal or state law, regulations and rules. This committee shall promote the purpose of exercising self-monitoring, providing adequate veterinary care (including a program of occupational health and sound animal husbandry practices), and ensuring appropriate maintenance of facilities for housing animals. (This is a mandated committee; the membership is defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.)
Composition: The committee shall be comprised of at least five members, appointed by the Provost and Vice Chancellor, to include: a veterinarian with program responsibilities, a scientist experienced in laboratory research, a non-scientist, and an individual who has no other affiliation with the University (except for service on the committee).
Chair: A member selected by the Provost and Vice Chancellor.
Institutional Review Board
Charge: To safeguard the rights and welfare of human subjects in compliance with current policies issued by the Office of Protection from Research Risks, National Institute of Health. (This is a mandated committee National Institute of Health.)
Composition: Faculty — 8 as recommended by the Faculty Senate (one from each division of the College of Letters and Science, one from each college and graduate studies); Non-University Representative — 1; Academic Staff — 1; Ex Officio and non-voting — 1 — Grants Officer.
Chair: Appointed by the Provost and Vice Chancellor to serve a three-year term.
Intercollegiate Athletic Committee
Charge: To establish policies and make policy recommendations to the administration and governance groups concerning intercollegiate athletics. The Intercollegiate Athletic Committee will also act as an advisor to the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Composition: Faculty — 3; Academic Staff — 2; Students — 2; Ex Officio — 2 — Faculty Representatives to the WIAC conference; Ex Officio and non-voting — 1 — the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Chair: Chosen by committee.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer Education & Advocacy Council (LGBTQ)
Charge: To provide visionary leadership, education, and advocacy necessary to cultivate an equitable, inclusive, and supportive climate for the UW Oshkosh community members of all sexual identities. More specifically, the council will meet four community needs: 1) educate the University community members about challenges and issues faced by LGBTQ faculty, staff, and students; 2) affirm the lives, experiences, and presence of LGBTQ faculty, staff, and students at the University; 3) advocate to ensure an environment of safety, equity, and respect for individuals of all sexual and gender identities; and 4) evaluate the UW Oshkosh members’ efforts toward these ends including an assessment of the effectiveness, impact, and outcomes of the LGBTQ Education and Advocacy Council.
Composition: 15 members: Administration – 1, Faculty Advisor, Rainbow Alliance of HOPE – 1, Faculty – 6, Academic Staff – 3, Classified Staff – 2, Students – 2. Student representation will be determined in the beginning of the fall semester; students will serve a one-year term with the possibility of re-appointment. Ideally, the council will have members representing the following groups: (a) all colleges, (b) Dean of Students Office, (c)Counseling Center, (d) Women’s Center, (e) Residence Hall Leadership, (f) Reeve Union Board, (g) Rainbow Alliance for HOPE, (h) Oshkosh Student Association, and (i)Multicultural Education Center.
Chair: Co-chairs chosen by the committee to serve staggered two-year terms.
Libraries and Learning Resources Advisory Council
Charge: To make recommendations to the Faculty Senate on issues related to learning resources and to provide advice to the Director of Forrest R. Polk Library regarding library collections, services, policies and new directions. The council will facilitate reciprocal communication between the library, faculty, students, and staff.
Composition: The committee will include 15 members. Those include four (4) of the Library’s department Heads; one (1) Library Director; one (1) Coordinator, Management Information Office; one (1) Representative for Information Technology; four (4) Faculty members, one from each college; one (1) Academic Staff member; one (1) Classified Staff member (academic department rep if possible); and one or two (1-2) members from the Oshkosh Student Association.
Co-chairs: Polk Library Director and a Faculty Representative.
Parking Appeals Board
Charge: To assess and make decisions regarding the legitimacy and acceptability of all appeals presented in a timely manner by violators.
Composition: Students — 2; Academic Staff — 2; Represented Classified Staff — 2 (one plus one alternate). {Note: The representation will be expanded to include 1 faculty, if so requested by the Faculty Senate.} (Note: The Committee shall not address any issues which are or may be matters of negotiation with the Wisconsin State Employees Union.)
Chair: Chosen by committee.
Parking Policy Advisory Committee
Charge: To review parking policies and make appropriate recommendations to the Director of Parking and/or the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.
Composition: Faculty – 2; Academic Staff – 2; Classified Staff – 2 (appointed by Wisconsin State Employees Union Local 579; Students – 2 appointed by Oshkosh Student Association (preferably one of the students will be recommended by United Students in Residence Halls); Ex Officio and non-voting will consist of the Director of Parking and the Parking Manager.
Chair: Elected by committee from the voting membership.
Race and Ethnicity Council
Charge: The Race and Ethnicity Council will provide visionary leadership that is strongly supportive of the University’s Inclusive Excellence Plan. The Council will promote awareness and serve as a platform for issues of race and ethnicity. It will explore educational opportunities to improve the campus climate for African American, Native American, Southeast Asian/Asian American and Hispanic/Latino American students, faculty and staff. The Council will ensure that there are opportunities for educational access and success by culturally diverse, traditionally underrepresented populations. It will also make recommendations to the Inclusive Excellence Board, serve as an advocate and a voice, and facilitiate communication with various constituent groups to improve campus racial and ethnic relations.
Composition: Faculty – 4; Academic Staff – 2 [one instructional and one administrative/ professional]; Classified Staff – 2; Students – 3; Administration – 2 [appointed by the Chancellor]; Director of the Office of Equity and Affirmative Action; Representative from Multicultural Retention Programs; and a Diversity Recruitment specialist from the Admissions Office. Governance group representatives shall serve no more than two consecutive three-year terms.
Chair: Appointed by the Chancellor for a three-year term.
Radiation Safety Committee
Charge: To act as a regulatory body with the objective to ensure optimal health standards and to prevent overexposure of personnel to radioactive material by ensuring appropriate supervision of the uses of all radioactive material. The committee is concerned with the qualifications of the users and the uses of radioactive material on a University-wide basis. (This is a mandated committee by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This committee is advisory to the Chancellor.)
Composition: The committee consists of the Radiation Safety Officer; at least one faculty member from each department which uses radioactive material (as confirmed by the Faculty Senate); the Dean of the College of Letters and Science (or designee); the University’s Risk Manager; and the Executive Director of Administrative Services.
Chair: Chosen by committee.
Reeve Advisory Council
Charge: To seek to represent the interests of University students, faculty, staff, and alumni in advising the Director of Reeve Memorial Union on policy matters relating to the operation, use, and improvement of Reeve Memorial Union.
Composition: Faculty – 1; Academic Staff – 1; one alumni appointed by the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Alumni board; two students appointed by the Oshkosh Student Association; two students appointed by the Multicultural Education Center; and two students appointed by the United Students in Residence halls; two student representatives from RUB – Programming Council; two student representatives from the RMU student staff, two student-at-large positions; and the director of Reeve Memorial Union will serve as the ex-officio members. All appointments are for a term of a maximum of three years, with the exception of one on-going appointment: The Director to Reeve Memorial Union.
Chair: Officers of the council shall be chair and vice chair (also to be considered chair-elect).
Rosebush Professor Review Committee
Charge: To oversee the nomination and selection process for the John McNaughton Rosebush Professorship.
Composition: Faculty – 7, one each College of Letters and Science division, and one from each professional college; Academic Staff — 3; Students — 3.
Chair: Chosen by committee.
Segregated Fee Committee
Charge: To provide advice to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs on the disbursement of segregated fees.
Composition: Faculty — 2; Academic Staff – 2 (Due to possible conflict of interest, the following areas should be excluded from A/S representation on this committee: Health Center, Reeve Union, Children’s Learning & Care Center, Athletics, Intramurals.); Students — 7; Ex Officio and non-voting — Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (or designee).
Chair: Student chair chosen by committee.
Student Conduct Panel (formerly Student Discipline Committee)
Charge: To serve on panel which provides members for various student disciplinary hearings. The work of the committee, including training and selection to serve on various panels, is coordinated by the Office of the Dean of Students.
Composition: Faculty — 12; Academic Staff — 8; Students — 40.
Chair: The presiding officer of the appeal board is selected by the members of the board. The Dean of Students appoints the presiding office for all other boards to conduct hearings relating to suspensions or academic dishonesty.
Student Scholarly and Creative Activities Board
Charge: 1) To champion and support a wide range of student research and creative activities and facilitate student collaboration with faculty and instructional academic staff in scholarly and creative activities. 2) To exercise program oversight and manage the student/faculty collaborative research grant programs.
Composition: One representative each from Colleges of Nursing, Education and Human Services, and Business ; one representative from each division of the College of Letters and Science ; one representative from the Graduate Council; one undergraduate student representative; and two ex-officio members, the Oshkosh Scholar faculty advisor and a representative from the Office of Grants & Faculty Development.
Chair: At-large member appointed by the Provost.
7. REFERENCES
8. PROCEDURES
9. REVISION HISTORY