General Principles Guiding All Committees
1. Committee sizes should be kept to the minimum needed for the specified task, but committees are encouraged to consult with relevant faculty and administrators and/or to invite them to attend committee meetings in order to ensure that a wide range of expertise is available and multiple viewpoints can be expressed. To facilitate this, meeting dates and agendas should be posted publically. Individuals interested in attending a committee meeting should contact the committee chair. Committee meetings which will deal with confidential matters are an exception.
2. Existing committees should be used to perform new tasks, when possible. Thus, the Curriculum Committee would be the committee to deal with all curricular issues, rather than separate committees being formed to handle special courses such as tutorials or capstones. Similarly, when feasible, existing committees would be the core group for grant proposals coordinated by the administration.
3. To form a new faculty committee or to include faculty on a committee, permission must be obtained from the Dean of the College acting in consultation with the Chair of the Faculty Organization Committee. When new committees are formed, the chair of the Faculty Organization Committee should be provided with a written description of the committee name, membership, and duties to allow more efficient tracking of committees.
4. When a new committee is formed, an expiration date will normally be specified. The date can be extended, but a conscious decision must be made to do so. Standing Committees are the exception; these are permanent committees and changes in these committees must be voted upon by the faculty.
5. Committees are encouraged to utilize secretarial support when this would facilitate the efficient completion of their duties.
6. Only actions involving Standing Committees of the Faculty need be voted on by the entire faculty. Descriptions of Standing Committees will be published in the Faculty Handbook. Descriptions of other committees will be maintained on a web page.
