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Committee Chair Guide

 

 
      VIDEO: Review of Guide for Committee Chairs

 

SUBMIT: SEC/Senate Meeting Items 

Use the button above to submit action items, informational items, resolutions, etc. for the Senate Executive Committee (SEC) to review and possibly inlude on a future Senate meeting agenda. Standing Committees submit items to SEC regularly. Other Committees and Councils typically submit items less frequently, with some rarely submitting items to the Senate. While we acknowledge the difference, all chairs of Senate and Senate-appointed committees must ensure their committee reports to the Senate and follows Senate protocol described below. 

NOTE: Not all SDSU committee chairs are Senators, but all chairs of Senate and Senate-appointed Committees are added to the Senate Listserv (dicussion group) becuse they have a reporting obligation to the Senate and need to be able to access Google Folders to make required submissions to the Senate, and maintain a basic awareness of Senate discussions, initiaitves, etc.

SUBMIT: Committee Documents for Web 

Use the button above to submit your committee's annual agenda, end-of-year annual report, meeting agendas, meeting minutes, special reports to Senate Officers, typically for publication on the Senate Website (often as required by Senate policy).

DO NOT submit items for review by the Senate Executive Committee (SEC) or for the Senate Agenda.

 

BEGINNING OF THE YEAR (Aug/Sept)

  1. By August 30: Update Committee Information -- Review your committee membership and meeting schedule/details for the year (dates, times and locations/modality) hosted on the Senate website for Standing Committees and/or Other Committees and Councils, and send any corrections to Senate leadership using the Senate Help Request button on the website.
  2. By Sept 30: Submit your Annual Agenda -- Submit a list the committee's priorities for the academic year to the Senate Leaders (GRAY BUTTON above).

 

PERIODIC RESPONSIBILITIES (during AY)

Monthly Preparation for SEC Meetings

A reminder email call for reports, information, and action items will go to all standing and other active committee chairs the the week prior to a Senate Executive Committee (SEC) and/or Senate meeting.  Please:

  1. Construct your submission items as follows: 
    • Items should be named with the following file naming convention: date, dash, committee initials or name, dash, what the item is. (ex: 2021-OCT03-APP-ACTION.doc)
    • Make sure to address your Memorandum to SEC and/or Senate.
    • Do not combine your information and action items in the same document.  These need to be submitted as separate memos.
    • Submit all memos to the appropriate meeting folder for the current Academic Year (RED BUTTON above) no later than Thursday prior to the SEC or Senate meeting.
  2. Late items received after the Friday preceding an SEC meeting may need to be included on the agenda at a subsequent meeting and may be delayed in reaching the Senate. When submitting late, in addition to uploading your memo(s) to the Google Shared Drive, please also send a PDF of your submission to the University Senate ([email protected]) with the subject "Late Submission."
  3. Emergency submissions for Senate agendas (typically sent after SEC but before a Senate meeting) may be added to the Senate agenda at the discretion of the Senate Chair. Additionally, any Senator may make a motion during a Senate meeting to ammend the Senate agenda for a meeting in progress to include a new item, which requires a 2/3 majority vote for approval.

 

 

SAMPLE Action MemoClick this button to acces a sample version of an Action Memo sent to SEC.

Respond to Referrals

Upon receipt of a referral memo from the Vice Chair of the Senate:

  1. Address the work referred in your committee sessions;
  2. Submit a written report as an information item for an SEC meeting for inclusion in the Senate agenda (instructions above);
  3. If there are actionable items resulting from the work, also submit an Action Item memo for an SEC meeting for inclusion in the Senate agenda (instructions above).
Submit Meeting Agendas and Minutes (Standing Committees* only)

Submit your committee's agenda/minutes within three (3) working days following each committee meeting to the Senate Officers (GRAY BUTTON above). Preferred submissions will be a combined agenda and minutes in one single document.

          *APP, CCE, CBL, DEI, FAC, SEC, UCC and URP

Membership Change / Non-responsive Member / Absenteeism

Report as needed via the Senate Help Request button from the SDSU Senate website:

  • Changes to the membership of your committee mid-year
  • A member of your committee has stopped attending without explanation or communication, and does not respond to your inquiries

Annual Policy Review

At least once per academic year, work with your committee to review your committee’s charter in the Policy File, as well as other section(s) of the Policy File relevant to your committee’s work. Send any updates as Action Memos for the final SEC meeting of the year (April).  If there are no updates, send an email to [email protected] stating your committee has reviewed the Policy File for accuracy and no changes are needed. 

 

YEAR-END RESPONSIBILITIES (on or before May 15)

  1. Review membership/meeting info for your committee online (Senate Website) and provide any known updates for the upcoming year (e.g., new members, upcoming vacancies, newly elected chair, revised meeting date/time) to the Senate Help Request button on the Senate website. 
  2. Submit your annual report of committee business to the Senate Officers (GRAY BUTTON above). A typical annual report will include a summary of referrals recieved, items discussed/debated and actions taken. There is no standard format. Feel free to write in paragraphs, use bulleted lists, and organize the information in whichever manner makes the most sense. Typically, these reports are thorough, but brief (1-2 pages).

 

 

SAMPLE Annual ReportClick this button to acces a sample version of an annual report sent to SEC.

GENERAL / MISCELLANEOUS RESPONSIBILITIES

  • To fill student vacancies on your committee, contact the Chair of the Committee on Committees and Elections (CCE), who provides the name and contact information of the student, as provided by SDSU Associated Students (AS). Committee Chairs may not appoint students to their committee, per the Univeristy Policy File.
  • To fill staff vacancies on your committee, contact the Chair of the Committee on Committees and Elections (CCE), who provides the name and contact information of the staff member, as provided by Staff Affairs Committee. Committee Chairs may not appoint staff members to their committee, per the University Policy File.
  • To fill faculty vacancies on your committee, contact the Chair of the Committee on Committees and Elections (CCE), who provides the name and contact information of the faculty member, per the University Policy File. 
  • Respond to Committee Roster Audits (may be sent from the Chair of the Committee for Committees and Elections, Senate Officers, or Senate Analyst).
  • Ensure all rostered committee members have access to google drives/folders/docs and are included on the invites to calendar meetings.
  • Unless otherwise stated in the Policy File, ensure your committee convenes at least one meeting per semester.

 

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CHAIR OF COMMITTEE FOR COMMITTEES AND ELECTIONS (CCE)

  • Work with the Senate Leadership Team / Senate Analyst to maintain the “Elected Senate Membership & Committees/Chairs” database so that it is always up-to-date, including term start and end dates (term 1 / Term 2); fill all vacancies.
  • Update the committee chair when membership changes on a committee (e.g., a proxy is noted, a vacancy is filled, a member leaves service).
  • At least once per academic year, review the list of standing and other committees and assess if any are defunct. If so, the Chair will follow the process as outlined in the Policy File for decommissioning of committees.