Academic Assembly

Responsibilities of Standing Committee Chairs

1. Communication and Calendar.

A committee chair's primary responsibility is to foster communication between and among members of the committee, members' areas/departments, and the Assembly. Chairs should use the Governance calendar, published in May, in order to create and distribute a calendar of meeting dates so that committee members and the Assembly are aware where and when meetings will occur. Before the end of the spring semester, post the meeting calendar on the Governance website and email all committee members the dates of the upcoming academic year's meeting. Send the calendar in Word or PDF format to the Chair of the Assembly. The Chair will post the calendar under the committee's link on the Assembly web site at https://www.sunysuffolk.edu/governance/grant-assembly/index.jsp.

Committee chair should provide updates about the work of their committee to the Assembly in the form of brief reports to be included in the monthly Assembly Update. Requests to address the Assembly with more extensive discussion of committee issues should be made to the executive committee prior to the meeting at which you would like to speak.

2. Minutes and Elections.

Committee members, including chairs, usually serve for two years. During that term, chairs must ensure that accurate minutes are recorded. Usually the committee will elect a secretary to serve a two-year term, and that secretary will take minutes and circulate a draft to the committee. Minutes should include date of meeting, meeting start and end time, names of members present, and a concise summary of issues discussed and actions taken. The chair should afford the committee time between meetings to review the minutes and at the ensuing meeting should invite members to suggest revisions to the minutes. Then the chair should call a vote on the approval of the minutes. Once the minutes have been approved, chairs must ensure that minutes are posted on the Governance website by emailing them in Word or PDF format to the Chair of the Assembly.

3. Service Letters and Attendance.

Chairs should work with committee members to establish criteria for adequate attendance and good standing in the committee. The chair should send, by the end of the spring semester, separate letters to all members of the committee in acknowledgement of their service to the committee, which is crucial for promotion.

Additional responsibilities of Elected Committee Chairs.

Another key responsibility of chairs of elected standing committees is to ensure full representation on the committee, which is crucial for the committee to function as an effective body that represents all faculty members. Meeting this objective can be done by keeping accurate records of membership and coordinating with the Executive Committee of the Assembly, department/area chairs, and administration. Update membership on the Governance website by emailing the Chair of the Assembly, who will post membership under the committee's link to MEMBERSHIP on the Governance website. Chairs should update membership once in the fall and once in the spring semester, and by the end of March, they should notify the Chair of Assembly, in writing, of the committee's membership. Usually, members serve two-year terms. Chairs should communicate with the Chair of Assembly, department/area chairs, and members of the committee so that adequate time is allowed for elections to be held. Elections for expiring members should be held before the end of the spring semester.

Elected or Volunteer Committee Timeline

When What
First Fall Meeting
  1. Establish attendance guidelines.
  2. Solidify committee officers and membership.
  3. Notify the Executive Committee and affected departments of any issues.
  4. Review the committee's website and forward updates to the Chair of the Assembly as necessary.
After Each Meeting
  1. Circulate minutes to members and post approved minutes on the Governance website.
  2. Provide Assembly Updates to the Chair of the Assembly.
End of October

Email the updated membership to the Chair of the Assembly for posting on the Governance Web Site.

End of March

Prepare for elections:

  1. Review membership terms.
  2. Notify
    • governance,
    • areas/departments,
    • administration,
    • individual members of the committee whose terms will expire,
    and let them know that elections are needed.
Final Spring Meeting
  1. Elect officers for the coming year, as needed.
  2. Discuss accomplishments of the current year.
  3. Set goals for the coming year.
  4. Include that information in the committee's End-of-Year Report.
May
  1. Email to the Chair of the Assembly for posting on the Governance Web Site: the updated membership of the committee.
  2. Email to the Chair of the Assembly for posting on the Governance Web Site, and to the members of the committee: the calendar of meetings for the next academic year.
  3. Email to the Chair of the Assembly: the End-of-Year Report of the Committee.
  4. Write to all committee members: the service letters.