Gordon State College Statutes

Section 3.2: Standing Committees of the College

The President of Gordon State College may call for and establish standing committees of the college, according to The President may call meetings of any committee at any time and holds the power to veto any act of any committee. The President must promptly transmit to the Chair of the Committee a written statement as to the reason for such veto. A copy of the veto statement must also be transmitted to the Chancellor of the Board of Regents. New committees will be formalized via Amendment to the Statutes of the College. The proposal for formalization must include the Purpose of the committee, Duties of the committee, Membership of the committee, and Length of Service if other than one-year.

The following shall apply to all Standing Committees of the College:

• Membership. Upon establishment, the President will define, in the spirit of shared governance, the Membership structure of the committee. An Academic Unit is defined hereafter in these statutes as one of the following academic disciplines comprised of the full-time, 10-month contract and/or ranked faculty within: 1. History and Political Science; 2. Nursing and Health Sciences; 3. Natural Sciences; 4. Education; 5. Business and Public Service; 6. Humanities; 7. Fine and Performing Arts; 8. Mathematics, Computer Science, and Engineering; 9. Library. Any alterations to this list are subject to Faculty Senate and Faculty Assembly approval. If one Faculty member is to be elected from each School, then each Academic Unit may elect a Faculty member to be included in a slate of nominees for the School. At the first meeting of the School Faculty at the beginning of the Academic Year, a Faculty representative shall be elected from the slate of nominees for each Standing Committee of the College. The Dean of the School will notify the Office of the President of the elected Faculty for each Committee.
• Appointments. Elected committee members will serve one-year terms, unless otherwise stated in the Committee description in the Statutes of the College.
• Initial Meeting. The first meeting of each Committee of the College shall be convened within six weeks of the Fall semester, or upon creation. The President or the President's designee shall call the first meeting, notifying the Committee membership at least seven days prior to the meeting. At this first meeting, the Committee's Purpose and Duties will be reviewed and officers elected.
• Officers. Each Standing Committee of the College will elect officers. Officers shall include a Committee Chair and a Committee Recorder. Other officers may be elected as deemed necessary.
  • The Committee Chair shall schedule a meeting room, collect agenda items, announce all scheduled meetings, furnish members with a Meeting Agenda, and preside over all meetings. The Chair will make meeting announcements to the entire Faculty and relevant Administration no less than seven (7) days prior to the meeting. A Meeting Agenda must be delivered to Faculty and Administration no less than three (3) days prior to the meeting.
  • The Committee Recorder shall keep Minutes of committee meetings and maintain a record of attendance to include committee members present and absent. The Committee Recorder will deliver copies of the Committee Minutes to all Faculty and relevant Administration within ten (10) working days of each committee meeting. The Recorder will also transmit signed Approved Minutes to the Office of the President for archival.
• Resignation. Any elected Committee member who is unable or unwilling to perform expected or requested duties shall submit a written resignation to the Chair of the Committee. The Resignation will be announced at the next meeting and included in the Committee Minutes as a matter of record. The office, Academic Unit or School to which the resigning member belonged shall elect a replacement within two weeks of notification. The newly elected Member will receive notifications and serve as voting member of the Committee at the next regularly scheduled meeting.
• Meetings. Committees of the College shall convene in open session in space adequate for potential guests, with the exception of Faculty Grievance Committee, Promotion and Tenure Committee, Post Tenure Review Committee, and Post Tenure Review Appeal Committee.
• Tasks. Each committee shall establish and review policies and the administration of policies in its area of responsibility and offer recommendations for quality enhancement. Recommendations shall be submitted to the President of Gordon State College or their designee.
• Quorum. A quorum shall exist when more than 50 percent of the active members are present.
• Agenda and Minutes. Meeting agenda shall be distributed to the full faculty and relevant Administration at least three (3) days before the meeting. The agenda will be included on a meeting announcement transmitted by the Chair and shall include the meeting time, date, and place. Meeting Minutes shall be recorded and saved as Unapproved Minutes until the next meeting. Unapproved Minutes shall be delivered to the full Faculty and relevant Administration within ten (10) days of the Meeting. When the Committee approves Minutes at the next meeting, a copy of the Approved Minutes, signed by the Recorder, shall be delivered to the Office of the President for archival.
• Year-End Reports. A report of the Committee's activities will be composed by the Chair and Recorder and delivered to the Office of the President by the final day of each Spring Semester. The Year-End Report will include a list of Committee members, attendance record, all items placed on the Committee's agenda and disposition of the item. The Year-End Report should be signed by the Chair before delivery to the Office of the President.

[Standing Committees Statute revision approved by Faculty Senate on November 20, 2019,by full Faculty on December 4, 2019 and by President Nooks on December 16, 2019.]

3.2.1 Admissions Committee

Purpose: The Admissions Committee serves in an advisory capacity to the Director of Admissions. The Admissions Committee is appointed by the President and performs a variety of tasks related to clarifying admissions policies and applying these policies in exceptional cases.

Duties: The Admissions Committee hears academic appeals from Gordon State College students wishing to be readmitted; reviews files of students who are on academic suspension or exclusion at other institutions and are seeking admission to Gordon College; considers refunds of housing deposits for students who decide not to live in the campus housing; hears appeals for waiver of the out-of-state tuition charges and reviews petitions for Georgia residence classification; hears appeals of students who were denied residence hall space or admission to the College; reviews files of students with criminal convictions seeking admission to the College; periodically makes recommendations to the Faculty for changes in admissions requirements or admissions policy applications.

Membership:

1. Gordon State College President
2. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
3. Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs
4. Director of Admissions
5. Registrar

3.2.2 Faculty Grievance Committee

Purpose: The purpose of the Faculty Grievance Committee shall be to resolve grievances by Faculty according to the College's grievance policy. This policy is intended to provide an avenue for resolution of conflicts at the lowest possible level. Attempted resolution may be addressed through the formal grievance/disciplinary review process, if applicable.

Duties:

The duties of the committee are (1) to elect a Chair at the beginning of each new academic year; (2) to become familiar with the grievance policy (Chapter 3, Section D) of the Gordon State College Statutes; (3) to further educate its membership with materials and offerings from the Consortium for Negotiation and Conflict Resolution; (4) to become familiar with the Board of Regents' Initiative and Policy Direction on Conflict Resolution; and (5) to serve on grievance panels when called as detailed in the grievance policy of the Gordon State College Statutes.

Membership:

1. The committee shall be composed of members with at least one year of continuous service to the College, one from each of the academic units, excluding academic unit Chairs.
2. Each member will serve for three years except in the first two years of the new policy so that the membership can be staggered allowing for a third of the membership to be renewed each year.
3. At the beginning of each academic year, academic units will elect new members for a three-year term to replace representatives who have rotated out of the grievance committee.

The procedures of the Grievance Committee are laid out in Chapter 4 of the Gordon State College Statutes.

3.2.3 Human Subjects Review Committee

Purpose: The Human Subjects Review Committee shall review research proposals that involve the use of human subjects affiliated with Gordon State College. This review will ensure that the research is conducted along ethical guidelines that reflect professional and community standards.

Duties: To serve in an advisory capacity to the President. To develop, implement, recommend, and maintain policies for the evaluation of research proposals as stated under the purpose of this committee.

Membership:

1. Four At-Large Faculty with at least one year of service at Gordon State College. At-large Faculty members are elected by each school nominating two Faculty members at the beginning of the academic year and the full Faculty will elect four members from the pool of nominees.
2. Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness
3. Student (one) Elected by SGA

3.2.4 Intellectual Property Committee

Purpose: The purpose of the Intellectual Property Committee shall be to make recommendations to the President regarding the disposition and ownership of intellectual property developed at the college in accordance with applicable Board of Regents policy.

Duties: The Intellectual Property committee of each institution shall recommend to the president or his/her designee the rights and equities in intellectual property created by faculty, staff, or students of the institution. Each institution's policies shall provide for an appeal procedure within the institution in the event of a disagreement as to the ownership and use of such materials.

Membership:

1. The Gordon State College President shall appoint an institutional Intellectual Property Committee, consisting of no fewer than three or more than nine members, one of whom shall be designated by the President to serve as Chair. In each case the committee shall include a representative of the Office of Business Affairs. The committee shall meet as necessary, and shall act in an advisory capacity to the President or his/her designee. Policies pertaining to intellectual property are contained in the Gordon State College Statutes, Chapter 5.

3.2.5 Institution Animal Care & Use Committee ("IACUC")

Purpose: This committee will serve to review any research proposals or other activities including educational that involve the use of non-human vertebrate animals.

Duties: The IACUC will ensure that research procedures and protocols follow Federal guidelines for animal care, including but not limited to the inspection of animal holding facilities and on-site visitations for field based work. In accordance with the Animal Welfare Act (PL-89-545 and its subsequent amendments) every institution that uses vertebrates in research, testing and/or education must have an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee in place to oversee the use of these animals

Membership:

1. 1. Three members from the discipline of Biological Sciences (from which the Chair of the committee will be selected)
   2. At least one of these members must be scientist experienced in research involving animals.
   3. Two members selected from the other academic units
      1. Length of Service for Above Members: Three years
   4. One Student Member
   5. One Member from the Barnesville Community. This Member must not be affiliated in any way with Gordon State College and not a member of the immediate family of a person affiliated with Gordon State College, who represents the general community interests in the proper care and treatment of animals; and is not a laboratory animal user.
   6. One Veterinarian. This member may be a Faculty member of the discipline of Biology if he or she holds a DVM and current license to practice in the state of Georgia. However, he or she may not count towards the three members from the discipline of Biology on the committee.
      1. Length of Service for Student, Community, and Veterinarian Members: One year but may be extended

3.2.6 Post Tenure Review Committee

Purpose: The Post Tenure Review Committee shall review Faculty members subject to established post tenure review policies.

Duties: The duties of the committee are to oversee Gordon State College's obligation to conduct Post-Tenure Reviews and to render the committee's findings to the appropriate individuals as specified by the Faculty Handbook

Membership:

Board of Regents policy directs that no fewer than three tenured Faculty peers constitute the committee. At Gordon State College, the committee shall have one tenured Faculty member elected from each academic unit and may have a representative from the Faculty at large. Administrators (including deans and academic unit heads) and potential reviewees for the year shall not serve on the committee. Committee members shall serve for one year. The committee members shall elect a Chair. If there are too few Faculty of the appropriate academic units to serve on the review committee, then tenured Faculty member(s) from another academic unit (even the reviewee's) may serve, provided that they are voted in by the Faculty at its meeting at the beginning of the fall semester. Policies pertaining to post tenure review are contained in the Faculty Handbook.

3.2.7 Post Tenure Review Appeal Committee

Purpose:The Post Tenure Review Appeal Committee shall review post tenure review appeals subject to established post tenure review appeal policies.

Duties:The duties of the committee are to review appeals and render the committee's findings to the appropriate individuals as specified by the Faculty Handbook

Membership:

The Post Tenure Review Appeal Committee will consist of tenured Faculty members. One tenured Faculty member will be elected from each school. Faculty may not simultaneously serve on the post tenure review committee and the post tenure appeal committee. Administrators (including deans and academic unit heads) and potential reviewees for the year shall not serve on the appeal committee. Appeal committee members shall serve for one year. The committee members shall elect a Chair. Policies pertaining to post tenure review appeal are contained in the Faculty Handbook.

3.2.8 Promotion and Tenure Committees

Purpose: Academic Unit Promotion and Tenure Committees shall make recommendations regarding faculty promotion and tenure. The college-wide Promotion and Tenure Chairs Committee shall examine all recommendations regarding faculty promotion and tenure for consistency among academic units.

Duties: The duties of the Academic Unit Promotion and Tenure Committees are to make recommendations on promotion in rank of faculty and/or tenure and forward such recommendations to the appropriate individuals as specified by the Faculty Handbook. The Promotion and Tenure Chairs Committee shall examine all recommendations regarding faculty promotion and tenure for consistency among academic units specifically with regard to teaching and service. The committee may refer a candidate file back to its originating academic unit for reconsideration as specified by the Faculty Handbook.

Membership:

Academic Unit Promotion and Tenure Committees will include all tenured faculty members within each academic unit and be established at the beginning of every academic year. Each committee will elect one tenured faculty member not under review for the academic year to serve as chair of the committee. If a minimum of three tenured faculty members are not available to serve on the committee, the committee chair will invite a tenured faculty member from the relevant school to serve on the committee. If this is not possible an invitation will be made to a tenured faculty member from the college.

The Academic Unit Promotion and Tenure Committee for Library faculty will include all Associate and Full Professors within the academic unit to be established at the beginning of every academic year. The committee will elect one faculty member not under review for that academic year to serve as chair of the committee. The Library faculty may invite a reviewer of appropriate rank and credentials from an outside college to serve on the committee if necessary.
The Promotion and Tenure Chairs Committee will include all Chairs of the Academic Unit Promotion and Tenure Committees. Policies pertaining to promotion and tenure are contained in the Faculty Handbook.

[Promotion and Tenure Committees Statute revision approved by Faculty Senate on March 28, 2016, by full Faculty on April 27, 2016 and by President Burns on July 5, 2016.]

3.2.9 Honors Council

Purpose: The Honors Council is responsible for the governance, development, and oversight of the academic mission of the Gordon State College Honors Program.

Duties: The Council is responsible for reviewing applications to the Honors Program. Changes to Honors curriculum, criteria, and requirements, such as proposals for new Honors Sections, must be approved by the Honors Council.

Membership:
1. Honors Program Coordinator (chair)
2. At least one faculty member from each academic unit
3. One member from the Office of Admissions
4. Honors Fellows will maintain at-large membership on the Honors Council for the length of their appointments.

[Honors Council Statute revision approved by Faculty Senate on August 15, 2018, by full Faculty on November 26, 2018 and by President Nooks on February 20, 2019.]

3.2.10 Science Olympiad Committee

Purpose: Support and plan the hosting of the annual state regional competition of the Georgia Science Olympiad at Gordon State College. Georgia Science Olympiad is an affiliate of the National Science Olympiad organization and competitive network.

Duties: The duties of the Science Olympiad Committee is to prepare Gordon State College to host the annual state Science Olympiad regional competition under the direction of the Science Olympiad Director and Co-Director, according to National Science Olympiad rules and regulations. Duties include assistance of preparations and support for the regional annual competition at Gordon State College, service as Science Olympiad event supervisors, and advising Director and Co-Director on ways to improve the annual regional competition hosting.

Membership:
1. Faculty Director of the Gordon State College Regional Science Olympiad
2. Faculty Co-Director of the Gordon State College Regional Science Olympiad
3. Additional faculty members, 1 per academic unit

[Science Olympiad Committee Statute revision approved by Faculty Senate on August 15, 2018, by full Faculty on November 26, 2018 and by President Nooks on February 20, 2019.]

3.2.11 Strategic Planning and Budget Committee

Purpose: The Strategic Planning and Budget Committee shall be an active partner with the administrative division of the college for the purpose of shaping the annual budget of the college as well as planning physical or non-academic program changes for the college and the integration of plans with accreditation agencies.

Duties:The Strategic Planning and Budget committee shall be an active partner with the administrative division of the college in shaping the annual budget of the college. The committee shall also be an active partner with the administrative division of the college in the development of the institutional strategic plan and master plan as well as physical planning, including guidelines, criteria, and procedures.

Membership:

1. Gordon State College President
2. Vice President for Finance and Administration
3. Three appointees of the Gordon State College President
4. Chair of the Faculty Senate
5. Two Faculty Senators elected by the Faculty Senate
6. Three Faculty members elected at large from the School of Arts & Sciences
7. Two Faculty member elected at large from the School of Nursing, Health, and Natural Sciences
8. One Faculty member elected at large from the School of Education or the Library (elected by a combined vote of both academic units)
9. Two Staff members elected by the Staff Council
10. Two Gordon State College Students elected by the Student Government Association