B1.0
INSTITUTE COUNCIL BY-LAWS
PREAMBLE
The goal of the Institute Council is to enhance the interests of the Rochester Institute of Technology. The following BY-LAWS are designed to serve this goal.
ARTICLE I - FUNCTIONS AND PURPOSES
The Institute Council shall act in the following ways:
Section 1. General Functions and Purposes
A. To serve as a deliberative body in the development and review of Institute policies in areas not under the purview of the Academic Senate.
B. To clarify and focus upon issues raised by the members and constituent elements of the Council. Throughout the By-laws, "constituent elements" shall mean students, faculty, staff and administration.
C. To serve as an integrative body by bringing together the various constituents of the Institute.
D. To act as a forum through which current or continuing issues of higher education can be discussed and through which members may help to create the contextual framework within which policy recommendations may be formed and administrative actions taken.
E. To act as an agency for multi-directional communication among members and constituent elements of the Institute.
Section 2. Specific Functions and Purposes
A. To monitor long range planning activities on a continuing basis.
B. To develop, review, and recommend, as necessary and on a continuing basis, statements of institutional priorities, including basic plans and objectives of the Institute.
C. To initiate studies of broad Institute interest and suggest responses to the concerns identified in such studies.
D. To call upon constituent elements of the Council to engage in self-study as circumstances and events may warrant.
E. To furnish advice to the president of the Institute on matters proposed or requested by the president.
ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Number of Members and Representative Nature
The Council shall consist of a group of non-voting members ex officiis and 43 voting members (ex officiis or elected).
A. Serving ex officiis shall be one member of the Board of Trustees, the president, the chief academic officer, the officers of the Institute other than the president and chief academic officer, the academic deans, and the registrar.
B. The voting members shall comprise the president, the chief academic officer, the academic deans; eleven members of the faculty, consisting of the chair and vice chair of the Academic Senate and nine other persons chosen through the Academic Senate; eleven members of the staff, consisting of the chair of Staff Council and ten other persons chosen through the Staff Council; and eleven students, consisting of the president of Student Government, and ten other persons chosen through the Student Government.
Section 2. Terms of Office
A. Elected members of the Institute Council shall be chosen for one-year terms, from September through August. They may succeed themselves on the Institute Council.
B. Institutional officers, the registrar, and deans serving as members of the Council shall serve by virtue of and concurrently with their positions.
Section 3. Elected Memberships
A. The eleven faculty members serving on the Council shall be selected from the membership of the Academic Senate and shall consist of the chair and vice chair of the Academic Senate, plus one member from each college of the Institute, one member from the educational development faculty, and at-large members as may be necessary.
B. The eleven staff members serving on the Council shall consist of the chair of the Staff Council; and ten other persons to be determined by Staff Council.
C. The eleven student members serving on the Council shall consist of the president and vice-president of Student Government; one member of each of the following organizations, appointed by the senator of the organization: Residence Halls Association, Off Campus and Apartment Student Association, NTID Student Congress, Greek Council, Black Awareness Coordinating Committee and a minimum of two college senators. Two other representatives shall be appointed by the Student Senate.
Section 4. Vacancies
Vacancies - whether temporary or permanent - in the membership of Institute Council shall be filled through due procedures of the administration, Academic Senate, Staff Council or Student Government, depending upon the constituent element in which a vacancy occurs.
ARTICLE III - MEETINGS
Section 1. Meetings
A. Regular - regular meetings shall be held once monthly, September through May, at a time and place to be determined by vote of the membership.
B. Special - special meetings may be called for extraordinary reasons by the Executive Committee, the chair, or upon petition of one-third of the membership, directed to the chair.
Section 2. Notice of Meetings
The chair shall provide notice to each member as to time and place of all meetings as far in advance as practicable.
Section 3. Quorum
A quorum is required for conduct of business. A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the total membership.
Section 4. Order of Business
Order of business at each meeting shall be determined by the Executive Committee (see Article IV). However, a majority of those present may introduce items for consideration after regular agenda matters have been resolved.
Section 5. Chair
The chair of the Institute Council shall be the president of the Rochester Institute of Technology. If the president is absent, the chief academic officer shall serve as chair.
Section 6. Procedures
A. The majority of members present shall decide any questions coming before the meeting.
B. Robert's Rules of Order shall be used as a guideline in the conduct of meetings.
ARTICLE IV - THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section 1. Membership
- President of the Institute, Chair
- Chief Academic Officer
- Chair of the Academic Senate
- Chair of the Staff Council
- President of Student Government
- Representative of Academic Council
Section 2. Functions
- To formulate agenda items for Institute Council;
- To provide emergency advice to the president;
- To propose and charge university-wide committees and task forces of the Institute Council, for review and approval by the full Institute Council.
Section 3. Meetings
Regular meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held at least fourteen days prior to regular meetings of Institute Council and/or upon call of the chair.
Section 4. Agenda
A. Agenda Building
1. The Executive Committee shall determine the matters to be considered at meetings of Institute Council.
2. The committee may receive agenda proposals from any source. Such proposals shall be submitted at or before the time of regular meetings of the Executive Committee in sufficient copies for distribution to committee membership.
3. Agenda and supporting documents shall normally be distributed to membership of the Institute Council at least ten days in advance of regular meetings.
B. Reports
The Executive Committee shall receive and disseminate reports from committees and may refer matters for study to committees of Institute Council or other agencies of the Institute.
C. Plan of Work
The Executive Committee shall recommend a plan of work for Institute Council approval for each academic year.
Section 5. Procedures
The Executive Committee shall determine its own procedures by majority vote of those present.
ARTICLE V - STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE INSTITUTE COUNCIL
Section 1. Committees
The Institute Council shall, upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee, establish and approve such standing committees as shall be deemed necessary to the appropriate conduct of the Council's functions.
Section 2. Members
A. Members of a committee shall be nominated annually by the chair of Institute Council after consultation with the Executive Committee and shall be approved by the membership of Institute Council. Members shall serve a term from September through August and may succeed themselves. Members need not belong to Institute Council.
B. A committee shall comprise at least seven members, including at least one from each constituent element of Institute Council.
Section 3. Chair
Members of a committee shall elect their chair by majority vote of those present.
Section 4. Meetings
Members shall determine time, place, and frequency of meetings by majority vote of those present.
Section 5. Reports
Each committee shall report at least annually to Institute Council by the May meeting.
Section 6. Procedures
Each committee shall determine its own procedures by majority vote of those present.
ARTICLE VI - AD HOC COMMITTEES OF THE INSTITUTE COUNCIL
The chair of Institute Council may from time to time, after consultation with the Executive Committee, establish special study committees or task forces with approval of Institute Council. The charge and time line of these ad hoc committees shall be approved by the Council.
ARTICLE VII - AMENDMENTS
These by-laws may be amended by vote of two-thirds of the members of Institute Council present at a meeting called for the purpose. Any amendments shall be brought to a meeting, discussed, tabled for further discussion and research, and then acted or voted upon at the next or a subsequent meeting of Institute Council.
Approved April 21, 1972
Last revised February 7, 1996