ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL CONSTITUTION

PELLISSIPPI STATE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

(As Amended on September 20, 2001)
 
 

ARTICLE I--PREAMBLE

To allow for full discussion of issues in the governance and development of Pellissippi State Technical Community College (hereinafter called the College) and for adequate response from one constituency to another regarding these matters, formal and systematic lines of communication are needed. These communication lines can be provided best through the Administrative Council as proposed in this document.

It is a premise of this document that the College administration has the right and the obligation, with the attendant responsibilities, to participate fully and actively in the determination of policies pertaining to administrative matters, to the welfare of the administrators, and to the well-being of the College. The Administrative Council  provides for meaningful and systematic participation by administrators in the determination of policies in areas of administrative concern.

The Administrative Council should receive notice of impending actions or decisions of the President, President's Staff or of the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) which could result in changes in College policy about which the administration could be expected to have reasonable concern. The Council shall discuss such actions or decisions and make recommendations before these policy or procedural changes are put into effect (whenever practicable).

Similarly, the Administrative Council should receive notice of actions taken by the President of the College to implement the Council's recommendations, as well as reasons such recommendations were not implemented. If discussion of such impending decisions by the Council is not practicable prior to implementation, the College President should inform the Administrative Council President of the decision.

ARTICLE II--PURPOSE

The purpose of the Administrative Council of Pellissippi State Technical Community College shall be as follows:
 

1. To serve as an instrument for the effective participation of administrators in the governance and development of the College.

2. To serve as the representative governing body for administrators.

3. To serve as the means by which administrators establish reciprocal communication with all segments of the College regarding college programs, policies, and procedures.

4. To serve as a setting for the initiation, formulation, discussion, and recommendation of related policies affecting the administrative unit of the College.

5. To assume responsibility to study, report, advise, and recommend to the President of the College, and through the President to the Tennessee Board of Regents on matters of college policy and procedure in areas of primary concern.

ARTICLE III--DUTIES AND POWERS

The Administrative Council shall have those duties and powers delegated to it by the President's Staff of the College and shall consider such matters as may be referred to it by the President's Staff, or by students of the College through the Council of Student Advocates (COSA). Such duties and powers shall at all times be consistent with the legally prescribed roles of the administrators and their relationship to the President's Staff.

ARTICLE IV--BUDGETARY SUPPORT

Budgetary support for the Administrative Council shall be provided by the College since monetary support for travel, printing costs, and supplies is necessary for the effective operation of the Administrative Council.

ARTICLE V--MEMBERSHIP

Membership in the Administrative Council includes all regular full-time and regular part-time administrators in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission categories 1 and 2 excluding the President, President's Staff, Executive Directors, and all Vice Presidents.  Industrial Training members who work primarily at off-campus sites (sites that do not belong to the College or which the College does not lease or rent) are designated as non-voting members.

ARTICLE VI--MEETINGS

Regular meetings of the Administrative Council shall be held each semester and once during summer term. The dates for these regular meetings will be approved by the Steering Committee.

Special meetings of the Administrative Council shall be held at such times as the President of the Administrative Council may designate.

Special meetings may be called at the request of the President of the College.

For special meetings, the members should be notified not less than seven days prior to the meeting. In case of emergency, this notification requirement may be waived by the consent of the officers of the Administrative Council.

Steering Committee meetings shall be held at a regular time once each month, if necessary. The Administrative Council Recorder shall notify members of the Steering Committee at least one week before each meeting, except for emergency meetings, noting the time and location of the next meeting.

All general meetings of the Administrative Council will be open to the public. Any member of the College's community may attend a meeting of the Administrative Council and may request of the Administrative Council President the privilege of speaking.

ARTICLE VII--TRANSACTION OF BUSINESS

For the transaction of business, a quorum shall consist of those members voting on matters considered at a scheduled Administrative Council Meeting either by being present and voting, voting by proxy as described hereinafter, or voting by electronic mail as described hereinafter. A majority vote shall be more than half of the members voting and shall be considered an expression of the Administrative Council as a whole. This majority shall apply in the transaction of all business of the Administrative Council, except in the amending of the Administrative Council Constitution, and except in voting to remove an officer from office, or in other such cases as may be defined by this document.

A voting member of the Administrative Council may cast his or her vote on a matter duly moved and seconded in a meeting of the Council by one of three methods: (1) by being present at the meeting and voting; (2) by designating another member to vote for him or her at the meeting, provided that such designation must be made either in writing or by electronic mail to the Administrative Council President in advance of the meeting, and provided that the designated member must be present at the meeting to cast a proxy vote; or (3) by electronic mail to the Administrative Council President in advance of the meeting for matters already scheduled for a vote (e.g., amendments to the Constitution, election of officers). Electronic mail votes will be counted by the Steering Committee, and the identities of members casting electronic mail votes shall remain confidential within the Steering Committee.

Voting by members who are present or their proxies shall be by voice vote or the show of hands unless the majority of those present desire a secret ballot or a roll call. All elections shall be decided through a secret ballot with the exception of ballots cast by electronic mail, as provided for above.

Robert's Rules of Order, revised shall be the parliamentary authority for the Administrative Council on all questions not covered by the Administrative Council Constitution and any standing rules which the Administrative Council may adopt.

ARTICLE VIII--OFFICERS

The term of officers and divisional representatives shall be from the date elected to the following summer meeting. No officer shall hold more than one office at a time.

Any member of the Administrative Council shall be eligible for office provided the President and the President-elect are not from the same department.

Section 1. President of the Administrative Council

The President of the Administrative Council shall be the presiding officer of the Administrative Council and its Steering Committee and an ex-officio-non-voting member of all other Administrative Council committees, except the Nominating Committee.

The President of the Administrative Council is to distinguish personal opinions from official representation as President of the Administrative Council. The President of the Administrative Council cannot commit the Administrative Council to a specific course of action without Administrative Council approval. The President of the Administrative Council shall also serve as co-budgetary official.

Section 2. President-Elect

The President-elect shall substitute for the President when necessary and serve as the following year's President. In the event the office of President becomes vacant during the year, the President-elect shall advance to the office of President. The President-elect shall also act as parliamentarian and advise the President of the Administrative Council as to the rules of order.

Section 3. Recorder

The Recorder shall perform the usual functions of such an office, including but not limited to the following:
 

A. Notify all members of regular and special meetings of the Steering Committee.

B. Publish agenda to all members of the Administrative Council for all regular and special meetings.

C. Record, prepare, and distribute the minutes of regular and special meetings of the Steering Committee to all Steering Committee members.

D. Compose and distribute all official Administrative Council correspondence.

E. Maintain a permanent record of all Administrative Council and Steering Committee minutes and all other correspondence received by or sent by the Administrative Council; the official records of the Administrative Council shall be housed on the College Wide Information System.

F. Prepare and maintain an official membership list of Administrative Council.

G. Act as Chairperson of the Nominating Committee.

H. Maintain copy machine meter and/or code numbers.

Section 4. Treasurer

The Treasurer shall attend to all Administrative Council financial affairs and serve as co-budgetary official.

Section 5. Election of Officers

The Administrative Council President shall appoint a Nominating Committee at the spring semester meeting. The committee shall be composed of one representative from each division of the college represented by a permanent President's Staff member and the Council Recorder who shall act as chairperson of the committee. One week prior to the summer term meeting of the Administrative Council, the nominating committee will present to the steering committee a slate of nominees with at least one person nominated for each office.

Election of officers will be held at the summer term meeting of the Administrative Council. Prior to the election, additional nominations will be accepted from the floor and added to the final ballot. The final slate of nominees will be limited to persons who agree to serve if elected. Voting by members present or their proxies will be by secret ballot on official ballots prepared by the Administrative Council Recorder. Nominations from the floor may be written in on the official ballot at the meeting. Members not present shall be provided an opportunity to vote by electronic mail, as provided herein. The Nominating Committee will count the ballots and certify the results. Nominees receiving the most votes shall be considered elected.

If an office becomes vacant because of resignation, removal, or ineligibility, an election will be held at the next regular meeting of the Administrative Council to fill the vacancy. The Steering Committee will act as the Nominating Committee and follow the already established procedure for elections. The Steering Committee may appoint an interim officer to serve until the election.

Section 6. Removal of Officers

Any officer may be removed from office by an affirmative vote of three-fourths of the membership of Administrative Council. Vacancies shall be filled in accordance with section 5.

It shall be the responsibility of the division to replace any Steering Committee Representative vacancies at the earliest possible date.

Section 7. Immediate Past President

The Immediate Past President of the Administrative Council shall serve as a member of the Administrative Council Steering Committee and may assume the duties for the President in the absence of the President and the President-elect.

ARTICLE IX--COMMITTEES

The Administrative Council will establish committees to study matters of concern and make reports to the President's Staff. Committees appointed by the Administrative Council become committees of the Administrative Council, receive their authority from the Administrative Council, and will report their findings and make recommendations to the Administrative Council only. Committee work will be done as a body and will not be action of the Committee Chairperson. Actions taken will be those of the committee as a whole representing a majority vote. Minority reports and recommendations may be submitted to the Administrative Council if desired by dissenting committee members. A majority of the committee members constitutes a quorum for the transaction of all business of the committee.

Committees will be appointed by the President of the Administrative Council when the need arises. A balance of representation among divisions shall be considered in making appointments.

ARTICLE X--STANDING COMMITTEES

The Administrative Council shall establish standing committees as deemed necessary to its appropriate functioning.

During the summer meeting, the President of the Administrative Council shall designate the members of the standing committees and shall designate the chairperson of the standing committees. Members of the standing committees established after the summer meeting shall be appointed at the meeting when the standing committee is established.

Ad Hoc Committees shall be established by the Administrative Council as needed.

ARTICLE XI--STEERING COMMITTEE

The Steering Committee shall serve as liaison among all divisions of the college and the Administrative Council in disseminating information and soliciting responses. The Steering Committee shall be composed of the officers of the Administrative Council and one representative from each division of the college represented by a permanent President's Staff member. Representatives shall meet monthly, if necessary, during the year. All actions by the Steering Committee shall be reported either verbally or in written form to the full Administrative Council. If deemed necessary, the council shall report actions to the President's Staff.

Administrative Council voting members shall meet and select the steering committee representative from their administrative unit.

ARTICLE XII--AMENDMENT PROCEDURE

Amendments to the Administrative Council Constitution shall be made under the following provisions executed in sequence:
 

A. Initiation of amendments may be made by any Administrative Council voting member to the Steering Committee. If approved through the Steering Committee, the amendment will be presented to the full Administrative Council.

B. If the amendment is not approved by the Steering Committee, then a petition of not less than 20% of the voting members of the Council may be submitted in order to approve the amendment(s).

C. Amendments shall be submitted to the Administrative Council at a regular or special meeting.

D. Action on proposed amendments shall be delayed until at least the next regular or special meeting of the Administrative Council whereupon three-fourths (75%) of the Administrative Council voting must approve the amendment(s).
 

 
 

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