University of Southern Indiana - Council of Department Chairs and Program Directors

Objectives and Functions
1. The Council of Department Chairs/Program Directors at the
  University of Southern Indiana shall serve as a channel of
  communications for USI department chairs/program directors to
  support the development of the department chairs and program
  directors across disciplines.
2. The Council shall serve as the representative agency of the
  department chairs/program directors in matters of faculty affairs,
  which could include advising and making recommendations to
  the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs and to the
  Faculty Senate.
3. The Chair of the Council shall be available to advise the Provost
  and Vice President of Academic Affairs, and be available to
  advise the Chair of the Faculty Senate, at regular intervals during
  the academic year.
Organization and Relationships

Membership in this Council shall include all academic
department chairs, all academic program directors, and, on an exofficio and non-voting basis, the Chair of the Faculty Senate. If
necessary, a Council member may designate a representative to
vote in his or her absence. If a Council member does make such
a designation, then the Council Secretary should be notified of
the designation prior to the meeting date.
The Council shall have a Chairperson, a Vice-Chair, and a
Secretary who shall be nominated and elected by the Council for
a two-year term.
The Chairperson, Vice-Chair, and Secretary of the Council shall
meet prior to each Council meeting to set and publish the agenda. The agenda and minutes of the previous meeting shall be distributed to the Council at least one week prior to the meeting.
In the case of a permanent vacancy for any cause in the
Chairperson s position, the Vice-Chair of the Council shall serve
in that capacity until a replacement for the unexpired term of the
Chairperson has been duly elected by the Council.
The Council may, on a periodic basis, need to establish ad-hoc
committees. The authority to set up those committees, and to
select their chairpersons, shall be vested in the Council
Chairperson.

Operations
1. The Council shall meet at least twice per semester.
2. Ten members of the Council at any Council Meeting shall
  constitute a quorum of the Council.
3. An act approved by a majority of Council members (or
  designated representatives) in attendance at any Council Meeting
  where a quorum is present shall be considered an act of this
  Council.
4. This Charter may be amended at any Council Meeting where a
  quorum exists by a two-thirds vote of Council members (or
  designated representatives) in attendance.
5. The Council shall operate under the most current edition of
  Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (Cambridge, Mass.:
  Perseus Publishing).
The forgoing Charter of the Council of Department Chairs/Program Directors at the University of Southern Indiana was adopted by vote of the Council in meeting on May 9, 2006 and subsequently approved by the Provost.

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