I. THE COLORADO COLLEGE BYLAWS 

The Colorado College was incorporated as a nonprofit corporation in the Territory of Colorado on February 4, 1874. The Certificate of Incorporation, on file with the Colorado Secretary of State, has been amended several times since the College was founded, including the years 1907, 1955, 1984, and 1996. Two of the effects of these amendments have been to establish the secular character of the College and to increase the size of the Board of Trustees. 

The bylaws of a corporation are a document separate and distinct from the articles of incorporation. They are enacted by the corporation in order to set forth the rules according to which it will be managed and governed. Thus the Amended and Restated Bylaws of The Colorado College is the governing document of the College. This document, as amended from time to time by the Board of Trustees, establishes the duties and responsibilities of the Board of Trustees, the Trustee Officers, the President, the Administrative Officers, the Faculty, and other employees of the College. The Bylaws may be amended, following notice, only by a majority of all Trustees then in office. 

The Bylaws of the College both define and protect the principles of tenure and academic freedom. 

The Bylaws are available to any member of the College community in the Office of Legal Counsel and online here. 

II. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES 

The Colorado College Bylaws provide that the College is governed by its Board of Trustees or, during the periods between meetings of the Board, by the Executive Committee of the Board. The Board appoints the President of the College and several Administrative Officers who report to the President (see OTHER COLLEGE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS below). The Board is empowered to make other decisions affecting the operations of the College, including the management of its assets, by majority vote of a quorum of the Board. 

Members of the Board of Trustees include the President of the College and the President and immediate past President of the National Alumni Council, by virtue of their office. At least three members of the Board are designated “Alumni” Trustees. Alumni Trustees are elected by College alumni from candidates nominated by the National Alumni Council and serve non-renewable terms of six years. The other members of the Board (except for those who serve by virtue of their office) are designated “Charter” Trustees. Charter Trustees are elected by a majority of the current Trustees for terms of four years and are eligible for re-election. 

The officers of the Board of Trustees are the Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary, who serve for renewable one-year terms. The Standing Committees of the Board are: Executive Committee, Investment Committee, Buildings and Grounds Committee, Budget and Finance Committee, Academic Program Committee, Audit Committee, Advancement Committee, Student Life and Enrollment Committee, Governance Committee, Information and Technology Committee, and Visibility Committee. 

The Board of Trustees ordinarily meets three times a year, usually in September or November, February, and May. 

III. THE PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE

The Board of Trustees appoints the President of the College on such terms and conditions and for such tenure as it deems to be in the best interests of the College. As the Chief Executive Officer and administrative head of the College, the President has general authority over and supervises the operations of all departments of the College, all members of the faculty, all administrative officers and other employees, and all students. 

The President convenes the faculty for its regular meetings (normally on the fourth Monday of the Block) and for special meetings that he or she may consider necessary. If present, the President presides at all faculty meetings that he or she convenes unless the President delegates to the Dean the responsibility of presiding. 

The President appoints all College administrators (except those who are appointed by the Board of Trustees upon the President’s recommendation), faculty members, agents and employees of the College, for such terms and upon such conditions as the President judges to be in the best interests of the College. 

The President exercises such disciplinary powers as he or she may deem in the best interests of the College, which include the power to expel or suspend students and the power to dismiss non-tenured faculty members and other employees and agents of the College (the exception being Administrative Officers who may be dismissed only by the Board of Trustees upon the President’s recommendation). 

The President periodically reports to the Board of Trustees on the work, operations, and state of the College and makes such recommendations as he or she considers necessary. 

IV. THE OFFICE OF THE DEAN 

A. The Dean of the College / Dean of the Faculty 

The Dean of the College / Dean of the Faculty (hereafter “the Dean of the College” or “the Dean”) is the officer directly responsible for the academic program, the curriculum, and the faculty. As the College’s chief academic officer, the Dean is second to the President in the line of administrative authority and acts for the President when necessary or desirable. 

The Dean is responsible for faculty recruitment and hiring. She or he makes recommendations to the President regarding appointments, promotions, tenure, salary raises, sabbatical leaves, and leaves of absence. In consultation with departments and the Faculty Research and Development Board, the Dean oversees faculty research and professional development programs.

The Dean appoints department chairs after consulting with members of the department and the President. She or he discusses staffing needs with department chairs and approves or denies instructional budget requests from departments and programs. 

Charged with overseeing the curriculum, the Dean chairs the Committee on Instruction and the Budget Committee and is an ex officio member of several other College committees. He or she represents the College in academic consortiums (the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, for example) and in other institutional partner or exchange programs. The Dean also serves as the staff officer to the Academic Program Committee of the Board of Trustees. 

The following persons report directly to the Dean of the College: the Associate Dean of the College, the Associate Dean of the Faculty, the Library Director, the Dean of Summer Programs, the Registrar, the Director of Faculty Research Support, the Director of the Crown Faculty Center, the Director of the Writing Program, the Curator of the I.D.E.A. space, the Director for the Partnership for Civic Engagement, and other staff members in the academic program who do not report to another supervisor. 

B. The Associate Deans 

The primary responsibilities of the two Associate Deans are to advise the Dean and to assist the Dean by fulfilling any of the duties that she or he might assign. Either Associate Dean may be asked, for example, to attend committee meetings as the Dean’s surrogate or to supervise someone who reports to the Dean. 

1. The Associate Dean of the College 

The Associate Dean of the College oversees College programs designed to ensure student success, including the academic advising program, and works with the Registrar’s Office to monitor students’ academic progress. This Associate Dean chairs the Dean’s Advisory Committee and serves on the Information Technology and Library Board and the General Education Oversight Committee. As an ex officio member and the secretary of the Committee on Instruction, he or she prepares the agendas for meetings of that committee. The Associate Dean of the College also prepares the agendas for regular meetings of the faculty. 

The Director of First-Year Studies and Sophomore Advising and the Director of Disability Services report to the Associate Dean of the College. 

2. The Associate Dean of the Faculty 

The Associate Dean of the Faculty coordinates interdisciplinary and General Studies courses and off-campus programs; contributes to curriculum reviews and initiatives; reviews the Schedule of Courses each spring; and oversees the course evaluation program of the College. He or she evaluates departmental requests for visiting faculty and assists department chairs in their efforts to mentor new faculty members and support professional development. The Associate Dean of the Faculty works with graduate fellowship advisors and supervises the annual meetings that provide information about graduate fellowships. He or she chairs the General Education Oversight Committee and serves on the Curriculum Committee, the First-Year Experience Committee, and the Assessment Committee. 

The Director of International Studies and the FYE Student Mentor Director report to the Associate Dean of the Faculty. 

V. OTHER COLLEGE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS 

In addition to the Dean of the College / Dean of the Faculty, six Administrative Officers are appointed by the Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the President: Vice President for Finance and Administration / Treasurer, Vice President for College Advancement, Vice President for Student Life / Dean of Students, Legal Counsel / General Secretary, Vice President for Information Management, and Vice President for Enrollment Management. The Director of Athletics, the Director of Communications, and the Director of the Office of the President also report to the President. 

The Administrative Officers appointed by the Board of Trustees, the Director of the Office of the President, and other directors or officers designated by the President (as, for example, the Director of Athletics and the Director of Communications) constitute the Senior Staff, often known at other institutions as the President’s Cabinet. The Senior Staff meets at the discretion of the President, usually twice each Block, in order to advise the President, consult with the President on major policy decisions, share information important to the operation of the College, and discuss issues affecting the College’s well-being and future direction. 

VI. COLLEGE ORGANIZATION CHARTS 

Organization charts of Colorado College, its divisions and offices, are available in the Offices of the President and Legal Counsel.