I. FACULTY MEETINGS

The faculty normally meets once each Block during the academic year. The Dean of the College / Dean of the Faculty prepares a schedule of faculty meeting dates for the year. At an extra meeting at the end of Block 8, the faculty approves the graduation list and student honors at graduation. Additional meetings may be called as the President deems necessary.

Agenda items must be received by the Dean’s Office ten days before a regularly scheduled faculty meeting. The Dean’s Office distributes the agenda several days prior to the meeting. The Faculty Secretary keeps a record of the proceedings of regular faculty meetings (and other faculty meetings upon request) and circulates these minutes to all faculty members and administrators. The Dean’s Office maintains the permanent file of faculty minutes.

In addition to the faculty, as defined in PART TWO, I. (with the exception of part-time and short-term visitors), the following Colorado College administrators have the right to vote at regular faculty meetings: the President, the Dean of the College / Dean of the Faculty, the Vice President for Finance and Administration / Treasurer, the Vice President for College Advancement, the Vice President for Student Life / Dean of Students, Associate Deans of Students, the College Chaplain, the Dean of Summer Programs, the Associate Dean of the College, the Associate Dean of the Faculty, the Library Director, the Registrar, the Vice President for Enrollment Management, the Vice President for Information Management, the Director of Institutional Research, and the Coordinator of Campus Activities. Other College administrators have the privilege of the floor at faculty meetings.

The Faculty Executive Committee schedules at least two special meetings of the faculty during the academic year and decides whether to invite only teaching faculty or to include as well persons who attend regular faculty meetings. At the beginning of each semester the Governance Subcommittee of the FEC consults with faculty colleagues to determine what issues the faculty wishes to discuss at that semester’s special faculty meeting.

II. ACADEMIC ORGANIZATION

With the exceptions of General Studies and other interdisciplinary programs, the faculty has organized the academic program of the College into three divisions.

DIVISIONS OF THE COLLEGE AND THEIR DEPARTMENTS OF INSTRUCTION

Division of Humanities: Art; Classics; Drama and Dance; English; Francophone and Mediterranean Studies; German, Russian, and East Asian Languages; Music; Philosophy; Religion; Spanish; and Studies in the Humanities

Division of Natural Sciences: Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology, Sport Science, and Studies in the Natural Sciences 

Division of Social Sciences: Anthropology, Economics and Business, Education, History, Political Science, Sociology, and Studies in the Social Sciences

III. DEPARTMENT CHAIRS AND ASSOCIATE DEPARTMENT CHAIRS

(For the sake of concision, the term chair or department chair refers to academic program directors as well as to chairs of academic departments.)

A. Department Chairs

Department chairs are appointed by the Dean after she or he considers the advice of a department and consults with the President. The term of appointment may vary according to a department’s circumstances, but normally appointments are for three years, with the possibility of renewal. The College grants department chairs an additional non-teaching Block because of their increased responsibilities. In years when those responsibilities are unusually extensive and demanding, a chair may negotiate with the Dean for additional compensation.

Department chairs oversee all departmental activities, but no chair is expected to fulfill all his or her duties without assistance. A chair should instead delegate various tasks widely and equitably among departmental colleagues. When other persons agree to undertake particular departmental tasks, they should consult regularly with the chair as the work proceeds.

One of the most important responsibilities of a department chair is to promote the morale of her or his department through consultative and supportive leadership. The chair’s specific duties fall into four categories.

Governance. The chair manages all the resources of the department: its personnel, academic program, space allocation, and equipment. The chair represents the department in the budget- planning process, at chairs’ meetings and faculty meetings, and in other meetings called to conduct College business. The chair oversees periodic self-studies and external reviews of the department and prepares assessment reports that are required by certification boards or accrediting agencies.

Personnel. The chair submits directly to the Dean all departmental recommendations regarding reappointment, sabbatical leaves, and leaves of absence. The chair sends to the Divisional Executive Committee recommendations regarding third-year reviews, tenure, and promotion for the members of his or her department. The chair oversees the process of recruiting and hiring new faculty members as well as the hiring and orientation of Block visitors.

A chair has no more important responsibility than advising and counseling junior members of the department. Conversations about a wide range of subjects—from teaching philosophy, criteria for tenure, and faculty expectations of students to such mundane matters as choosing course texts, constructing syllabi, and giving exams—can help allay anxiety and enable new faculty to become familiar with the culture of Colorado College. With a view to third-year and tenure reviews, a chair also facilitates colleagues’ visits to class sessions of the department’s junior members.

At least once each academic year, a chair discusses with all members of the department their record of teaching, scholarship, and College service. (For the College’s expectations in these three areas, see PART TWO, VII.A.) These discussions make possible a broader perspective from which faculty can assess their various contributions to the College community. The ultimate goal of these conversations is to improve teaching and learning at Colorado College. To this end, the chair will, for example, call attention to a faculty member’s strengths, help him or her to recognize any deficiencies, and discuss possible ways to improve teaching strategies or to pursue scholarly projects. One important resource for the chair’s evaluation of a faculty member’s teaching effectiveness is student course evaluations; and one of the chair’s duties is ensuring that all department members require their students to complete and submit course questionnaires in every course in accordance with departmental guidelines.

The chair conducts annual salary reviews for non-tenured members of the department and bi- annual reviews for tenured faculty and forwards her or his salary recommendations to the Divisional Executive Committee.

The chair supervises all non-teaching employees of the department—office personnel, laboratory technicians, paraprofessionals, and student assistants. This supervisory role includes the responsibility of preparing performance evaluations and making salary recommendations.

Curriculum. Chairs make the final decisions about teaching assignments for members of their department. They prepare the department’s annual schedule of courses for the Registrar and submit proposals for new courses or course changes to the appropriate Divisional Executive Committee. (Faculty members send proposals for General Education courses directly to the Committee on Instruction.)

Chairs are responsible for enabling members of the department to provide adequate academic advice to their advisees. They make sure that departmental requirements and up-to-date information about graduate programs and career opportunities are accessible to majors, and they organize activities such as departmental social functions and departmental seminars featuring visiting speakers. A chair, after consulting with student and supervising faculty member, must sign all proposals for independent study undertaken in the department.

Chairs can contribute to the wider academic goals of the College by helping to develop cooperative teaching opportunities and by encouraging department members to participate in inter-disciplinary programs, General Education courses, and the College’s First Year Experience initiative.

Budget. The chair prepares the department’s annual budget request; provides budget information, when requested, to authorized College offices or committees; and monitors departmental spending.

B. Associate Department Chairs

After consultation with members of the department, a chair may request the Dean to authorize an associate chair to assume some of the department’s administrative duties. The kinds of circumstances that could support such a request might include the large number of departmental faculty, high course enrollments, numerous majors, high demand for student advising, an extensive slate of upcoming personnel reviews, an impending external review, unusual expectations for departmental involvement in community service, and a two-in-one departmental structure (Art History and Art Studio, for example).

When the Dean authorizes the appointment of an associate chair, the chair must specify, in writing, the duration of the appointment and the associate chair’s duties, which, in some cases, may warrant application to the Dean for an additional Block without teaching. These duties do not, however, diminish the chair’s overall responsibility for the affairs of the department.

IV. AD HOC COMMITTEES

The President, the Dean, or the Faculty Executive Committee may establish ad hoc committees to study issues that do not fall within the purview of standing committees. Depending on the task with which a committee is charged, either the FEC itself or the President or Dean, after consultation with the FEC, appoints members of ad hoc committees. When an ad hoc committee is to address matters of particular interest to the faculty, the FEC helps formulate the committee’s charge and then monitors the committee’s progress, requires interim reports (at least one each semester), and ensures that the committee’s final report is made available to the whole faculty.

V. STANDING COMMITTEES

A. Elected Committees

Only full-time tenure-track members of the faculty are eligible to serve on elected committees.

1. Faculty Executive Committee

The Faculty Executive Committee is composed of the nine elected faculty members of its three constituent subcommittees (Budget and Planning, Governance, and Personnel) plus (ex officio, non-voting) the President and the Dean. The faculty members of the FEC elect the Committee’s chair.

The subcommittees work independently, but each reports to the full Faculty Executive Committee, which exercises the power of final recommendation to the faculty or administration. The Faculty Executive Committee advises the Dean and the President on all College matters concerning the faculty. Through regular contact and conversation, it represents the faculty to the Board of Trustees. The chair of the Faculty Executive Committee is a nonvoting representative on the Academic Program Committee of the Board of Trustees and attends meetings of the Board.

The Faculty Executive Committee normally meets at least twice each Block.

Any vacancy on a Divisional Executive Committee arising during the academic year from any cause is filled by a successor promptly elected by the faculty of the division for the remainder of the term. In accordance with regular divisional election procedures, the remaining members of the Divisional Committee oversee the election of a replacement. Should all three Committee positions become vacant simultaneously, the Governance Subcommittee of the FEC assumes responsibility for an election to fill the vacant positions.

The major responsibilities of a Divisional Committee’s chair include overseeing the Committee’s personnel reviews. A second member of each Divisional Committee represents the division on the Committee on Instruction. The Committee’s third member takes primary responsibility for the process of awarding research and study grants and represents the division on the Faculty Research and Development Board. One member of each Divisional Committee also serves as the divisional representative on the Summer Programs Committee.

Each Divisional Executive Committee decides what additional Committee responsibilities are appropriate because of particular needs or special concerns of its division.

B. Appointed Committees

Faculty committee members are appointed by the Governance Subcommittee for staggered three- year terms. Whenever possible, the Governance Subcommittee honors faculty requests for relief from committee service every fourth year. Members of College committees who are not faculty or students are appointed by the President, on the advice of the Senior Staff and Staff Council. Student members are appointed by the Colorado College Student Government Association. The Governance Subcommittee appoints all committee chairs except when a person serves as chair by virtue of his or her office.

The Governance Subcommittee oversees the work of all appointed faculty committees unless, in particular cases, this Handbook indicates otherwise. Each committee pursues its work according to the general and continuing charge included in this Handbook’s description of committee responsibilities and, in some years, an additional and more specific charge given by the Governance Subcommittee. Within the boundaries of these charges, committees should exercise their own initiative in identifying and addressing relevant needs and concerns of the Colorado College community.

1. Academic Events Committee

The Academic Events Committee invites nominations from the College community for
honorary degrees and alumni honorary degrees and forwards a list of candidates to the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees. The Academic Affairs Committee makes its recommendations to the full Board, which makes the final selection of honorary degree recipients.

In consultation with the Dean’s Office and individual faculty members, the Committee plans and implements the Colorado College Fall Conference.

After soliciting recommendations for speakers from appropriate academic divisions and departments, the Committee makes arrangements for the Demarest Lloyd Lectures in the Humanities and the William Jovanovich Lectures in Public Affairs.

The Academic Events Committee consists of three faculty members, one from each academic division of the College, and two administrators, including one from the Alumni Relations Office.

2. Admission and Financial Aid Committee

In the context of the aims of Colorado College and the role of higher education in our society, the Admission and Financial Aid Committee discusses issues related to College admission and financial aid policies, formulates policy guidelines, and forwards recommendations to the Faculty Executive Committee and the administration. To provide a basis for its recommendations, the Committee reviews the procedures followed in admission and financial aid decisions, the constraints and resources affecting these decisions, and statistics about offers made and accepted and the characteristics of the entering class.

The Admission and Financial Aid Committee consists of five faculty members and three administrators, including representatives of the Admission and Financial Aid Offices.

3. Advancement Advisory Committee

The Advancement Advisory Committee works to improve communication and understanding between the Colorado College faculty and the Advancement Office. The faculty members on the Committee seek to become informed about the organization and functions of the Advancement Office, and they advise the Advancement Office regarding faculty participation in alumni and fund-raising activities. When questions about the role or policies of the Advancement Office arise, the Committee serves as a liaison between Advancement and the faculty.

The Advancement Advisory Committee consists of four faculty members chosen in consultation with the Vice President for Advancement, at least one from each academic division of the College; the Vice President for College Advancement; the Assistant Vice President for College Advancement; the Assistant Vice President for Development; and the Senior Director for Advancement Services.

4. Athletics Board

The Athletics Board is responsible for overseeing the College’s athletic and recreational programs. The Board assesses the effectiveness of current athletics policies and programs at all levels (intercollegiate athletics, club sports, and intramural sports), identifies shifting needs and interests regarding athletics, and recommends changes that would strengthen the College’s athletics program. It also advises the President regarding the athletics budget, athletics schedules, conference memberships, athletic fields and facilities, and the selection of athletics personnel. The Board’s broadest responsibility is to serve as a liaison among the different constituencies of the College community—students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae—in all matters related to athletics.

The Athletics Board consists of four faculty members, including the NCAA faculty representative—a full-time tenured member of the faculty who is appointed by the President and is expected to serve for at least five years; two administrators who are department heads or report directly to the President; two students; an alumnus or alumna of the College, appointed by the National Alumni Council; a support staff representative; and one member of the Board of Trustees. The Athletic Director and either the Associate Athletic Director or the senior Assistant Athletic Director are non-voting members of the Board. This committee reports to the President.

5. Budget Committee

With the goal of sustaining the College’s fiscal integrity and the quality of its academic program, the Budget Committee is responsible for making recommendations to the President, for approval by the Board of Trustees, that will ensure a balanced and sustainable College budget over the next three years. To this end the Committee reviews budget planning assumptions and current budget forecasts; articulates specific budget objectives; projects revenue (especially endowment payout and tuition) and expenses (particularly the financial aid and compensation pools) for the following one, two, and three years; assesses management practices across campus and identifies areas for cost-cutting and savings; formulates proposals needed to achieve a balanced budget; and establishes a time-line for key policy decisions that affect the budget. The Committee regularly informs the College community about the process and results of its work.

The Budget Committee consists of the Dean of the College, who chairs the Committee; three members of the faculty, one from each academic division of the College; two staff members, one of whom is non-exempt; two students; the Vice President for Finance and Administration / Treasurer; the Vice President for Student Life / Dean of Students, and a senior administrator appointed annually by the President.

6. Campus Design Review Board

The Campus Design Review Board is charged with reviewing proposals for new buildings and major renovation projects in order to ensure that they are consistent with the goals and values of Colorado College. The Board gives particular attention to the potential of a proposed facility to enhance the academic experience of the persons who will be using it; a facility’s compatibility with the Long Range Development Plan, including its location in relation to the topography of the campus and to driveways, parking lots and setbacks; and the size of a structure in relation to the campus design as a whole. The Board also considers the quality of design and site planning (the materials and colors proposed, landscaping, lighting, signage), compatibility with existing development in areas adjacent to the campus, and compliance with ADA requirements.

9. Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee is responsible for reviewing current and proposed allocation of the salary pool as well as all benefits, including retirement programs for faculty and staff.

During the fall, the three full-time faculty members of the Compensation Committee serve as the Faculty Salary Committee. After consulting with the Budget and Planning Subcommittee of the FEC, the Faculty Salary Committee submits its report to the faculty for approval. The six staff members of the Compensation Committee serve as the Staff Salary Committee. After consulting with Human Resources and Staff Council, the Staff Salary Committee may submit a report to the Compensation Committee.

The Compensation Committee consists of three full-time faculty members, one from each of the professorial ranks; one emeritus faculty member; one faculty member with Phased Retirement status; three exempt staff; and three non-exempt staff. The Director of Human Resources and the Director of Business are ex-officio, non-voting members of the Committee. This committee reports to the Budget and Planning Subcommittee of the Faculty Executive Committee.

10. Curriculum Committee

The Curriculum Committee is responsible for reviewing the academic program of the College, assessing its effectiveness, and recommending program and policy changes for improvement. On its own initiative or at the request of other faculty committees, the Committee stays informed about educational innovations and best practices; discusses and, when it thinks appropriate, recommends long-range academic policies; oversees the development and implementation or proposes the elimination of academic majors and minors and interdisciplinary programs; and reviews the College’s General Education requirements. The Committee also makes recommendations to the faculty regarding College participation in cooperative educational ventures, such as ACM studies abroad programs or engineering programs at other institutions.

The Curriculum Committee consists of four faculty members, three students, the Dean, the Associate Dean of the Faculty (ex officio), and the Director of Institutional Research (ex officio).

11. Dean’s Advisory Committee

The Dean’s Advisory Committee reviews student and faculty requests for waivers or interpretations of the College’s academic rules and regulations; reviews Venture Grant proposals and awards Venture Grant funds; reviews students’ academic records at the end of each semester in order to determine academic suspensions and warnings; reviews applications for leaves of absence for off-campus study when a program is not sanctioned by the College; and approves proposals for Liberal Arts and Sciences majors and independent minors.

The Health Professions Advisory Committee oversees the academic programs related to the health professions and informs interested students about current developments in the field. As the emphases and requirements of graduate programs change, the Committee encourages academic departments to ensure adequate access to courses and other educational opportunities that will help students prepare for graduate work in the health professions. The Committee also participates in the hiring and periodic review of the non-faculty health professions staff.

The Committee solicits faculty evaluations of students who are applying for graduate school in one of the health professions and uses these evaluations to write a composite letter of recommendation for each graduating pre-health-professions student. The experience of the Committee over many years is a valuable resource in its endeavor to produce balanced appraisals which graduate school admissions committees can trust and which therefore directly benefit our student applicants.

The Committee awards all grants and academic honors made possible by the Figge-Bourquin endowments. These endowments support collaborative student-faculty research and educational enrichment opportunities for pre-health-professions students.

The Health Professions Advisory Committee consists of three faculty members, two from departments that teach courses required for pre-health-profession students (Biology, Chemistry, English, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology, and Sport Science). The Health Professions Manager and the Director of the Career Center are ex officio members. Faculty appointments are typically for three years. The Governance Subcommittee appoints the Committee chair in consultation with the members of the HPAC.

18. Information Technology and Library Board

The Information Technology and Library Board makes policy recommendations to the President and the Dean and advises the Vice President for Information Management and the Director of Tutt Library on campus technology and library issues.

The Information Technology and Library Board consists of three faculty members, one from each of the three divisions of the College; the Associate Dean of the College; two staff representatives; and two students. The Vice President for Information Management and the Director of Tutt Library are non-voting members of the Board.

19. Institutional Review Board

The federal government mandates institutional review boards at colleges, universities, and other research institutions in order to ensure that all research involving human subjects at these institutions is carried out ethically and within legal limits. The Colorado College Institutional Review Board reviews and approves or rejects faculty and student research proposals, educates the campus about carrying out ethically sound research, provides research resources upon request, and otherwise works to keep Colorado College in compliance with federal regulations and to preserve the good reputation of the College among persons knowledgeable about human subject research.

By federal law an Institutional Review Board must have at least five members, and these persons may not all be of the same gender. The Colorado College IRB consists of two faculty members, at least one of them from an academic discipline that routinely conducts human subject research; one exempt or non-exempt staff member who is unfamiliar with human subject research; one person with human subject research expertise who is not associated with Colorado College; and the Director of Institutional Research, who serves as permanent chair of the IRB. The faculty and staff members serve two-year terms. The outside member’s term of service is not fixed. The IRB chair solicits expert advice from persons outside the IRB as required by particular cases.

Potential IRB members, both staff and faculty, must be willing to complete a brief on-line training session on the ethics of human subject research (the Human Subject Assurance Training on the United States Health and Human Services Office for Human Research Protections Web site) by the second meeting of their first year on the IRB.

20. International Studies Committee

The International Studies Committee formulates and recommends to the faculty and administration policies and guidelines regarding various aspects of international studies programs that attract Colorado College students. The Committee reviews and evaluates the College’s own study abroad programs and those with which the College has affiliation agreements; approves students’ petitions to participate in programs that do not have official College endorsement; monitors all programs with a view to ensuring the health and safety of participating students; and assesses the academic effectiveness of students’ study abroad experience. The Committee also encourages the development of courses that would further internationalize the curriculum and facilitates site visits for faculty members who wish to explore new study abroad possibilities.

The International Studies Committee consists of three faculty members; the Associate Dean of the Faculty; the Director of the Office of International Programs, who chairs the Committee; the Coordinator of Off-Campus Study; the Dean of Summer Programs; and a member of the Student Life staff. Only the faculty members, the Associate Dean, and the Dean of Summer Programs (when a member of the faculty) may vote on matters pertaining to academic credit.

21. Learning Commons Advisory Committee

The Learning Commons Advisory Committee reviews and coordinates programs on teaching and learning offered in the Colket Student Learning Center, the Crown Faculty Center, and the Writing Center in Tutt Library. The committee advises the directors of these programs on ways in which the Learning Commons may support and enhance classroom teaching and learning. Faculty and staff work together to manage resources, plan programs, and review policies.

The Learning Commons Advisory Committee consists of four faculty members, including the Directors of the Colket Student Learning Center and Crown Faculty Center; and four staff members, including the Directors of the Writing Center, Quantitative Reasoning Center, and First-Year Studies and Sophomore Advising.

22. Minority Concerns Committee

The Minority Concerns Committee promotes cultural diversity at Colorado College by monitoring compliance with the College’s equal opportunity policy and by advising colleagues about the most effective means of implementing that policy in the hiring and retention of minority faculty and staff and in the admission and retention of minority students. The Committee provides members of the College community support and access to resources in cases of discrimination and participates in the hiring and periodic reviews of minority faculty and staff. The Committee appoints one representative to every departmental faculty search committee and to every exempt staff search committee. This representative participates fully in all search committee deliberations and votes in all search committee decisions.

The Minority Concerns Committee consists of three faculty members; three exempt staff, including the Director of Minority and International Students; two non-exempt staff; and two students.

23. Student Conduct Committee

Hearing panels selected from the Student Conduct Committee adjudicate cases of non-academic conduct violations and present their findings and recommendations to the Vice President for Student Life / Dean of Students. Final authority to enforce the decision of a hearing panel rests with the Vice President for Student Life / Dean of Students or his or her designee.

The Student Conduct Committee consists of nine students, three faculty members from different divisions of the College, and three members of the exempt and non-exempt staff. When a case is referred to the Student Conduct Committee, the Associate Dean of Students or his or her designee convenes a panel of three students, one faculty member, and one staff member from the pool of the Committee’s total membership. The panel’s faculty member chairs the hearing.

24. Summer Session Committee

The Summer Session Committee reviews Summer Session policies, evaluates previous Summer Session curricula and recommends appropriate changes, and approves course proposals submitted in the fall for the following Summer Session.

The Committee also approves summer courses offered by the College’s Master of Arts in Teaching programs. In joint meetings with the Education Department, the Committee reviews policies of the Master of Arts in Teaching licensure program and sends proposed changes to the Committee on Instruction.

The Summer Session Committee consists of the Dean of Summer Programs, who chairs the Committee; the Assistant Dean of Summer Session; the chair of the Education Department; designated representatives of each of the three Divisional Executive Committees; a representative of the Admission Office; a representative of the Registrar’s Office; a representative of interdisciplinary studies; and one other administrator selected by the Dean of Summer Programs.