CSN Institutional Advisory Council Bylaws (Draft) Article I. Name and Purpose Section 1. Name. The name of this organization shall be the College of Southern Nevada Institutional Advisory Council. Section 2. Purpose. The College of Southern Nevada (College or CSN) Institutional Advisory Council is created to ensure the linkage of the College to the communities it serves and to anticipate future regional educational trends. The objectives and the purposes of the Council are to: a.) Advise the President, the Vice Chancellor for Community Colleges, the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Chancellor, and the Board of Regents on the long-term educational needs of the area served by the College and how to best respond. The Council may provide guidance, and information in the areas of student and employer engagement; access and affordability; operating and capital budgets; land and property acquisition and use; instructional programs, including proposed degrees and certificate programs; serving underrepresented populations; diversity and inclusion issues and admissions and academic standards, including performance indicators. b.) The Council shall hear and respond to specific information requests from the President, the Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor for Community Colleges and the Board of Regents and members of the business community and general public. c.) The Council may vote to provide strategic-level counsel to the President, the Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor for Community Colleges and the Board of Regents on any of the areas described in Article I Section 2 of the bylaws. d.) Serve, along with the President, as a body of liaisons between the College and area employers to facilitate assessment of employment, training and educational needs of the service area. e.) Serve, along with the President, as a body of liaisons between the College and local school boards, county commissioners, city councils, other locally elected bodies and elected officials. f.) The Council may provide community feedback to the President on initiatives and programs related to their charge or on items that the President requests their input upon. Community feedback is defined as input from the Council members professional and personal contacts that they deem representative of larger constituent groups that stand to benefit from College services. Council members may represent these perspectives by putting items on meeting agendas to discuss 1
in a public venue, where they may collectively vote to discern the Council s recommendation to be shared with the President, the Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor for Community Colleges and the Board of Regents. g.) In consultation with the President and through the Council Chair, the Council may present certain issues and opportunities to the Board of Regents Committee on Community Colleges and/or the Board of Regents generally. g.) The Council may also deliberate and vote on perspectives to voice to the community to advocate on behalf of CSN and its students. h.) Promote the College s programs and services among the communities and constituencies in the College s service area. With the President s input and support, the Council may decide to undertake the planning and implementation of events and activities that increase the connectivity of the College to the community. The President must approve of said events and/or activities if any College resources, including property, equipment or staff are required. Article II. Membership Section 1. Membership. The CSN Institutional Advisory Council shall be comprised of representatives from the communities public and private sectors and will include members from the various constituencies served by the College to ensure broad input from all critical stakeholders in the College service area. The membership shall be reflective of the community and stakeholders served by the College and the various regions within the College service area where applicable. The NSHE Chancellor and CSN President will nominate and the Board of Regents Chair will appoint volunteer members of the CSN Institutional Advisory Council. The Chair will appoint not less than seven or more than 15 members composed of residents from CSN s service area. The Council shall also include an ex officio student representative, nominated annually by the Associated Students of the College of Southern Nevada and an ex officio faculty representative, nominated annually by the Faculty Senate. Either the President or Council Chair, upon consultation with the Council, may recommend the appointment of additional members to the Board of Regents Chair. In addition, the President may recommend the appointment of ex officio members to the Council as the President deems necessary or useful to better serve the purposes of the Council. Section 2. Compensation. Members of the Council shall serve without compensation and be reimbursed for any reasonable expenses incurred in attending the meeting with advance agreement from the College President. Section 3. Appointments. Of members first appointed to the Institutional Advisory Council, one 2
half of the appointees were appointed for four years and the remaining half were appointed for two years. Thereafter, terms of Council members are four years. Ex officio faculty and student representatives serve one-year terms. The terms of Council Chair and Vice Chair will be two years. Section 4. Reappointment. The members of the Council may be reappointed by the Chair of the Board of Regents for a second term. Section 5. Term Limits. Members of the Council may not be appointed for more than two consecutive terms. Section 6. Resignations. Members may resign from the Council at any time by providing written notice to the Council Chair and/or President. Resignations will be effective immediately upon receipt of said notice. If a member of the Council resigns prior to the conclusion of their term, a replacement will be recommended by the President to the Chair of the Board of Regents. Section 7. Leave of Absence. Members of the Council, with the exception of Council Officers, may take a leave of absence from the Council for no more than a year with agreement from the Council Chair and the President on the terms of the absence. Section 8. Proxies. Members may provide a proxy to attend meetings on their behalf. Proxies do not have authority to vote. Article III. Council Officers Section 1. Election of Officers. The election of the Council Chair and Vice Chair shall occur individually and not on a shared ticket. The Council through a majority vote may determine other officer positions that are necessary to conduct the operations of the Council. Elections will take place biannually at the first Council meeting of the state fiscal year (the first regularly scheduled meeting after July 1) during odd-numbered years. The terms of office will be two years. Nominations may be made by any member of the Council, and the vote of a majority of the Council shall be required to elect the Chair and Vice Chair and any other officers. Section 2. Duties of Chair and Vice Chair. a.) The Council Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Council. The Vice Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Council during the absence of the Chair and the President shall preside if both the Chair and Vice Chair are absent. b.) The Council Chair shall sign any written documents to which the Council may be party, and which have been approved by the Council. 3
c.) The Council Chair, or the Vice Chair in the Chair s absence, shall represent the Council as an advisory member on the Board of Regents Committee on Community Colleges and provide a report to the Regents committee at each regularly scheduled meeting. Prior to each Board of Regents Committee on Community College regularly scheduled meeting, the Council Chair, or Vice Chair if the Chair will be absent, shall meet with the President in person or via telephone to review the minutes of previous Council meetings and determine any issues that are to be brought before the Board of Regents Committee on Community College for their consideration. d.) The Council Chair shall work with the President to create the agenda for each meeting. e.) The Council Chair shall appoint the chairs of subcommittees and ad-hoc subcommittees and may suggest additional advisory members to assist those subcommittees along with the College President. Ad-hoc committees are temporary and designed to accomplish ephemeral tasks; Standing committees are permanent in nature until such time as the Council votes to dissolve the committee. f.) The Council Chair shall be the primary spokesperson for the Council. Article IV. Meetings Section 1. Operating Year. The operating year of this Board shall begin on the first day of July of each year and close on the last day of the following June. Section 2. Meetings. The Council shall meet at least quarterly each year on a regularly scheduled day or sequence of dates mutually agreed to by a majority of the Council and the President. Additional meetings may be scheduled as deemed necessary by the Council Chair, a majority of the Council, or the President. Section 3.Agendas. The President in consultation with the Council Chair is to set forth a meeting agenda comprised of issues or questions related to the operation of the College and the programs, and opportunities that will sustain or improve the delivery of services by the College to the communities it serves. Section 4. Adding Agenda Items. Council members wishing to place items on the agenda must deliver a succinct and accurate description of the agenda item(s), with supporting documents to the President s Office or the Council Chair no less than fourteen (14) days prior to the next scheduled regular meeting of the Council; or propose future agenda items during meetings under New Business on the agenda. Items suggested in the New Business portion of the public meeting may be scheduled for inclusion on the next IAC agenda at the discretion of the College President and Council Chair. 4
Section 5. Open Meeting Law. All meetings, including Council subcommittee meetings, must follow the Nevada Open Meeting Law, NRS Chapter 241. Section 6. Minutes. The Office of the President shall be responsible for preparing and maintaining the minutes of the Council. A summary of Council decisions and policy recommendations will be included at the conclusion of the minutes. All minutes of the Council shall be forwarded to the Board of Regents Committee for Community Colleges for inclusion in its next regular agenda. Section 7. Parliamentary Procedure. Robert s Rules of Order Newly Revised, 10th Edition is the handbook of operation for the Council. Section 8. Quorum. Under Nevada s Open Meeting Law, a quorum is the simple majority of the Council members. Once the quorum of Council members is present, action items must receive a simple majority of the votes cast. Section 9. Voting. Each regular member of the council, or ex officio member, shall have one vote. Proxies may not vote. Article V. Bylaw Amendments Section 1. Amendments. These bylaws may be adopted, amended or repealed at any meeting by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Council and with consent from the President, provided the item has been properly agendized and a copy of the proposed amendment has been included to each member not less than three working days prior thereto. Article VI. Removal from Council Section 1. Members may be removed from office by a two-thirds majority of the voting members on the basis of not fulfilling their duties as outlined in the bylaws. Section 2. Members may be removed from office by a vote of two-thirds majority of the Council on the basis of not fulfilling the purpose of the organization, including missing more than three meetings per year. Section 3. Council Officers may be removed from their positions by a two-thirds majority of the Council on the basis of not fulfilling their duties as described in the bylaws. Section 4. Any member who is removed from office shall be given full notice of the alleged justification for removal and shall have an opportunity to respond to them, prior to the Council vote for removal from office. 5
Section 5. Any member of the Council may initiate removal proceedings. Section 6. Vacancies shall be communicated to the President and the Chair of the Board of Regents. Article VII. Subcommittees Section 1. Subcommittee Formation. With the College President s consent, the Council may vote by a two-thirds majority to establish sub-committees or ad-hoc subcommittees, if necessary, that will work on issues beneficial to the work of the Council as a whole. Ad-hoc committees are temporary and designed to accomplish an ephemeral task; Standing committees are permanent in nature until such time as the Council votes to dissolve the committee. Due to the resources the College must commit to the operation of subcommittees, the forming of them is discouraged unless absolutely necessary for the effective operation of the Council. The Chair and the College President (or their designees) shall be members of each sub-committee. The Council Chair shall appoint a subcommittee chair, who must be a Council member. The membership of the subcommittee shall not exceed seven (7) members. The College President may assign additional College staff to subcommittees as non-voting members. All subcommittee meetings are subject to the Nevada Open Meeting Law, NRS Chapter 241. Section 2. Elimination of Subcommittees. Standing subcommittees may be eliminated, provided the elimination is agendized, and provided the Council approves the elimination of the subcommittee by a vote of two-thirds of the Council. Article VIII. Office, Records & Expenses Section 1. Office. The principle office of the Council shall be the President s Office at 6375 W. Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89146-1164, Sort code: WCE310. Section 2. Records. Any necessary records of business, transactions, and affairs of the Council, a copy of these Bylaws, and a record of the membership shall be maintained at the President s Office. Section 3. Document & Record Requests. The Council may ask for documents, data or information from the College to conduct its operations and should do so either through the Chair in consultation with the President or by a vote of the majority during public meeting. Section 4. Expenses. Collectively with the College President s input and support, the Council may decide to undertake the planning and implementation of events and activities that increase the connectivity of the College to the community. The President must approve of any said events and/or activities if any College resources, including property, equipment or staff are required. The College is not authorized to provide office space, cell phones, computers, and IT equipment or business cards to the Council or its members. 6
Section 5. Reimbursement. Any reasonable expenses incurred in attending the meetings or carrying out the operations of the Council shall be reimbursed upon prior approval by the College President. 7