Educational Advisory Council By-Laws

Name
Educational Advisory Council (EAC)

  • Object of the Organization
    1. Mission
      As a critical component of Portland Community College's governing structure, work with the college community to explore and examine issues concerning the educational experience at PCC and to create and recommend district-wide guidelines, standards, and practices.
    2. Goals
      1. Provide opportunities for exchanging views regarding educational issues at PCC, whether initiated by students, faculty, staff, or administration.  Create and propose guidelines, standards, and practices responsive to these issues in light of the input offered and recommend changes, revisions, and additions to curriculum, degrees, and certificates.
      2. Facilitate open and honest communication regarding educational guidelines, standards and practices to all of those affected.

      3. Provide an open forum for all voices within the instructional and student development communities.

      4. Advance discussion of administrative decisions affecting the educational experience.
    3. Objectives
      1. Craft and revise guidelines, standards, and practices that pertain to academic, curricular, student development, and student governance issues.
      2. Review recommendations about curriculum, degrees, certificates, standards, and practices from the standing and ad hoc committees.
      3. Make recommendations about curriculum, degrees, certificates, standards, and practices to the College President.
      4. Periodically review existing guidelines, standards, and practices in order to anticipate and respond to the changing needs of the PCC community.
    4. Membership
      1. Membership shall include students, administrators, staff and faculty drawn from the subject areas, programs, and locations of the college.  The resulting membership shall be broad and representative in composition. 
      2. Terms shall begin on July 1 of each year.
      3. Length of service for voting members shall not exceed two consecutive full or partial terms (up to six years).  Those who have finished one full or partial term may serve a second term.  Members who have completed two consecutive terms may rejoin the EAC following a break of at least one year.
        1. If a member resigns, leaving less than six months to be served, the position may be left vacant for the remainder of the year.
        2. Council members must inform the EAC Chair prior to absences; no proxies shall be allowed. For members serving a term, multiple absences could result in replacement on the EAC.
        3. As members are needed, the Membership Committee shall contact members of the PCC community (faculty, SAC chairs, ASPCC, or the appropriate administrator) and shall do initial screening as requested by the EAC Chair. Appointments shall be made by the College President from a list of nominees approved by the EAC.​
      4. Voting and Non-Voting Membership
        • Voting Membership
        1. Student Representatives. Five Student representatives. Individuals who have been selected by the Student Life & Leadership-Student Governance/Civic Engagement areas to serve as student representation.
        2. Academic Affairs Representatives1.  Individuals with a primary position that ultimately reports to the Vice President of Academic Affairs or an equivalent administrator.
          • One Classified Employee
          • One Academic Professional
          • Four Part-Time Faculty2.  Individuals having taught at PCC for at least one full year, striving for representation across Pathways and the campus community.
          • Eight Full-Time Faculty
        3. Student Affairs Representatives. Individuals with a primary position that ultimately reports to the Vice President of Student Affairs or an equivalent administrator3.
          • One Academic Advisor 
          • Six Academic Professionals
          • Seven Classified Employees
        4. Operations Representatives. Individuals in a non-management position that ultimately reports to the Executive Vice President or Vice President of Finance and Administration4.
          • Four Academic Professionals or Classified Employees5
        5. Administration/Management Representatives. 
          • One Director Student Life and Leadership
          • One Pathway Dean
          • One Student Affairs Dean 
          • One Program Dean
          • One Student Affairs Director or Manager
          • One Operations Manager
      • Non-Voting Membership
        • Vice President Academic Affairs
        • Vice President Student Affairs
        • Dean of Enrollment Strategies & Services
        • Dean of Academic Affairs
  • Meetings
    1. Meetings shall be held at least once a month during the academic year.
    2. Meeting locations shall rotate among the campuses or be held remotely, or a combination of modalities, using current remote meeting technologies.
    3. Meetings shall be open to the public. Attendees wishing to address the EAC shall sign in physically or using appropriate current technology at the beginning of the meeting.
    4. More than fifty percent (50%) of the voting members shall constitute a quorum. The EAC may continue business in the absence of a quorum unless a member calls for a quorum.
    5. Remote voting may take place using appropriate technology.
    6. Moderators shall use inclusive methods for gaining input such as “Zero to Five". To maintain accessibility, a range of modalities may be used to respond to facilitators.
    7. Member input on discussion topics may be gathered asynchronously using appropriate current technology.
  • Standing Rules
    1. The EAC Chair and the chairs of the standing committees should meet monthly during the academic year with the College President.
    2. Meetings shall be conducted by Democratic Rules of Order as interpreted by Democratic Rules of Order by Fred Francis and Peg Francis.
    3. EAC standing rules will be reviewed annually by the Membership Committee with a focus on promoting equitable and inclusive practices.
    4. Order of Business: The agenda shall be developed by the EAC Chair with input from members of the EAC, standing committee chairs, and/or members of the college community.
      1. Agendas for an EAC meeting shall be distributed to the college community prior to the meeting.
      2. Minutes of an EAC meeting shall be distributed to the college community within fourteen days following the meeting.
  • EAC Chair Election
    1. The EAC Chair must be a continuous appointment full-time faculty member whose length of service shall not exceed five consecutive years.
    2. In February of each year, the Membership Committee shall issue an invitation for EAC Chair nominations to the college community via email.
    3. At the EAC meeting in March, the nominees for EAC Chair shall be introduced by the Membership Committee and provided an opportunity to make a statement regarding their qualifications.
    4. At the EAC meeting in April, voting members of the EAC shall elect the EAC Chair for the following academic year.
    5. If a voting member is elected EAC Chair, the voting member shall be replaced by the Membership Committee.
  • Standing Committee Guidelines
    1. Standing Committees
      1. EAC Academic Policies and Standards Committee: The committee’s primary responsibility is to review and develop the academic policies and standards of the College and to recommend them to the EAC.
      2. EAC Curriculum Committee: The committee’s primary responsibility is to oversee the academic integrity of the College's courses. The committee reviews – and makes recommendations regarding – new courses, revisions to existing courses, general education issues, transfer eligibility, cultural diversity designation, and embedded related instruction. The voting membership is comprised of faculty and student representatives. New course and course revision requests submitted to the Curriculum Office are reviewed by the committee, recommended to the administration when the requests are approved, and reported to the EAC.
      3. EAC Degrees and Certificates Committee: The committee’s primary responsibility is to oversee the academic and program integrity of the College's degrees and certificates, including compliance with degree requirements mandated by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the state system of higher education, and policies particular to PCC. The committee makes recommendations to the EAC on issues relating to general education, basic competencies and course distributions as they impact degree, certificate, and course requirements. The committee oversees the College's residency and degree completion requirements and makes recommendations to the EAC on requests for exceptions to approved policies where feasible.
      4. EAC Membership Committee: The committee’s primary responsibility is to recommend EAC members and any replacements needed. The Membership Committee also holds yearly elections for the EAC Chair.
      5. EAC Student Development Committee: The committee’s primary responsibility is to review and recommend policies which affect the academic life of students, review and revise the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook, review and propose improvements to student service areas and procedures, and make recommendations to the EAC.
      6. EAC Advancement of Educators Committee:  The committee's primary responsibility is to review and make recommendations to policies and practices which affect part-time and full-time educators in order to improve respect, inclusion, and equity for part-time educators and to best serve PCC students.  The committee will be composed of up to twenty members to include at least six part-time faculty.
    2. Standing committee chairs shall be appointed by the EAC Chair and, with EAC approval, serve one year, renewable. Standing committee chairs comprise the EAC Leadership Team and attend regular meetings with the EAC Chair, the College President, the VPAA, the VPSA, the Deans of Instruction, and with others as needed. Compensation is determined in collaboration with the VPAA and may consist of course releases, time releases, or stipends. The VPAA consults with employees' supervisors to ensure appropriate coverage is possible in accordance with accreditation standards related to mission and core themes.
    3. Standing committee members shall be appointed by the committee chair, with approval of the EAC. As much as possible, committee membership shall be broadly representative of different subject areas, programs, and locations of the College.
    4. Standing committees may continue business in the absence of a quorum unless a member calls for a quorum.
  • Task Forces
    1. Purpose
      1. When an issue being considered by the EAC needs additional research before the body can reach a decision, the EAC Chair may form a special Task Force by appointing a Task Force Chair (or Chairs).
      2. The particular question assigned to the task force shall be specified by the EAC Chair in consultation with the EAC Leaders who shall take into consideration the connection of the particular issue to the overall decision-making structure at PCC.
    2. Responsibility
      It shall be the responsibility of a Task Force to:
      1. Research the question.
      2. Share the status of its research with the EAC at each of its monthly meetings.
      3. Update the EAC Chair between the monthly EAC meetings and to inform the Chair of any issues that may be presenting obstacles.
      4. Conclude its research within a time frame as specified by the EAC Chair.
      5. Bring recommendations to the EAC and include the advantages and disadvantages of each recommendation.
    3. Membership
      1. Membership on a Task Force shall be determined by the Task Force Chair(s) in consultation with the EAC Leaders.
      2. Membership shall be representative of the groups who have a vested interest in the issue under discussion, and the membership needs to remain representative of these interests for the duration of the Task Force.
  •  Adjustments to Meeting Procedures Due to Unforeseen Extenuating Circumstances related to COVID-19​

1. Under circumstances that prohibit the ability of the EAC members to meet in the same physical space (eg. a social distancing mandate response to a pandemic), meetings may be held remotely, using current remote meeting technologies.  

2.Meetings shall remain open.  It is acknowledged that technical considerations may require an implementation of a system of information and access. 

3. Remote voting may take place using appropriate current technology.  Where the existing By-Laws require a closed Ballot, the administrative assistant (non-voting) will administer the voting mechanism together with the chair of the Membership Committee.

4. Adjustments to the meeting schedules described in the existing By-Laws will be made according to need, with an effort to adhere to the degree possible.

5. Minutes and Agendas shall continue to be posted and accessible

6. Current voting-members must be informed of any emergency changes, and to the degree possible, must have an opportunity to vote for any emergency changes.

7. Upon return to normal circumstances, the EAC will resume functioning according to the By-Laws as they existed prior to the extenuating circumstance.

Footnotes

1

Definition used in survey (November 2019) and Preliminary Report (January 2020) adjusted to more broadly fit staff in the Academic Affairs area.

2

Definition from current bylaws.

3

Definition used in survey (November 2019) and Preliminary Report (January 2020) adjusted to more broadly fit staff in the Student Affairs area.

4

Definition used in survey (November 2019) and Preliminary Report (January 2020) adjusted to include the Vice President of Finance and Administration.  

5

Survey (November 2019) and Preliminary Report (January 2020) adjusted to specify job groups that are non-management positions. 

4

Definition used in survey (November 2019) and Preliminary Report (January 2020) adjusted to include the Vice President of Finance and Administration.  

5

Survey (November 2019) and Preliminary Report (January 2020) adjusted to specify job groups that are non-management positions. 

Policy/Standard Name:  EAC By-Laws
Policy/Standard Identifier:  Appendix B
Authority:  N/A
Units responsible for review and update:  Educational Advisory Council
Approval:  College President
Responsibility:  Vice President for Academic Affairs and Vice President for Student Affairs
Date of Final Approval: May 2022
Effective Term: Fall 2022
Prior Versions:  Yes