Standing Councils & Committees

Our Commitment

Individual Staff and Students lie at the heart of the entire decision-making process. The relationship between the college and these individuals provides the institu¬tion's essential purpose: to provide quality education to students and support for staff.

Decision-Making at the College

Each of us is connected to the college's information-sharing and decision-making network on several levels, beginning with our own departmental work group. We meet regularly within our departments to gather input, consider ideas, plan, and in some cases make decisions pertaining to our own area of operation. When issues arise they are resolved directly whenever possible, or else referred with recommendations to our division dean or appropriate council for review.

We can also enter into the decision-making process through CCC's college-wide network of councils, committees and taskforces. These groups are organized to promote free information sharing and gather the widest possible input from across the college community. Community input—through the Board of Education, the College Foundation, and committees that advise—is also an integral part of the college decision-making process at all levels. By drawing upon our collective strengths and engaging the community, we continue to provide quality education accessible to all students, adapt to changing needs, and remain accountable to the community we serve.

Councils

Councils serve a primary purpose of hearing issues and information across the college and may have decision-making/approval authority for committees coming to/reporting to them. Councils also consider recommendations by committees, review the status of the college's institutional effectiveness measures and strategic plans, and examine other internal and external information. Based on these reviews and analyses, Councils may influence the college's strategic priorities, develop a list of critical issues for future monitoring, and identify next year's strategic focus.

Committees that have a college-wide purpose report to College Council. College Council may decide to refer issues to Presidents' Council.

There are three councils in operation at Clackamas: Executive Council, Presidents' Council and College Council.

Committees

College-wide Committees address college-wide issues and report to the College Council, which refers certain issues to Presidents' Council. Clackamas Community College stresses the importance of involving representatives from all constituencies—Full-Time Faculty, Part-Time Faculty, Classified Staff, Exempt Staff, and Student Body—to the extent possible, drawing upon the diversity of talents and perspectives embodied in the college community.

Duties of the committee chair include: manage the committee's charge; maintain the minutes and meeting schedule; ensure constituencies (Classified, Exempt, Full-Time Faculty, Part-time Faculty, and Students); assign rotating terms/slots; and ensure that each committee member is involved in the decision-making process. Examples of committees include ARC (SEM), Curriculum and ISP.

The different constituent associations or deans usually staff committees, and staff should express interest in committee participation to their departments and associations. Most positions on these committees rotate membership every three years, and additional rotating terms are assigned as needed. Reporting calendars vary depending on the scope of issues being discussed.

Sub-Committees

A subcommittee is created when there is significant overlap in the type of work of the larger group, yet there are reasons for people to work on different, though related, tasks. In such cases, the creation of two committees is required, whereby one will become a subcommittee of a parent committee. A subcommittee works on specific tasks and pieces of a larger committee's work.

Membership consists of a secondary group or subdivision of the main committee. Subcommittees may or may not require a chair. The chair, if needed, may either be the primary committee chair or a secondary as named by the primary.

Examples of subcommittees include Grounds, Signage, Safety and Food Service (at least within the current context of our working council and committee system).

Task Forces

A task force (ad hoc group, or special committee) is formed to accomplish one time or infrequently occurring tasks that have relatively short completion timelines, generally no longer than one academic year.

Executive Council or Presidents' Council may establish task forces; or may emerge within a division as necessary. The initiating group would assign a leadership chair. Membership is determined based on knowledge/expertise related to the specific task. Examples of a task force include College Council Recharge, Learning Center Task Force, and Lean 14.

Workgroups

A workgroup is comprised of individuals coming together to discuss, explore, research, and/or share information about common work, a specific subject of interest to the members, or even possible initiatives. Some workgroups are established related to the functions of an organization and some are established in an impromptu manner as needed by an organization. Workgroups function on an on-going basis as needed related to the task or expected outcome.

Membership is determined by purpose: members may share a common role such as Deans or Department Chairs or members may share a common interest such as Open Education Resources (OERs) or STEM opportunities for students. There may or may not be a chair, as work groups may often function in a shared leadership manner. Outcomes from workgroups may be reported to the assigned work/function area, to a committee or to the area supervisor. Examples of workgroups include ISS Deans, Joint Deans, Department Meetings, SWAG, or Key Users.

Internal Advisory Groups (not related to external Program Advisory Groups)

An advisory group is formed to guide a committee, person, office, or function. An internal advisory group reports to a committee, and in some cases, a Vice President, Dean, or Director. Advisory groups will normally represent all appropriate constituencies and link with other committee/groups as necessary. Functions and outcomes will vary depending on each group's charge. The forming party will assign or identify an appropriate chair, if necessary. Membership does not necessarily have assigned/rotating slots. The advisory group chair will be responsible for managing the charge and membership. Examples of advisory groups include Scholarship, Financial Aid and Insurance.

Internal/Department Work or Advisory Groups

There are also a variety of internal/ external working groups that may arise within departments or divisions that may not need to access the guidelines contained within this website. This categorization and the definition of the groups as mentioned above does not preclude any of those groups from forming.

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