Charter

Section I Name

The name of this organization shall be the Administrative Council of Oregon Institute of Technology (hereafter “Oregon Tech”), created by Presidential action on February 2, 1997.

Section II Purpose

The purpose of the Administrative Council, hereafter referred to as "AC," is to represent the ideas and interests of administrative staff members to the President and other campus constituencies. The AC will:

  1. Be available to serve in an advisory capacity to the President and other appropriate administrators;
  2. Maintain ongoing contact with the Faculty Senate;
  3. Consider appropriate campus-wide issues where the input and/or interest of administrative staff are relevant, and make appropriate recommendations about these issues;
  4. Review proposed Oregon Tech policies and procedures and advise appropriate parties accordingly;
  5. Perform annual selection of Administrative Emeritus, see Section VII or OIT-21-092; and
  6. Manage or support events and initiatives that strengthen connections between Administrative staff and the rest of the university, as well as strengthen connections between Administrative staff across locations.

Section III Amendment of the Charter

This Charter may be amended by the AC at any regular meeting. Passage of the amendment requires a 2/3 vote of the total AC membership. Proposed amendment of this Charter shall be distributed to all administrative staff at least seven calendar days prior to the meeting called for the purpose of voting upon the amendment.


Bylaws

Section I Membership

  1. Definition of Administrative Staff. Administrative staff of Oregon Tech are defined as all unclassified Oregon Tech employees with primary job functions in the areas of administration, service, or research (rather than in the area of classroom instruction).
  2. Eligibility. Any member of the Oregon Tech administrative staff, with the exception of the President, is eligible to be appointed or elected to the AC.
  3. Appointment and Election of Members. One of the ten members of the AC shall be appointed by the Oregon Tech President, as set forth in Section III of these Bylaws. One of the eight members will be a non-voting member of Faculty Senate as set forth by Faculty Senate appointment. Eight members shall be elected by members of the administrative staff as set forth in Section IV of these Bylaws: four from Klamath Falls, two from Wilsonville, and two floating members from either campus. Purpose – to provide both balance and flexibility
  4. Requirements for Service. In order to ensure the commitment necessary for the committee to function effectively, elected members are expected to make every effort, to attend meetings. Members who cannot attend a meeting should appoint a substitute who can attend in their place. The substitute can be any Administrative staff member. Members who have difficulty attending meetings and do not appoint substitutes may be asked to step down.
  5. Voting Rights. When a term expires for a member of AC who holds voting responsibilities to another group on campus, the position must be advertised and accepted by the next nominee with the understanding of this position’s voting responsibility. See Section II for Terms of Service.
  6. Officers and Liaison Roles (all can be appointed from AC members from either campus)
    1. Chairperson (to be elected from the members). The Chairperson of AC sits on the President’s Council and is a voting member of that Council, and sits on the Emeritus Committee and is a voting member of that Committee.
    2. Secretary (to be elected from the members).
    3. A Member representing AC to Faculty Senate. If the appointed representative cannot make a given meeting, they may ask another AC member to attend in their place. The AC representative to Faculty Senate is non-voting member of Faculty Senate.
    4. A Member representing AC to the Fiscal Operations Advisory Committee (FOAC). If the appointed representative cannot make a given meeting, they may ask another AC member to attend in their place. This member will not be the member appointed by the Oregon Tech President, the Chair, or the Secretary.
    5. Members who agree to serve as representatives to FOAC or Faculty Senate are expected to make every effort to attend those meetings. In the event they are not able to attend, they are empowered to appoint another Administrative Council member to attend in their place. In order to provide flexibility, two members may also share liaison duties to another committee if mutually agreeable.

Section II Term of Service

The standard term of service for elected representatives will be two years. A year of service begins on the first day of summer term (July 1), and will continue until the last day of Spring Term (June 30).

  1. The President's appointee shall serve for a term determined by the President.
  2. The Representative from Faculty Senate to AC will serve a one-year term.
  3. The Representative from AC to Faculty Senate will serve a one-year term. This term may be extended to two years if the representative begins in their first year of service and wishes to continue for a second year.
  4. The Representative from AC to FOAC will serve a one-year term. This term may be extended to two years if the representative begins in their first year of service and wishes to continue for a second year.

Section III Appointment of Members by the President

  1. The President shall appoint one member of the administrative staff to serve on the AC. He/she shall notify the AC Chair of the appointment who shall in turn inform all administrative staff members.
  2. Should a vacancy occur in the position appointed by the President, the President will then appoint an individual to fill this vacancy.

Section IV Election of Members by the Administrative Staff

  1. Each spring, a nomination and election process shall be held to fill available elected positions on the AC. Administrative staff members may cast votes for up to three candidates to serve as AC representatives.
  2. Between April 15 and April 30 of each year, any administrative staff member may nominate any other member of the administrative staff to serve on the AC. Each year, the AC Chairperson will announce to all administrative staff the opening of this nomination period. Nominations are made by informing the current AC Chairperson of the nomination.
  3. The AC Chairperson will verify each nominee’s interest in service on the Council. If the nominee agrees to be a candidate, his/her name will be added to the election ballot.
  4. During the first week of May, the AC Chairperson will distribute ballots to all administrative staff. Ballots will list each candidate’s name, job title, and department. Instructions will be given to return ballots to the AC Chairperson no later than May 15.
  5. The AC Chairperson and Secretary will tally the ballots during an AC meeting. In the event that the current Chair and/or Secretary is/are a candidate, (an)other AC member(s) shall conduct the tally. The top three vote-getters will be entitled to serve on the AC. In case of a tie, a run-off election will be held no later than May 30. The Chairperson will notify all administrative staff members of the election results in a timely manner.
  6. Ballots will be retained for thirty days then destroyed. Results of the election will be memorialized in the meeting minutes.
  7. Should a mid-term vacancy occur for an elected member of the AC, the remaining members will select a member of the administrative staff to complete the term of this vacancy.

Section V Election of a Chairperson, Secretary and Representative to Faculty Senate

  1. Newly elected members will meet outgoing members at the academic year’s final AC meeting. Nominations and elections will occur at this meeting for the offices of AC Chairperson, Secretary, a non-voting Representative to Faculty Senate, and a Representative to FOAC.
  2. Following the close of nominations and discussion, incoming and continuing members of the Council will vote, by secret ballot if determined by the Chair to be necessary, to elect the new Chairperson, Secretary, Representative to Faculty Senate, and Representative to FOAC. Each position will be nominated, closed and voted upon in turn.
  3. A candidate must receive a simple majority of votes to be elected to any of these positions. In the case that no candidate initially receives a simple majority of votes, a run-off election will be held for the top two candidates. The candidate receiving the most votes in the run-off election will be elected to the position.
  4. The Chairperson, Secretary, Representative to Faculty Senate, and Representative to FOAC will each function in these roles for one-year terms, extendable to two years if the AC member wishes.
  5. Position descriptions shall be maintained for the Chair and Secretary and will be reviewed by the incoming and outgoing officers.

Section VI Retention of Records

  1. It is the responsibility of the officers to retain records of the Administrative Council in accordance with relevant Oregon statutes and administrative rules.

Section VII Amendment of By-laws

  1. These bylaws may be amended by the AC at any regular meeting. Passage of the amendment requires a 2/3 vote of the total AC membership. Proposed amendment of these bylaws shall be distributed to all administrative staff at least seven calendar days prior to the meeting called for the purpose of voting upon the amendment.

Section VIII Administrative Emeritus Selection

  1. See Administrator Emeritus Selection, OIT-21-092