Teams and Committees
Guide to Philosophy and Operations
2003-2004
Content Control: On 24 September 2002 the Teams and Committees Guide to Philosophy and Operations entered the content control system of the Information Architecture Group, Office of the Deans and have been assigned the single source document number: ssd105. The IAGOD maintains custody of the official copy of this document and all changes must be made on that copy before the document can be revised in print or electronic form. For major revisions, an electronic copy of ssd105 in Microsoft Word can be checked out from the Information ArchCI Help Deskt, iaod@lis.fsu.edu. Minor corrections may be sent in the body of an email. The Assistant Dean for Administrative Services must approve all changes.
Table of Contents
About the Team and Committee StructureTeam and Committee Operations
Team Meeting Meeting Requirements Team Projects and Coordination
About the Team and Committee Structure
The School of Information Studies practices the concept of tenure-track faculty governance and implements it in a manner intended to minimize the burden on any one-faculty member. To enhance the School’s responsiveness, members of the non-tenure track faculty, staff and student body also are included in the process where appropriate. Governance of the school is distributed in two layers.
Distribution of Governance Responsibility
The first layer consists of faculty. Discussions and decisions take place at general faculty meetings and special retreats. The faculty as a whole has responsibility for strategic policy and oversight. All faculty members are welcome to participate in faculty meeting discussions, although voting rights are vested in tenure-track faculty and others designated by the tenure- track faculty.
The second layer of governance consists of teams and committees. Program teams develop the school’s programs and curricula. Service teams develop and review strategic and/or operational policy and provide general oversight of services to faculty, staff, and students. Committees address narrowly defined institutional needs of the school, university, and faculty. Teams have staff and student members. Committee members are assigned as required to facilitate the committees’ purpose.
Team and Committee Operations
All team and committee members should familiarize themselves with the following information about these operations. The Office of the Deans may resolve disputes regarding interactions between teams.
Team Meetings
Scheduling Team Meetings:
- The first meeting for each academic year should be no later than the first Faculty Business meeting of the academic year. All teams will meet at least once per semester.
- Program teams will meet at the call of their team coordinator or at the request of any three members of the tenure-track faculty.
- Service teams will meet at the call of the team coordinators, the Deans, or at the request of any three members of the tenure-track faculty.
- Committees will meet at the call of the Dean or at the request of any three members of the tenure-track faculty.
Initial Team Tasks
- The first order of business is to select a team coordinator.
- Teams may choose to have co-coordinators or different coordinators for fall and spring semesters. An initial coordinator to call the first meeting has been identified.
- Coordinators for Program Teams shall be full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty; co-coordinators, if used, need not be.
- The team also should determine its objectives and meeting schedule for the academic year. The objectives and meeting schedule should be posted in accordance with procedures set forth in Meeting Requirements.
- The team should select student members where appropriate.
- All teams should review and revise their purpose statements, as necessary, during the first meeting. Team coordinators will forward revised purpose statements to the Dean.
Meeting Requirements
Open Meetings Law (Sunshine Law)
- All team and committee meetings are to be held in accordance with the Open Meetings Law.
- All meetings, except for promotion and tenure deliberations, shall be open to the public at all times.
- Reasonable notice of all meetings must be given, including date, time, location, and subject matter summation. Agendas, which are more specific than subject matter summations, should be included in the notice rather than subject matter summations if known.
- Notice shall be posted on the School of Information Studies online calendar as part of the FSU online calendar. Team coordinators are responsible for submitting meeting schedules to the Administrative Services Coordinator in the Office of the Deans to be posted to the calendar.
- Notice for the first meeting of the academic year should be posted at least three days prior to the meeting. Twenty-four hour notice may be
- Notice for second and subsequent meetings for the academic year should be posted at least one week prior to the meeting.
- Meeting minutes must be recorded and made available within one week for public inspection.
Meeting Minutes:
- Teams will assign a recorder for each meeting.
- Minutes will contain a brief record of topics discussed and decisions made.
- Team coordinators should review decisions for possible operational, administrative, or policy implications that would require a faculty vote.
- Team coordinators should be aware of issues that might need the attention of other teams and take action to notify those teams when necessary.
- Team coordinators should distribute the minutes to all faculty and staff and to student members of the team within a week of the meeting. Posting to the intranet fulfils this requirement.
Public Records Law
- Essentially, all documents created, received, or maintained by teams and committees, except as noted below, are open for public inspection. This provision does not include the following:
- Personal notes made by and for the use of the individual.
- Drafts of documents that are not circulated to others for comment, or
- Student records, evaluation material, investigation records, and research records.
- Record copies of documents shall be maintained for a period of 3 fiscal years in accordance with the General Records Schedule GS5 for Universities and Community Colleges.
- Team and committee coordinators are encouraged to maintain meeting minutes in electronic form on the School’s intranet. Procedures for posting minutes are available on the intranet.
- Other documents that are created, received, or maintained by teams should be given to Administrative Services Coordinator in the Office of the Deans to be filed.
Team Projects and Coordination
Project Teams
- Program and Service Teams may develop project teams or sub-teams as needed to accomplish work or to improve coordination with other teams on joint projects. These teams shall follow procedures set forth in this guide.
- Notice that special project teams have been formed should be communicated to the faculty in a reasonable time and made an agenda item at the next faculty meeting.
Liaisons
- Teams may appoint permanent or case specific liaisons to other teams.
- Coordination with the other team prior to making liaison appointments is expected.
Program Team Coordinators
- Undergraduate Team Coordinator serves:
- As the SOIS liaison
- On the Deans’ Advisory Committee
- Masters and Specialist Team Coordinator serves:
- As the liaison to any general master’s/specialist student group (e.g., SOLTAS)
- On the Deans’ Advisory Committee
- Doctoral Program Team Coordinator serves:
- As the liaison to the Doctoral Research Society (DRS)
- On the Deans’ Advisory Committee
Copyright © 2007 College of Information 101 Louis Shores Building
142 Collegiate Loop
Tallahassee, FL 32306-2100
(850) 644-5775
