200 Governance

205 Principles of shared governance
Shared governance is essential to realizing fully the spirit and goals of Columbia College Chicago’s mission. The governance structure outlined in this document includes participation by the college’s main constituencies—Board of Trustees, full- and part-time faculty, administration, staff, and students—and is directed toward promotion of the following objectives:

Here is the Office of the Provost's organizational chart.

210 Board of Trustees
Ultimate legal authority is vested in the Board of Trustees. Fundamental issues of college policy and management of the college’s budget and finances are subjects of the board’s purview.

A list of the members of the Board of Trustees, with pictures and bios, may be found at this link.

215 Administrative bodies
A number of bodies meet regularly to plan, share information, discuss pertinent college issues, review programs, recommend policies, and propose procedures.

215.1 President’s Cabinet
This cabinet is comprised of the president’s chief of staff and the vice presidents.

215.2 Provost’s Council
This council consists of all direct reports to the provost including the school deans. Representatives from the Faculty Senate and Chairs’ Council are invited to attend the group’s meetings, but are not formal members of the council.

215.3 Deans’ Councils
The school deans meet on a regular basis with their department chairs and program directors to discuss matters of school-wide and college-wide interest and importance.

220 Faculty Senate
The Faculty Senate of Columbia College Chicago is an officially-sanctioned body within the governance structure of the college. The Faculty Senate embodies the principles of shared governance and is driven by the collective will, expertise, and creative energy of its full-time faculty. The Faculty Senate empowers the faculty to provide authoritative communication and collaboration with the president of the college, chief academic officers, and others regarding policies and practices pertaining to academic excellence, creative and scholarly endeavor, and professional responsibility and conditions of employment. The Faculty Senate is the principal body responsible for deliberations, formulations, and recommendations concerning academic policy at the college. More information can be found on the Faculty Senate Sharepoint site.

225 Graduate Council
The Graduate Council reviews college-wide issues related to graduate education, makes recommendations for policies related to graduate education, reviews new and revised graduate programs submitted by the graduate curriculum committees of the schools and approved by the school deans, and makes recommendations concerning these programs. Recommendations of the Graduate Council are made to the Faculty Senate for curricular matters and to the Dean of Graduate Studies for policy matters.

230 Columbia College Chicago Assembly
The Columbia College Chicago Assembly is an information sharing body, empowering the college community through knowledge, dialogue, and counsel. The assembly provides opportunities for a shared voice on significant issues, both internal and external, that have an impact on the college. The assembly represents the constituencies of the Columbia College Chicago community (full- and part-time faculty, staff, and students) and is responsible for planning, executing, and moderating each assembly as well as disseminating information to the college community. Assemblies may result in recommendations to the College administration concerning policy and procedure. More information can be found here.

235 Chairs’ Council
The Chairs’ Council consists of all those bearing the title of chair of an academic department of the college. Acting and interim chairs are members of the Chairs’ Council during their tenure. The Chairs’ Council meets twice monthly, at the call of the chair or co-chairs of the Chairs’ Council, elected by a majority vote of department chairs present at the first meeting of the year.

The Chairs’ Council meets for the purpose of discussing institutional policies and other matters of concern to the group and the college as a whole. The Chairs’ Council elects representatives to college-wide committees whose composition calls for elected chair representation.

The Chairs’ Council, by majority vote, makes formal recommendations to the president, to other administrators of the college, and to college committees on issues affecting the policies, operation, and collegiality of the college. It also serves in a consultative capacity to the administration when invited.

240 Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees
The Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees (FRBT) is a non-voting representative who serves as a liaison between the Board of Trustees and the Columbia College faculty. As such, the FRBT connects the interests and work of these constituencies. While the governance activities of the Board most often require confidentiality, which will prohibit the FRBT from sharing sensitive information with anyone who is not a member of the Board, the faculty representative will represent the faculty voice and experience. In order to provide a meaningful exchange of information between the faculty and the Board in its policy making role, the FRBT will continue ongoing dialogue with the faculty to ensure open communication of Columbia College faculty issues.

The position of FRBT is open to all tenured faculty members, including department chairs. Self-nominations and elections are managed by the Executive Committee, and the top three vote recipients are then interviewed by members of the Board of Trustees, who make the final selection.

255 College-wide Committees
Rosters for all college-wide committees can be found at this link.

255.1 All-College Tenure Committee
The All-College Tenure Committee (ACT Committee) participates in the Grant of Tenured Appointments and Post-Tenure Review: Level Two procedures in the Tenure Application Review subsequent to Department Processes, School Dean Processes, and the Applicant’s Responses outlined in the Statement of Policy Sections XVII and XVIII. More information about the ACT Committee can be found in the Statement of Policy here.

255.2 Procedural Review Committee
The Procedural Review Committee (PRC) is comprised of faculty members and chairs with Tenured Appointments and participates in the review of procedures related to sanction and dismissal of faculty members, and nonrenewal, denial of tenure, and termination of faculty members with tenured appointments for reasons other than cause. The composition, terms, selection and deliberations of the PRC are described in and governed by Section XXV of the Statement of Policy on Academic Freedom, Faculty Status, Tenure, and Due Process.

255.3 Academic Technologies Steering Committee
The Academic Technologies Steering Committee is an IT advisory committee chaired by a senior member of the Provost’s Office and the Chief Information Officer and AVP for Technology Services (CIO). It provides oversight for the use of teaching and learning technologies at Columbia College Chicago. The purpose of the committee is to:

• Provide recommendations for technologies and services supporting the teaching and learning environment, including the learning management system, classrooms, and computer labs;
• Review and recommend technology services and solutions to improve the overall teaching and learning environment for students and faculty at Columbia College Chicago;
• Review and recommend priorities among departmental and school technology requests;
• Maintain communication with the members’ various constituencies and the faculty senate; and
• Make recommendations to the Executive IT Council.

The composition of the committee is as follows:
• three at-large full-time faculty members, one from each school, chosen by an election managed by the Faculty Senate, each for two-year terms;
• one representative from the Faculty Senate Academic Affairs Committee for a one-year term;
• one representative from the Faculty Senate Faculty Affairs Committee for a one-year term;
• one representative from the Faculty Senate Financial Affairs Committee for a one-year term;
• one representative chosen by the Chairs’ Council for a two-year term;
• Director of the Library;
• Assoc Provost for Faculty Research and Development;
• Senior Associate Provost;
• Associate Dean, School of Fine and Performing Arts (ex-officio);
• Associate Dean, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences (ex-officio);
• Associate Dean, School of Media Arts (ex-officio);
• Dir. of Academic Curricular Support, Information Technology (ex-officio);
• Associate VP of IT and CIO – Facilitator (ex-officio); and
• Dir of Academic Technology, IT (ex-officio).

The current composition of the Academic Technologies Steering Committee can be found here.

255.4 Excellence in Teaching Award
Each year, the Excellence in Teaching Award Committee identifies and awards a cohort of up to eight faculty members, as many as four part-time and as many as four full-time, Excellence in Teaching Awards.

The composition of the committee is as follows:
• three full-time faculty representatives and one alternate, chosen by an election managed by the Faculty Senate, each for two-year terms;
• two part-time faculty representatives selected through a process in accordance with the college’s formal agreement with the part-time faculty;
• two full-time faculty representatives appointed by the provost, each for two- year terms;
• one representative of the Office of the Provost, selected by the provost (ex officio); and
• all three schools must be represented by the faculty listed above, not including the alternate.

The current composition of the Excellence in Teaching Award Committee can be found here.

255.5 Faculty Development Grant
With financial and administrative support from the Office of the Provost, the Faculty Development Committee selects proposals to support the creative and scholarly endeavors of full-time faculty.

More information about the Full-time Faculty Development Grant can be found here.

The composition of the committee is as follows:
• four full-time faculty representatives and one alternate, chosen by an election managed by the Faculty Senate, each for two-year terms;
• two representatives of the Office of the Provost, selected by the provost (ex officio); and
• all three schools must be represented by the faculty listed above, not including the alternate.

The current composition of the Faculty Development Committee can be found at here.

255.6 Sabbatical
The Sabbatical Committee reviews sabbatical applications each fall semester, and recommends to the provost support for those applications that are consistent with the Sabbatical Leave policy.

The composition of the Sabbatical Committee is as follows:
• four full-time faculty and one alternate, each with tenured appointments, chosen by an election managed by the Faculty Senate, each serving two- year terms;

• one representative of the Office of the Provost, selected by the provost (ex officio); and
• all three schools must be represented by the faculty listed above, not including the alternate.

Only tenured faculty are eligible to participate in the selection of the Sabbatical Committee. The current composition of the Sabbatical Committee can be found here. The Sabbatical Leave policy can be found in section 530.

255.7 Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Members of the Columbia College Chicago Institutional Review Board (IRB), appointed by the provost in consultation with the Chair of the IRB, represent the interests of the college and broader community. They are charged with safeguarding the rights and welfare of human subjects in research activities conducted by or at the college. More information can be found here.

255.8 Presiding Committee
The Presiding Committee of the Assembly is responsible for planning, executing and moderating each assembly as well as disseminating information to the college community. More information can be found here.

260 Ad hoc committees
In addition to ad hoc committees formed by the Faculty Senate, senior administrators may, from time to time, appoint ad hoc committees or task forces to deliberate and act upon a specific charge. Upon completion of their charge, such committees or task forces will be disbanded.