Committee Establishment and Management Policy

Responsible Unit: OIIE | Executive lead: President 
Created: 12/21/2011 | Reviewed/Revised: 5/9/2018; 11/4/2019, 1/9/2024 | Effective: 1/9/2024 
Compliance: N/A  
Approving Body: PAC and BOT | Classification: Institution-wide 

Policy:  
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences will maintain sufficient committees to accomplish necessary functions. All committees shall have documented procedures and a charter outlining purpose, membership, functions, duties, and reporting structure. The following committee levels will be maintained: 

  1. Board committees will be established as outlined in the bylaws or by board action. The board chair shall appoint the committee chair. Membership may include non-trustees as indicated. The board chair, if not an appointed member of a board committee may attend any board committee meeting in an ex-officio capacity without vote. Additional committees of the board shall be added as outlined in the bylaws. 
  2. University committees will be established upon approval of the president. The president, if not an appointed member of a University committee may attend any University committee meeting in an ex-officio capacity without vote. 
  3. Committees of a college, school, program, or institute will be established as outlined in their bylaws or upon approval of the dean/director. The dean/director, if not an appointed member of a college, school, program, or institute committee may attend any of its committee meeting in an ex-officio capacity without vote. 
  4. Student committees will be established upon approval of the student government body and its guiding document (bylaws or other). 

All committees will maintain a record of each meeting including attendance, stored in a secure location with access limited as delineated in the charter. Retention of committee procedures and core records of each meeting shall be the responsibility of the recording secretary. 

Core records of meetings include meeting agenda; minutes, notes, or reports of meetings; papers or reports presented to the committee; annual reports; terms of reference; correspondence where committee decisions or actions are taken in lieu of a meeting; requests for a proxy vote assignment. 

All committees shall have a chairperson appointed. The chairperson may choose to facilitate the meetings or may appoint a meeting facilitator. 

Committees may elect to form sub-committees or ad hoc committees as necessary to address specific tasks within the broader committee charter. 

All committees shall meet at least annually and provide summary reports as requested to the appropriate reporting body. 

The term for each committee shall be based on a fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) unless stated otherwise in the committee’s charter. 

University committees should adhere to principles of shared governance when selecting committee membership composition. 

Board of Trustee and/or board committee minutes shall be permanently retained . All other meeting minutes shall be retained for three years. 

Definitions: 
Standing committee: A permanent committee appointed to carry out assigned work on a specified subject or function of the University, college, or program as identified in charter. 

Committee: A group whose membership is delegated definite responsibility and authority for carrying out specific duties and/or functions over the long-term. 
 
Sub-committee: A sub-division of a standing committee or committee operating within the scope of the charter. All recommendations of the sub-committee shall be channeled to the standing committee or committee for approval. Sub-committees shall generally be comprised of members of the standing committee or committee, although additional members may be appointed for added expertise. 
 
Ad hoc committee: Ad hoc committees shall be formed to address a specific task or objective and are dissolved after completion of the task. Ad hoc committees will submit recommendations to the parent standing committee or committee. 

Task force (work group): A working group not convened through an established committee that is typically small in number, time-constrained, and has a specific deliverable. An executive of the University appoints a task force. Should the group find it has ongoing functions it must petition the executive to become a committee. 

Procedure: 
Committee Establishment and Management Procedure—found in University Procedures at MyPNWU 

Related documents: 
RCW 24.03.135 

Policy Resources

For assistance with policies and procedures contact:

Lori Fulton
lfulton@pnwu.edu