Santa Clara University
PA-3: Governance

Student Affairs Committee
Students, faculty, and student development and other appropriate staff will serve on the committee. Recommended membership will consist of one graduate student and four undergraduates, including the Associated Student Government President and Senate Chair (or designee) and two at large representatives, appointed to one-year renewable terms. Membership will also include two faculty and two staff, appointed to three year terms, renewable once, and the Vice Provost for Student Life as the Provost designee to the Committee.

The Student Affairs Committee will contribute to the improvement of student learning and the quality of the Santa Clara educational experience as related to co-curricular programs and student support services. The Committee will help monitor the effectiveness of, and serve as the final locus of, dialogue in the formulation and recommendation of major policies and program initiatives that affect student life and that contribute to the satisfaction and success of Santa Clara students.

The Student Affairs Committee makes its recommendations to the Provost.

Charge
1. Promote continued improvement of co-curricular programs, student support services, and other aspects of integrated learning.
2. Review, evaluate and improve policies and programs related to student life to ensure their consistency with, and contribution, to the mission and goals of Santa Clara as a Catholic and Jesuit university.
3. Review and evaluate proposals for substantive changes in programs or departments that affect student life.
4. Ensure that the University regularly reviews and assesses the quality and effectiveness of services to students.
5. Ensure appropriate consultation with students, faculty, and staff in the Committee's deliberations.
6. Advise the Provost on issues identified by either the Provost or the Committee.

Staff Senate:
The eligibility of Staff Assembly members to serve as Staff Senate members shall be defined as: staff members with a continuing 50% or more appointment, and who have completed one year of employment prior to the beginning of their elected term.

Staff Policy Manual:
Accordingly, supervisors and employees should work collaboratively to assure that staff members willing and able to serve as members of official University committees, task forces or other governing bodies may do so without jeopardizing the satisfactory performance of their respective position responsibilities. If University decision making is to reflect rich input from relevant stakeholders, they must be permitted to participate in University governance. Therefore, time spent on University business is recognized as an additional duty or responsibility and may be conducted during normal working hours.

See also:
http://www.scu.edu/governance/staffsenate/
http://www.scu.edu/governance/staffsenate/other_committees.cfm

Staff Senate Statement of Purpose
The Staff Senate shall exist to contribute to the success of Santa Clara University, to the growth and welfare of its staff employees, and to the promotion of a positive and supportive work environment. As a constituent organization, along with the Faculty Senate and Associated Students, the Staff Senate shall operate as a recognized part of the University governance system to provide a forum for open communication and ongoing dialogue among staff and between staff and administration. The Staff Senate shall be a consultative and deliberative body with authority to make recommendations on all matters which have a significant bearing on the working environment of the staff. The Staff Senate, through its elected representatives, will serve as the official nominating body for staff appointments to administrative committees, and for other task forces and search committees as requested.

Staff Affairs University Policy Committee
The Staff Affairs Committee works with the Vice President for Administration and Finance to promote staff development and to improve the quality of service and support provided. In this capacity, it serves as the final locus of dialogue in the formulation, review, and recommendation of policies and initiatives pertaining to the responsibilities, rights, and compensation of non-union staff members.

The Staff Affairs Committee makes its recommendations to the Vice President for Administration and Finance.

The chairs and vice-chairs of the UPCs and Research Committee are selected from among the members of each committee. Normally the vice-chair will be appointed chair in the succeeding year. The chair usually performs the typical duties of scheduling, setting the agenda, and presiding at committee meetings. The vice-chair usually takes notes and ensures that they are transmitted to the administrative assistant for Governance who will post them on the committee's Web page.

Faculty Senate
The Faculty Senate is established in order to develop and express the opinion of the faculty on academic and professional matters, to make the collective experience and knowledge of the faculty available to the university president, and to facilitate the participation of the faculty in forming the policies of the university.

Academic Affairs Committee
Faculty members for the Academic Affairs Committee shall be selected from tenured members of the faculty and senior lecturers.

Faculty Affairs Committee
The Faculty Affairs Committee shall be selected from tenured members of the faculty and senior lecturers. The size of the committee should not exceed nine members. The UCC shall appoint the members of the Faculty Affairs Committee. Membership should be broadly constituted to adequately represent a broad spectrum of perspectives, for example, disciplinary divisions within the University, an emphasis on teaching, scholarship and creative works, the University's graduate and undergraduate character, the Catholic and Jesuit tradition, and other perspectives, experiences, or expertise that may assist the Committee in its deliberations.

Planning Action Council
The Planning Action Council will be chaired by the President and include between thirteen and fifteen other members: the provost and vice presidents, the academic deans, and four to six members selected by the President and the University Coordinating Committee. These additional members will be selected for their relevant expertise, creativity, and University perspective rather than as representatives of particular constituency groups.

Faculty Senate
The Faculty Senate is established in order to develop and express the opinion of the faculty on academic and professional matters, to make the collective experience and knowledge of the faculty available to the university president, and to facilitate the participation of the faculty in forming the policies of the university.

Academic Affairs Committee
The Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) works with the Provost to improve teaching and learning and the quality of academic programs. In that capacity, it serves as the final locus of dialogue in the formulation of University policies, procedures, and guidelines that relate to academic affairs.

The Academic Affairs Committee makes its recommendations to the Provost.

Faculty Affairs Committee
The Faculty Affairs Committee (FAC) works with the Provost to promote the professional development of faculty. In this capacity it serves as the final locus of dialogue in the formulation of University programs, policies, and procedures pertaining to the responsibilities and compensation of the faculty.

The Faculty Affairs Committee makes its recommendations to the Provost.

Planning Action Council
The general purpose of the Planning Action Council is to promote, coordinate, and oversee planning at the University level. It will attempt to link the University's programs and services with its mission, markets, and resources. In meeting the challenges of external as well as the internal environment, it will strive to display and foster strategic thinking, timely action, effective implementation, and adequate communication.