Draft 2  council charter aparisot 8/30/2005

Charter
Montana Two-Year Education Council

*Mission

The Montana Two-Year Education Council is a partnership of two-year college leaders dedicated to a single purpose--ensuring that two-year colleges in Montana succeed in developing more prosperous and productive individuals, businesses, communities, and economies throughout the state.

*Goals

To achieve its mission, the Montana Two-Year Education Council concentrates its efforts on:

1.             Engendering a statewide understanding of the value of two-year colleges and a statewide commitment to promoting and increasing the value of two-year education in Montana.

2.             Serving as the primary resource in Montana for information and consultation about two-year education-related issues, whether in Montana or throughout the world;

3.             Using common language and similar approaches to ensure that two-year pathways to four-year degrees or to high-demand jobs are frequently and easily traveled;

4.             Sharing resources to ensure that the needs of Montana's students, communities, and economies are met in responsive, flexible, affordable ways;

5.             Creating peer networks and dialogue across disciplines, positions, communities, and cultures within the two-year college sector.

6.             Taking a leadership role in the development, implementation, and assessment of programs and services related to the best practices of two-year colleges adopted by the Board of Regents in 2003;

7.             Fostering effective partnerships with high schools, other colleges, government and government agencies, community groups, and business and industry to address emerging needs in education, the Montana economy, our communities, and society.

*(Adopted, 2004)

Role and Responsibility

               Advise and assist the BOR, on issues, opportunities or problems related to two-year education from a statewide, systemic focus

               Maintain a regular reporting slot on the Board of Regents meeting agenda

               Provide a standing report for each Board of Regents meeting

               Report to Regents' standing committees as appropriate

               Provide a comprehensive annual report

Membership

Deans of Colleges of Technology

Chancellors of Colleges with Two-Year Programs

Presidents of Community Colleges

Director of Two-Year Education and Workforce Development

Member's representative (TBD)

Governance

Leadership

The Chair of the Council shall preside at all meetings of the Council. The Chair shall determine the agenda for each Council meeting in consultation with the council. The Chair will participate in the consensus decision-making process as well as vote during the Council meetings.

Decision-making Process

A consensus process will be used for any agenda item requiring action. If consensus cannot be achieved, a majority vote will be required.

Meetings

Meetings shall be held six times per year. The Chair shall call a special meeting at the written request of at least five Council members, and the agenda for such a special meeting will be the items stated on that written request.

The agenda will be disseminated to the members in advance of each meeting. Minutes will be taken and distributed to members. The minutes will record the actions taken at a meeting and summarize the discussions.

The Council may adopt any rules necessary for the orderly conduct of its Business.

All meetings of the Council shall be open to the public.

Committees

The Council may appoint ad hoc committees as necessary. Members of such ad hoc committees do not need to be members of the Council.

Assumption

The Council will interface with the Montana Board of Regents by:

         addressing problems relating to two-year education as they arise

         providing an annual report on issues that are ongoing with two-year education.

         Imparting a coordinated, systemic approach to two-year education in Montana