Department Heads Council

Membership & Terms 

Membership selection: The COEHS Dean, Associate Deans, and Department Heads are automatically assigned to this committee by virtue of their positions.

Chair: The COEHS Dean serves as chair. The chair or designee will call meetings, develop the agenda, preside over meetings, and is responsible for maintaining and filing meeting documentation.

Tenure of membership: The COEHS Dean, Associate Deans, Directors, and Department Heads serve for the duration of tenure in their respective positions.

Operational Guidelines

Meetings: The council meeting schedule will be established by the COEHS Dean. Other meetings will be schedule as a function of the required business.  Electronic meetings and votes are permitted as necessary.

Meeting Protocol: Use Robert’s Newly Revised Rules of Order 11Th Edition—see COEHS’s abbreviated rules.

Quorum: A quorum exists when more than 50 percent of the membership is represented in person or by proxy.

Voting: A plurality is sufficient to decide. A record of the vote is included in the meeting documentation. The chair will vote in cases of a tie. Proxies are permitted. Persons should abstain from voting and discussion on issues in which they have a direct personal interest “not common to other members” (see Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised 11th Edition, p. 407-408, for more detailed explanation). Electronic voting is permitted as long as the total number of ballots cast constitutes a “quorum."

Subcommittees or Task Forces: The council has the authority to create subcommittees or task forces to explore and report on issues or complete specialized tasks.  Although the membership of these groups must have at least one committee member, other members may be drawn from individuals with other areas expertise.

Minutes: Committee discussions and actions should be recorded using “Dewar COEHS Meeting Documentation Form.” Copies of the Meeting Documentation Form, reports, proposals, recommendations, and all other documents are to be filed.