Administrators' Council Charter and Bylaws

Charter

Section 1. Constitution 

  1. The Administrators’ Council is constituted as a committee of the President of Fordham University (the University).
  2. The Administrators’ Council (hereafter AC) shall be a consultative and deliberative body charged to make recommendations to Senior Leadership on matters that have a significant bearing on the University and Administrators in particular.  The AC shall promote the growth and welfare of its administrator employee members, creating an atmosphere in which employees are willing and able to share ideas, as well as ask questions to improve the workplace environment. This forum will provide a venue for open communication and ongoing dialogue among and between administrators, as well as the University community.  

Section 2. Membership 

  1. The AC shall be open to administrators of the University who do not fall within the definition of University Executive Leadership* shall be selected by their peers who are also eligible administrators pursuant to the same definition. 
  2. The AC shall be comprised of a minimum of eleven (“11”) members, and a maximum of twenty-five (“25”) members. The composition of the AC shall be established on a pro-rata basis from each [area/division] of the University, to the extent that individuals are willing to serve on the AC.
  3. All members of the AC must be in Good Standing** with the University and their nomination to the AC must be approved by the administrator’s supervisor and area VP/Academic Leader, who shall certify that the nominee can fulfill this duty, taking into consideration operational and programmatic needs.
  4. The AC shall report to Senior Leadership on a regular basis on the AC’s deliberations and recommendations.

*Senior or Executive Members of Staff: encompass the following titles:  President, Provost, Senior Vice President, Vice President, Chief of Staff, University Secretary, Vice Provost, Dean, Chief Investment Officer, Controller, Athletics Director, Senior Associate Vice President, Associate Vice President, Associate Provost, Associate Dean, Assistant Vice President, and members of the Office of Legal Counsel and Office of Human Resources Management.

**Good Standing: an administrator that has: 1) successfully completed their introductory period and has been employed as an administrator for at least two (2) years; 2) has no disciplinary notices in their labor file for at last two (2) years; 3) has satisfactory ratings or more than satisfactory ratings in their yearly appraisals on file for the last two (2) years; and 4) has completed the mandatory yearly training modules such as the Sexual Harassment Prevention in the Workplace and other mandatory training modules for their position.

Section 3. Reporting Line

  1. The AC Chair shall give feedback to the President of the University once a year at the conclusion of the Chair’s term.
  2. The AC does not have the authority to bind the University and shall serve as an advisory and consultative body only.
  3. The AC is not authorized to act in an advocacy role or to assume the role of arbitrator in any matter involving a specific administrator or the actual or suspected violation of any University Policy. Administrators are encouraged to work directly with their supervisor or appropriate Human Resources officer if there are issues specific to their personal situation and to follow the procedures outlined in the applicable policy with respect to actual of suspected violations of such policy.

Section 4. Meetings and Procedures

  1. The members of the AC shall meet at least every other month and shall alternate meetings between the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses.
  2. The AC may additionally meet on an ad hoc basis to consider major agenda items or events.
  3. In order to hold a meeting where voting is required, a quorum must be present in person or by means of video conferencing.  A quorum consists of a simple majority, or one half the members of the AC plus one. 
  4. A meeting agenda shall be prepared by the AC Chair with input from the other AC members and distributed one (1) week in advance of the meeting.
  5. Minutes shall be taken by the AC Secretary and preserved for a period of 3 years for inspection by members of the AC and the Senior Leadership.

Section 5. Review and Approval of this Charter

This Charter was reviewed and approved by the President of the University.

This Charter shall be reviewed and amended as appropriate periodically. The dates of subsequent review and amendments of this Charter, as well as approvals are recorded in Annexure A to this Charter.

Bylaws

1. Number of Administrators’ Council Members

Minimum of 11 & up to 25

In addition, a member of the Office of Human Resources Management (“HR”) should be on the AC as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the AC.  However, should the AC desire to discuss matters outside of the presence of HR, the AC may call for, by majority vote, an executive session that excludes HR.

2. Selection of Council Members

AC candidates will be elected, per Section 3 (Terms of Service), from across the University in proportion to the number of employees in the organization:

  • Administration (Facilities, Government Relations, Veterans Affairs, Public Safety)
  • Athletics
  • Development and University Relations
  • Enrollment
  • Finance
  • Information Technology
  • Marketing and Communications
  • Mission Integration and Ministry
  • President & Provost (Central Operations)
  • Academic Affairs (Schools)
  • Student Affairs

3. Terms of Service

Inaugural members shall serve staggered terms:

  • Approximately ⅓ of the AC members are replaced after serving two (2) years; 
  • Approximately ⅓ of the AC members are replaced after serving three (3) years; and,
  • Approximately ⅓ of the AC members are replaced after serving four (4) years.

After the inaugural elections, AC members will serve three (3) year terms.

Also in the inaugural year, the initial AC Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary shall be elected by the general membership from a pool of volunteers in a special election.  In future years, the Bylaws will specify how the AC Executive Committee is chosen. 

Elections shall be held using an anonymous online survey tool, following the model used by the Faculty Senate for its elections. All nominations will be reviewed and approved by HR to ensure that a nominated employee is in Good Standing* with the University.  Nominees must be employed by the University for two (2) years and shall also be vetted by the employee’s supervisor and Area VP/Academic Leader as stated in Section 2.3 of the AC Charter.

Nominations to fill open positions subsequent to the inaugural year on the AC can be self-nominated or nominated by a colleague. Since meetings are held during regular business hours, those employees interested in serving on the AC are advised to obtain the approval of their supervisor, which shall not be unreasonably withheld based upon operational and programmatic needs of the University.

A call for nominations will be announced in the spring and new members will be notified by June. The AC will review nominations and the selection of new members will be decided via a uniform confidential ballot of all eligible Administrators. The election process will be coordinated by the current Council with assistance from HR. New members will be introduced to the AC in July. 

All elected members must remain in Good Standing** with the University throughout the duration of their term, which will be reviewed annually by HR.

**Good Standing - an administrator that has: 1) successfully completed their introductory period and has been employed as an administrator for at least two (2) years; 2) has no disciplinary notices in their labor file for at last two (2) years; 3) has satisfactory ratings or more than satisfactory ratings in their yearly appraisals on file for the last two (2) years; and 4) has completed the mandatory yearly training modules such as the Sexual Harassment Prevention in the Workplace and other mandatory University training modules required for their position.

4. Executive Committee

The Executive Committee of the AC will include the Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary, and Former AC Chair, ex-officio, after the first year.

A. The AC Chair shall preside at and conduct the meetings of the Council. 

B. The Vice Chair shall exercise all the powers and duties of the Chair in the Chair's absence.

C. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all the meetings of the AC, shall maintain the roll of the members, and shall send out all notices of meetings.

The term of office of the Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary shall be one (1) year. Each officer shall be eligible for not more than two consecutive re-elections to the respective office. 

The Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary and Former AC Chair shall vote as members at Council meetings.

5. Voting

Each member of the AC shall have voting rights. A standard quorum at an AC meeting will consist of a simple majority of the AC membership, or half of the committee membership plus one, joining a meeting either in person or by video conferencing.  If the AC does not have a quorum, then any voting must be tabled.

Voting shall be decided by a simple majority of those present and voting. Discussion on a topic to be voted on will be held prior to the meeting with the vote.

6. Meeting Schedule

In-person meetings will be held every other month, alternating between Rose Hill and Lincoln Center, with a virtual meeting option provided.

7. Setting the Agenda

Setting the agenda for the meetings shall be the responsibility of the Council Chair, in consultation with the Executive Committee.

Any member of the Council may present an item for the agenda to the Council Chair for consideration prior to an upcoming meeting.

The agenda will be communicated in advance of meetings.

8. Rules of Order

Robert's Rules of Order shall govern on all matters not specifically covered in the Bylaws.

9. Sub-Committees

Sub-Committees shall be formed and the rules establishing procedures of these committees shall be developed, if and when the need arises, as determined by the AC. Each sub-committee is expected to meet regularly as projects dictate, and prepare a report with recommendations for the upcoming AC meeting.

10. Adopting & Amending the Bylaws

The inaugural AC shall be required to review and adopt the Bylaws at its first meeting. In addition, the AC will discuss and formalize a process for amending future Bylaws within the first six (6) months of inception.

11. Feedback Form

The AC makes recommendations on behalf of all Fordham University administrators in matters which impact administrators across the University. Everyone’s feedback is critical to the AC’s work. The AC will develop a feedback form for administrators to submit general comments, questions or concerns related to the work environment, benefits, University policies or programs, AC events, or ideas to increase community engagement or support for administrators.

AC members monitor the general mailbox, [email protected]. A member of the Council will address each submission by providing information as appropriate, alerting the applicable departments of major concerns, acting as an advocate on behalf of all Administrators, or making recommendations to a specific Council sub-committee when relevant.  This email address should not be used to report violations of University Policy or other matters for which the University has an existing reporting procedure or which are more appropriately handled by the University administration. All concerns, complaints or reports of actual of suspected violations of University Policy should be reported to the appropriate person or office indicated in the policy.  In the event that AC receives concerns, complaints or reports of actual or suspected violations of University Policy, the AC immediately will forward the complaint to the appropriate University office for further action and redirect the individual making such complaint to the appropriate office. The University will not be deemed to have received notice of any actual or suspected violation of University Policy until such violation is reported through the process set forth in the applicable Policy.

If an individual’s concern is personal or sensitive in nature, they should consider directly contacting the Office of Human Resources Management at 817-718-4930 or [email protected] for assistance.