Smith College: College Governance


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	Academic Freedom Committee		The Academic Freedom Committee reviews formal complaints as provided in Part II, Section 2 of the Smith College Civil Rights Policy and Grievance Procedures, to determine whether the speech or expression complained of is protected under the terms of the Statement on Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression.

	Academic Priorities, Committee on		The Committee on Academic Priorities establishes the educational and curricular priorities of the college, and engages in systematic, long-range curricular planning. Provost, Chair.

	Administrative Board		The board administers the academic requirements defined by faculty legislation as they apply to individual students.

	Admission, Board of		It is the responsibility of the dean of the college and the Board of Admission to determine admission programs and policies, subject to the approval of the faculty, administration or trustees as circumstances may require.

	Athletics, Committee on		The Committee on Athletics advises the director of athletics on policies, procedures and long-term planning goals, and examine the activities of the athletic department with respect to the mission of the college.

	Campus Planning Committee		The Campus Planning Committee is involved in formulating and implementing plans for the campus including facilities, landscape and traffic flow. The committee's work includes reviewing plans for major building projects, setting standards for campus beautification and overseeing decisions about changes in external appearance.

	College Council on Community Policy		The College Council on Community Policy is a broadly representative, deliberative group that meets to consider matters that concern the campus community. Its mission concerns the well-being of the community -- its capacity for collegiality and the pursuit of the commonweal while providing an excellent education to women.

	Educational Technology, Committee on		The Committee on Educational Technology determines specific hardware and software standards for academic users at the college; determines policies for the provision of hardware, software and support services to students and faculty; and recommends to the provost the allocation of the fund for curricular initiatives in educational technology.

	Faculty Compensation and Development		This committee sets policy on granting faculty members aid to scholarship and sets policy and normally monitors the funding of internal grants for faculty development. The committee advises the administration on policies regarding faculty compensation and aid to scholarship. Dean for Academic Development, Chair.

	Faculty Council		The Faculty Council takes an overall institutional view for planning, communicating with the Board of Trustees and for reviewing and integrating the policy decisions of faculty committees and administrative offices. It confers with administrative officers on matters pertaining to budget, financial aid, governance, general welfare of the college and general faculty personnel issues. The Faculty Council serves as a forum for faculty ideas and concerns.

	Grievance, Committee on		The Committee on Grievance reviews petitions of grievance presented by a faculty member alleging violation of his or her academic freedom, violations of federal or state laws barring discrimination on grounds of race, color, religion, sex, age, or national origin, or irregularities in the application of the procedures of the college pertaining to the individual's employment.

	Honorary Degrees, Committee on		The Committee on Honorary Degrees consists of three members of the faculty and three students. It makes recommendations to the board of trustees in regard to the conferring of honorary degrees.

	Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee		The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee considers all matters concerning the care and use of all live, vertebrate animals involved in teaching, research, research training, experimentation or biological testing or related usage at Smith College.

	International Students, Committee on		The Committee on International Students assists the Board of Admission in the recruitment and admission of all students entering Smith College with international academic credentials; advises the Office of the Dean of the College on academic and social matters pertaining to international students at the college, both graduate and undergraduate; and assists the assistant to the dean for international students when necessary in matters concerning the visa requirements for these students.

	Lecture Committee		This committee allocates endowed lecture funds and more generally serves as a clearinghouse for lectures, symposia, colloquia and films for the college community.

	Library, Committee on the		The Committee on the Library reviews the library operating budget, capital budget requests, space, staffing, long-range planning, and other library matters.

	Marshals, College		College Marshals and aides are appointed by the president. Their duties include the general supervision of public academic functions, including the allotment and distribution of tickets where they are required.

	Mission and Priorities, Committee on		The Committee on Mission and Priorities advises the president on long-range planning for the financial, human and physical resources of the college. The committee solicits, generates and reviews proposals for major new projects and initiatives, assesses progress in achieving the goals of current initiatives, and recommends priorities for the allocation and reallocation of resources.

	Staff Council		The mission of the Staff Council is to give members of the administrative, administrative support and service staff a focused and direct involvement in the governance of non-academic affairs and in the life of the Smith College community.

	Student Government Association		The Student Government Association is charged with the responsibility for overseeing student organizations and acting as a means for students to govern their non-academic lives and academic interests.

	Study Abroad, Committee on		The Committee on Study Abroad and a subcommittee on Junior Years Abroad meets to consider such matters as the chair or the subcommittees deem necessary. The Subcommittee on Junior Years Abroad holds an annual meeting with students from each of the preceding year's Junior Year Abroad programs.

	Sustainability, Committee on		The Committee on Sustainability is concerned with the best long-term use of finite natural resources and with the college's impact on the local, regional and global environment. The committee identifies, implements and evaluates approaches for increasing Smith's commitment to sustainability in all areas of the campus, including (but not limited to) construction, transportation, materials and energy use, waste management, purchasing, investment and the campus curriculum.

	Tenure and Promotion		This committee considers all tenure and promotion decisions, whether proposed by the president, by the committee, by the department, or by the candidate. President, Chair.

	Trustees, Board of		The Board of Trustees is custodian of the endowment and properties of the college. The board administers the invested fund, sets the annual budget and determines policies for operation and control of the college. Mary Patterson McPherson '57, Chair.