Committee Chair Responsibilities

The committee chair of each committee has many responsibilities. The following are some of the responsibilities for before a meeting, during a meeting, and after a meeting that must be performed by the committee chair.

Before the Meeting

1. Gather agenda items from members and the greater University community.

2. Reserve your rooms for an upcoming meeting. For meeting in Davies, either contact Event Services at 836‐5631 or email them. If you need help, contact Tanya in the Senate Office.

3. Develop a focused and realistic agenda. FOLLOW the format used for the Meeting Notice form: 1) text; 2) text; 3) text; Identify on the agenda WHO will serve as secretary for the meeting if a consistent secretary has not been identified. Be sure to include approval of the minutes of the previous meeting as an agenda item.

4. Include any LINKS to handouts and other items directly in your agenda as URLs.

5. Submit the agenda to OPEN MEETINGS (pink sheet) by noon on Thursday of the week prior to your meeting week. (https://www.uwec.edu/news/uwec/meeting-notices-1517)

6. Submit a copy of the agenda, as an attachment or in an email, and any handouts to all members of the committee AND to Tanya Neary nearytk@uwec.edu as well. This is usually done on the Thursday prior to the week of the meeting.

7. Invite guests to attend as necessary to serve as resources at the meeting.

8. Make final preparations for the meeting.

During the Meeting

1. Be sure the secretary for the meeting is ready to begin.

2. Call the meeting to order and follow Robert’s Rules of Order. Quick Summary: http://www.robertsrules.org/indexprint.html Numerous charts and hints on running meetings, available from Parliamentarian Jim Slaughter, at: http://www.jimslaughter.com/view-articles-online.cfm especially, Leading Effective Board Meetings: http://www.jimslaughter.com/uploads/leadingboardmeetings.pdf and my favorite (that I use in my workshops) – Preside Like a Pro! http://www.jimslaughter.com/uploads/PresideLikeaPro.pdf

3. Keep the meeting focused and on track.

4. Recognize members to speak. You are NOT obligated to recognize any non‐member of the committee. This is totally up to you as chair. You control who speaks and who does not. If you are in doubt of the appropriateness of a non‐member speaking, you can always ask permission of the committee to hear a guest speaker.

5. Wrap up the meeting in a timely fashion, postponing items to the next meeting if necessary.

After the Meeting

1. Send a copy of the approved minutes of the previous meeting to Tanya Neary within 48 hours of approval.

2. Be sure the secretary has completed a draft of the meeting minutes.

3. Follow‐up on items as necessary.

Other

• Add Tanya Neary to the distribution list of your committee to keep her in the loop as to what is happening.