Charter and Bylaws

Preamble

The Administrative Council represents the ideas, interests, and welfare of unclassified staff members of Oregon Institute of Technology. The representative body of elected officers has a responsibility to promote collaboration and shared governance, make recommendations and serve in an advisory capacity, propose and review university policies, and strengthen connections between unclassified staff and the university community. 

Definitions

University Community: All faculty, staff, and students including remote or online users within the Oregon Tech community. 

Administrative Council: Elected/appointed officers who are unclassified staff members and provide representation among Oregon Tech shared governance. Unclassified staff are defined according to OAR 580-020-0006, with primary job functions in the areas of administration, service, or research (rather than in the area of classroom instruction). 

Faculty Senate Liaison: A member of Administrative Council who attends Faculty Senate meetings to provide updates to the Senate regarding Administrative Council work. 

FOAC Liaison: A member of Administrative Council who is the designated representative to the Fiscal Operations Advisory Council (FOAC) and attends FOAC meetings to participate in university budgeting and planning.  

Faculty Senate Appointee: A member of Faculty Senate who is appointed by the Senate to increase communication within shared governance and serve as a non-voting member of Administrative Council. This person provides updates to Administrative Council regarding Faculty Senate work.  

Presidential Appointee: An individual who is appointed by the President to serve as a voting member of Administrative Council. This person provides university updates and leadership perspectives to Administrative Council.  

Administrative Council Meeting: A meeting of the elected/appointed officers who represent unclassified staff. 

General Meeting: A meeting hosted by Administrative Council that is open to all unclassified staff members and others as appropriate. 

 

Charter

Section I Name

The name of this organization shall be the Administrative Council of Oregon Institute of Technology (hereafter “Oregon Tech”), created by Presidential action on February 2, 1997.

Section II Purpose

The purpose of the Administrative Council (hereafter "AC"), is to represent the ideas and interests of unclassified staff members to the President and other campus constituencies. The AC will:

  1. Be available to serve in an advisory capacity to the President and leadership.
  2. Maintain ongoing collaboration with shared governance entities.
  3. Make recommendations regarding campus-wide issues in which the input and/or interest of unclassified staff are relevant.
  4. Review existing and proposed Oregon Tech policies and procedures and advance them to President’s Council.
  5. Perform annual selection of Unclassified Administrative Emeritus; see Bylaws Section X or OIT-21-092.
  6. Manage or support events and initiatives that strengthen connections between unclassified staff and the entire university community.
Section III Amendment of the Charter

This Charter may be amended by the AC at any regular meeting. Passage of the amendment requires a 2/3 vote of the officers. Proposed amendment of this Charter shall be distributed to all unclassified staff at least seven calendar days prior to the AC vote on the amendment.

Bylaws

Section I Membership
  1. Eligibility. Any member of the Oregon Tech unclassified staff, with the exception of the President, is eligible to be appointed or elected to AC.
  2. AC Composition. There will be 10 officers of the AC as follows:
    1. Presidential Appointee: one voting member shall be appointed by the Oregon Tech President, as detailed in Section III of these Bylaws. 
    2. Faculty Senate Appointee: one non-voting member will be appointed by Faculty Senate, as detailed in Section IV of these Bylaws. 
    3. The remaining membership will be elected by unclassified staff as detailed in Section V of these Bylaws, and will be comprised as follows:
      1. Four members from the Klamath Falls campus
      2. Two members from the Portland-Metro campus
      3. Two members from any location
  3. Requirements for Service.  In order to ensure the commitment necessary for AC to function effectively, elected officers are expected to make every effort to attend meetings and events. Officers who cannot attend an AC meeting may appoint a substitute or designate a proxy within AC. Officers who have difficulty attending meetings or who do not engage with their AC role and the associated responsibilities may be asked to step down. 
  4. Voting Rights. All officers of AC have equal voting rights, with the exception of the Faculty Senate Appointee. In order to avoid conflicts of interest, if an established member of President’s Council becomes AC Chair, then a different officer will be appointed to represent AC on the President’s Council.
  5. Officer Roles. AC officers will fill at least one of the following roles during their elected terms. See Appendix A for details regarding roles and responsibilities.
    1. Chair
    2. Vice Chair
    3. Faculty Senate Liaison
    4. FOAC Liaison
    5. Secretary
    6. Treasurer
    7. Marketing Officer
    8. Relations Officer
    9. Presidential Appointee
    10. Faculty Senate Appointee
Section II Term of Service

The terms of service for AC members are as follows:

  1. The service year begins July 1 and will continue until June 30 of the following year.
  2. The standard term of service for elected AC officers will be two years, but officers can be re-elected indefinitely.
  3. Three roles have unique terms of service:
    • The Presidential Appointee shall serve for a term determined by the President.
    • The Faculty Senate Liaison will serve at least a one-year term in that role, which can be extended if desired.
    • The FOAC Liaison will serve at least a one-year term in that role, which can be extended if desired.
  4. Should a mid-term vacancy occur for an elected officer of AC, the remaining officers will select an unclassified staff member from the list of nominees to complete the term of this vacancy. If none of the nominees express interest in service, AC shall issue a call to all unclassified staff for additional nominations and a mid-year election will be held.
Section III Appointment of Members by the President

The President shall appoint one member of unclassified staff to serve as a voting member on AC and shall notify the AC Chair of this appointment. Should a vacancy occur in the Presidential Appointee role, the President shall appoint a replacement to fill the vacancy. 

Section IV Appointment of Members by Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate shall appoint one member of the Senate to serve as a non-voting member of AC and shall notify the AC Chair of this appointment. Should a vacancy occur in the Faculty Senate Appointee role, the Senate shall appoint a replacement to fill the vacancy.

Section V Election of Members by the Unclassified Staff

Each spring, a nomination and election process shall be held to fill vacant positions on AC. All current and active unclassified staff members may participate in the nomination and election process.

  1. The AC Chair will announce to all unclassified staff the opening of the nomination and election process for that year.
  2. Between April 15 and April 30, any unclassified staff member may nominate other unclassified staff members to serve on AC.
  3. The Secretary will verify each nominee’s interest in service on the AC. Any nominee who agrees to be a candidate will be added to the election ballot.
  4. During the first week of May, the Secretary will distribute ballots to all unclassified staff. Ballots will list each candidate’s name, job title, department, and statement of interest. Instructions will be given to return ballots to the Secretary no later than May 15.
  5. The Vice Chair and Secretary will tally the ballots. If either the current Vice Chair or Secretary is a candidate, another AC member shall conduct the tally. Candidates with the most votes shall be elected to AC.  
Section VI Assignment of Roles within AC

By September 1 of each year, AC will determine officer role assignments. This will be decided through a discussion among the officers, ensuring that all officers accept a specific role. A summary of roles and responsibilities shall be maintained by AC (see Appendix A). 

Section VII Meetings

Meetings will be held at regularly scheduled intervals to conduct business.

  1. General meetings will be held monthly and open to unclassified staff members and others as appropriate.
  2. Administrative Council meetings will be held monthly at minimum and open only to elected/appointed officers.
Section VIII Retention of Records

AC records will be retained in accordance with applicable records retention requirements.

Section IX Amendment of Bylaws

These Bylaws may be amended by AC at any meeting. Passage of the amendment requires a 2/3 vote of the officers. Proposed amendment of these Bylaws shall be distributed to all unclassified staff at least seven calendar days prior to the AC vote on the amendment. 

Section X Administrative Emeritus Selection

The selection process for Administrative Emeritus shall be conducted in accordance with OIT-21-092. 

Charter and Bylaws Approval

The charter and bylaws were reviewed and revised by AC, pursuant to standard practice.

Approved by Administrative Council on October 3, 2024.

Supersedes

Charter and Bylaws 2017

Documents

Admin Council 2024 Charter and Bylaws