Annual Committee Timeline

While activities will vary from year to year and from committee to committee, certain activities will likely be appropriate around the same time each year for most committees.  This model timeline lists some of those items:

• August:
  Committee chair should:
• contact their members, welcoming them to the committee.  Chairs should seek replacements for vacancies in the roster and inform MU Committee Service support. 
• schedule the first meeting of the committee, which should occur in September absent good cause for further delay. 
• should have brief meetings with the University officials most relevant to their work (e.g., for Student Affairs, the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs) to discuss how the committee can be most effective.

• September
  First meeting of committee.  At this meeting, the committee should:
• schedule future meetings to secure space on members’ calendars
• discuss its goals for the year
• consider whether it would need any subcommittees, outside help, or other resources to be effective.

• October or November
• Committee chairs should have brief conversations with Faculty Council leadership about any committee business likely to need time on the Council agenda during the year, (these conversations are also appropriate at other times as new items arise).

• October through April
• Committees should hold regular meetings, with the frequency set forth in their bylaws.  If circumstances justify a departure from the regular schedule, committee chair should inform their members and note the changes on their eventual annual report.  (If a committee repeatedly does not meet as often as the bylaws suggest, there may be cause to amend the bylaws or change the committee’s composition or charge. 
• At least once per semester, the highest-ranking university officials with responsibilities related to the committee’s work, (e.g., a Vice Chancellor or Vice Provost, or the director of an office that the committee supports, should attend a committee meeting.

• February
• If the committee is one that nominates its own chair (or one of its co-chairs, the committee should select one of its members to serve as chair in the following year. The name of the member selected should be provided to Faculty Council (facultycouncil@missouri.edu) and to the Office of the Chancellor.
  Note: for committees with members elected by academic units, such as the Committee for Undergraduate Education, elections will not likely occur in time for a chair to be selected at this time.

• March
• Committee chairs should meet individually with Faculty Council leadership (most likely the Vice Chair) to confer about who should be appointed to the committee during the upcoming appointments cycle.  In particular, for members nearing the end of their term of service, chair should recommend whether those members merit reappointment.  Chairs should also identify particular needs, (e.g., specific expertise, or greater diversity) and that should be communicated to Faculty Council during the appointments process.

• May or June
• Submit annual report – the Annual Report (Template) is an executive summary of the committee’s past year.  It should not exceed 4 pages.
• Annual report components: 
  • Committee Name
  • Committee Purpose
  • Number of times the committee met
  • Summary of Actions (including any major accomplishments)
  • Challenges (or proposed changes for the coming year)
  • Engagement with University Leadership
  • If the committee has any changes to suggest regarding its own charge, composition, or size, these should be included in the annual report.
    
    
• July and August
• Incoming committee chairs will receive rosters of their members for the upcoming year from the MU Committee Service support office. Any concerns with the roster should be addressed promptly.