Original Full Charter of AACII

Rationale

MIT needs to enhance communications and working relationships between central administrative office and administrators in the departments, laboratories, and centers (DLCs).

There is insufficient understanding among central administrators of how business is done in the DLCs; administrators in DLCs often don't understand why central offices propose change. New administrative processes and systems have too often been developed and implemented without sufficient input and representation from end users. We seek to redress this imbalance and to open broader-based and more intensive communication among the administrators of the campus.

Goals and Purposes

  • To establish a forum for thoughtful, sustained interaction among representatives of central administration and DLC administrators, leading to mutual understanding of and mutual respect for their respective roles in providing the faculty, students, and staff of MIT with efficient, cost-effective administrative services.
     
  • To provide a formal and effective mechanism by which central administrative offices that are contemplating change can obtain meaningful, timely input from DLCs.
     
  • To identify administrative processes or systems that place undue stress and workload on administrators across the Institute, and to recommend steps for alleviating those situations. If there are budgetary implications to the recommendations, John Curry and Bob Brown will review Council proposals to deploy new, School-wide resources as part of the annual budget cycle.
     
  • To engage in longer term planning for repositioning/redefining the role of Administrative Officer in the DLCs.
     
  • To serve as a conduit for information exchange among the Administrative Systems and Policies Coordinating Council (ASPCC), the DLC administrative community, and administrators in central roles.

Structure

  • The Council will be an advisory group to the Provost and the Executive Vice President.
     
  • The Council will meet at least twice a year with the Provost and Executive Vice President.
     
  • The term of service will be three years.
     
  • The Assistant Provost for Administration and the Senior Project Director in the Office of the Executive Vice President will be ex officio members.
     
  • The ex officio members will provide strong connections among the Council, and the Provost, and the Executive Vice President.
     
  • The appointments will be effective immediately and will be on an academic year basis (typically starting on July 1).
     
  • Future members will be nominated by the Council, the Assistant Deans, the Assistant Provost, the heads of central administration departments, and nominations will also be solicited generally from the community. Final appointments will be made jointly by the Executive Vice President and Provost.

Reporting

  • The Council will report to the Provost and Executive Vice President.
     
  • The Chair will serve on the ASPCC. (The Assistant Provost and Senior Project Director-EVP are members of ASPCC, also).

Council Meetings

  • The Council will meet every other week for two hours; meeting frequency may be changed through consensus of the members.
     
  • The agenda will be determined by the Chair with input from others such as ASPCC, Provost, Executive Vice President, Assistant Deans, and members of the Council.
     
  • The Chair will distribute the agenda no later than Friday before the next week's meeting.
     
  • The Council members will be expected to solicit input from their colleagues actively and explicitly, and convey that input to the Council; in other words, they must represent interests and convey attitudes beyond their own individual positions.
     
  • Meeting notes that record recommendations and consensus positions, and, where applicable, include copies of presentations made to the Council shall be provided to the Provost and Executive Vice President following each meeting.
     
  • Periodic reports of the Council's activities and recommendations will be sent to the administrative community both to inform and to solicit input.
     
  • The Council will have an initial budget of $5000 to cover meeting expenses, educational materials, and incidentals.

Amendment to the Charter

Proposed by AACII and approved by John Curry and Robert Brown, June 2000.

To reflect the collaboration between DLC administrators and central administrators, there will be a Chair and a Vice Chair who serve two year terms, staggered so that only one positions turns over each year. The chair of the Council will be a member from a DLC and the Vice Chair will be a member from the central administration.

The meeting agendas will be determined by the Chair and Vice Chair with input from others such as ASPCC, Provost, Executive Vice President, Assistant Deans, and other members of the council.

Meetings will be run by the Chair, with facilitation, as appropriate, by the Vice Chair. They may also alternate running meetings, as mutually agreed upon.

The Chair will be the point of contact for the community and central offices wishing to meet with AACII or give input.

Council messages to aac-aoquery will come jointly from the Chair and Vice Chair.

The Chair will serve on ASPCC. The Vice Chair may serve on other committees seeking AACII representation, as appropriate.

The Vice Chair will track action items and will provide follow-up with people who meet with AACII. The Vice Chair will proactively seek out administrative changes under consideration and bring them to the attention of AACII. The Vice Chair will prepare reports to the community and to the Sponsors, as needed.