Co-Chair Handbook

PHILLIPS ACADEMY ALUMNI COUNCIL
HANDBOOK FOR COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS

 

CONTENTS

1. Executive Committee
2. Responsibilities of Committee Co-Chairs
3. Timeline of Alumni Council and Executive Committee Work
4. Useful Information and Resources

 

1. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Executive Committee responsibilities. All co-chairs of Alumni Council standing committees are members of the Council’s Executive Committee. The Executive Committee, as described in the Council bylaws (http://www.andover.edu/Alumni/Council/Pages/Bylaws.aspx),

  • exercises all the powers of the Council between meetings of the Council; 
  • appoints new members of the Council; 
  • approves co-chairs of the standing committees; 
  • helps in the nomination of Alumni Trustees; 
  • approves the formation and dissolution of ad-hoc committees; and
  • selects and implements the topic of each meeting of the Council.

Meeting schedule. The Executive Committee meets in the fall, winter, and spring of each year. In the fall, the Executive Committee meets at the conclusion of Leaders’ Weekend (late October), and in the spring, the Executive Committee meets at the conclusion of Alumni Council weekend (late April or early May). In the winter, the Executive Committee has a separate meeting, typically in late January or early February. Teleconferencing is usually available for Executive Committee meetings, but Executive Committee members are strongly urged to attend in person if at all possible.

Nomination and appointment of Alumni Council members. Each spring, the Executive Committee appoints new members of the Council. The Council’s Nominating Committee (which consists of the three vice presidents of Council, as well as other Executive Committee members designated by the Council president, initiates and completes the recruiting and selection of new members, each of whom will be assigned by the president to one of the eight standing committees of Council. The Nominating Committee works in concert with the Secretary of the Academy, the director of Alumni Affairs, the president of Council, and the Executive Committee; all nominations must be approved by the Executive Committee

Nomination of Alumni Trustee candidates. In addition, in even-numbered years, the Executive Committee nominates four (4) alumni to stand for election to the position of Alumni Trustee. Two of the four candidates will be elected; all alumni are eligible to vote. The Council’s Nominating Committee, in concert with the Secretary of the Academy, the director of Alumni Affairs, the president of Council, and the Executive Committee, initiates and completes the recruiting and nomination of the four (4) alumni trustee candidates for the June ballot. This is a major agenda item of the Executive Committee’s January meeting in even-numbered years.

 

2. RESPONSIBILITIES OF COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS

The co-chairs of each committee provide critical leadership and shape committee members’ expectations. Without energetic, organized co-chairs, a committee cannot accomplish its objectives. The specific responsibilities of co-chairs before, during, and after each committee meeting are as follows:

Before each committee meeting:

  • 4-6 weeks in advance: Develop a detailed agenda for your committee meeting in consultation with your co-chair (and the appropriate PA staff liaison(s), if any)
    • Estimate the amount of time needed to cover each agenda item and adjust meeting times slightly if needed (if the schedule of Council meetings and activities so allows)
    • You may find it helpful to schedule a conference call with your co-chair and the PA staff liaison(s), if any, to discuss what should be on the agenda and what guests, if any, you may want to invite (e.g., other relevant PA staff members)
  • 2-4 weeks in advance: E-mail your committee’s agenda to all committee members, together with background materials (so that members will come fully prepared to discuss the items on the agenda)
    • Background materials (other than the agenda) may include the following:
      • Minutes or summaries of past committee meetings, especially the most recent one 
      • Documents to be reviewed and commented on (e.g., for the Alumni Admission Representatives (AAR) Committee, the Admission Office’s summary of the just-completed admission cycle, or a background document on financial aid)
      • Substantive memos, proposals, or thought pieces addressing particular issues (e.g., the AAR Committee’s website subcommittee compiled feedback on and suggestions regarding improvement of the AAR website
      • Written updates from each subcommittee 
      • A current roster of committee members, showing full name, class year, hometown, Council term expiration, e-mail addresses (and perhaps phone numbers), and (if applicable) subcommittee assignments or special roles. PA staff liaison(s), if any, should also be listed
    • Copy the Council president and the Alumni Affairs coordinator (Judy Turgeon) 
    • Request input as needed from committee members regarding specific agenda items (e.g., request that members bring—or e-mail in advance—a list of ideas or questions regarding a particular agenda item) 
    • Ask committee members to RSVP directly to you (in addition to giving their official RSVPs to the Alumni Affairs Office via the website form) so that you know how many committee members will attend the meeting and can plan accordingly 
    • Check with the Alumni Affairs coordinator (Judy Turgeon) regarding speakerphone availability and the option of a (toll-free) conference call-in number to be used during your committee meeting. If possible, give members who cannot come the option of participating by phone
  • 2-4 weeks in advance: Work with the appropriate PA staff to arrange logistics for the committee meeting, including the following:
    • suitable meeting space
    • inviting relevant non-committee members to attend or speak at the meeting (e.g., web developer, admissions officer, OAR staff)
    • conference-call or speakerphone arrangements
    • projectors and screens
    • computers and internet connections
    • video/DVD viewing
    • flip charts and markers
    • handouts, documents, and other materials (ensure that committee members participating by phone will have all relevant documents if possible; if certain handouts cannot be e-mailed to committee members before the meeting, obtain fax numbers so that you can fax those documents to members during the meeting)
  • 1-2 weeks in advance: Follow up with members who have not yet responded to find out whether they will attend the committee meeting and if not, why not. Ask members who cannot participate at all to submit their ideas and questions in advance so that their input can be taken into account during the meeting
  • 1-2 weeks in advance: Allocate meeting responsibilities between co-chairs in the fairest and most practical manner
    • Assign specific agenda items to each co-chair; plan to have one co-chair lead the meeting (or lead the discussion of certain agenda items) while the other takes notes 
    • One co-chair may wish to lead the planning for the fall meeting, while the other leads the planning for the spring meeting

 

At each committee meeting:

  • Lead the meeting; guide and facilitate the discussion 
  • At the end of the meeting:
    • Discuss and agree on next steps 
    • Delegate tasks to committee members and form subcommittees to accomplish specific tasks, if appropriate 
    • Identify action items, if any, to be presented to the Executive Committee (items that require Executive Committee input or action)
  • At each fall committee meeting, you may wish to seek input from committee members regarding whom to nominate to replace committee members who will rotate off in the spring. (Prospective committee members are to be nominated by December, vetted by the Nominating Committee in January, February, and March, and voted upon at the spring Executive Committee meeting in late April or early May.)
  • At each fall committee meeting, welcome new members.
    • Note: On Friday of Leaders’ Weekend, before the fall committee meetings begin, there is an orientation session for new Council members, and all co-chairs are strongly urged to attend.

 

Immediately after each committee meeting:

  • At the Council business meeting that weekend, you may be asked to present a brief oral summary of your committee’s current or recent work to all Council members; the Council president will designate in advance which committees will make presentations 
  • At the Executive Committee meeting that weekend, present committee action items (issues that require Executive Committee input or action)
    • Example: issues on which you would like input or guidance from other Alumni Council committees (e.g., the Multicultural Affairs Committee and AAR Committee may want to consult one another regarding events for prospective/new students of color). Follow up with the co-chairs of the other committee(s) as soon as possible, either in person or by phone/e-mail

 

1-2 weeks after each committee meeting: 

  • E-mail a one-paragraph summary of your committee meeting to the coordinator of alumni affairs (Judy Turgeon) for inclusion in the minutes of the Council business meeting (which will be posted on the Council website); copy the Council president, your co-chair, your committee members, and other interested Council members, if applicable (e.g., the AAR Committee copies other AARs serving on Council, and the Regional Associations Committee could copy other Council members who are active in regional associations) Write this summary in collaboration with your co-chair 
    • Deadline: 1 week after your committee meeting 
    • Sample (October 2006) meeting minutes, including brief summaries from committee co-chairs
    • Deadline: 1 week after your committee meeting
  • E-mail a detailed committee report to the coordinator of alumni affairs (Judy Turgeon) for posting on the Council website); copy the Council president, your co-chair, and your committee members. The detailed report/meeting minutes should include points discussed, questions raised, and tasks allocated, as well as a list of those present, those calling in, and those absent 
    • Write this report in collaboration with your co-chair 
    • Deadline: 1-2 weeks after your committee meeting
  • Send a follow-up e-mail to committee members 1-2 weeks after each committee meeting; copy the Council president and anyone else who may be interested in staying abreast of your committee’s work or whose input you welcome. For example, the AAR Committee copies AARs who serve on other Council committees, as well as interested former members of the AAR Committee Attach the detailed committee report (see above) 
    • Address (if needed) any agenda items not covered during the meeting – or any new issues that have recently arisen
    • Request that committee members “reply to all” to foster discussion via e-mail of relevant issues before the next committee meeting
     

Between committee meetings:

  • Work to complete tasks and next steps in a timely fashion
  • Follow up with committee members (collectively or individually) as needed regarding specific issues or tasks that have been delegated
  • Starting no later than September, work with the Alumni Affairs Office and the Council’s Nominating Committee to identify potential new members of your committee or of Council
    • The following factors, among others, should be considered:
      • service to PA in particular capacities; 
      • relevant professional and volunteer experience and expertise; 
      • diversity of committee members (e.g., geography, class year, gender, Abbot/Phillips); 
      • ability to attend both fall and spring meetings for the next four years; 
      • previous Council committee membership/service; and 
      • leadership potential (candidate for co-chair in the future).
    • You should give a list of at least 6-10 names to the Nominating Committee as soon as possible, but no later than December or January
  • After the spring meeting: After identifying the new members of your committee (who will officially begin their Council terms on July 1), send them a welcome e-mail, which should include the following information:
    • The dates of the next two years’ worth of Council meetings
    • An updated committee roster, showing the following for each current and new member:
      • Full name 
      • Class year 
      • Hometown (city, state) 
      • E-mail address 
      • Phone number (optional) 
      • The year in which his/her Council term expires 
      • Subcommittee assignments or special roles (if applicable)
    • The agenda and detailed report or summary of your committee’s spring meeting, along with a copy of any follow-up e-mail you have already sent to the committee; you may also wish to include the fall meeting agenda and minutes/summary 
    • Other relevant information on how the committee operates or on its current projects
    • Once you know the names of the individuals who are joining your committee, you should include them on all committee e-mail correspondence from that point forward, even though their Council terms do not officially begin until July 1.

 

Other responsibilities from time to time:

  • Nominating new members
    • Develop a mechanism for generating names of potential members of your committee or of Council, and go through that process each year to provide the Nominating Committee with a list of potential Council members (including some who might join your committee)
      • For example, one way that the AAR Committee identifies potential new members is by e-mailing all AARs (via PA liaison Debby Murphy) and asking those interested in serving on the AAR Committee to let us know
  • Mentoring the new co-chair of your committee
    • When a new co-chair is appointed, the veteran co-chair should bring him/her up to speed on (1) co-chair roles and responsibilities (e.g., how the co-chairs of that committee work with their PA liaisons) and (2) any committee-specific issues or relevant committee background/history (especially if the new co-chair was not serving on the committee when he/she was selected to lead it)
  • Following up as needed on committee-related issues that surface in exit interviews and exit surveys of committee members, so that you continuously strive to make your committee as effective and productive as possible

 

3. TIMELINE OF ALUMNI COUNCIL & EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE WORK

 Month Your Committee  Executive Committee (EC) 
 January/February
  • Ongoing committee work as needed 
  • If you will be on campus for the winter EC meeting, you could meet with your co-chair and your committee’s PA liaison to discuss any timely business relating to your committee (e.g., starting to develop an agenda for the spring committee meeting, or general updates on committee business)
 Meeting. Winter EC agenda includes selection of spring Alumni Council meeting topic; various progress reports and updates; approval of October EC meeting minutes; and (in even-numbered years) alumni trustee nominations
February, March, April 
  • Ongoing committee work as needed 
  • Prepare for spring committee meeting 
  • By March or April, finalize selection of new committee co-chair (if the term of a current co-chair will expire on July 1)
  • Nominating process for new Council members continues
April/May

Alumni Council spring meeting (late April or early May)

  • Final preparation for committee meeting 
  • Follow-up after meeting, including welcoming and orienting newly appointed members of your committee
Meeting at conclusion of Alumni Council weekend. Spring EC agenda typically includes a review of Council weekend, sharing of committee action items, and voting on Council member nominees
June, July, Aug, Sept
  • Ongoing committee work as needed 
    Prepare for fall committee meeting 
    By September, start to identify potential new members of your committee or potential members of Council (not necessarily for service on your committee)
 
October

Leaders’ Weekend (mid- to late October)

  • Final preparation for committee meeting 
  • Follow-up after meeting 
  • Continue to identify potential new members of your committee or potential members of Council (not necessarily for service on your committee), and submit their names to the Nominating Committee
Meeting at conclusion of Leaders’ Weekend. Fall EC agenda typically includes a review of Leaders’ Weekend; sharing of committee action items; various progress reports and updates; and approval of spring EC meeting minutes
November, December
  • Begin to advise Council president on prospective new committee co-chair (if the term of a current co-chair will expire the following July) 
  • Ongoing committee work as needed 
  • Submit names of potential Council/committee members to Nominating Committee if you have not already done so

4. USEFUL INFORMATION AND RESOURCES