In this column, I would like to provide some background on the inner workings of the Mendoza College Council — its purpose, its scope of duties, and its membership — to help those who are unfamiliar with the Council understand how many academic decisions are made. For example, whenever the College makes a major change to the curricula, adds or discontinues a program, makes new policies or procedures that impact multiple programs or departments, the College Council is the body that discusses the changes, makes recommendations for modifications, and, ultimately, makes a recommendation to the dean via vote.

Before getting to the Council itself, let me say from where it originates. In my role as Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Research, the University’s Academic Articles are my guide for most things related to faculty affairs and governance at the University. For example, all faculty contracts say, “Your appointment to the faculty at Notre Dame is subject to the University of Notre Dame Academic Articles, including any future amendments thereto…. This appointment letter, together with the University’s Academic Articles, constitutes the entire agreement with the University of Notre Dame.”

The Articles is a living document that can be slightly modified as needed by the provost. If more than only a minor change is needed, the Academic Council, the University president, and the Board of Trustees must approve the change. Once every 10 years, the Articles are heavily scrutinized, updated as needed, and taken to the president and the Board of Trustees for approval.

The Articles are important because they “define the structure of academic governance at the University, and the participation of faculty and University administration therein, so that all who sustain the University’s academic life may unite in cooperative understanding and effort.” It is through this lens that much of my work relates. One area of academic governance is the College Council.

Each of the colleges on campus has its own college council. One important function of the Council is to help guide the College’s academic mission, which may include balancing the sometimes competing interests of academic departments, programs, and different administrators in the College and at the University. The Council is the academic voice of the faculty of the College that is meant to transcend any program or department.

Under Article V (Organization of the Faculty), the primary role of College Council is to "review the policies, practices, and procedures of the Colleges and make recommendations to the Dean of the relevant College" (Academic Articles, p. 60). In our Council meetings, minutes are taken and votes formally recorded. In general, the Council serves as an advisor to the dean so that the dean can hear from the faculty (via the Council) when making important decisions.

Some of the important decisions that the Council makes involves adding or discontinuing academic departments or establishing or discontinuing degree programs. There are also some formal University-specific activities the Council provides as well, such as forming review or search committees for the dean of the colleges on campus.

The Council elects five tenured faculty from the College and one student from the group of students on the College Council to facilitate the search or the review. (The provost may also appoint two other members.) However, most of the activities of the Council are internal to the governance of the College.

For example, the Council recently approved three new — and exciting — changes to the Undergraduate Studies program that align with the goal of the new Business Core to provide our undergrads with a flexible, customizable curriculum:

More minors and double majors will be forthcoming to be considered by the College Council.

The Council also recently unanimously approved changing the name of the Management Consulting major to Strategic Management (hence the name of the Accountancy/Strategic Management double major); however, in this case, the decision was finalized by the University’s Academic Council. The Academic Council takes the minutes and votes from the College Council into their consideration of the issue at hand. (That said, there is debate if the Academic Articles require the Academic Council to certify a major’s name change or if it is simply best to inform the University of the change through this body.)

The Council meets as needed (e.g., for program approval), when called by the provost, or if a meeting is requested by 20% of the members (via petition for a meeting). Prior to the meeting, members are asked for agenda items prior to each meeting and they also can raise topics during the proceeding as the last item of business. (Unless time runs out, which sometimes happens!)

The membership of the Council is determined per the Articles. Presently, it consists of an equal number of 10 ex officio, 10 elected members, and four elected students. The ex officio members (i.e., by the position held) named in the Articles include the dean, the associate and assistant deans, and the department chairs. Further, each department holds its own vote to elect a departmental representative by and from among the regular faculty of the department. Then, to balance the number of ex officio and elected members, there are at-large representatives elected by and from the regular faculty of the College.

The current departmental representatives as elected by their respective departments include: Fred Mittelstaedt (Accountancy), Tim Loughran (Finance), Kirsten Martin (ITAO), Adam Wowak (M&O), and Frank Germann (Marketing). Currently, the College at-large representatives are Robert Battalio, Katie Wowak, Jamie O'Brien, Margie Forster, and Corey Angst. Each year, the Council membership changes with members rotating on/off or due to administrative changes. For example, next year Frank Germann will be an ex officio member replacing Shankar Ganesan (After his ninth year as department chair!) and Marketing will soon hold an election to fill the vacancy.

The student representatives provide an important voice to the Council by sharing insights into the student experience and representing their fellow students. The students are from the MBA (the president of the MBAA), a representative of the Specialized Master’s programs (the Specialized Master's Representative Chair) and two undergraduate students — a junior and senior representative (the elected junior representative becomes the senior representative). Current representatives are: Tanique Philogene (MBA ’23), the MBA Association president; David Arndorfer (MSA ’23, BBA ’22), Specialized Master's Committee chair; Ryan Ford (BBA ’23) and Victoria Lyczak (BBA ’24).

In my role, I curate the Council agenda based on items that need to be discussed, where feedback is sought, and for agenda items submitted by the Council members. I try to run the meetings following a simplified version of Robert's Rules of Order. This approach requires motions, seconded motions and then an open vote. Usually, this approach runs smoothly, but I am a self-taught amateur parliamentarian! Though, after one especially contentious and complicated meeting, I considered taking a certification class or hiring a professional parliamentarian for the Council. (The go-to book on the topic is more than 800 pages and filled with nuance!) 

It seems no matter the time, some members cannot make the meeting due to teaching, research, or service obligations. We allow votes by proxy because of such scheduling conflicts for the members. Occasionally, this generates some concern because the absent member is not part of the discussion, which can be very robust at times. The alternative, though, is for that member's voice to not be included in the meeting. Neither solution is ideal, and I would most certainly welcome feedback regarding if we should continue the votes by proxy and share with the College Council for discussion. (I will formally seek such feedback in upcoming faculty elections, which I call for about this time each year to fill opening positions for University and College positions.)

Future agenda items will be the consideration of dual majors in Finance and Marketing and another in Accountancy and Marketing. I’m thankful for Hether Graham who helps me organize and schedule the meetings.

I hope this gives an overview of the College Council and the duties it fulfills. I invite all staff and faculty to suggest topics through any of the Council members. Further, I would be happy to chat with anyone about the Council (or the Academic Articles).

Let me take this opportunity to offer a  big thank-you to the staff and faculty of the College for the many contributions, those visible and widely known but also for the considerable behind-the-scenes work to make the Mendoza College a better Mendoza College.

Best wishes,

Ken

Ken Kelley
Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Research 
Edward F. Sorin Society Professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations