Leadership Opportunities
The ARC Leadership Council*
Look for an announcement about your newly elected Leadership Council and its Steering Committee on February 7, 2021.
The Academic Resilience Consortium (ARC) Leadership Council (LC) is the primary leadership body for the ARC, dedicated to sustaining a robust and transparent organization that embodies the spirit and mission of the organization.
The LC is composed of 15 members elected by and from the ARC eligible membership. Four of the 15 LC members compose the Steering Committee (SC). Of the remaining 11 LC members, seven seats are for professional/instructional staff, and four are for students, divided evenly between graduate and undergraduate when possible. See ARC Organizational Chart.
The ARC is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives. (Visit Community Initiatives for more information.) The SC serves as the formal “Advisory Committee” to Community Initiatives, keeping them informed of the ARC’s programmatic activities and ensuring that the ARC is in compliance with all requirements as a fiscally sponsored program of Community Initiatives (for example with regard to human resources management, accounting practices, tax reporting, etc.). Community Initiatives is the employer of record for all paid positions with the ARC.
Positions on the LC are professional commitments, not paid positions. Membership fees are waived for members of the Leadership Council. Positions are transferable with an individual who moves from one job or institution to another, provided the individual remains eligible as an ARC member. LC Members are eligible for reelection and may serve no more than three (3) terms.
Resignation from the LC must be in writing and received by the SC Secretary. Any LC member may be removed by the SC Chair for failure to participate fully and appropriately in LC responsibilities. When a vacancy on the LC exists outside of the normal election process, the SC Chair solicits nominations and the position is filled by a vote of the LC.
The LC meets at least quarterly, either online or in person, as determined by the SC Chair. The SC may meet separately from the full LC, either online or in person, as determined by the SC Chair. For any votes of the full LC, a quorum of 9 (60%) members needs to be present before business can be transacted or motions made or passed. For any votes of the SC, a quorum of 3 (75%) SC members needs to be present before business can be transacted or motions made or passed. Consensus decision-making is the preferred process; majority vote is acceptable in cases where consensus is not possible; in the event of a tie vote the outcome is decided by the SC Chair.
Roles and Responsibilities of Leadership Council Members
Leadership Council Member
- Commits to a two-year term.
- Reports to the SC Chair.
- Regularly attends LC meetings.
- Participates actively in LC tasks; accepts assignments and completes them thoroughly and on time.
- Stays informed about LC matters, prepares thoroughly for meetings, and reviews and comments on minutes and reports.
- Participates actively in the SC’s annual evaluation and planning efforts.
Steering Committee
The Steering Committee (SC) is composed of a subset of Leadership Council members and is the primary administrative/decision-making body for the ARC. The SC is responsible for strategic planning; setting ARC priorities, practices, and policies; and hiring the Executive Director. The SC seeks out and respects the advice and input of all Leadership Council and ARC members. At least one year of experience as a Leadership Council member is a prerequisite for serving on the Steering Committee. Steering Committee members regularly attend SC meetings and participate actively in the activities of the SC.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Steering Committee*
Steering Committee Chair
- Provides leadership to the SC/LC; is the direct report for all participants in ARC leadership activities. Promotes a collaborative and consensus-oriented process and culture.
- Fosters strategic planning; guides and mediates SC/LC activities and decisions with respect to organizational priorities and governance.
- Is the primary ARC contact for the fiscal sponsor; coordinates the SC’s responsibilities as the “Advisory Committee” to the fiscal sponsor.
- Leads the search and hiring process for the Executive Director.
- Partners with the Executive Director in achieving the organization’s mission; discusses issues confronting the organization with the Executive Director.
- Oversees and evaluates the performance of the Executive Director.
- Informally evaluates the effectiveness of the SC/LC members, providing guidance for Council activities.
- Chairs meetings of the SC/LC; coordinates the meeting agendas with the Executive Director and Working Group (WG) chairs.
- Appoints the WG chairs, in consultation with other SC/LC members; serves ex officio as a member of WGs and attends WG meetings as needed.
- Monitors financial planning and financial reports.
- Evaluates annually the performance of the organization in achieving its mission.
- This position cannot be held by a student.
Steering Committee Vice-Chair
- Participates fully in the SC’s responsibilities vis a vis ARC’s fiscal sponsor.
- Performs SC Chair responsibilities when the SC Chair is not available.
- Works closely with the SC Chair and ARC staff.
- Works closely with the SC Chair to develop and implement officer elections and transitions.
- Performs other duties as assigned by the SC Chair.
- This position cannot be held by a student.
Steering Committee Treasurer
- Participates fully in the SC’s responsibilities vis a vis ARC’s fiscal sponsor.
- Manages finances of the ARC; develops and oversees financial policies and procedures; prepares and delivers reports on finances as required.
- Oversees fundraising for the ARC.
- Works closely with the Executive Director to develop the annual budget and present the budget to the SC/LC, fiscal sponsor, and ARC membership.
- Performs other duties as assigned by the SC Chair.
- This position cannot be held by a student.
Steering Committee Secretary
- Participates fully in the SC’s responsibilities vis a vis ARC’s fiscal sponsor.
- Maintains and ensures effective management of all ARC records; is familiar with ARC and Community Initiatives policies, procedures, and paperwork, and advises the SC/LC of their applicability and implications.
- Creates and manages minutes of SC/LC meetings; distributes minutes to participants shortly after each meeting.
- Performs other duties as assigned by the SC Chair.
- This position can be held by a student.
*In order to establish overlapping terms, the inaugural term durations of the Steering Committee and Leadership Council positions will be: SC Chair, 2 years; SC Vice Chair, 1 year; SC Secretary, 2 years; SC Treasurer, 1 year; four professional LC Members, 2 years; three professional LC members, 1 yr; two student LC members, 1 year; 2 student LC members, 2 years. The requirement of prior experience on the LC is waived.
Working Groups
Working Groups (WGs) are appointed by the SC Chair to be responsible for specific areas of ARC programming and management (for example, a Diversity WG, Symposium WG, and Resource Development WG). WGs may be composed of Leadership Council members and other ARC members. The timelines, composition, and deliverables are determined separately for each WG as appropriate.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Working Groups
Working Group Chair
- Is a member of the SC/LC.
- Commits to the duration of the WG’s mission or the duration of the individual’s SC/LC term, whichever is shorter.
- Is appointed by and reports to the SC Chair. Advises the SC Chair regarding the appointment and supervision of WC members.
- Sets the tone for the WG; ensures that members have the information needed to do their jobs.
- Assigns work to the WG members; sets the agenda and runs the WG meetings.
- Oversees the logistics of WG operations; , coordination with the SC Secretary maintains records of WG processes and products and ensures creation and distribution of meeting minutes.
- Provides reports to the full SC/LC on the WG’s decisions/recommendations/products.
- Works closely with the Executive Director and other staff as agreed to meet the goals of the WG.
- Initiates and leads the WG’s annual evaluation, and participates actively in the SC’s annual evaluation and planning efforts.
- This position can be held by a student.
Working Group Member
- Is a member of the SC/LC, or other member in good standing of the ARC.
- Commits to the duration of the WG’s mission or 1 year, whichever is shortest.
- Is appointed by and reports to the SC Chair.
- Regularly attends WG meetings.
- Participates actively in WG work; accepts assignments and completes them thoroughly and on time.
- Stays informed about WG matters, prepares thoroughly for meetings, and reviews and comments on minutes and reports.
- Participates actively in the SC’s annual evaluation and planning efforts.
- This position can be held by a student.