College Advisory Council Bylaws | SKCTC

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College Advisory Council Bylaws

Bylaws of the Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College (SKCTC) College Advisory Council within the Kentucky Community and Technical College System

WHEREAS, the College Advisory Council of SKCTC, an institution part of and under the organizational structure of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, has been duly created pursuant to KCTCS Administrative Policy 1.7, with all the powers and duties described therein; and

WHEREAS, in order to carry out its duties and responsibilities, the SKCTC College Advisory Council adopts these bylaws for the government of its members.

ARTICLE I

1.1 Duties and Responsibilities.

The sole governing authority for all colleges of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System is the KCTCS Board of Regents. The College Advisory Council of Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College (SKCTC) does not govern or control the college but instead advises the College Chancellor and the KCTCS President as prescribed. Per KCTCS Administrative Policy 1.7, the SKCTC College Advisory Council shall:

  1. Participate in the search process for the SKCTC College Chancellor as requested by the KCTCS President which may include but is not limited to serving on a search committee, interviewing candidates, or reviewing qualified applicants. The KCTCS President shall have final authority regarding the appointment of the College Chancellor.
  2. Provide input to assist the KCTCS President in evaluating the performance of the College Chancellor. The KCTCS President has final authority for the appointment, evaluation and termination of the College Chancellor.
  3. Endorse an operations plan that is developed in coordination with local employers, civic leaders, campus constituents, and other postsecondary institutions in the region and that directly informs, supports, and advances the KCTCS Strategic Plan. The KCTCS President has final authority to approve the operations plan of each College. 

ARTICLE II

2.1 Membership. 

The SKCTC College Advisory Council shall consist of at least ten (10) members, as follows: seven (7) members appointed by the KCTCS President; one (1) member shall be a member of the teaching faculty, one (1) member of the staff, and one (1) member shall be a member of the student body.

  1. Appointed Members. The appointed members shall serve a term of four years.
  2. Faculty Member. The faculty member shall be teaching faculty of the college. They shall be elected by secret ballot of all full-time faculty members of the college. Faculty members serve for terms of two (2) years and until their successors are elected and qualified. Faculty members shall be eligible for reelection, but they shall be ineligible to continue to serve as members of the Council if they cease to be members of teaching faculty of the college. Elections to fill vacancies shall be for the unexpired term in the same manner as provided for original election.

    Teaching faculty members are defined as those with faculty or equivalent rank who spend less than fifty percent of their time in administrative responsibilities.

    For purposes of this section, assignment as division chairperson, program coordinator, counselor, or librarian, shall not exclude one from eligibility to serve as an elected faculty member of the Council.

  3. Staff Member. The staff member shall be a classified or mid-management employee who does not hold faculty rank and who does not hold an upper-level administrative position. The staff member shall be elected by secret ballot of all full-time staff members of the college. Staff members shall serve for two (2) years and until their successors are elected and qualified. Staff members shall be eligible for reelection but shall be ineligible to continue to serve as members of the Council if they cease to be members of the staff of the college. An election to fill a vacancy for an unexpired term shall be held in the same manner as an election to an original full term.
  4. Student Member. The student member shall be elected by secret ballots from the student body of the college to serve a term of one (1) year. The student member shall be a full-time student who maintains permanent residency in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. If the student member serving on the college Council is the president of the student government association and is subsequently elected to serve on the KCTCS Board of Regents as a student regent, the next highest ranking student government officer at the college shall serve in his/her place on the college Council.

2.2 Compensation.

The members of the College Advisory Council shall receive no compensation for their services but shall be paid for their actual and necessary expenses.

ARTICLE III

3.1 Officers of the SKCTC College Advisory Council. 

The Officers of the College Advisory Council shall consist of a Chair, Vice Chair, a Secretary, and such other officers as it may deem necessary. The Council Chair may appoint an Assistant Secretary as defined below in Section 4.3(d).

3.2 Election and Term.

Officers of the Council shall be elected from the membership at the annual meeting and shall serve one-year terms. In the event a vacancy occurs prior to the end of the term of an officer, the Council shall hold a special election to fill the office for the unexpired portion of the term.

3.3 Duties of Officers.

  1. Chair. The Chair shall preside at all Council and executive committee meetings, shall serve as an ex-officio member of all committees, and shall have such other duties as may be prescribed by the Council.
  2. Vice Chair. In the Chair’s absence, the Vice Chair shall perform all the duties of the Chair and shall have such other duties as may be prescribed by the Council.
  3. Secretary. The Secretary shall maintain minutes of all meetings of the Council, shall attest to all documents required to be signed for the Council, shall notify Council members of all meetings, and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Council.

ARTICLE IV

4.1 Meetings. 

The SKCTC College Advisory Council shall meet quarterly, with four regular meetings held each year. Special meetings may be called as needed by the Chair or Chancellor. The Fall meeting shall be considered the annual meeting for the College Advisory Council and shall occur between September 1 and November 30. 

  1. Each meeting will have an agenda that is provided to the members at least seven (7) calendar days prior to the meeting.
  2. Preparation. The agenda for a meeting of the Council shall be prepared by the Secretary or designee, in consultation with the College Chancellor, with the approval of the Chair. All requests for inclusion of a given item on the agenda of a particular meeting shall be filed with supporting documents, if any, with the Secretary of the Council.
  3. Additions. Any committee or member of the Council may request consideration by the Council at any meeting.
  4. Participation by Non-Members. The College Chancellor shall attend and participate in all meetings of the College Advisory Council and may attend all meetings of the committees of the College Advisory Council. The College Chancellor may invite other employees of the College to attend the meetings and present information or otherwise participate as needed. Requests for College information from the College Advisory Council may be made only to the College Chancellor, coordinated through the Chair.

    In order to address the Council, individuals must submit a written request to the College Chancellor describing the subject matter and the reason the matter is relevant to the Council at least ten (10) business days prior to the next meeting. The College Chancellor shall communicate the request to the Chair and Vice Chair. The Chair and Vice Chair shall determine whether or not to allow the opportunity to speak. The College Chancellor shall communicate that the decision to the requestor at least three (3) business days prior to the meeting. The Council shall be notified of all denials.

4.2 Quorum.

A simple majority of the voting members of the Council shall constitute a quorum.

4.3 Power to Vote. 

All members of the Council may vote on all matters coming before the Council for consideration. No vote concerning any matter under consideration by the Council, or by a committee of the Council, may be cast in absentia, by proxy, by mail, or by telephone.

4.4 Rules of Order.

In the event that these bylaws are not instructive regarding applicable procedures, the Council shall consult Robert’s Rules of Order for applicable procedures.

4.5 Minutes.

  1. Duties of the Secretary. The Secretary shall keep minutes of all meetings of the Council; shall file, index, and preserve all minutes, papers and documents pertaining to the proceedings of the Council and shall be the custodian of all records of the Council and instruments of the Council. The Secretary shall be responsible for transcribing the minutes of each meeting within a reasonable time and for providing a copy for each member of the Council. By majority vote of the College Advisory Council at the annual meeting, the Assistant Secretary may be designated to serve this function. College staff designated by the College Chancellor to support the council shall be the official custodian of the Council’s records.
  2. Approval. The minutes shall not be considered official unless and until approved by the Council.
  3. Public Record. Pursuant to KRS 61.835, the minutes shall be open to public inspection no later than immediately following the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Council. Requests shall be filed with the KCTCS Office of General Counsel.

4.6 Attendance.

Members who are unable to attend at least 75 percent of Council meetings, including meetings of committees to which they are assigned, during a July 1-to-June 30 fiscal year should consider resignation from the Council. No person may attend any meeting of the Council as a substitute for a Council member, and no person, except a regular member of the Council, shall be entitled to vote in determining the action of the Council at any time.

4.7 Participation of Council Members.

Active participation of the council members is important to the functioning of the college. If a member of the College Advisory Council does not sufficiently participate in three or more Council meetings within the year, the Council Chair should contact the member to determine the reason for the member’s failure to participate and encourage the member to participate actively or tender a written resignation. The Council Chair should apprise the Council of such action and the results at the next meeting of the Council.

  1. If a member continues to fail to participate after sufficient contacts from the Council Chair, the Council Chair or any member of the Council may propose a council resolution formally calling for the non-participating member to resign.
  2. Such council resolution shall pass upon a simple majority vote of the Council, not counting the non-participating member, and the Council shall notify the member of the passed resolution by certified mail. The Council may repeat this process as often as the Council deems appropriate.
  3. The Council shall send a copy of such notice and resolution to the KCTCS President. Upon request of the College Chancellor or the Council Chair, KCTCS may formally request the President’s office to remove an appointed non-participating member or take action to remove elected non-participating members from the council for neglect or failure to perform duties as a member of the College Advisory Council.

ARTICLE V

5.1 Committees. 

The Council shall establish such standing and ad hoc committees as it deems appropriate to discharge its responsibilities. Such committees are advisory entities to the College Advisory Council and may exercise only as much power and province as the Council allows. Each committee shall have a written statement of purpose, role, and scope as approved by the Council, and such rules of procedure or policy guidelines that it or the Council, as appropriate, shall approve. Such statements shall be reviewed annually by each committee.

ARTICLE VII

7.1 Insurance for Members and Officers. Members and Officers of the College Advisory Councils are covered under the KCTCS insurance policies for their role on their respective councils.

7.2 Training for Members of the College Advisory Council. 

The College Advisory Council shall conduct an appropriate orientation for members of the Council to familiarize new members of the College Advisory Council and refresh veteran members with their duties and best practices for an advisory council of a community and/or technical college. Training may also include other subjects or topics that would benefit the Council.

  1. The Chair of the Council shall ensure Council members receive such training not less than once every two years and may rely upon the College staff under the supervision and direction of the College Chancellor to arrange for or provide such training.
  2. The College staff shall consult with or involve the KCTCS System Office or outside resources as it deems appropriate to arrange or provide training for the College Advisory Council.

7.3 Council Self-Evaluation.

To assist the Council in achieving its mission to advise and support the College and the community, the College Advisory Council shall at least every two (2) years evaluate its own effectiveness. The Council shall accurately assess individual member participation in Council meetings/events and contributions to the College mission; productivity of the Council as a whole; the Council’s effectiveness in timely meeting its statutory duties; and the results of the Council’s actions.

  1. Each member of the Council shall have the opportunity to participate in the individual member and Council self-assessment.
  2. The Council Chair and College Chancellor shall work together to develop and maintain an appropriate evaluation process and related forms and may consult with the KCTCS System Office or outside resources as it deems appropriate.
  3. The Council shall share the results of the Council’s self-evaluation with the full College Advisory Council and the College Chancellor at a regular or special meeting of the College Advisory Council.

ARTICLE VIII

8.1 Conflict of Interest. 

All College Advisory Council members are expected to abide by the KCTCS Conflict of Interest Policy and complete the applicable conflict of interest form prior to serving in their role on the Council. If a member discovers a conflict that was not previously disclosed, the member is expected to notify the College Chancellor and the College Chancellor will inform the KCTCS Office of General Counsel and Compliance. 

ARTICLE IX

9.1 Code of Ethics. 

To promote transparency, effectiveness, civility, and collegiality among the college’s stakeholders and constituencies, the College Advisory Council shall adopt a Code of Ethics attached hereto as Appendix A, and the members shall comport themselves in accordance therewith.

ARTICLE X

10.1 Amendments. 

At the recommendation of the College Chancellor, any provision of these bylaws may be amended or new provisions added by affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Council.

10.2 Suspensions. 

At the recommendation of the College Chancellor, any provision of these bylaws may be suspended at any meeting of the Council for that meeting by affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Council.

ADOPTION

These Bylaws were adopted by the Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College Advisory Council on November 3, 2026, and shall remain in effect until amended or replaced in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws.