Orientation for Newly Elected Members to the Council of Academic Professionals Get acquainted with your new responsibilities Prepared by Liezl Bowman, Linda Smith, Julia Stackler, Konstantinos Yfantis cap.illinois.edu 1

Congratulations on your election! You will receive a letter from the Chancellor about your election to CAP. A copy of the letter will be sent to you and your supervisor: You will be asked to provide contact information You can provide up to three (3) contacts CAP’s Procedures & Elections Committee will ask for your direct supervisor’s name and contact information, so the letter will reach the appropriate party. cap.illinois.edu 2

For a smooth transition into CAP Arrange a brief meeting with your district’s other representative (coffee break, lunch, etc.) Read (and try to digest) the Bylaws: Review past meeting minutes and agendas Place the monthly meetings on your calendar Inform your colleagues and staff about your new role as a CAP rep Let them know of your new commitment Raise awareness that you are their conduit to the Council cap.illinois.edu 3

Your role as an elected member Attend the monthly CAP meetings as often as possible Encourage other APs to attend the meetings, as they are open to the public Illinois Open Meetings Act Actively participate in meeting discussion Work with the colleges/units in your district to share relevant information with all APs Review pertinent grievance material Maintain confidential information as deemed necessary cap.illinois.edu 4

Your role as an elected member (cont’d) Become active in setting the agenda – do you know what’s on the minds of the APs you represent? Be aware of issues and current affairs at the University Review the minutes prior to each meeting Contribute relevant items to the monthly CAP newsletter Contact the Communications Officer Recruit APs to serve on committees CAP Senate cap.illinois.edu 5

Structure of the Council Chair Vice Chair Secretary Communications Officer Grievance Officer Ex Officio Member: Associate Provost for Human Resources cap.illinois.edu 6

Responsibilities of the Chair Lead CAP for one term Draft the agenda and preside at meetings Serve as CAP rep to Senate Executive Committee Serve as a CAP rep to UPPAC Appoint committees subject to Council approval Provide written yearly report of CAP’s activities and accomplishments to the Chancellor ** A member who has served as Chair for two complete, successive terms will not be eligible for re-election as Chair until at least one full term has elapsed. cap.illinois.edu 7

Responsibilities of the Vice Chair Serve as the Chair of the Procedures & Elections Committee Serve as a CAP rep to UPPAC Assume the duties of the Chair in the event of resignation or removal from office of the Chair Act as Chair in the event of absence or disability of the Chair ** There is no limit to the number of terms the Vice Chair may serve. cap.illinois.edu 8

Responsibilities of the Secretary Official record keeper of CAP’s minutes and attendance following guidelines established in Article II of the Bylaws Serve as a CAP rep to UPPAC Article II Be responsible for the maintenance of the official minutes, records, and files of the Council for the current year. Records of CAP shall be permanently maintained in the Office of the Chancellor by the Chancellor’s liaison to the Council Official minutes, records, and files kept by the Council shall normally be open to inspection only for reasons satisfactory to the Council and authorized by it in writing. Items not exempted by the Freedom of Information Act will be made available upon demand, following the advice of Campus Legal Council. ** There is no limit to the number of terms the Secretary may serve. cap.illinois.edu 9

Responsibilities of the Communications Officer Maintain current content on the CAP website Solicit regular updates from Council members and ensure these items as well as agendas, minutes, and other timely information approved for distribution are posted to the website and/or distributed to APs another way Responsible for responding to and/or routing appropriately any messages received through the website ** There is no limit to the number of terms the Communications Officer may serve. cap.illinois.edu 10

Responsibilities of the Grievance Officer Disseminate confidential grievance materials to entire CAP membership prior to the meeting Oversee a smaller committee (usually 3-4 CAP members) that evaluates a grievance, interviews grievant and others, and writes a summary of the grievance along with CAP’s recommendation to the Chancellor Conducts grievance training Usually held in August, led by a member of the grievance committee cap.illinois.edu 11

Role of the Ex Officio Member Provide updates: Academic Professional Development Fund Campus budget Other pertinent issues and developments Answer questions and clarify Human Resources policies cap.illinois.edu 12

Getting acclimated with acronyms AP: Academic Professional CAP: Council of Academic Professionals CAPE Awards: Chancellor’s Academic Professional Excellence Awards APDF: Academic Professional Development Fund UPPAC: University Professional Personnel Advisory Committee (the equivalent of CAP, but for all 3 campuses) CIC: Committee on Institutional Cooperation cap.illinois.edu 13

UPPAC UPPAC meets quarterly and serves the interests of full-time, part-time, visiting, and retired APs by: Providing formal and informal communication between APs, the President, and other administrative officers at the University Drafting and reviewing University-wide policies affecting APs Coordinating communications that affect APs at the three campuses Interviewing candidates for key University administrative positions CAP is represented in UPPAC by the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and an At-Large Member cap.illinois.edu 14

CIC Association of Professional Staff Councils (APSC) The CIC is the academic consortium of the universities in the Big Ten Conference plus the University of Chicago. The CIC’s mission is to advance academic excellence through collaboration across the member universities. The CIC APSC addresses challenges and works toward solutions for employees represented by the participating staff advisory/governing bodies of member universities. It provides a venue for information exchange and examines issues to promote best practices designed to enhance work life at member institutions. University of Chicago is the only one in the CIC that has elected not to participate in the APSC. cap.illinois.edu 15

Questions? cap.illinois.edu 16