ϲappCommunity Advisory Council Charter

Approved by the President/Director on July 1, 2020

  • I. Purpose
  • The role of the ϲappCommunity Advisory Council (“Community Council”) is to advise the ϲappPresident/Director and Chief Operating Officer (“COO”) upon their request on general aspects of ϲappcommunity life connected to and essential for the ϲappresearch and education missions, but not the research or education missions themselves. This includes, for example, housing, childcare, facilities, campus life, and Woods Hole/Falmouth community relations.
  • The ϲappPresident/Director and COO will communicate with the Community Council regularly on matters for which they seek the advice of the Community Council.
  • II. Composition of Community Council
  • The Community Council will be comprised of no more than thirteen (13) members, consisting of up to four (4) Resident scientists, three (3) Whitman Center scientists, three (3) Education faculty, one (1) Emeritus ϲappSociety member, one (1) postdoc/graduate student, and one (1) at-large member.
  • The ϲappPresident/Director and/or his or her designee and the Speaker of the ϲappSociety will serve as ex officio members.
  • All ϲappSociety Members in good standing shall be eligible for nomination to the Community Council.
  • III. Council Selection and Appointment
  • ϲappSociety members shall nominate members of the Community Council annually in the spring.  ϲappSociety members may be nominated for consideration as Community Council members by other ϲappSociety members or by self-nomination.  A Nomination Committee will be composed of six (6) members appointed by the Community Council Chair in consultation with the Community Council. The Nomination Committee will prepare a slate from the nominations for vote of ϲappSociety members.  The ϲappPresident/Director will select and appoint Community Council members from among the nominees presented by vote of the ϲappSociety.
  • IV. Community Council Terms
  • Community Council member terms will begin on July 1, continue for three years, and end on June 30.  Community Council members may serve two (2) consecutive three-year terms, and then must stand down for at least two (2) years before being eligible again. Chair and Vice Chair positions will be elected from and by members of the Community Council at the first Community Council meeting following the election.
  • V. Community Council Meetings
  • The Community Council shall meet twice per year or as otherwise requested by the ϲappPresident/Director.  The ϲappPresident/Director and the ϲappSociety Speaker will be invited (as ex officio members) to the Community Council meetings.
  • VI. Communication
  • The Speaker of the ϲappSociety will regularly receive advice and input from ϲappSociety members and representatives of the broader ϲappcommunity on matters to be addressed at the meetings of the Community Council. The Chair of the Community Council will prepare a written report addressing the issues raised by the Speaker and other matters following each Community Council meeting. The Speaker will share these reports with the ϲappSociety and the ϲappPresident/Director and COO.  The ϲappPresident/Director will report to the Board of Trustees on the activities of the Community Council.