Standing Committees of the College of Education
cato College of Education Faculty Council
The Faculty Council serves to provide a presence and voice for faculty in the Cato College of Education. The Faculty Council is comprised of two representatives from each academic department of the Cato College of Education. The Dean is an ex-officio non-voting member of the Faculty Council. The Council provides a forum for discussion for proposals to the faculty for which faculty approval is required or for which faculty consultation is desired, with the exception of curriculum proposals or personnel matters which are the responsibilities of other faculty committees. Meetings are open. The Chair of the Faculty Council presides over the governance portion of the monthly Cato College of Education Faculty/ Staff Meetings. The by-laws of the Cato College of Education Faculty Council are included in this section of the Handbook.
cato College of Education Leadership Council
The members of the Cato College of Education Leadership Council are the administrative leadership of the College: deans, department chairs, and unit directors. All members serve ex officio. The Leadership Council is convened by the Dean and meets once a month; meetings are open. Agendas include information-sharing, strategic planning, budget and personnel matters, and work sessions in response to requests/ directives from the campus, from the Department of Public Instruction, and/or the UNC General Administration.
cato College of Education Committee for Accreditation and Continuous Improvement
Faculty are appointed by the Dean to serve for an accreditation cycle as determined by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Dean’s Office personnel (e.g., Dean, Associate Dean) serve ex officio. The committee is charged with reviewing national/state accreditation and program approval standards; providing leadership to the College of Education in responding to those standards; providing professional development to College faculty and other teacher education faculty in the University; designing and implementing an annual program audit of College programs and other teacher education programs, and then supporting program faculty in reviewing audit outcomes for continuous improvement; and providing leadership in preparing for accreditation reviews. Each Committee member chairs or co-chairs a subcommittee in one of these domains for continuous improvement:
- Candidate knowledge/ skills/ dispositions
- Assessment system and unit evaluation
- Field experiences and clinical practice
- Diversity
- Faculty qualifications, performance, and development
- Unit governance and resources
The Committee reports to the Leadership Council and to the College Faculty on a regular basis.
cato College of Education Doctoral Council
The Doctoral Council is comprised of department chairs, doctoral coordinators, the research coordinator in the Cato College of Education, and the Dean; all members serve ex officio. The Council is charged with strengthening the doctoral culture of the College by solving problems of mutual concern, making policy recommendations, creating mechanisms for student support, and creating/implementing a vision of powerful doctoral programs in the College of Education. Meetings are called on an as-needed basis by the Dean or by any member of the Council.
CATO COLLEGE OF EDUCATION Research advisory council
The College Research Advisory Council (RAC) serves to provide a voice for faculty in advising the College in its effort to meet strategic goals pertaining to research. The Counsel provides a forum for faculty to discuss and provide feedback on matters pertaining to initiatives to support and promote faculty research and the pursuit of internal and external funding. The Council is composed of two representatives from each academic department in the Cato College of Education. Departmental elections are held in the spring of each year and elected members serve two-year staggered terms. The Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Education is an ex-officio member. The Associate Dean serves as Chair and convenes the meetings of the Council once per semester, or as needed.
cato College of Education Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
The purpose of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee is to review and make recommendations on undergraduate curriculum and course proposals that originate in the academic departments of the College of Education and to follow the reporting and routing procedures required by the University’s Undergraduate Course and Curriculum Committee. The Chair of this committee is the College’s elected two-year representative to the University’s Undergraduate Course and Curriculum Committee. Other faculty committee members are elected within departments for overlapping two-year terms. Undergraduate student representatives are appointed by Department Chairs for one-year terms, with rotating membership among the academic departments with undergraduate programs.
cato College of Education Graduate Curriculum Committee
The purpose of the Graduate Curriculum Committee is to review and make recommendations on graduate curriculum and course proposals that originate in the academic departments of the College of Education and to follow the reporting and routing procedures required by the University’s Graduate Council. The Chair of the Committee is the College’s elected two-year representative to the Graduate Council. All other faculty representatives are elected within departments for staggered two-year terms. Graduate student representatives are appointed by Department Chairs for one-year terms, with rotating membership among the academic departments.
College Review Committee
The College Review Committee provides the Dean with recommendations on reappointment, promotion, and the conferral of permanent tenure. Additionally, the CRC facilitates the evaluation by the faculty of College-level administrators (Dean and Associate Dean) and confers with the Dean as needed on post-tenure reviews. The College Review Committee is elected from the permanently tenured faculty of the College who hold full-time appointments. Each academic department elects one member of the CRC for two-year terms on a staggered basis; an additional member is elected at-large by the College faculty for a one-year term. The Committee elects its chair from among the members. It is the responsibility of the CRC to act in the interest of the College in general. Members of the CRC do not serve on that body to represent the interests of their home departments in supporting or opposing the case of any faculty member under consideration by the College Review Committee. The work of the CRC is guided by TENURE POLICIES, REGULATIONS AND PROCEDURES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE and by Criteria and Procedures Used at Department and College Levels to Conduct Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure Reviews in the College of Education at UNC Charlotte.
cato College of Education Teaching Award Committee
The College of Education Teaching Award Committee solicits nominations, reviews portfolios, and makes a recommendation to the Dean for the recipient of the College of Education Annual Award for Excellence in Teaching. Each academic department in the College elects one faculty member to serve a two-year term on the Committee, on a staggered basis. The Committee elects its own chair. The Dean serves as an ex officio, non-voting member of the Committee.
cato College of Education Research Award Committee
The College of Education Research Award Committee solicits nominations, reviews nomination packets, and makes a recommendation to the Dean for the recipient of the College of Education Annual Award for Excellence in Research. Each academic department in the college elects one faculty member to serve a two year term on the committee on a staggered basis. The committee elects its own chair.
Undergraduate Student Awards Committee
Members represent undergraduate programs in the College and are appointed by the Department Chairs for staggered two-year terms to simulate and receive nominations and advise the Dean about student award recipients. The Associate Dean, the Director of Teaching Fellows, and the Director of the Teacher Education Advising and Licensure Office serve as ex officio members of the Committee. The Associate Dean serves as Chair and convenes the meetings of the Awards Committee.
The College Information Technology Advisory Committee
The Chair of the Committee is appointed by the Dean for a three-year term. Department representatives and administrative unit representatives are appointed by Department Chairs/ Directors for staggered three-year terms. The Information Technology Advisory Committee is charged with preparing the College’s annual IT plan that identifies current and future needs, maintaining a current inventory of IT in the College, making recommendations for IT purchases in the College, and serving as a point of contact for all inquiries regarding information technology in the College.
The cato College of Education Internationalization Committee
The standing committee is charged with providing leadership in meeting the goal that College of Education students and faculty will demonstrate knowledge of the interconnectedness of the world through systematic experience and study. The scope of work includes the advancing the recommendations of the ad hoc committee on internationalization, establishing relationships with the Office of International Programs and the Department of Languages and Culture Studies, seeking resources for international initiatives, and serving as the selection committee for the College of education International Studies Student Scholarships. The Chair of the Committee is elected by the faculty; committee members are elected by the departments for staggered two-year terms.
Education Honors Committee
The purpose of the Honors in Education Program is to identify exceptional undergraduate students and to give formal recognition to their exceptional academic performance, skills, and dispositions. Upon the recommendation of the Education Honors Committee, and upon certification by the University Honors Council, the honors candidate shall be graduated with Honors in Education. Recognition of such distinction shall be noted on the student’s permanent record, and the phrase Honors in Education shall be inscribed on the student’s diploma. Applicants for Honors in Education must be majoring in a discipline within the College of Education or earning teacher licensure through the College of Education. The Education Honors Committee provides leadership and oversight for the Honors in Education program through such activities as reviewing application materials, approving Honors committees, and recommending candidates for the distinction upon completion of the honors project. Members of the committee are appointed by the Dean, upon recommendation of the Department Chair, for staggered 3-year terms. The Committee will elect its chair annually, with the chair serving as the college representative to the University Honors Council.