III. Creation of University Policy Committees
The shared governance system at Loyola is composed of seven University Policy Committees (UPCs): Academic Affairs, Faculty Affairs, Student Affairs, Staff Affairs, Strategic Planning, Budgeting and Finance, and Research. The operations of each UPC are supervised by the University Coordinating Committee (UCC).
The primary function of a UPC is to be the locus for dialogue in collaborative policy formation prior to approval by the University President. The secondary function of a UPC is to review matters or issues as assigned by the University Coordinating Committee or that fall within its purview as described in this document and to make recommendations to the appropriate administrator on such matters or issues. These UPCs meet as often as needed but at least twice per semester during the regular academic year. Each includes a proportion of administrators, faculty, staff and students that will insure wise deliberation, the sharing of critical information, and input. All Faculty, staff and student members will be selected by their elected representative bodies and councils (Faculty Council, Staff Council and Unified Student Government) for all seats on the UPCs.
Policy issues, major changes to policies, major initiatives and structural reorganizations may originate with or be proposed by any individual or group within the University Community, for example by administrators, advisory groups, by a UPC, or by any members of the University community either directly or through their appropriate representative bodies and councils. All proposals, issues and initiatives should be forwarded to the University Coordinating Committee, which is responsible for assigning those it deems of suitable significance to an appropriate UPC (or multiple UPCs as necessary) and for coordinating the work of the UPC's. If an issue or concern is assigned to a UPC for resolution, the UPC may, depending on the nature of the issue, make its recommendation to one or more administrators concerning ways to resolve the matter, or the UPC may make a policy recommendation to the President concerning the matter.
It is expected that members of each UPC will work closely to resolve differences and that the normal outcome of deliberations will be the approval of a recommendation by the appropriate administrator. When a recommendation is not approved, however, the reason will be given and communicated to all parties involved.
Administrators are expected to respond in a timely manner--within a month of receiving a recommendation in most cases. When disagreements develop that cannot be resolved, the UPC may submit its recommendation directly to the President who has the final authority in resolving all conflicts. Trustees hold the ultimate legal authority for the University, and so policies and strategic changes will be brought from the President to the Board of Trustees when board approval is required.
Following is a description of the University Coordinating Committee and each UPC's purpose, charge and membership: