CPPHE Bylaws

Purposes and Procedures for the Council on Public Policy in Higher Education of the Association for the Study of Higher Education
(As amended, November 2013)

The Council on Public Policy in Higher Education (CPPHE) shall be a Standing Committee of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) and shall hold its annual meeting and affiliated Forum on Public Policy in Higher Education in conjunction with the annual ASHE Meeting. 

I. PURPOSE

The purposes of the Council shall be to promote research on, and to advance understanding of, the processes and impacts of public policy in U.S. higher education, as well as to help inform decision making in the public policy arena. The Council shall also serve as an incubator and facilitator of future policy-relevant research and as an ongoing network for the exchange of ideas and information. The Council shall pursue these purposes by providing opportunities for researchers, public policy analysts, and policymakers to share research findings and to discuss diverse ideas and perspectives regarding public policy issues in higher education. As an organization addressing public policy issues, the Council shall focus primarily on state and federal governmental issues, programs, or processes that affect higher education in the United States. 

II. PROCEDURES

The Council on Public Policy in Higher Education shall be governed by the following procedures as amended from time to time in accordance with the provisions hereof. 

Section 1.0 Membership

All members of the Council on Public Policy in Higher Education (CPPHE) shall be members in good standing of ASHE. Applications for membership shall be sent to ASHE staff, which shall process them accordingly. The membership year shall be the same as that for ASHE. No additional fee shall be associated with membership in this Standing Committee of ASHE. 

Section 2.0 Officers, Executive Committee, Duties and Terms

The officers of the Council on Public Policy in Higher Education shall be the Chair, Vice Chair, Immediate Past Chair, and Secretary. These officers and three Members-at-Large shall comprise the Council's Executive Committee. Insofar as practical and possible, members of the Executive Committee shall be of diverse ethnic backgrounds, geographic regions, and genders

a) It shall be the responsibility of the Chair to oversee the various functions of the Council and to report and communicate with the Board of the Association on the needs of the Council, including any necessary budgetary requests. The Chair will call and conduct the annual business meeting of the Council, chair meetings of the Executive Committee of the Council, and make all appointments to Council committees as described in this document.

b) The Vice Chair of the Council shall be elected by Council membership and to serve for three years, but not more than two consecutive terms of office. In the first year, the incumbent will serve as Vice Chair. In the second year, the incumbent will serve as Chair of the Council. In the third year, the incumbent will serve as Immediate Past Chair. In consultation with the Chair and Immediate Past Chair, the Vice Chair will prepare the agenda and related materials for the annual meeting of the Council. At the request of the Chair, the Vice Chair will assist on a variety of organizational matters.

The Vice Chair will also serve as Program Chair for the annual Public Policy Forum. With assistance from the Immediate Past Chair, the Vice Chair will coordinate the peer review and selection process for sessions at the Council's annual Forum and provide the overall direction and organization for the Forum.

c) The Immediate Past Chair will coordinate the Nominations and Elections Process. In addition, the Immediate Past Chair will provide support to the Chair and Vice Chair as needed.

d) The Secretary of the Council shall be elected by the Council membership and shall serve a two-year term, but not more than three consecutive terms of office.

It is the Secretary's responsibility to record the proceedings at the annual business meeting and prepare communications on Council activities to be submitted to the Council's membership.

e) The Executive Committee Members-at-Large shall be elected by Council membership and shall serve a three-year term. In the first election for Member-at-Large seats, terms of one, two, and three years will be filled in order to provide for staggered ending of terms.

Executive Committee Members-at-Large provide advice to the Chair and support the Vice Chair in coordinating the Public Policy Forum. They should be prepared to chair ad hoc committees or take on other, short-term assignments as requested by the Chair.

f) The terms of office shall begin during the Business Meeting of the ASHE Public Policy Forum, which is held immediately before the ASHE Annual Meeting. If no CPPHE Annual Meeting is held, the terms of office shall begin as close as feasible to the date the terms of office of their predecessors would normally expire, the exact dates to be set by the Executive Committee. If the Chair, another officer, or a Member-at-Large does not take office within one month of the time the term is to begin, the Executive Committee shall declare the given office vacant and appoint a substitute to serve until a successor can be chosen through a regular or special election. 

Section 2.1 Nominations and Elections

a) All officers and members-at-large of the Council shall be elected by written or e-mail ballot of the voting members of the Council. The results of the elections will be announced at the Council's business meeting.

b) The Immediate Past Chair will work with the Chair to appoint a Nominating and Election Committee, with the consent of the Executive Committee. The Nominating and Election Committee shall propose nominations and ascertain the availability of nominees for the office of Vice Chair, Secretary and Executive Committee Members-at-Large. The Nominating and Election Committee shall not nominate a member of its committee for any office. The Immediate Past Chair will serve as the Executive Committee’s liaison to the Nominating and Elections Committee.

c) The Nominating and Election Committee shall submit to the current Chair and Executive Committee the names of nominees for office, accompanied by evidence of the nominees consent to run. The Immediate Past Chair shall post the report of the Nominating and Election Committee on the Council's website for the membership's information. Voting members may also submit written nominations to the Chair, which shall be signed by not less than five percent of the voting members; members may sign more than one such nomination.

d) Persons nominated for a leadership position within the Council should provide information about their professional background in whatever format is requested and be prepared to respond to members' questions about their candidacy.

e) The Immediate Past Chair shall arrange for a ballot to be prepared that shall include the names of all duly nominated persons and provided to each voting member of the Council. The person receiving the largest number of votes shall be elected to office. The Nominating and Election Committee shall review the procedures and certify the results to the Chair and Immediate Past Chair immediately, to the members at the following annual meeting, and on the Council's web page. In case of a tie, the election shall be settled by lot. The Nominating and Election Committee will establish the procedure. 

Section 2.2 Schedule for Nominations and Elections

a) Scheduling of election process activities should, if possible, be held at the same time as the ASHE election process, to maximize participation. The Nominating and Election Committee shall be appointed within two months after the Chair assumes office and shall submit its nominations in conjunction with the ASHE election cycle.

b) At least 30 days shall elapse between the mailing (whether by surface mail or e-mail) of election ballots to members and the deadline for their return. The Immediate Past Chair shall arrange for mailing the ballots and set the deadline for their return, which shall generally be consistent with deadlines for ASHE elections.

c) The Chair may choose to conduct the elections process in a reasonably fair manner different from that described in 2.2a and b, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee. 

Section 2.3 Vacancies

a) When a vacancy in the office of the Chair occurs, the Council's Executive Committee shall designate an individual whose name shall be submitted to the President of ASHE for appointment for the remainder of the one-year term.

b) When a vacancy occurs in any other officer position or in any at-large position, the Chair, with the consent of the Executive Committee, shall appoint an individual to serve out the remainder of the term.

c) If the Chair, Vice Chair, Immediate Past Chair, or Secretary is unable or fails to perform duties satisfactorily over a period of time, the Executive Committee shall declare the office vacant and arrange for the duties of the office to be performed. The Executive Committee shall also take other reasonable steps to preserve intact the offices of the Council on Public Policy in Higher Education, and to maintain the Council's operations.

d) If a Member-at-Large is unable or fails to perform duties satisfactorily over a period of time, the Chair (after consultation with the Executive Committee) shall declare the office vacant and arrange for the duties of the office to be performed. 

Section 3.0 Meetings of the Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall hold at least one meeting each year, usually in conjunction with the ASHE Conference's Annual Meeting. The attendees at that meeting shall constitute a quorum for conducting Council business. The Chair may call meetings at other times and must call one upon petition of a majority of the Committee's members. Decisions shall be a majority vote of those present. Any member of the Council on Public Policy in Higher Education may attend an Executive Committee meeting as an observer. 

Section 4.0 Committees and Appointments 

Section 4.1 Committee Structure

The Committee Structure of the Council on Public Policy in Higher Education shall consist of (a) standing committees, (b) ad hoc committees, and (c) annual committees. 

Section 4.2 Standing Committees

a) Standing Committees may be established or discontinued by the Executive Committee. Standing Committees shall have not less than three members appointed by the Chair, with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee. Appointments normally shall be for three-year terms. The terms shall be staggered such that approximately one-third of the members terms end in any year.

b) The Executive Committee shall prescribe the duties of Standing Committees. These duties may be revised from time to time by the Executive Committee. 

Section 4.3 Ad Hoc Committees

a) Ad hoc committees may be established by the Chair of the Council, after consultation with the Executive Committee, to carry out particular tasks as described in a charge from the Chair. The Chair shall designate the term of the ad hoc committee, which shall not exceed the Chair's term of office.

b) Members of ad hoc committees shall be appointed by the Chair of the Council, and the committees shall be discharged at the end of their term or earlier if the tasks assigned are completed or if in the Chair's judgment, they are not making substantial progress toward their purpose. 

Section 4.4 Annual Committees

The Chair shall appoint, with the consent of the Executive Committee, necessary committees for one-year terms. Among them shall be a Nominating and Election Committee, which shall perform the duties specified in Section 2.1 and 2.2 of these procedures. 

Section 5.0

Finances Revenues and expenses of the Council on Public Policy in Higher Education shall be determined and managed consistent with Article VIII, Sections 1-3 of the ASHE Bylaws. The Vice Chair, or an Executive Committee Member-at-Large designated by the Vice Chair, shall be responsible for keeping all of the Council's financial records. 

Section 6.0 Meetings and Business

Section 6.1 Schedule of Meetings

The Chair shall arrange one session of the annual Public Policy Forum as a business meeting for Council affairs. This meeting shall serve as a forum for reporting, discussion of, and any necessary action on, Council affairs. Agenda items shall be proposed by the Executive Committee. A Council member wishing to place an item on the agenda for the annual business meeting shall submit the item to the Chair of the Council not less than 30 days before the annual meeting. 

Section 6.2 Rules of Order

In all cases to which they apply and do not conflict with the provisions of these Procedures, Robert's Rules of Order (current edition) shall govern business meetings of the Council on Public Policy in Higher Education. 

Section 6.3 Membership Approval

Items of business requiring the vote of the Council members shall be transacted at the annual business meeting or by mail or e-mail and must originate from the Chair or the Executive Committee in accordance with these Procedures. At least 30 days must elapse between the date on which the proposal is mailed to the members and the date on which a vote is counted. Decision shall be by majority vote.

A summary of actions taken by the membership shall be included in the Annual Report produced by the Chair for the ASHE Board and the Council membership. 

Section 6.4 CPPHE Excellence in Public Policy in Higher Education Award

The CPPHE Excellence in Public Policy in Higher Education Award is intended to recognize excellence in work at the nexus of academic scholarship and policy practice in the field of public policy and higher education.

Each year, the Chair will appoint an award committee, in close consultation with the executive committee. The award committee will solicit nominations for the CPPHE Excellence in Public Policy in Higher Education Award. Both individuals and organizations will be eligible for nomination. The award committee members, and organizations with which award committee members are affiliated, are not eligible to be nominated during the year in which they serve on the awards committee. Nominations must be received on or before a deadline specified by the award committee. The award committee will select the award recipient each year. The CPPHE Excellence in Public Policy in Higher Education Award should be awarded annually. In June 2013, the ASHE board approved the creation of the CPPHE Excellence in Public Policy in Higher Education Award. The inaugural award was granted during the 2013 Public Policy Forum in St. Louis, MO. 

Section 7.0 Amendments or Revisions

Section 7.1 Initiation

Amendments to or other changes in these Procedures may be initiated in either of the following ways:

a) The Executive Committee may formulate proposals and submit them with any arguments it chooses to the members for a vote.

b) Five percent of the voting members may submit to the Executive Committee a proposed amendment or amendments in writing, signed by the sponsors. Such a proposed amendment must be submitted 60 days in advance of the business meeting at which action is proposed. The Executive Committee shall then submit the proposed amendment with any arguments by its sponsors and with the Executive Committee's arguments and recommendations for or against the motion to the voting members for action. 

Section 7.2 Amendments

Approval of proposed amendments or revisions requires an affirmative two-thirds vote of members of the Council on Public Policy in Higher Education either at the annual council business meeting (two-thirds of those present) or by mail/e-mail. The Election Committee shall review the procedure and certify the result. The results of the vote shall be reported to the membership in the next available communication to the members. 

Section 7.3 Necessary Consistency

These bylaws and any amendments may not be in conflict with the ASHE bylaws. 

Document History 
11/12/2002 C. Floyd 
11/5/2009 C. O’Brien 
11/17/2013 J. Delaney
4/10/2018 N. Hillman