Administrative Professionals Committee

The Administrative Professional (AP) Committee is the representative body for AP staff, the purpose of which is:

A.  To review and make recommendations on GVSU policies that affect AP staff
B.  To facilitate dialogue between the AP staff and others at GVSU.
C.  To consider questions, concerns, and recommendations from AP staff.

The recommendations made by the Committee will be reported to the appropriate member of the Senior Leadership Team.

The AP Committee is composed of members elected by and from the AP staff to the AP Executive Committee and all subcommittees.

The AP staff is organized into employee groups; each employee group will elect representative(s) to the AP Executive Committee. Current employee groups and elected representatives are listed online each year. A representative from the Office of the Provost and an AP representative from the Human Resources office will serve as non-voting ex officio members.

A. Elections

Member(s) from each AP employee group will be elected by that employee group for a three year term on the AP Executive Committee. Election of new members will take place during the Winter semester, with the term beginning in Spring Semester. Terms are staggered with elections to occur as terms expire. The AP Executive Committee will ask for nominations from the employee groups and prepare an online ballot reflecting those nominations for the election. If insufficient nominations are received, the AP Executive Committee will determine next steps or may fill open positions by appointment. In the event of a tie, a coin flip witnessed by the HR ex officio member or that person’s designee will decide the successful candidate.

B. Vacancies

1. Should an elected member of the AP Executive Committee be unable to complete their term, mid-term vacancies will be filled as soon as possible through appointment ratified by the AP Executive Committee.
2. Should an elected member of the AP Executive Committee change AP employee group during that representative’s term so as to fall into a different employee group, the AP Executive Committee, with the representative’s permission, may vote to allow that elected representative to continue representing the original employee group. If the representative prefers to step down, the AP Executive Committee will fill the mid-term vacancy.

Officers of the AP Executive Committee include the Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary. Officers shall be elected for a term of one year by the newly elected and current members of the AP Executive Committee.

A. Chair - The Chair shall prepare the agenda for and preside over all regular and special meetings of the membership and the committee, and be responsible for the general program of the AP Committee and represented membership. The Chair shall, in general, perform all the duties incident to the office as may be prescribed by the committee from time to time.

B. Vice Chair -  The Vice Chair assists with the governance responsibilities of the Chair and presides over meetings in the absence of the Chair. If for any reason the Chair is unable to serve a full term, the Vice Chair will become the Chair for the unexpired term. If the Vice Chair becomes Chair, or for any other reason is unable to serve a full term, the AP Executive Committee will nominate and elect one of its members during a regular meeting to serve as Vice Chair for the unexpired term.

C. Secretary – The Secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings of the meetings of the committee and conduct such other correspondence as may be requested by the Chair, the membership, or the committee. The Secretary or designee is responsible for posting minutes to the AP Committee website.

Members of the AP Committee are to:

A.  attend AP Executive Committee meetings. If a member is not able to attend a meeting, a substitute should be selected. Substitutes may act as voting members;
B.  participate in AP Executive Committee discussions and decisions;
C.  represent the opinions and interests of their constituents at meetings and in AP Executive Committee decisions;
D.  assist in executing the general purposes of the AP Committee;
E.  contact new AP members within their employee group to welcome them to the university and share with them the purpose of the AP Committee.

A.  Frequency, time, place, and order 

The Chair, along with the AP Executive Committee, will determine the frequency, time, and place of meetings. Robert's Rules of Order will be adopted for Committee procedure.

B.  Quorum 

A quorum of the majority of eligible voters is required to conduct business. A majority is defined as 50% plus 1. An invited speaker may be heard by less than a quorum if rescheduling is impractical.

1. A proposed amendment shall be submitted to the AP Executive Committee as a matter to be presented to the AP Committee. Any proposed amendment must be consistent with the format and organization of these Bylaws. If the proposed amendment receives the support of the AP Executive Committee, the AP Executive Committee will take it to a vote for the entire AP Committee.
2. If in the course of its deliberations the AP Committee alters the proposed amendment substantially, it shall be referred back to the AP Executive Committee for further consideration.
3. A recommendation to amend the Bylaws shall be decided by the affirmative vote of an absolute majority of the voting members of the AP Committee (i.e., a majority of the entire voting membership). The recommendation takes effect when it has been published on the AP Committee site, unless another effective date has been specified. If applicable, the Senior Leadership Team will be notified.

There are four standing subcommittees of the AP Committee: Salary & Benefits, Professional Development, Awards, and Social Justice.

Subcommittee members cannot concurrently serve on the AP Executive Committee or other subcommittees. If elected to more than one committee, the successful candidate must choose a single committee or subcommittee on which to serve. AP staff who received the next highest vote count will fill the open position.

A.  Purpose

To act as a representative body for the AP Executive Committee on issues regarding Salary and Benefits. To report to the AP Executive Committee any recommendations on Salary and Benefits policies that affect the AP staff. The AP Executive Committee will review and make final recommendations, which are reported to the appropriate Senior Leadership Team member.

B.  Composition

The Salary and Benefits Subcommittee is composed of up to nine elected AP staff members who will serve three-year terms with no more than two representatives elected from each of the AP employee groups and one representative from Human Resources, ex-officio, non-voting.

C.  Appointment Guidelines

Terms are for three years and staggered with appointments to occur as terms expire. Mid-term vacancies will be filled with appointments ratified by the AP Executive Committee as needed.

D.  Officers

The officers will include a Chair, a Vice Chair, and a Secretary. The Chair or designee may attend the AP Executive Committee meetings as a nonvoting participant. Officers shall be elected for a term of one year by the newly elected and current members of the Salary and Benefits Subcommittee. Officer  terms will be for one year. The Chair or a designee is responsible for posting minutes to the AP Committee website.

E.  Responsibilities

The Salary and Benefits Subcommittee will report to the AP Executive Committee and have the following responsibilities:

a.  to report to the AP Executive Committee any findings and recommendations which are relevant to AP Salary and Benefits;
b.  to review the AP Salary Adjustment Program and make recommendations to the AP Executive Committee for further action; 
c.   to review the AP Personnel Structure which includes the evaluation of salary and title categories and  to report these findings with recommendations to the AP Executive Committee for further action;         
d.  to review the benefits for AP staff and make recommendations for adjustments or additions;
e.  to review and make recommendations to the AP Executive Committee any additional matters that are assigned to the Salary and Benefits Subcommittee.

A.  Purpose

To act as a representative body for the AP Executive Committee on issues regarding Professional Development. To report to the AP Executive Committee any recommendations on Professional Development policies that affect the AP staff. The AP Executive Committee will review and make final recommendations to the appropriate Senior Leadership Team member.

B.  Composition

The Professional Development Subcommittee is composed of up to nine elected AP staff members who will serve three-year terms with no more than two representatives elected from each of the AP employee groups and one representative from Human Resources, ex-officio, non-voting.

C.  Election Guidelines

Terms are for three years and staggered with elections to occur as terms expire. Mid-term vacancies will be filled with appointments ratified by the AP Executive Committee as needed. 

D.  Officers

The officers will include a Chair, a Vice Chair, and a Secretary. The Chair or designee may attend the AP Executive Committee meetings as a nonvoting participant. Officers shall be elected for a term of one year by the newly elected and current members of the Professional Development Subcommittee. Officer  terms will be for one year. The Chair or a designee is responsible for posting minutes to the AP Committee website.

E.  Responsibilities

The Professional Development Subcommittee will report to the AP Executive Committee and have the following responsibilities:

a.  To report to the AP Executive Committee any findings and recommendations which are relevant to the professional development of AP staff;
b.  To review and propose additional training and development opportunities for AP staff and make recommendations to the AP Executive Committee for further action;
c.   To review funding sources for AP staff development and to report these findings with recommendations to the AP Executive Committee for further action;
d.  To review and make recommendations to the AP Executive Committee any additional matters that are assigned to the Professional Development Subcommittee.

A. Purpose

To act as a representative body for the AP Executive Committee in the selection of AP Awards recipients that will be presented at the annual AP Luncheon. The AP Awards Subcommittee will provide the list of awardees to the AP Executive Committee Chair, who notifies Human Resources for appropriate recognitions.

B. Composition

The Awards Subcommittee is composed of up to nine elected AP staff members who will serve three-year terms with no more than two representatives elected from each of the AP employee groups and up to two former recipients of the AP Achievement Award, as appointed by the AP Awards Subcommittee Chair (for the sole purpose of assisting in the selection of the AP Achievement Award).

C. Election Guidelines

Terms are for three years and staggered with elections to occur as terms expire. Mid-term vacancies will be filled with appointments ratified by the AP Executive Committee as needed. 

D.  Officers

The officers will include a Chair, a Vice Chair, and a Secretary. The Chair or designee may attend the AP Executive Committee meetings as a nonvoting participant. Officers shall be elected for a term of one year by the newly elected and current members of the AP Awards Subcommittee. Officer  terms will be for one year.  The Chair or a designee is responsible for posting minutes to the AP Committee website.

E.  Responsibilities

The Awards Subcommittee will report to the AP Executive Committee and have the following responsibilities:

a.  To report to the AP Executive Committee any findings and recommendations regarding the AP Award process;
b.  To coordinate the nomination process and related publicity;
c.   To select annual AP Award recipients for all awards;
d.  To provide the AP Executive Committee Chair with the list of award recipients for review.

F.  Voting Privileges, Definition of Quorum

The elected members have voting privileges related to the selection of all AP awards. The former recipients of the AP Achievement Award have voting privileges related solely to the AP Achievement Award selection. Awards Subcommittee members should not submit nominations or supporting documents for AP award nominations or provide additional information about a nominee due to personal or professional relationships. 

A quorum of the majority of eligible voters is required in the selection of awards; a majority is defined as 50% plus one. The expectation, however, is that all elected members will participate fully in the selection of all awards where they don’t have a conflict as described above in section F or in section G.

G.  Eligibility for Awards

1. Senior Leadership Team is not eligible for AP Awards
2. AP Executive Committee members are not eligible for the AP Achievement award during their term of service.
3. If an Awards Subcommittee member is nominated for an award, they are required to recuse themselves from the discussion and voting regarding the award for which they have been nominated.

A. Purpose

The Social Justice Subcommittee's purpose is to act as a representative body for the AP Executive Committee on issues regarding Social Justice. The committee's objectives include creating awareness to inspire action for Social Justice issues through program offerings, advocacy, and reporting to the AP Executive Committee any recommendations on Social Justice policies that affect the AP staff. The AP Executive Committee will review and make final recommendations reported to the appropriate Executive Officers for approval.

B. Composition

The Social Justice Subcommittee is composed of up to nine elected AP staff members who will serve three-year terms with no more than two representatives elected from each of the AP employee groups and one representative from the Division of Inclusion and Equity, ex-officio, non-voting.

C. Election Guidelines

Terms are for three years and staggered with elections to occur as terms expire. Mid-term vacancies will be filled with appointments ratified by the AP Executive Committee as needed. 

D. Officers

The officers will include a Chair, a Vice Chair, and a Secretary. The Chair or designee may attend the AP Executive Committee meetings as a nonvoting participant. Officers shall be elected for a term of one year by the newly elected and current members of the Social Justice Subcommittee. Officer terms will be for one year. The Chair or a designee is responsible for posting minutes to the AP Committee website.

4. Responsibilities

The Social Justice Subcommittee will report to the AP Executive Committee and have the following responsibilities:

a. To report to the AP Executive Committee any findings and recommendations related to social justice matters of AP staff;
b. To review and propose additional social justice related training and development opportunities for AP staff and make recommendations to the AP Executive Committee for further action;
c. To review funding sources for AP staff on social justice related development and to report these findings with recommendations to the AP Executive Committee for further action;
d. To review and make recommendations to the AP Executive Committee any additional matters that are assigned to the Social Justice Subcommittee.

1. Administrative Professionals are appointed to AP subcommittees by the Executive Committee. The members of the AP Executive committee should use the following criteria and approach:
   
   1. The interested individual is employed as an Administrative Professional and has been working in this role for at least 1 year.
   2. The interested individual has submitted a Statement of Interest with demonstrated understanding of the AP Subcommittee impact and purpose.
   3. If there is no violation, the individual can expect to be voted in.
       
2. If two or more individuals from the same group are interested in the same subcommittee seat, the candidate who expressed interest first and has provided a Statement of Interest within the required timeframe is prioritized for service, upon which the AP Executive Committee members will vote.
   
   1. The other candidate(s) is/are added to a waitlist in order by the time at which they expressed interest. Candidates are voted in on a first come, first served basis, with representation on committees never exceeding two Administrative Professionals from the same group.
   2. Individuals are allowed to pull their materials at any time, but they must resubmit materials if they become interested in serving after removing themselves from the waitlist.
   3. Materials are held by the AP Executive Committee for up to three years.

It is the responsibility of the AP Executive Committee to monitor this process and alert the AP staff member when their materials have expired and may require resubmission. 

1. If a seat on any subcommittee becomes vacant, the waitlist for that subcommittee is consulted, and an offer is extended. If the individual consulted defers the offer for any reason, the next person on the waitlist is consulted, and the process continues until a candidate accepts or the waitlist is exhausted. If the waitlist is exhausted, see item 4.B
2. After expressing interest in one vacancy, folks are given the choice (in order) to A) submit interest for any other vacancy or to B) wait for the subcommittee for which they expressed interest.
3. Individuals are allowed to submit materials for multiple seats across all subcommittees, but materials must be specific to each committee as they have unique waitlists.
4. If the waitlist is empty when a seat becomes vacant, the call is extended to all AP staff within the group the seat resides with, either during election season or due to a midterm vacancy, and interested parties are expected to reach out with interest.
   1. AP Executive Committee is responsible for sufficiently communicating with its constituency regarding the opening and providing ample time for application.
   2. AP Executive Committee is also responsible for providing a means by which completed application for vacancy can be managed and order of interest can be accurately determined.

1. Subcommittee terms are standardized at 3 years; however, a full term is considered fulfilled at 2 years in the case a midterm vacancy is being filled.
2. When there are members present on a waitlist, subcommittee service limits AP members to serving 1 term.
   1. In the absence of a waitlist, AP Subcommittee members are permitted to exceed 1 term until the waitlist has been populated by interest submitted during election season.
   2. In the instance of an Administrative Professional serving a midterm vacancy, they are permitted to serve more than 1 term as long as their midterm appointment was under 2 years. 
3. Should a member of a subcommittee change AP employee group during that representative’s term so as to fall into a different employee group, that subcommittee, with the representative’s permission, votes whether to permit that representative to continue representing the original employee group. If the representative prefers to step down, the AP Executive Committee will fill the mid-term vacancy. See 6.4. for process.