St. Olaf College Board of Regents
Community Life and Belonging Committee
Committee Charter
Mission
The Community Life and Belonging Committee provides counsel and advice regarding student and staff recruitment, characteristics, well-being, engagement, and retention; the quality of the holistic student learning experience; and the college’s efforts to ensure that all members of the community belong and thrive. The committee supports the efforts of the Board as a whole to keep students at the center of its work, and helps to ensure that the character of the St. Olaf community embodies the values and principles articulated in the college mission.
Roles and Responsibilities
Informed by the knowledge and experience of committee members in their own professional communities, and consistent with the college’s mission, the committee considers the college’s ongoing work to advance its identity as an inclusive, globally engaged community, particularly for students and staff. The committee helps to assure that St. Olaf:
- Attracts and retains a diverse community of students and staff
- Promotes access, fairness, and thriving for all members of the community
- Cultivates inclusive community throughout the college
- Fosters diversity of thought and experience in its programming
- Develops commitments and skills for engaging across difference
The committee provides counsel and advice in response to data and reports concerning:
- Students’ physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being and engagement
- Student learning in the co-curriculum, including athletics, music organizations, residence life, student employment, and other student-facing offices and centers
- National trends and strategic issues related to holistic student learning and development
Composition
The committee shall consist of at least six members, including its ex officio members. The Chair of the Board of Regents and the President of the College shall be ex officio voting members of the committee. The committee chair or co-chairs, and at least two other members of the committee, shall be Regents appointed by the Chair of the Board of Regents. The committee may include one or more non-Regent members appointed by the Chair of the Board of Regents, so long as a majority of the committee members are Regents.
The Vice President for Community and Belonging shall serve as a non-voting staff liaison to the committee.
Meetings and Reporting
The committee normally shall meet at least three times per year, at such times and places as the committee shall determine. Members may participate in any meeting of the committee by means of any form of remote communication that enables persons not physically present in the same location to communicate with each other on a substantially simultaneous basis. A quorum of any meeting of the committee shall consist of a majority of its appointed members for the purpose of taking any action other than adjourning the meeting. If a quorum of committee members is not present, a majority of those present may adjourn the meeting.
The committee chair or co-chairs, in collaboration with the staff liaison, shall establish the agendas for meetings. The staff liaison shall provide the agenda and any other relevant materials to committee members in advance of each meeting. The committee shall maintain minutes of all of its actions and communicate them promptly to the full Board of Regents.
Charter Review
This charter shall be reviewed regularly by the committee, and any proposed changes shall be submitted to the Nominating and Governance Committee for review and approval. The Nominating and Governance Committee shall refer significant changes to the full Board of Regents for review and approval.