1. Senate
  2. Committees
  3. Committee Vacancies Apply Now
  4. Committee Chair Application Process

Committee Chair Application Process

Background

On May 27, 2014, Queen's University Senate passed the following motion:

That Section 26 of the Rules of Procedure of the Senate be deleted and the following inserted in its place:

The Chair of each standing and special committee of the Senate, unless otherwise provided for by the Committee Terms of Reference and with the exception of the Senate Committee on Academic Development and the Honorary Degrees Committee, shall be appointed by the Senate on the recommendation of the Governance and Nominating Committee. Prior to bringing forward such recommendations the Governance and Nominating Committee shall seek the advice of the Chair of the Senate. Committee Chairs shall serve for a term of one year and shall be eligible for reappointment. The Senate Committee on Academic Development, the Honorary Degrees Committee, and the Agenda and Summer Advisory Committee shall be chaired by the Chair of the Senate or delegate.

The motion was passed in response to a request that the Senate Governance and Nominating Committee (GNC) evaluate the mechanism for appointing standing Committee Chairs.  Members of the GNC reviewed the rationale for the request and determined that the proposed revision to the process for the selection of Committee Chairs would be in keeping with the ongoing practice of enhancing structures supporting transparent governance processes.  Accordingly, the motion was recommended to Senate and adopted.

Procedure

  1. When a Committee Chair position becomes vacant, the Office of the University Secretariat will issue a call for applications.  This call will be provided to all senators and Senate committee members via email.  Notification to the University community at large will be provided on the Secretariat's website as well as via the University's centralized communication vehicles (i.e., Queen's Gazette, Queen's Gazette Today, For The Record, etc.) as deemed appropriate by University Relations.
  2. Applications will be accepted for a minimum of two weeks via a web-based application form on the University Secretariat website.  The deadline for applications will be clearly communicated in all notifications regarding the vacancy.
  3. All applications will be required to be supported by two references to be considered complete.  References will be requested on the application form and the University Secretariat will reach out to your references on your behalf. 
  4. Completed applications will be compiled and presented to the GNC for consideration.  Applications will be presented at the next meeting immediately following the application deadline.
  5. Members of the GNC will review all completed applications and select a candidate for the Committee Chair position based on all candidates' experience and references as outlined in the application and references.
  6. The completed application of the successful candidate will be presented to the Chair of Senate for advice.
  7. The name of the successful candidate will be presented to Senate for its approval in a report submitted by the GNC Chair.

This process will be followed regardless of whether the Committee Chair position has become vacant due to the completion of the term of the Chair or due to a resignation.