Article I – Name
Article II – Purpose
Article III – Membership
Article IV – Officers
Article V – Regional Organization
Article VI – Academic Programs Committee on Organization and Policy
Article VII – APS Executive Committee
Article VIII – Committees and Liaisons
Article IX – Quorum
Article X – Amendments to Rules of Operation
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS SECTIONBOARD ON AGRICULTURE ASSEMBLY
Adopted November 1971
Amended July 1983
Amended November 1988
Amended November 1990
Updated November 1991*
Amended November 1996
Amended November 1998
Adopted March 2000
Amended March 2004
Amended February 2014
The name of this organization shall be the Academic Programs Section (APS), Board on Agriculture Assembly as is stated above and established by the constitution of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU).
The Academic Programs Section (APS) shall represent administrators of Academic Programs in all matters dealing with curricular priorities in agriculture and related areas. The primary purpose of the APS is to provide a forum whereby ideas in the academic world related to agriculture and related areas may be developed and exchanged and priorities and strategic visions for higher education can be established. The consensus of APS shall be conveyed to the Board on Agriculture Assembly either through participation of its elected representative to the Policy Board of Directors or by correspondence through the Chair of the Board on Agriculture Assembly to the officers and committees of the association. APS shall conduct its affairs in accordance with the stated objectives and procedures of the Rules of Operation of the Board on Agriculture Assembly.
The voting membership shall consist of the administrative officers, or their designates, in charge of Academic Programs of agriculture and related areas of those institutions which are members of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). Affiliate organizational membership is granted to the Non-land-grant Agricultural and Renewable Resources Universities (NARRU).
The officers of the Academic Programs Section (APS) shall be a Chair, a Chair-elect, Past Chair, and Secretary, each serving a one-year term. The Chair –elect shall succeed to the office of Chair at the conclusion of her/his one-year term as Chair-elect, the Secretary shall succeed to the office of Chair-elect at the conclusion of his/her one-year term as Secretary, and the Chair shall succeed to the office of Past Chair. The one-year terms expire at the close of the last APS Business Meeting each fall held in conjunction with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Annual Meeting.
Elections shall be held at the last APS Business Meeting each fall. A Secretary shall be elected for the coming year. It is recommended that officers have prior experience on the Academic Programs Committee on Organization and Policy (ACOP). The Secretary must be selected from the current members of APS and have must have been an APS member for at least one year. The APS Nominating Committee shall nominate a slate of at least two candidates for Secretary. The position of Secretary shall be rotated on an annual basis among the APS regions in the following pattern: Southern, North Central, Northeastern, and Western. Candidates must have indicated a willingness to serve if elected. Nominations of other willing candidates may be made from the floor; voting will be by ballot. A simple majority of those present at the fall APS Business Meeting is required.
The APS Chair shall preside at all business meetings and on all other occasions where the titular head of the Section is to be recognized. She/he is the chief executive officer for APS. She/he assigns the duties and directs the activities of all APS standing committees. Upon the recommendation of the APS Nominations Committee, the APS Chair shall also assemble committee slates for the coming year of her/his administration and notify all appointees prior to the APLU Annual Meeting so these committees may meet immediately after the APS Business Meeting. She/he serves as Chair of the Academic Programs Committee on Organization and Policy (ACOP). He/she communicates with the Chair of the Board on Agriculture Assembly or through the Chair of the Board to officers or committees of the association.
The Chair-elect serves in the absence of the APS Chair. She/he also plans the program of APS for its fall meeting with the advice of the Chair and if desired, that of the Regional Chairs. The Chair-elect shall also undertake duties as the Chair directs. She/he shall become Chair for the remainder of the term if the Chair should resign or for any reason be unable to serve. The Chair-elect also serves as the Chair of the APS Recognition Committee.
The Secretary shall serve as secretary to both APS and to ACOP and has responsibility for recording, distributing, and maintaining all of the business meeting minutes, and other business records of APS and ACOP. In addition, the Secretary is responsible for communicating issues of importance to the APS membership.
The Immediate Past Chair of APS is a member of the APS Executive Committee and serves as Chair of the APS Nominating Committee. All officers are responsible for maintaining and archiving complete sets of official documents associated with their office and their role as an officer.
ARTICLE V – REGIONAL ORGANIZATION
The Academic Programs Section (APS) is organized into four geographic regions: the Northeast Region; the Southern Region; the Western Region; and, the North Central Region. Each region is to elect a Chair, Chair-elect, and/or a Secretary on an annual basis. Said elections are to occur at or immediately prior to the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Annual Meeting.
ARTICLE VI – ACADEMIC COMMITTEE ON ORGANIZATION AND POLICY (ACOP)
The Academic Programs Committee on Organization and Policy (ACOP) is a standing committee of the Academic Programs Section (APS) similar to a Board of Directors with responsibilities for the business actions and direction of the Section. ACOP is the policy recommending body of APS and responds to issues that are brought internally or externally to the Section.
In addition, ACOP shall act as the correlate to the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP), the Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP) and the International Committee on Organization and Policy (ICOP) and participate in any and all joint activities on behalf of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Board on Agriculture Assembly.
ACOP shall consist of the Chair of APS as Chair, Chair-elect, Secretary, the Immediate Past Chair, the Regional Chairs, the APS representative to LEAD21, the APS representative to the Board on Agriculture Assembly Policy Board of Directors, the APS representative to the Board on Agriculture Assembly Budget and Advocacy Committee, the APS representative to the Board on Agriculture Assembly Committee on Legislation and Policy, the Chair of the Program Planning and Futuring Committee, an 1890 Institution representative, a 1994 Institution representative, a USDA/ NIFA/SERD/HEP representative, a representative from the Non-land-grant Agricultural and Renewable Resources Universities (NARRU) , and a representative from the Board on Human Sciences. The Director(s), Academic Programs, Agriculture and Natural Resources for APLU serves as an ex-officio member of ACOP. All APS representative terms, with the exception of that of the APS representative to the Policy Board of Directors, expire at the conclusion of the last APS Business Meeting at the APLU Annual Meeting.
The NARRU, Board on Human Sciences, 1890 and 1994 Institution representatives are selected by members of those entities. The APS Chair selects the APS representative to the Board of Agriculture Budget and Advocacy Committee, the APS representative to the Board on Agriculture Assembly Committee on Legislation and Policy, and the APS representative to LEAD21. The APS representative to the Policy Board of Directors is nominated by APS and elected by the Board on Agriculture Assembly for a two-year term in accordance with the Rules of Operation of the Agriculture Assembly.
ACOP holds three face-to-face meetings a year: in conjunction with the Section winter meeting, in conjunction with the joint ECOP/ESCOP/ACOP/AHS summer meeting and in conjunction with the APLU Annual Meeting. The APS Chair can call a meeting of ACOP at the direction of the APS Executive Committee at other times as necessary for the good of APS. In addition, ACOP will join with the other COPs in any scheduled joint activity.
ARTICLE VII – APS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Executive Committee of Academic Programs Section (APS) and of the Academic Programs Committee on Organization and Policy (ACOP) shall consist of the Chair, Chair-elect, Secretary, and Immediate Past Chair of APS. The Director(s), Academic Programs, Agriculture and Natural Resources for APLU serves ex-officio. The Chair shall preside. The APS Executive Committee is empowered to conduct the immediate affairs of APS and of ACOP when APS and ACOP are not in formal business session. The APS Executive Committee meets by conference call on a regular basis and in face-to-face meetings when deemed necessary.
ARTICLE VIII– COMMITTEES & LIAISONS
The Academic Programs Section (APS) Chair in consultation with the Academic Programs Committee on Organization and Policy (ACOP) may appoint, or discontinue committees and liaisons as she/he sees fit. The tenure of a committee may be of a long-standing nature or ad hoc. Committee Chairs shall make written reports to the APS Chair for consideration by his /her Executive Committee and then formally submitted to the membership either electronically or at the next APS Business Meeting, as determined by the APS Chair. A list of committees and membership is to be updated annually at the close of the fall APS Business Meeting. Revised copies with the new committee membership shall be distributed with the minutes of the fall meeting.
LEAD21 Advisory Committee
Members of this LEAD21 Advisory Committee serve with representatives of ESCOP, ECOP, AHS, USDA/CSREES and past program participants to provide leadership for the direction, organization, operation, and assessment of LEAD21. It is an expectation that Committee members participate in actual program components (i.e. presenters, facilitators, and organizers) and attend appropriate residential sessions and face-to-face Committee meetings. ; Committee member serve a three-year term. The position of Program Coordinator rotates among members of the LEAD21 Advisory Committee. Individuals serving as Program Coordinator serve first as Incoming Program Coordinator (one year), Coordinator (one year) and Past Coordinator (one year).
Program Planning and Futuring Committee
The Program Planning and Futuring Committee is responsible for developing ideas and themes for the professional development activities of the Academic Programs Section (APS) and for organizing and implementing the workshop programs associated with those development activities. In addition, the Program Planning and Futuring Committee is charged with bringing suggestions for future directions to the attention of APS and with identifying new and emerging issues that might be critical to the Section. Members of this Committee are the Chairs and Chairs-elect of the regions and the current Chair and Chair-Elect of Non-land-grant Agricultural and Renewable Resources Universities (NARRU). APS members on the Program Planning and Futuring Committee serve a two-year term. The Chair of the Program Planning and Futuring Committee is appointed by the current APS Chair.
APS Impact Statement Committee
The APS Impact Statement Committee is responsible for the development and distribution of statements about the results and impact of funded and non-funded academic programs by Academic Programs Section (APS) members. In addition, the Committee is charged with developing processes, procedures and methods for collection and use of such statements. Committee efforts focus upon creating positive opportunities for Higher Education and provide positive support for Higher Education programs carried out by APS member institutions.
The collection of impact statements, annual reports and non-federal project reports will constitute a “library” of impact statements that can be used by APS and as well as by the USDA/Joint ECOP-ESCOP Image Enhancement Committee. The Chair of the APS Impact Statement Committee serves as the APS representative on the USDA/Joint ECOP/ESCOP Image Enhancement Committee.
Members consist of the current APS Regional Chairs and the current the Non-land-grant Agricultural and Renewable Resources Universities (NARRU) Chair serving one-year terms. An additional member from each region and a member from NARRU shall be appointed and serve two-year terms. The members serving a two-year term shall have staggered terms to ensure continuity on the Committee. The Chair of the APS Impact Statement Committee shall be appointed by the current APS Chair and serve a two-year term.
APS Nominations Committee
The APS Nominations Committee is responsible for identifying and nominating candidates for vacant APS offices and identifying to the Chair of APS, potential candidates for committee appointments. The APS Nominations Committee consists of the Immediate Past Chair of APS, who serves as Chair of the Committee, and the current Chairs of the regions. Election of officers is normally held at the APLU Annual Meeting. Members serve a one-year term and meet via teleconference at the discretion of the Committee Chair.
APS Recognition Committee
This APS Recognition Committee is responsible for identifying individuals that merit special recognition by the Academic Programs Section (APS). The APS Recognition Committee is responsible for identifying all APS Deans and Directors whom have retired or otherwise vacated their positions since the last APLU Annual Meeting as recipients of the “Award of Appreciation”; individuals who have not attained the title of Dean or Director at member institutions but who have provided long and excellent service on behalf of students as recipients of the “Certificates of Appreciation”; and individuals inside or outside the ranks of APS membership who have made an outstanding contribution to APS and/or its associated programs for the “APS Award of Distinction”. The APS Recognition Committee meets in early fall by teleconference to identify appropriate individuals for these awards. The APS Chair-elect serves as Chair of the APS Recognition Committee; other members of the APS Executive Committee serve as APS Recognition Committee members.
Liaisons
Liaisons are appointed to promote and ensure communication between the Academic Programs Section (APS) and other related organizations. Liaisons do so by attending the meetings of the group to which they are appointed and representing and reporting for the APS at those meetings. In addition, liaisons are expected to make reports to APS on the activities of the organizations to which they are appointed. Liaisons serve at the pleasure of and are appointed by the APS Chair. Terms are indefinite as long as the Chair and the Liaison agree to continue the appointment. Liaisons are appointed to represent APS to the Non-land-grant Agricultural and Renewable Resources Universities (NARRU) and the Council on Agriculture Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET).
A quorum shall consist of those present at any duly called meeting for purposes of doing the business of the Academic Programs Section (APS) or the Academic Programs Committee on Organization and Policy (ACOP), providing that written notice of the meeting and the agenda are distributed to the membership at least thirty days in advance of the meeting. A simple majority resolves all issues except amendment of the Rules of Operation.
Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the procedural guide and there shall be only one vote per member institution.
ARTICLE X – AMENDMENTS TO RULES OF OPERATION
These Rules of Operation may be amended at any business meeting of the Academic Programs Section (APS) provided the proposed amendment has been mailed to all members one month in advance of the meeting and is passed by a two-thirds majority of the voting members present at the meeting.
* The names Academic Programs Section (APS) and Academic Programs Committee on Organization and Policy (ACOP) were officially adopted by the Board on Agriculture at its annual meeting of November 11, 1991. These names replace Resident Instruction Section and Resident Instruction Committee on Organization and Policy (RICOP).
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