2000-2-6 Program Advisory Committees

Policy

1. There will be a program advisory committee (PAC) for each program or cluster of programs to advise the Board of Governors and the college regarding the program(s).
2. The Board of Governors shall appoint members of the Program Advisory Committees (PACs) that are representative of the employers, professions, and industry sector(s) that each program serves.

Terms of Reference

1. The purpose of the PACs is to identify and suggest new programs and courses and to consider, review and suggest changes and revisions in existing programs and courses, thus ensuring programs offered by the college meet the changing needs of the labour market.
2. More particularly, PACs will offer advice regarding program learning outcomes, curriculum, facilities, clinical and field experience, co-op and work experience, placement opportunities, effectiveness of graduates, and community needs.
3. PACs will provide a liaison with the community for the dissemination of information about the program, the development of scholarships and bursaries, recruitment of students and the placement of graduates, and for the college to disseminate relevant information to our community members.
4. PACs are advisory and not administrative or executive in nature and are not in any way responsible for the allocation and utilization of College resources.

Membership

1. The Program Advisory Councils shall be composed of the following:
   1. The external membership list is to include each member's name, occupation, employer, and contact information (email and phone number.)
   2. A minimum of five members who are employers, eight members for degree programs who are employers, specialists, professionals, community representatives, or recent graduates and are selected for their expertise, potential as employers, respect enjoyed in their field, and influence related to the purposes of the program. At least one member must be from a non-employer group. Members may be drawn from the local area or elsewhere in Ontario or Canada.
   3. Up to four students, preferably one from each year of study
   4. A minimum of one coordinator and/or faculty member and the program Dean or Associate Dean.
   5. An internal or external resource person(s) as needed.
2. The Board of Governors appoints all PAC members as described in 7a - hereafter described as "external" members. The other members, described in 7b, 7c, 7d - hereafter described as "internal" members - shall be appointed by the program Dean or designate.
3. Only those members as defined in 7a shall have voting membership on the committee.
4. PAC members unable to attend a particular meeting may send a designate to represent them.
5. The PAC members described in 7a shall be appointed for a term not to exceed three years, which will normally commence on September 1 of the year in which they were appointed.
   1. The three-year term is renewable for two additional terms. There may be exceptions to the nine-year limit appointment if no replacement members are available or due to programming with highly specialized fields.
   2. When a new PAC is formed, the first members shall commence their respective terms upon their appointment and their terms shall be set to expire on August 31 within each of the following three years of their appointment in rotation.
   3. Any vacancy occurring during the term of a member shall be filled on a recommendation of the Program & Services Committee of the Lambton College Board of Governors and appointment by the Board.

Meetings

1. PACs shall meet a minimum of two times per year, preferably once in each post-secondary term. The PAC will determine the need for more meetings.
2. When an external member does not attend any advisory committee meetings within an academic year, the committee may declare the membership void and replace the member.

Operations

1. The Chairperson of a PAC for the next year will be elected annually at the last meeting of the academic year from non-college members as defined in 7a.
2. The Chair, in consultation with the Dean or Associate Dean of the program(s), is responsible for establishing the agendas for the committee meetings.
3. The Dean or Associate Dean's Academic Administrative Assistant is responsible for arranging meetings as required by the committee, ensuring that the committee membership list is current and submitted to the Board of Governors office.
4. Minutes shall be kept of each committee meeting and will be distributed by the Dean or Associate Dean's Academic Administrative Assistant to each member prior to the next meeting. Items or issues that require review by the Senior Vice-President, Academic & Student Success shall be highlighted by the dean and sent to the Senior Vice-President, Academic & Student Success.
5. The College will provide secretarial support to each PAC.
6. A quorum for the purposes of voting at each meeting shall be the majority (50% or more) of the external PAC members.
7. Electronic/distance participation is acceptable.

Communications

1. When a program review is completed by the program as part of the Quality Assurance process, it will be reviewed by the PAC in the subsequent fall term.
2. Programs that have been identified under the Program Revitalization and Rationalization policy as requiring revitalization will have a report prepared by the Dean and Coordinator. The report will be presented to the Program & Services Committee of the Board of Governors. The Program Advisory Committee will receive and review the report and provide comment on the revitalization of the program.

Orientation

1. Orientation information about the college system, the role and responsibilities of PACs, Strategic Program Directions, Key Performance Indicators, and Lambton College in general, will be provided to all new members of PACs by the Office of the President. Each individual committee will conduct orientation on its program.

Establishment of a New PAC

1. When the College wishes to explore the feasibility of a new program, an ad hoc Program Advisory Committee or a Pre-PAC shall be established. The membership shall be composed of a minimum of four individuals selected for their expertise, potential as employers, respect enjoyed in their field, and influence related to the purpose of the program as well as educators in the appropriate field. College resource persons will consist of the program dean or associate dean and selected faculty.
   1. The external membership list is to include each member's name, occupation, employer, and contact information (email and phone number.)
2. The purpose of the ad hoc committee is to assist in the assessment in the provision and analysis of market research to determine the need for the program and solicit input regarding the proposed curriculum. A formal motion of support, along with a seconder is brought forward to the ad hoc committee to confirm the committee has reviewed the curriculum and supports the need for the program in the community. The motion of support is documented in the meeting minutes. If the ad hoc is conducted electronically, letters of support may be submitted in the place of a formal meeting motion.
   1. A quorum for the purpose of voting at each meeting shall be the majority (50% or more) of the external PAC members.
3. When a new program has been approved, a new PAC will be established by the Dean that may include members from the ad hoc committee membership as well as new members, as appropriate.
   1. Once the new PAC has been established, a PAC meeting will be scheduled within the first year of when the program was launched.