The Educational Excellence Committee (the "Committee") of the Board of Trustees of the University System of New Hampshire ("USNH") is established in the Board's Bylaws, Article V, Section 3(b). The members of the committee are appointed according to Board policy. The primary function of the Committee is to ensure that the USNH institutions are focused on delivering a high quality education: one that is focused on their students' academic well-being, and committed to their acquisition of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to be informed citizens, productive workers, life-long learners, and contributors to society. The Committee shall have all authority necessary to fulfill the duties and responsibilities assigned to the Committee in this Charter or otherwise assigned to it by the Board of Trustees. The Committee shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
1. Academic Program Planning and Review
(a) Receive information from the Presidents about institutional plans to add or delete programs and confirmation of completed actions.
(b) Review annually each institution's long-range academic plans, results of academic program reviews, changes made to academic programs, and educational exchange programs offered by or available through each institution.
(c) Ensure that each institution has carefully considered and designed its curricula to offer the right academic programs and services for students to be successful, both academically and as productive citizens.
2. Faculty Promotions and Granting of Tenure
(a) Receive institutional promotion and tenure recommendations from the Presidents.
(b) Review periodically, not less than every three years, the policies, principles, and procedures used by the institutions to recommend candidates for promotion and tenure.
(c) Monitor annually the ways in which promotion and tenure recommendations affect the percentage of tenured faculty, affirmative action, the appropriateness to the mission of the institution, institutional planning, and retention of good faculty.
3. Educational Quality Standards
(a) Confirm that each institution regularly assesses instructional and academic program effectiveness and takes steps to continuously improve programs on the basis of student learning outcomes and other objective evidence.
(b) Require the Chancellor to coordinate a process whereby the Presidents propose to the Committee a set of appropriate metrics and targets aimed at assuring the education provided by each institution, and USNH as a whole, meets reasonable quality expectations.
(c) Monitor each institution's progress toward meeting established quality metric targets.
4. Student Affairs
(a) Ensure that each institution has carefully considered and designed its programs, curricular, extracurricular, and otherwise, to provide a quality experience that meets the needs of its students as demonstrated by institutional indicators of student satisfaction, retention, and success.
(b) Serve as an avenue for the student community to express its views and interests on issues relating to the statutory responsibilities of the Board of Trustees and matters of campus life generally.
(c) Provide to the Board of Trustees perspectives on emerging student issues and changing needs and interests that may be relevant to the Board's strategic interests and/or the success of students.
5. Board and Committee Development
(a) Charge staff, individual Committee members, or others with investigating and/or presenting information on specific topics for Committee consideration relevant to the Board’s academic and strategic interests. Examples of topics include, but are not limited to, affordability, access, enrollment management, academic technology, knowledge creation, student health and welfare, and post-graduation success.
(b) Make recommendations to the Board of Trustees on matters relating to the coordination of policy and planning for operations relating to the mission of USNH, including, but not limited to, educational programs, research and technology transfer functions and programs, programs related to community and state services related to the USNH mission, faculty promotions and granting of tenure, student affairs, and assessment of institutional and USNH performance in accomplishment of respective missions.
(c) Review areas of risk assigned to the Committee by the Executive Committee for further review or other follow-up based on annual enterprise risk reports from the System’s chief executive officers.
(d) Review and reassess the adequacy of this Charter on an annual basis, taking into account the Committee's purpose and its own assessment of its effectiveness, and recommend any proposed Charter changes to the Board of Trustees for approval.
