Academic Committee Standard Operating Procedures

Effective Date – January 1995

1 Policy Statement

It is the purpose of this policy to provide guidelines and procedures associated with the selection, term and responsibilities of members of the SESHA Academic Committee; define protocol regarding the selection process and award levels for scholarship applicants; and establish guidelines for the collection and dissemination of scholarship and other educational funds as approved by the SESHA Board of Directors.

2 Scope

This procedure provides general guidelines for the establishment and maintenance of the Committee; outlines term limits and qualifications of members and defines the method in which funding shall be collected and disseminated with regard to environmental, safety and health programs at public/private schools and institutions.

3 Eligibility for Committee Participation

3.1 The SESHA Academic Committee shall be comprised of safety, health and environmental professionals that hold positions in industry, academia and the public sector and are members of the SESHA.

Committee members shall be approved by the SESHA BOD

3.2 Qualified applicants will be selected for a term of three years and shall serve at the discretion of the SESHA BOD

3.3 Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of the Committee shall be elected by the Committee and approved by the SESHA BOD as per SESHA bylaws. The Vice-Chair shall ascend to the chairmanship at the termination of the Chairperson’s term of office. Their term of office is one year.

3.4 Each Academic Committee nominee(s) must agree to participate in scholarship meetings, assist in the selection of scholarship students, aid in the evaluation of curricula at universities and colleges, review scholarship papers and presentations, and interface with academic coordinators on an as needed basis.

3.5 Academic committee members shall be active in committee meetings and teleconference calls. Academic Committee members shall be notified of meetings at least 30 days in advance. If 30 days notice is not given, non-participation shall not be counted against the committee member and shall not be considered as grounds for dismissal from the committee. Members who miss two consecutive meetings shall be reminded of their need to participate by the secretary of the Academic Committee and are subject to dismissal from the committee if their lack of participation cannot be justified to the satisfaction of the Committee.

Members who are dismissed from the Academic Committee can file for reinstatement by providing the Academic Committee Chairperson with written justification for their absence. Approval for reinstatement is subject to SESHA BOD review.

3.6 Regional Directors shall be responsible for region development of academic programs. Programs may include, but are not limited to:

• Promoting partnering in academic/industry design and research projects.
• Developing industry mentoring programs.
• Establishing local scholarships.
• Providing coordination of ESH skills integration into graduate and undergraduate curricula.
• Coordination of plant tours.
• Promotion of summer internships.
• Identification and nomination of potential Academic Committee members.

Regional Directors shall submit regional academic plans to the Academic Committee Chair by May 1 for the next academic year. The Academic Committee will incorporate region plans in the strategic plan and calendar described in 4.6 and 4.7.

3.7 Deviations and/or modifications of this policy requires written approval from the SESHA BOD.

4 Responsibilities

4.1 The Academic Committee is responsible for:

• Administration of the SESHA Scholarship program (Distributing guidelines, evaluating proposals, papers and presentations).
• Approval of graduate programs for eligibility and commitment.
• Facilitating Graduate Industrial Seminars.
• Arranging student-industry interactions for internships and career opportunities.
• Generating funds for scholarships and SESHA Academic efforts.

4.2 The Academic Committee Chairperson, with the approval of the SESHA BOD designee, shall establish committee meetings and activities that are well defined and implemented in a manner consistent with SESHA policy. When needed, specific committee members shall be as assigned responsibilities with appropriate action items, bench marks and deadlines defined by the Academic Committee.

4.3 The Committee Chairperson (or Vice Chairperson) is responsible for establishing and maintaining communications with the SESHA BOD with regard to committee activities.

The Committee Chairperson will provide written minutes of committee activities to SESHA’s office prior to each BOD meeting.

4.4 Unless approved in advance via an approved budget or in writing by the SESHA President, committee members are responsible for their own travel and lodging expenses associated with committee meetings, lecture programs and related activities. Each travel request shall be reviewed on a case by case basis.

4.5 Fund raising strategies shall be reviewed, updated and included in the annual proposed budget and shall be subject to approval by the SESHA BOD at their regularly scheduled meeting in June.

4.6 A strategic plan and calendar of educational programs will be prepared by the Academic Committee annually. (June 1)

4.7 The Academic committee shall be responsible for preparing annual recommendations for educational programs and dissemination of scholarship funding and shall submit their recommendations as part of the strategic plan, budget, and calendar of events to the SESHA BOD for review and approval on or before June 1 of each year.

5 Collection and Dissemination of Scholarship/Academic Funds:

5.1 SESHA shall establish an annual budget to be utilized for academic activities. All funds allocated for National and Regional academic purposes shall be maintained in restricted interest bearing, account(s) managed by SESHA’s office. Unexpended funds and interest earned on these accounts shall remain within the account for future use.

5.2 If necessary, funds shall be made available to the Academic Committee, on an annual basis, to defray travel expenses incurred as a direct result of committee activities. These funds are subject to SESHA BOD approval and will require an itemized budget.

6 Travel/Lodging

The SESHA may, at its discretion, provide funds for travel/lodging for educational program participants who attend and participate in the annual SESHA International Conference or other academic activities.

6.1 SESHA shall not be responsible for reimbursing travel and lodging costs for intern candidates. Students may appeal to the SESHA President if special circumstances require consideration. Each appeal shall be evaluated on a case by case basis.

7 Voting Privileges:

Each Committee member shall have one (1) vote. In case of a tie vote, the Chair or Vice Chair shall cast a vote to reach resolution.