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Duties of a Committee Chair
A committee chair has the following responsibilities:
1. Selecting committee personnel;
2. Interpreting for the committee its stated function;
3. Guiding and leading the committee toward the attainment of its objectives (see "Operational Suggestions for a Committee Chair," below);
4. Conducting correspondence on behalf of the ommittee;
5. Keeping committee members and liaison officers informed about what is being accomplished by the committee and what is needed to improve the functioning of the committee;
6. Working closely with the NCTE Senior Editor if a committee publication is planned (see Appendix B, "NCTE Book Submission Guidelines");
7. Arranging for and chairing meetings of the committee at the NCTE Annual Convention;
8. Reporting annually in writing to the Board of Directors at a time indicated by an Associate Executive Director, usually in late spring. (Failure to make this report may be interpreted as a reason for discharging the committee; a postconvention progress report may also be required if the group meets at the annual convention. Report due by mid-December;
9. Serving on the NCTE Board of Directors and attending the meeting at the Annual Convention.
Committee chairs, like leaders of commissions and task forces, are voting members of the NCTE Board of Directors and are urged to attend the Annual Business Meeting for the Board of Directors and other members of the Council at the Annual Convention. If the chair cannot attend the meeting, a designee should be named on the Board of Directors card that is received before the convention. If the chair also holds membership on the Board of Directors by reason of another role (e.g., he/she is an affiliate leader), a designee should be named for one of the roles in order to assure representation for both groups at the meeting. In some years the chair may also be invited to meet at convention to discuss matters of common concern with other Council leaders. For duties of chairs in relation to the Executive Committee and staff liaisons, see Roles of Liaisons and Assistance from Headquarters.
Finally, chairs and other group members normally manage to handle secretarial help informally through their institutions. Alternatively, the leaders and members do the typing and clerical work themselves; this falls under the category of voluntary work. If the burden gets too great and there is a need for outside help, call your staff liaison at NCTE Headquarters to see if staff can offer assistance.
The chair's Annual Report to the Board of Directors (item 8 above) ordinarily consists of a relatively brief paragraph that summarizes recent accomplishments of the committee and outlines future plans, especially those for the year ahead. The Postconvention Report covers several aspects of the committee's work and is submitted on a special form. A sample Annual Report is given in Appendix C, and the form used in preparing the Postconvention Report is reproduced in Appendix D. If the committee is making a terminal report, the report should summarize the committee's accomplishments.
Note: If a chair has a specific recommendation or request (e.g., a special project or initiative, a query about some policy, or a suggestion about needed books), inclusion of the matter in the Postconvention Report or other cyclical report is not sufficient for initiating action. The leader or a designee from the group should draft a letter to the appropriate NCTE officers and/or staff person. Postconvention reports should be regarded as summary reports or planning documents that can set up further, more specific actions or proposals from your group.
In summary, a committee is intended to be a professionally minded, working group and not an honorary conclave. Unproductive members cannot be allowed to continue as members. The chair may report unproductive members, who are then requested by NCTE Headquarters to pledge themselves to productive work or to withdraw from the committee. By the same token, a chair may be asked to withdraw if the failure of the committee to make progress is due to the chair's neglect or lack of leadership. Fortunately, the proportion of unproductive chairs and committee members is small in NCTE.
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