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Policy Matters: President’s Cabinet Meetings

By Tameka Perry, Esq.

Policies

Shared governance is important to Southwest Tennessee Community College President, Dr. Tracy D. Hall.  In an effort to hear the voices of the College’s students and employees, she maintains a President’s Cabinet comprised of the leaders of governance councils (including the Student Government Association), a representative of the Polices Services and Public Safety Department, the internal auditor, and senior staff.  Another important purpose for the Cabinet is to share information with leaders who are tasked with taking it back to their constituents. 

The Cabinet meets quarterly. During the meetings, the president gives a report, as do the governance group leaders and other representatives. Two of the governance groups represented in the President’s Cabinet are the Student Success Council (SSC) and the Institutional Affairs Council (IAC). The majority of SSC members are employees in the academic affairs and student affairs divisions. The Faculty Senate, Curriculum Committee, and other groups are represented on the SSC. The SSC also has staff representation.  The IAC consists primarily of staff members from various areas of the College including workforce, police services, and people and culture (formerly Human Resources). The IAC also has faculty representation.

One of the topics discussed during the President’s Cabinet meetings is policies. When a policy is required pursuant to the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), relevant regulations, or the College’s president, no vote is necessary but, information regarding the mandatory policy is shared with the SSC and the IAC prior to being brought before the President’s Cabinet.  When policies are optional, they are vetted in the SSC and IAC before being presented at the President’s Cabinet meeting.  At the Cabinet meeting, proposed policies are discussed, and a vote is conducted using an established voting protocol. If the proposal is approved, it becomes an official College policy.

At the Feb. 15, 2024 President’s Cabinet meeting, both mandatory and optional proposals were presented. Because TBR updated requirements related to English proficiency, it was necessary to update the Southwest General Admissions Requirements policy. Likewise, because revisions were made to the SACSCOC guidelines related to substantive changes, the College’s Substantive Change policy needed to be updated. But, because transferring oversight of student complaints from the advising department to the dean of students is optional, making the change to the Student Complaint policy required a vote.

If you are interested in joining the SSC, you may contact the council’s senior staff representatives, the vice president of academic affairs and the vice president of student affairs. If you are interested in joining the IAC, you may contact its senior staff representatives, the vice president of people and culture (Human Resources) or the chief of administrative services.  Information regarding the other governance groups and their leadership can be found on the College’s Governance webpage.