CoLA Alumni & Community Advisory Committees

Purpose

The purpose of the Alumni Advisory Committee and the Community Advisory Committee is to serve the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts (COLA) in an advisory capacity on the development and promotion of all COLA academic and service programs. These committees are also a vehicle for informing cultural, governmental, and general community entities of the valuable contributions that COLA’s students, faculty, staff, and programs make to our region.

In addition, each committee reviews applications and selects outstanding teachers and student scholarship recipients from within COLA. The Alumni Committee awards student scholarships, and the Community Committee selects outstanding teaching award recipients.

Composition

The COLA Dean selects candidates for membership on the Alumni and Community Advisory Committees, which consist of 10-20 members each who represent business, arts, and government areas of interest. Members of either committee may be college alumni or community leaders, based on the Dean’s composition preference and on each member’s area of interest, knowledge and expertise. Members are appointed to three-year terms.

Process/Time Commitment

Each committee meets with the Dean each academic year (October and April) to be updated on the activities of the college and provide input. In addition, at the fall meeting, application materials for both upcoming awards processes are updated; at the spring meeting, recipient selections are made. A late spring reception is also held where awards are presented to both the outstanding teachers and student scholarship recipients. All administrative work for the awards programs is handled by the Dean’s Office.

Each committee member contributes $500/year for three years. The members’ tax deductible gifts directly support the awards program and collectively make a significant impact on student scholarships and COLA’s ability to recognize its outstanding faculty. Contributions may be paid in full at any time or periodically through April 1 of each year.