FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
COUNCIL FOR UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC ADVISING BYLAWS
JULY 2023
ARTICLE I NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Council for Undergraduate Academic Advising. The official acronym of this council shall be CUAA.
ARTICLE II MISSION, VISION, GOALS, CHARGE
Section 1. Mission. The mission of the Council for Undergraduate Academic Advising (herein referred to as CUAA) is to serve as an effective means of discussion, deliberation, and communication for academic advisors university-wide, addressing issues of common interest in facilitating student success and persistence toward degree completion.
Section 2. Vision. The vision of CUAA is to provide an outstanding, coordinated, and seamless approach to undergraduate academic advising.
Section 3. Goals. CUAA focuses on the following goals:
1. To ensure academic advisors’ awareness of existing University policies and procedures as well as changes to policies and business practices related to students and timely completion of their degrees.
2. To serve as a conduit for information flow both vertically and laterally, spreading pertinent information to advisors and providing perspective, counsel, and feedback to Academic Affairs on policies and issues pertaining to student academic services.
3. To facilitate information-sharing among academic advisors university-wide.
4. To keep abreast of new uses of technology for advising and national best-practice with respect to academic advising.
5. To provide professional development for academic advisors (e.g., Advisor Forums).
6. To recognize outstanding performance of academic advisors.
Section 4. Charge. The charge to CUAA to pursue its mission, vision, and goals is given by the Assistant Vice President for Office of Academic Support Initiatives & Services (OASIS), Division of Student Affairs. The meetings will be led by a yearly elected Chair and Vice Chair.
ARTICLE III MEMBERSHIP AND VOTING RIGHTS
Section 1. Membership.
a. CUAA membership consists of one representative each from the following FIU academic units:
i. Office of Academic Support Initiatives & Services (OASIS), Division of Student Affairs; Arts, Sciences and Education; Business; Communication, Architecture and the Arts; Engineering and Computing; Honors; Hospitality and Tourism Management; International and Public Affairs; Nursing and Health Sciences; Public Health and Social Work.
ii. Campus-wide offices, including but not limited to: Academic Advising Technology; Analysis and Information Management; Career and Talent Development; Enrollment Services (Admissions, Financial Aid, Onestop, Registrar’s); FIU Online; National Student Exchange; Orientation and Family Programs; Study Abroad; Student Athlete Academic Center; Student Access and Success; Student Support Services; Transfer and Transition Services; Division of IT; Innovative Education and Student Success.
b. CUAA members from the colleges, schools, and OASIS should be academic advisors or advising administrators. CUAA members from the campus-wide offices should be administrators or staff who work with the advising community.
Section 2. Appointment of Members. Each CUAA member is appointed by the appropriate Dean/VP, Director, or Lead Administrator of his or her unit.
Section 3. Voting and Non-Voting Members. CUAA membership is divided into voting and non-voting members. Voting members consist of representatives from the colleges, schools, and OASIS, as specified in Article III, Section I, a., i.).
Section 4. Voting.
a. If a CUAA member is unable to attend a meeting s/he may either submit a vote prior to the meeting or designate a proxy from his/her own unit to attend the meeting and vote on his/her behalf. Votes submitted prior to the meeting as well as the designation of a proxy must be sent to the Chair in writing, electronically or in hard copy, by the close of business the day before the meeting.
b. If no representative from a voting unit attends a meeting, that unit is considered to be absent and thus forfeits its voting rights for that meeting (except for those votes that were submitted prior to the meeting as described in Section 4a above).
c. In the election for Chair and Vice Chair, each college, school, and OASIS gets one vote. In the case of a tie, the incumbent Chair presides over the election and will cast the deciding vote for the new Chair and Vice Chair.
ARTICLE IV OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS
Section 1. Officers and Duties. The affairs of CUAA shall be managed by the Chair. The Chair shall be assisted by the Vice Chair, and a Secretary.
a. The Chair has the following duties:
a. Carry out primary responsibilities for CUAA and delegate as necessary.
b. Responsible for communicating CUAA’s concerns, proposals and recommendations to the appropriate University administrator or representative.
c. Convene and conduct CUAA meetings, setting agendas for each.
d. Manage the list of requests and agenda items.
e. Vet the minutes and distribute for feedback.
f. Establish, oversee, and represent CUAA on subcommittees as needed.
g. Track pending proposals and recommendations.
h. Oversee the CUAA election process.
i. Meet regularly with the Assistant Vice President for OASIS to keep the Vice President informed and to coordinate the activities of CUAA with the OASIS university-wide advising initiatives and responsibilities.
b. The Vice Chair has the following duties:
a. Assist the Chair as needed.
b. Fill in for the Chair whenever the Chair is absent or unavailable.
c. Lead projects and represent CUAA on subcommittees as needed.
d. Oversee the planning and conducting of CUAA-sponsored activities.
e. Represent CUAA in the Chair’s stead, as assigned by the Chair and as necessary.
f. Create reports as assigned by the Chair.
g. Carry out additional duties as assigned by the Chair.
c. The Secretary has the following duties:
a. Manage the CUAA membership, including updating the mailing list at the beginning of each academic year.
b. Take the CUAA meeting minutes, and if absent, assign a designee.
c. Manage the meeting minutes, including electronically storing them and distributing them to the CUAA members and the Assistant Vice President of Academic and Career Success.
d. Assist the Chair in scheduling the meeting times, reserving the meeting room, and sending electronic reminders to the members.
e. Carry out additional duties as assigned by the Chair.
Section 2. Eligibility.
a. Only CUAA members with voting rights (See Article III, Section I, a., i.) are eligible to serve as Chair or Vice Chair. Candidates should be a Director or Lead Administrator or an Advisor III, and must have the support of their academic unit. An Advisor III may only serve as Chair if he/she has previously served as Vice Chair for a full term.
b. All members are eligible to serve as Secretary.
c. All CUAA members with voting rights are eligible to vote in an election.
Section 3. Terms of Office.
a. The term of office is from July 1, to June 30.
b. The Chair will serve a one year term. Consecutive terms are not allowed, but a Past Chair may run for Chair after a one-year absence.
c. The Vice Chair will serve for a one year term with the option to run for Chair the following year. Consecutive terms as Vice Chair are not allowed but may run again as Vice Chair after a one-year absence.
d. The Secretary will serve a one year term. Multiple terms can be served.
e. The Subcommittee Chairs will serve a one year term. Multiple terms can be served.
Section 4. Elections, Vacancies, and Appointments.
a. Elections will take place in May of each year. Only voting members participate in the election.
b. Voting is done by secret ballot. Ballots are collected and counted by the Secretary and the Chair. If the Secretary is one of the candidates, the Vice Chair shall assist the Chair with collecting and counting the ballots.
c. Should the Chair or Vice Chair be unable to complete a term of office, a new Chair or Vice Chair will be elected.
d. Should the Chair be unable to complete a term of office, the Vice Chair shall become the Chair, and serve the remainder of that term. A new Vice Chair shall be elected to serve the remainder of that term, and is eligible to run for the next term.
e. The Secretary is appointed by the Chair.
f. Subcommittee Chairs shall be appointed by the Chair.
ARTICLE V OPERATIONS
Section 1. Calendar. CUAA follows FIU’s fiscal year (AY), which begins July 1st and ends June 30th.
Section 2. Meetings. CUAA shall meet as often as necessary to carry out its responsibilities. Meetings will generally be held two or three times per semester as needed.
Section 3. Quorum. A simple majority of voting members constitutes a quorum. Any act undertaken with a quorum constitutes an act of the committee. Meetings lacking a quorum may choose to proceed, but only for the purposes of informing members or discussing issues.
Section 4. Records. Formal proceedings of CUAA shall be recorded as Minutes, which shall be recorded by the Secretary, submitted to the Chair, and emailed to CUAA members and the Vice President for OASIS. Minutes from the previous meeting shall be approved at the beginning of the following meeting. Approved minutes shall be filed by the Secretary.
Section 5. Agenda. The Chair shall maintain a list of agenda items. The Secretary shall distribute via email to the CUAA distribution list including the Vice President for OASIS an agenda for the upcoming meeting, so that members have time to request changes if necessary. Agenda order and time allotted remain at the discretion of the Chair. Section
6. Proposals and Recommendations.
a. In conjunction with the goals outlined in Article 2, Section 3, CUAA will consider, discuss and make recommendations regarding matters related to academic advising and student success.
b. These issues could be brought to CUAA from any member of the University community.
c. Any member of CUAA may request a vote to determine whether a formal proposal or recommendation is made.
d. The Chair will be responsible for communicating all formal proposals or recommendations to the Vice President for OASIS and any other appropriate University administrator or representative.
Section 7. Advisors’ Forum and Advisors’ Conference.
a. CUAA will hold an Advisors’ Forum in the Fall and an Advisors’ Conference in the Spring. The purpose of the forum and the conference is to provide advisors with professional development opportunities and University updates.
b. Typically, a subcommittee appointed by the Chair, plans the forum and the conference.
Section 8. Award Recipient Selection Process.
a. CUAA recognizes a New Advisor of the Year, Advisor of the Year, and Significant Impact on the Advising Community, at the Fall Forum.
b. The electronic application and award criteria are distributed to the University community to solicit nominations.
c. Typically, this process is coordinated by a subcommittee appointed by the Chair. d. Other awards deemed appropriate by CUAA and the Chair may be given with the approval of the Vice President for OASIS at the Fall Forum
ARTICLE VI SUBCOMMITTEES
Section 1. Forming a Subcommittee.
a. The Chair may designate or appoint standing or temporary (ad hoc) subcommittees as needed.
b. Standing and ad hoc subcommittees must include CUAA members, but may include University members not in CUAA.
c. Subcommittee members and chairs can be appointed by the Chair or can be volunteers approved by the Chair.
Section 2. Authority.
a. Subcommittees serve at the discretion of the Chair and serve as an advisory body to CUAA.
b. Subcommittees must present their findings, recommendations, and decisions to the Chair before any action can be taken.
ARTICLE VII AMENDMENTS
These Bylaws may be altered, amended, or repealed by a two-thirds vote of the full voting membership and with the approval of the Vice President for OASIS. All units holding voting membership in CUAA must vote on any proposal to alter, amend, or repeal these Bylaws. A vote to abstain counts as a vote, and absent units must be allowed to vote absentee, including via email (see Article III, Section 4, a. and b.).