Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)

Organizing Structure and Principles

Executive Committee Operating Principles

Purpose/Structure

  1. The purpose of the Executive Committee is to guide the work of the PNW-CESU.
  2. The Executive Committee consists of one representative from each agency member and one representative from each partner institution member.
  3. The Executive Committee will meet at least yearly.

 Responsibilities

  1. Agency members of the Executive Committee are responsible for ascertaining and coalescing research needs from within their agency and bringing these needs, as appropriate, to the PNW-CESU.  All research, education, and technical assistance conducted under the auspices of the PNW-CESU must be handled through the appropriate agency executive committee member or designated broker.
  2. Partner institution members of the Executive Committee are responsible for ascertaining and coalescing research, education, and technical assistance expertise within their institution and making this information available to the PNW-CESU.
  3. The PNW-CESU co-leaders (one agency Research Coordinator resident at the Host University and one academic representative from the Host University) are responsible for the day-to-day management of the PNW-CESU.
  4. All members of the Executive Committee commit to keeping pertinent information about their organization’s needs and expertise up-to-date on the PNW-CESU website.
  5. All members of the Executive Committee will attend the committee’s annual meeting or send an appropriate representative to the meeting.

Decision Making

  1. The Executive Committee is responsible for brining recommendations to the co-leaders regarding overall management of the PNW-CESU.  The committee will:
  2. Determine criteria for membership in the PNW-CESU
  3. Guide and refine processes for keeping members informed and up-to-date
  4. Other topics as appropriate
  5. The co-leaders are members of the Executive Committee.  In addition to their membership on the committee, the co-leaders are responsible for convening meetings, preparing meeting agendas and materials, and keeping committee members informed.
  6. The Executive Committee will, whenever possible, operate on a consensus basis.  If consensus is not possible, a simple majority can carry a decision or recommendation forward (with the exception of number 4, see below).  Any decision or recommendation or recommendation carried forward without consensus will include information about the dissenting arguments.
  7. All PNW-CESU members must approve admission of new partners or agencies to the cooperative agreement.  This means that all members of the Executive Committee either support, or will not object to, decisions on new membership applications.

Composition of the Managers Committee

Every CESU is required to organize a Managers Committee to provide general advice and guidance and to assist in its evaluation from the viewpoint of the federal agency members.  In the PNW-CESU proposal submitted by the Host University and its partners, it was stated that the federal agency members of the Executive Committee should also serve as members of the Managers Committee.  The proposal is silent on any additional participation in the Managers Committee.

Federal agency members of the Executive Committee will also service as members of the Managers Committee.  Each federal agency member will also have the option of inviting one additional representative from that agency to the Managers Committee meetings, which will be held annually, immediately following the Executive Committee meeting.

Expected Level of Agency/Partner Participation

Each agency and partner member will identify a broker.  The broker may be the same individual serving as the member representative on the Executive Committee.

Each agency and partner member must demonstrate long-term commitment to the PNW-CESU.

Each agency and partner member must provide timely response (within 2 weeks) to PNW-CESU administrative communications.

Each agency and partner member must participate in meetings.  If Executive Committee member cannot attend a meeting, an appropriate representative must be designated to attend the meeting.