1.5 THE PRESIDENT
1.5.1 Appointment
of the College President
The procedures for
the appointment of the college president are set forth in a document which
has been approved by the college faculty, the Board of Trustees, and Synod.
A copy of the document may be found in the Office of the President. This
procedure includes a search committee that has representation from the
faculty as well as other important community groups.
1.5.2 Responsibilities
1.5.2.1 General
The president is
the chief executive officer of the college. The president is the one officer
with an overview of the entire enterprise as a whole, and as such, must
promote the mission and purpose of the college in its broadest dimensions.
The maintenance and enhancement of the general welfare of the college
is the direct responsibility of the president.
One of the ways the
president maintains an overview of the entire enterprise is by regular
meetings of the President's Cabinet. The Cabinet is composed of the vice
presidents and the provost. It meets biweekly throughout the year, with
regularly scheduled all-day planning sessions to chart the course of the
college into the years ahead. This Cabinet is primarily a discussion and
advisory group; it does not make policy.
Another way in which
the president maintains an overview of Calvin College is through membership
on the Planning and Priorities Committee. This committee is a standing
committee of the faculty and administration; its mandate is to conduct
studies of the larger aspects of college functions in order to determine
the appropriate emphasis to be placed on each function in its interaction
with other functions. It is concerned primarily with the long-range plans
of the college. Its purview is as broad as the college itself; its scope
of activity overlaps areas covered by other committees and administrators.
1.5.2.2 In Relation
to the Board of Trustees
Inasmuch as the Christian
Reformed Church owns and supports the college, and through its synod delegates
control to the Board of Trustees, the president and faculty are, in final
analysis, subject to the authority of the Board and the Executive Committee,
as representatives of the Board.
The Board of Trustees
is a legislative body whose primary responsibility is the determination
of policy. The Board is not an administrative body. The execution of policies
should be left in the hands of the president.
The president is
the administrative head of the college, with duties and powers defined
in appropriate board-approved documents. This does not mean that the president
is the autocrat of the institution with the faculty having only advisory
powers nor is the president merely the presiding officer and executive
of the faculty. Rather, the president takes the initiative with the Board
in all important matters and consults and cooperates with the faculty
in the manner prescribed in the Faculty Bylaws.
The president promotes
the mission and purpose of the college at all times, and is the principal
representative of the college in external relations.
Except by special
decision of the Board of Trustees, the president acts as the medium of
communication between the Board of Trustees (or its Executive Committee)
and the faculty, and between the Board (or its Executive Committee) and
the students. The president is also a medium of communication between
the college and the constituency. The interpretation and presentation
of policy and major proposals to the Board of Trustees belongs preeminently
to the Office of President; it is the president's duty to submit all recommendations
on these matters to the Board for final decision.
The president attends
every regular meeting of the Board and its Executive Committee in order
to report on significant events at the college, to consult with the Board
on problems, and to bring appropriate agenda items for Board action. In
the absence of the president, a designated vice president or the provost
performs these functions on the president's behalf.
The president presents
to each member of the Board a full report on the state of the college
at least ten days before each plenary session. This report includes all
necessary agenda items for action by the Board at each session.
Along with the Vice
President for Development, the president acts as advisor to the Board
Development Committee. In this capacity the president can help assure
servant partnerships that are appropriate for the institution's growth
and leadership in the years to come.
1.5.2.3 In Relation
to the Faculty
The president is
the chairperson of the college Faculty Senate and holds the responsibilities,
duties, and powers of that office as outlined in the Faculty Bylaws.
The president ensures
that the faculty continually and diligently work at defining and developing
the Reformed principles in the various disciplines, at shaping educational
policy of the institution, at integrating faith and learning in the disciplines,
and at promoting the educational and spiritual welfare of the student
body.
Termination, dismissal,
and discipline of individual faculty members, when necessary, is the administrative
responsibility of the president in accordance with the procedures outlined
in this Faculty Handbook.
The president's work
in relation to the faculty is carried out mainly through the work of the
Committee on Governance and the Professional Status Committee, and selectively
by ex officio membership on all faculty committees. The president
maintains oversight of the educational policy of the college through regular
and continuing consultation with the provost on all educational policy
matters.
1.5.2.4 In Relation
to the Students
The president, both
personally and through the administrative staff, and together with the
faculty, must promote in the college a Christian academic community in
which a love of learning is instructed by the desire for a deepened and
enriched knowledge of God's work in creation, in Scripture, and in Christ.
Toward that end, the President shall foster amicable relationships among
the administration, faculty, and students
When necessary,
the president shall carry out responsibilities for student conduct and
discipline as outlined in "The Student Conduct Code" (see the Student
Handbook).
