CCUMC: The Consortium of College and University Media Centers

Creation

Interest Groups are established by the board based on a perceived common interest by a segment of the membership.

General Description

A group of members having a common interest that often provides a basis for action. Interest Groups are topical and provide a forum for study and discussion of issues related to their topics.

Chair

Chairperson appointed by president for 2-year term. The chairperson is expected to attend annual conference.

Composition

Participants (constantly changing group).

Size

Varies based on interest since no members are appointed.

Duration

Ongoing. Meet for a minimum of two years. May be disbanded by board when attendance consistently drops to a level that defeats the purpose of providing free and open exchange of ideas.

Linkages

• Assistance is provided by the board's Interest Group Coordinator.
• The chairperson assists the Program Committee as requested. (Chairpersons may be appointed to the Program Committee by the president.)
• The chairperson works with the Program Co-chairpersons to ensure a time is available during each conference for the interest group to convene.
• The chairperson provides specific information to the Leader editor and The Review editor annually.
• The chairperson provides specific information to the chair of the Research Committee annually.

Responsibilities of chairs

• A two-year commitment as chair
• Attendance at annual conferences
• Convening the interest group at each conference, having provided appropriate information to the Proceedings editor beforehand
• Reporting of environmental scanning observations as outlined in the "Product" section of this document
• Submission of a column and suggestions for articles and survey topics (and possible analysis of survey responses) and commissioned research topics as outlined in the "Reports" section of this document
• Preparation and submission of information for the annual report as requested by the executive director in June.

Product

Interest Groups do not per se undertake projects. Should any participants wish to undertake a task, they identify themselves to the board by notification and description of the chosen task. Thereafter, they meet independently of the Interest Group so participants who have gathered for study and discussion may proceed to do so uninterrupted by project planning or execution.

Interest Group chairs, who represent the common interest of the group, are encouraged to suggest programming ideas to the Program Committee for conference sessions related to their group's common interest. Such sessions may include a speaker, a panel discussion, or a facilitator and they typically include question and answer sessions or other avenues for audience participation/discussion. However, such sessions are the responsibility of the Program Committee and not a function of the interest group.

Interest Group chairs should encourage free and open discussion of issues related to the group's common interest, encouraging environmental scanning efforts and soliciting observations/trends from the groups members. Such observations should be shared with the Interest Group Coordinator who can determine if the topic might be explored by a publication editor, by the research committee, or by discussion on an electronic list.

Interest Group chairs may be asked to work with the Leader editor to analyze responses to survey questions related to the group's common interest prior to reporting the results in the Leader.

Reports

Since the group's composition is constantly changing, no reports are made by the group as a whole. Instead, the chairperson, who understands areas of concern and trends associated with the group's common interest, is responsible for providing the following:

• A general statement of the group's purpose and possible topics which could be discussed when the group convenes at each conference. This information will be provided to the Proceedings' editor within the time frame established by the Proceedings' editor.
• Any information/reports requested by the board's interest group coordinator.
• A column related to the group's common interest, for one issue of the Leader each year. The Leader editor will specify when the column should be submitted for publication.
• A list of topics that reflect the interests of their group, which could be developed as articles for the College & University Media Review, along with the names of any individuals who possess the skills and knowledge to make them potential authors of articles on each topic. This list should be submitted to The Review editor within one month after the fall meeting and The Review editor will determine if articles will be developed on any of the topics and contact potential authors.
• A list of any applied research topics related to the group's common interest which the Research Committee might wish to consider commissioning, along with the names of any individuals who possess the skills and knowledge to make them potential researchers for each topic. This list should be submitted to the Research Committee chair by April 15.
• Written information should be provided when a request is made by the Leader editor concerning a topic or topics about which a survey could be conducted for publication in the Leader. Sample questions should be included when the information is provided to the Leader editor.

Continuity

At the conclusion of the term, the chairperson will provide all information concerning past activities to their successor. If a successor has not yet been identified all information concerning the group's activities will be forwarded to the president.