The Advisory Committee is comprised of six faculty members:

 Two senior faculty members in English (Professor or Associate Professor)
 Two junior faculty members in English (Assistant Professor)
 One instructor or visiting assistant professor in English

The department chair serves as an ex-officio member of the committee.

Terms of Service

A term of service of service is generally two years with the exception of the one faculty member in English at the rank of instructor or visiting assistant professor whose term of service is one year.  Elections will be held in the spring for members of the committee who are tenured or tenure-eligible and whose terms are about to expire.  Elections for the non-tenure eligible member will be held each fall.  Members may be reelected to successive terms of service.  The Advisory Committee Chair, elected by the committee at its first meeting, will serve for one year but may stand for re-election.  Should s/he resign the post during the year, the Department Chair will convene a meeting of the committee for the purpose of electing a new chair to serve for the remainder of the year.

Reporting Structure

The Advisory Committee makes recommendations to the department and the department chair in response to issues and concerns that department members bring to the committee.  These recommendations are published to the faculty at large on the Department listserv.

Mission Statement

The Advisory Committee's primary function is to facilitate communication between the English and Philosophy Department and the chair of the department.  Its broad function is to advise the chair on matters raised by the department or the chair and to communicate the essence of that advice to the department.  The committee is not a policy-making body.  It makes recommendations regarding departmental matters, including the formulation of procedures and development of goals and long-range plans.  While the Advisory Committee deals with issues of interest or concern to the entire department, it considers only those matters that do not fall within the domain of other departmental committees.  It is the responsibility of elected members of the committee actively to solicit and present for consideration any and all concerns of faculty and not to engage in editing or censoring of faculty concerns.  To accomplish these goals, the Advisory Committee will meet regularly throughout the year according to a publicized schedule and distribute, after each meeting, minutes of the business transacted.  The Advisory Committee recognizes that it is one of several ways faculty can voice concerns and that its existence does not preclude the selection of other avenues of expression.