Technology Advisory Committee Guidelines

Mission

The mission of the Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) (hereafter referred to as “Advisory Committee”) of the Utah Education and Telehealth Network (hereafter referred to as “UETN”) is to aid the UETN Governing Board in obtaining and evaluating information about technology and technology-related services that may advance UETN’s mission of providing access to information resources for educational and telehealth institutions statewide. The UETN Governing Board adopts these guidelines (the “Guidelines”) to establish the manner of operation of the Advisory Committee.

Purpose

1. The Advisory Committee and its members shall support the goals and priorities identified by the UETN Governing Board.
2. The Advisory Committee shall serve as a consultant in obtaining information and providing recommendations on ways to secure, operate and expand UETN services or as otherwise directed by the UETN Governing Board.
3. The Advisory Committee shall inform the UETN Governing Board and CTO of technical opportunities, challenges and solutions that UETN and its constituents may face.
4. The Advisory Committee shall act as a working group to provide support to the UETN CTO on an as-needed and as-available basis to evaluate and advise on matters of interest or technical initiatives identified by UETN.

Membership

1. The Advisory Committee shall be composed of eight (8) voting members (the “Committee Members”) consisting of five (5) members who reside within the State of Utah (the “In-State Members”); two (2) members who reside outside the State of Utah (the “Out-of-State Members”); and one (1) member who is a member of the UETN Governing Board (the “Governing Board Committee Member”).
2. Each Committee Member shall occupy one seat on the Advisory Committee and the term of service corresponding to each such seat shall expire according to the following terms: the initial term for the seats of the Governing Board Committee Member and two (2) In-State Members shall be one (1) year; the initial term for the seats of one (1) Out-of-State Member and one of the remaining (1) In-State Members shall be two (2) years; and the initial term for the remaining Out-of-State Member and the remaining two (2) In-State Members shall be three (3) years. Following the initial term, the term of service for each seat filled by a Committee Member shall be three (3) years. For ease of administration, each term shall expire on the anniversary of the date of adoption of these guidelines, and the expiration of the term shall not be impacted by the fact that a Committee Member is appointed in the middle of a term by virtue of an unexpected vacancy.
   1. Illustration. These guidelines are intended to create staggered elections to avoid the potential that an overwhelming number of vacancies arises in a single year. Accordingly, assuming adoption of these Guidelines in 2017, the foregoing paragraph is intended to require replacement or re-appointment of members as follows:
      1. 2018, 2021, 2024...: The Governing Board Committee Member and two In-State Members
      2. 2019, 2022, 2025...: One In-State Member and one Out-of-State Member
      3. 2020, 2023, 2026...: The remaining two In-State Members and the Remaining Out-of-State Member.
3. To be qualified to serve as a Committee Member, an individual shall, in the judgment of the UETN Governing Board, have a technical, business, or educational role in his or her respective field, or have such technical, business, or educational experience that such individual can assist the Advisory Committee and the Governing Board in identifying and advancing areas of operational interest or policy initiatives that will serve the goals and objectives of UETN.
4. Except for the individuals elected to serve as the first Committee Members following adoption of these guidelines (the “Initial Members”), Committee Members shall be nominated and appointed only in response to a vacancy in the membership of the Advisory Committee. Such appointment shall proceed as follows:
   1. Any Committee Member may identify an individual who such Committee Member believes meets the qualifications set forth herein and present such individual to the Advisory Committee for approval (“Presentation”);
   2. Upon Presentation of such individual, the Advisory Committee shall vote on whether to nominate such individual for consideration by the UETN Governing Board;
   3. Upon approval by a majority of the Advisory Committee, such individual shall be considered to have the nomination of the Advisory Committee and such nomination shall constitute a recommendation to the UETN Governing Board to appoint such individual to the Advisory Committee; and
   4. The UETN Governing Board shall consider the recommendation of the Advisory Committee with respect to such individual and approve and appoint such individual pursuant to any procedure the UETN Governing Board may adopt for itself from time to time, in accordance with the bylaws and other rules applicable to its authority (an “Appropriate Method”).
   5. In addition to the foregoing method for the Advisory Committee to nominate individuals for consideration by the UETN Governing Board, the UETN Governing Board may also nominate and consider the appointment of individuals to the Advisory Committee using any Appropriate Method.
5. With respect to the appointment of the Initial Members, the UETN Governing Board shall appoint such individuals using any Appropriate Method.
6. Service as a Committee Member is entirely on a volunteer basis and so any Committee Member may resign at any time for any reason by providing written notice to the UETN Governing Board. The UETN Governing Board may also remove any Committee Member using any Appropriate Method. In the event of such removal or resignation, the Advisory Committee and the UETN Governing Board shall endeavor to fill the vacancy caused by such removal or resignation. As set forth herein, appointment of a Committee Member to a vacant seat on the Advisory Committee shall not modify the end of the term applicable to such seat.

Governance

The Advisory Committee shall be chaired by a member identified by a majority of the Advisory Committee and approved by the UETN Governing Board.

Voting

1. The preferred decision-making style for the Advisory Committee shall be majority rules. A simple majority of the individuals voting on a matter is required to pass an action item.
2. Except where these Guidelines or other rules adopted by the Governing Board or the Advisory Committee require a full vote of the Technology Advisory Committee, votes require a quorum, which is defined as one-half the active Technology Advisory Committee membership, rounded up to the nearest whole number.
3. Each official member of the Technology Advisory Committee shall be entitled to one vote.
4. Conflicts of Interest: Each member of the Technology Advisory Committee shall adhere to the requirements of the Utah Public Officers and Employees Ethics Act. In addition, each member shall disclose any personal, professional, or financial interest that a reasonable person would conclude could impact that member’s decision-making with respect to any matter before the Technology Advisory Committee, and shall abstain from voting on the matter when such a relationship exists. Examples of such personal, professional, or financial interests may include (but are certainly not limited to) 1) a familial relationship with an employee of a company who is proposing to perform services for UETN; 2) an ownership interest in a company that produces goods that UETN is considering purchasing; or 3) a friendship with an individual who owns a service provider that UETN is considering engaging.

Meetings

1. The Advisory Committee shall meet on a regular basis as the Advisory Committee may decide—on a monthly basis, or as more frequently to advance the purposes of the Advisory Committee and the needs of the Governing Board.
2. Written notice of the time and place of all Advisory Committee meetings, together with a copy of the minutes of its prior meeting, shall be distributed to each Advisory Committee member prior to the next meeting.
3. The Advisory Committee Chair is responsible for organizing all meetings and arranging for the creation and distribution of meeting minutes, absent alternative arrangements approved by the Advisory Committee.
4. Committee Members should RSVP to all meetings and call to cancel attendance if necessary after initial RSVP.
5. The Advisory Committee meetings will adhere to Utah’s open meeting laws.

Roles and Authority

The Advisory Committee functions as a volunteer advisory body to the UETN Governing Board with respect to the matters set forth above in the section of these Guidelines entitled “PURPOSES”. Neither the Advisory Committee, nor any particular member of the Advisory Committee, has authority to bind UETN or the University of Utah. Members shall not receive compensation or other remuneration for their services as Advisory Committee members, and shall be considered volunteers of the UETN Governing Board when acting within the course and scope of their service on the Advisory Committee.

Amendments

These Guidelines may be altered, amended or repealed, and new Guidelines may be adopted, only by the UETN Governing Board, using any Appropriate Method.

Adopted by the UETN Board in 2018.