By-Laws

The Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA) by-laws, updated in Spring 2024.

Download CHA By-laws PDF Here

Mission Statement

The Center for Humanities & the Arts fosters community, supports collaborations, and inspires creativity and research while promoting equity, inclusion, and academic excellence.

Vision Statement

The Center for Humanities & the Arts promotes arts and humanities by being a dynamic hub on campus for collaboration and innovation and by creating connections with the Boulder community and beyond.

Administrative Structure

The CHA is administered by a Faculty Director and advised by a Faculty Steering Committee comprised of Ƶ Boulder faculty who are humanists and/or artists and/or who use artistic/humanistic methods and practices and a Community Advisory Board comprised of non-Ƶ Boulder community members (please see the separate by-laws for the Community Advisory Committee). In addition to the Director, the CHA is staffed by a full-time Finance and Operations Manager and a full-time Program and Marketing Coordinator.

Funding is provided by the Provost, the Graduate School, the College of Arts and Sciences, and by various endowments.

Parent Unit

The CHA is recognized as a center within the Graduate School (“Parent Unit”).

Appointment

The CHA Director is rostered in an academic unit as a tenured/tenure-track faculty member and will serve an initial term of no more than four years. The Director reports to the Dean of the Graduate School and is chosen by a committee appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School.

Annual Evaluations

The CHA Director will submit an annual written summary of CHA-activities to the Dean of the Graduate School by June 30 of each academic year. The Dean of the Graduate school will submit an annual evaluation of the Director’s performance of administrative duties for the CHA to the Director’s home department/unit to be used in the department’s annual merit review.

Reappointment

The CHA Director may be reappointed for additional terms at the discretion of the Dean of the Graduate School following a thorough review process outlined below:

  1. In the fall semester during the final year of appointment, a subcommittee of 4-6 will be formed consisting of 1-2 Community Advisory Board members, 1-2 Faculty Steering Committee members and 1-2 CHA Staff members.
  2. The subcommittee will determine how best to solicit performance feedback (surveys/listening sessions, etc.) from CHA stakeholders to include current and former faculty steering committee members, Community Advisory Board members, CHA staff, AHUM Chairs & Directors, AHUM Divisional Dean plus others, which may include faculty, staff, students (both graduate and undergraduate), and community members.
  3. The subcommittee will present a report of their findings to the Dean of the Graduate School no later than March 1 of the final year of appointment.
  4. The CHA Director may serve no more than twelve years total, either continuously or in combination with leaves, though a former director may be asked to fill in on an interim basis at the discretion of the Graduate School Dean.

An Interim Director will be appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School, in consultation with the Faculty Steering Committee, in the event the Director is on leave or during the period when a search is being conducted for a new Director, if necessary.

Duties of the Director include:

  • Working closely with the Program Manager to review budgetary matters and to run the day-to-day affairs of the Center.
  • Serving as an ad-hoc member of the Small Grant, Faculty Fellowship, and various Graduate Fellowship and Grant committees.
  • Calling meetings with the Faculty Steering Committee at least once every semester for advice on the administration of the CHA.
  • Organizing CHA events, colloquia, and other programming with the staff and in consultation with the Faculty Steering Committee.
  • Facilitating monthly faculty fellows meetings to promote intellectual camaraderie and professional development and collegiality.
  • Presenting an annual report of CHA activities to the Dean of the Graduate School and to the Vice Chancellor for Research.
  • Working on fundraising for the Center with the Ƶ Foundation.
Faculty Steering Committee

CHA’s Faculty Steering Committee is composed of twelve Ƶ Boulder faculty members who are selected by the CHA director in consultation with the existing Steering Committee. Members serve a three-year term; terms are staggered for the sake of continuity. At least two members will be from CMCI and COM respectively and at least 2 members will be faculty artists from any college. The rest of the Faculty Steering Committee may be rostered in any department in the university and should be faculty who consider themselves either artists, humanists, or both and/or faculty who use artistic and/or humanistic methods/archives.

  • Not all arts/humanities departments can be represented on the Steering Committee at any given time. Accordingly, every effort will be made to ensure that all departments/units and schools are represented on a periodic, rotating basis.
  • If a Steering Committee member is on leave, the chairperson of that faculty member’s department/unit will be asked to name a faculty member to substitute for the one on leave.
  • The Steering Committee meets at least once each semester to discuss policy and programming issues and opportunities and to advise the CHA Director and Staff about administering the CHA.
  • The Steering Committee will work in subcommittees to review various grants and fellowships (see CHA website for list of current funding opportunities). However, any member of the Steering Committee is welcome to serve on more than one subcommittee.
  • Steering Committee members serve as liaisons between their home departments and/or units and the CHA.
  • Steering Committee members are expected to participate whenever possible in major CHA programming and to help promote CHA events and programs.
CHA Faculty Steering Committee Subcommittees

[NOTE: These fellowships may change depending on the availability of funding]

  • Small Grant: Members will approve, deny, or ask for resubmissions of applications to the faculty small grant competition. They will work with the Program and Marketing Coordinator and will take into consideration the budget allocated for the small grant program.
  • GRADE: Members will approve or deny applications for Graduate travel and research awards based on the amount of budget available in consultation with the Finance and Operations Manager.
  • Faculty Fellowships: Members will review applications and select between (6-8) faculty fellows with 2-4 people on a waiting list. The number of fellows selected will depend on the CHA budget for that year, so the number of fellows will be made in consultation with the CHA Director and Finance and Operations Manager.
  • JEDI Graduate Completion Fellowship: Steering Committee members will select (1) application from a graduate student (MA/PhD) whose academic profile best matches the goals of the CHA JEDI statement and is in their final year of completing their graduate degree.
  • Dissertation Completion Fellowship: Members will select (2) PhD applicants.
  • Summer Graduate Fellowships: Members will select (4-6) graduate student applicants for summer funding support. They will work with the Finance and Operations Manager to determine the budget allocated for this fellowship.
  • CHA Director Reappointment Committee: To be convened the fall semester in the final year of CHA Director appointment; will consist of 1-2 Community Advisory Board members, 1-2 Faculty Steering Committee members and 1-2 CHA Staff members.

The CHA Director is not a voting member on any of the above sub-committees but can serve as an ad-hoc sub-committee member to help guide and facilitate conversation in the selection process—with the exception of the reappointment committee.

Soliciting Feedback and Advice for Major CHA Events, Programs, and Activities

The Director will solicit feedback and advice from the Faculty Steering Committee and the Community Advisory Board on major events, programs, and activities, and will also rely on the CHA staff for feedback, advice, and help on these matters as well. The Director will also solicit feedback and advice on CHA events, programs, and activities from Ƶ Boulder stakeholders, including but not limited to arts and humanities chairs and directors, faculty, staff, and students.

Amendment of By-Laws

These by-laws, once adopted, may be amended by a majority vote of the Faculty Steering Committee at any regular meeting, or at a meeting called for the purpose.

The Faculty Director will notify the Research & Innovation Office of proposed changes to the bylaws.