Advisory Council Procedures

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish the roles and responsibilities of the Utah Education and Telehealth Network (UETN) Advisory Councils.

Statutory Reference

The Utah Education and Telehealth Network (UETN) is charged with establishing Advisory Councils to advise the UETN Board and other public entities, and to seek public input to assist UETN in performing its responsibilities (UCA 53B-17-106 and UCA 53B-17-107). The Utah Education Advisory Council shall represent education, public media and libraries. and the Utah Telehealth Council shall represent telehealth. Operationally, the councils will be called UEN Advisory Council and UTN Advisory Council.

Composition

Advisory Councils will be representative of the multiple Utah entities with whom UETN works. Council members shall be appointed by the UETN Board. The UETN Board shall strive to attain representation that reflects and includes the communities that UETN serves: rural and urban, diversity of gender, ethnicity, ability and individuals with technological, healthcare and instructional expertise. The Policy and Nominations Committee will annually report the status of Council representation to the Board. Members of the UETN Board may also serve on the Councils and may be elected as Chair or Vice Chair.

Meetings

The Advisory Councils are organized to provide input and assist the UETN Board and other public entities in fulfilling their responsibilities. The Councils will establish their own schedule and agenda, within the scope of their statutory or delegated authority. Meetings will be held at least once every three months.

Chair and Vice Chair

Advisory Council members shall annually elect a Chair from its membership. The Chair shall set the agenda for its meetings and report to the UETN Board. Members may also elect a Vice Chair to represent and assist the Chair. The Chair and Vice Chair may not be from the same representative group. The Chair and Vice Chair may be elected to subsequent terms, at the discretion of the Advisory Council members.

Terms

Members will serve four-year terms aligned with the UETN fiscal year July 1 to June 30. Terms shall be staggered to ensure continuity of representation. Members may be re-appointed for a subsequent term, at the discretion of the UETN Board.

Vacancies

Whenever a vacancy on an Advisory Council occurs, the Policy and Nominations Committee, in consultation with the Council Chair and UETN Executive Director, will recommend a replacement to the UETN Board for their approval. The vacating member shall be replaced with an individual representing the constituent group of the vacating member. The new member shall fill the remainder of the appointed term, with the possibility of re-appointment to a subsequent four-year term.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities of the Advisory Councils are outlined in State Law:

Staff

The UETN Executive Director will appoint staff to assist the Advisory Councils.

Adopted by the UETN Board in 2016; Revised 2024