VI. Communication and Marketing Executive Council Charter

Purpose: The Communication and Marketing Executive Council (CMEC or Council) is a standing body within the University System of New Hampshire. The CMEC is advisory to the USNH Administrative Board and is charged to consider, decide, recommend and/or implement strategic or operationally significant marketing and communication matters, according to the policies and processes of USNH.

Membership and Structure: The CMEC shall have five members, one from each of the USNH institutions, appointed by the respective president, and one from the system office, appointed by the Chancellor. Other campus representatives may be invited to attend meetings at the discretion of Council members.

Membership Structure/Roles: The Council through discussion and voting establishes its Chairperson. If membership in the Council changes, discussion and voting will again occur to elect a Chair.

Council Chair
The Chair is responsible for convening the CMEC and its meeting logistics, agenda creation and triage. The Chair actively promotes the collaborative nature of the group, and ensuring that, to the fullest extent possible, items of collective interest are shared in a timely fashion so as to permit thoughtful consideration of potential actions and advice from other members and the institutions and/or functions that they represent. The Council Chair serves as primary point of contact for the USNH System Office, Executive Councils and the Administrative Board, and is responsible for ensuring that relationships between the CMEC and other committees are maintained.

Member Responsibility: Members of the CMEC are expected to:

• Proactively engage with and seek approval from home campus leadership, committees, councils and other bodies as warranted and/or assigned, to maintain appropriate levels of communications and achievement of strategic goals and priorities.
• Actively share communication and marketing activities that could be of significant or relevant interest or concern to the overall university system.
• Ensure shared deliverables are completed.
• Ensure that accepted standards, shared processes and best practices in communication and marketing are followed.

Meetings: The Council will have regular meetings sufficient to meet its objectives in support of the outcomes expected from its strategic roadmap. Meetings will be at times and locations convenient to membership. Some meetings may be held by video conferencing to reduce travel time and create operational efficiencies.

Objectives:

• Respond to the direction and support the agenda and initiatives of the Administrative Board.
• Create and execute a cohesive ongoing plan for conveying the value of strong and sustainable public higher education to the citizens of New Hampshire.
• Advise and guide the USNH Administrative Board on communication and marketing opportunities and concerns, including proactive and reactive situations. 
• Identify, share and adopt communication and marketing best practices, work products and processes for the benefit of the university system.
• Facilitate and promote efficiency and leverage in the use of communication and marketing services, contracts and related purchasing.  
• Establish and follow processes and procedures that ensure individual institutions are appropriately consulted, represented, informed, accountable and/responsible regarding the planning and distribution of communication impacting or representing the university system.
• Ensure a responsive, coordinated and collaborative process for responding to events, media coverage, crises, and other episodic experiences that affect the university system and its campuses broadly.