Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI)
Comprehensive System of Personnel Development
(CSPD)
Montana Higher Education Consortium
Consortium By-Laws
2019
The following are by-laws and operating procedures for the Montana Higher Education Consortium (HEC).
1) Name—The name of the group will be the Montana Higher Education Consortium. In these by-laws, the word “Consortium” will be used throughout these by-laws.
2) Vision of the Consortium—The mission of the Consortium is to exchange ideas and encourage professional development opportunities for general, special education and educational leadership faculty of all Montana teacher training and educational leadership programs; provide a mechanism for collaboration, networking, and discussion; and provide advice on critical issues for Montana general and special education teacher training and educational leadership faculty.
3) Mission of the Consortium—The Montana HEC will:
¾ Encourage a more seamless educational system and merge general and special education into one unified system.
¾ Understand and promote the use of evidence-based academic and behavioral strategies.
¾ Closely link Montana teacher training and educational leadership programs to early childhood programs, K–12 education, and the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI).
4) Affiliation/Support—The Consortium is an activity under the Montana Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD). Funding for the Consortium is provided by the Montana Office of Public Instruction, Special Education Unit.
5) Sponsor/Support for Consortium—Sponsorship and support to the Consortium includes the following agencies and organizations:
¾ Montana Office of Public Instruction, Special Education Unit
¾ Montana Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD)
¾ Center for Technical Assistance for Excellence in Special Education (TAESE)
6) Montana Office of Public Instruction —The Montana CSPD Coordinator will serve as the lead contact for the HEC Consortium.
7) Membership—The Consortium is comprised of Montana general and special education faculty from teacher training and educational leadership programs in Montana. The current membership includes faculty from the following Montana Universities and Colleges:
Universities
Montana State University - Billings
Montana State University - Bozeman
Montana State University - Northern
University of Montana - Missoula
University of Montana - Western
Colleges
Tribal Colleges
8) Meetings—There are two meetings conducted each year in the Spring and Fall. The location is determined by the Montana Office of Public Instruction and Consortium Leads. The agenda and topics are determined by the Consortium membership in collaboration with Montana State Special Education Director.
9) Consortium Leadership—The OPI/CSPD Lead, in consultation with the Montana State Director, will select two members of the Consortium to assist in planning and implementing Consortium activities. One Lead will be from general education faculty and one from special education faculty.
10) Lead Members Responsibilities—The following are possible responsibilities of the two Lead Consortium members:
¾ Collaborate and communicate with the OPI/CSPD Lead and State Director regarding all Consortium activities.
¾ Assist in planning Consortium agendas and meetings.
¾ Arrange for a location/facility for each Consortium meeting.
¾ Communicate with Consortium members regarding all activities and meetings.
¾ Assist TAESE staff with the facilitation of conference calls and Consortium meetings.
¾ Manage the Consortium budget.
11) Term of Office—There is no term limit for the Consortium Leads. The Consortium Leads can resign their position, but should give adequate notice to the OPI State Special Education Director.
12) General HEC Membership Expectations—Faculty members from general and special education teacher training and educational leadership programs should:
¾ Attend Consortium meetings
¾ Share with other HEC members programs and activities at their program
¾ Promote the HEC with other faculty members. Notify TAESE if names and contact information changes at their IHE.
13) TAESE Responsibilities—The following are the general responsibilities for the Center for Technical Assistance for Excellence in Special Education (TAESE):
¾ Collaborate with the OPI and the Consortium Leads regarding agenda and materials for Consortium meetings.
¾ Create and maintain a website for the Consortium. The website will be used for members to register for meetings, announce meetings, archive materials, and be a mechanism for membership communication.
¾ Prepare meeting packets, agenda, and name tags.
¾ Facilitate the Consortium meetings in collaboration with the Consortium Leads.
¾ Conduct an outcome evaluation or each meeting.
¾ Maintain a current data-base of Consortium members.
14) By-Laws—The HEC by-laws should be reviewed annually by the Consortium Leadership and shared with Consortium members.