Governance

INSTAARs keep the institute on track through the leadership of its directors, the advice of a ~40 person governing body, and the participation of many faculty, staff, and students in working committees.

Our policies and procedures are outlined in our Bylaws and Standing Rules   .

Governance personnel

Directors

The Director is the primary officer in charge of INSTAAR, helped by a team of Associate Directors who provide operational guidance and direction for our shared space, laboratory programs, and JEDI goals. Associate Directors stand in for the Director when needed.

Photo of Nikki Lovenduski

Nikki Lovenduski
Director

 

Photo of Albert Kettner

Albert Kettner
Associate Director

Tom Marchitto

Tom Marchitto
Associate Director of Laboratories

Julio Sepúlveda

Julio Sepúlveda
Associate Director of JEDI

Directorate

INSTAAR’s governing body is the Directorate, composed of about 40 people. Voting members, called Faculty Fellows, include tenured and tenure-track faculty who are co-rostered in academic departments, research faculty, and INSTAAR-based federal research scientists. Non-voting members include key administrative staff (Operations Manager, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Information Officer) and a representative each of professional research assistants, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students.

INSTAAR Directorate members work together during their 2024 fall retreat

 

  Faculty Fellows     Admin Staff 

INSTAAR committees

Committees conduct INSTAAR business in selected areas, such as forwarding equity, planning seminars, and evaluating faculty performance. Committees can include students, faculty, and staff and are chaired by faculty members.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee serves to provide input to the Director on matters pertaining to the Institute. We are also a conduit for INSTAAR community members to bring matters to the attention of INSTAAR leadership.  

  • Alan Fried
  • Alex Jahn
  • Nikki Lovenduski (Director)
  • Albert Kettner (Associate Director)
  • Tom Marchitto (Associate Director of Labs)
  • Julio Sepúlveda (Associate Director of JEDI)
  • Scott Taylor (Director, Mountain Research Station)
  • Patti Newton (ex officio)
  • Marisa Seitz (ex officio)
  • Chad Stoffel (ex officio)

JEDI Task Force

The Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Task Force helps INSTAAR take action on equity and inclusion within the institute.

  • Julio Sepúlveda (Associate Director of JEDI)
  • Sarah Elmendorf (Awards and fellowships)

Personnel Committee

  • Noah Molotch (chair)
  • Bruce Vaughn
  • Suzanne Anderson

Awards and Recognition Committee

  • Giff Miller (chair)
  • Bob Anderson
  • Scott Peckham
  • Bob Stallard

Seminar Committee

Peyton Thomas

Diversity

             

INSTAAR is committed to building an inclusive, actively antiracist institute where people of all identities are welcome, safe, and supported, especially those from groups underrepresented in science and academia.

 

See Diversity 

Self study report 2021

Prepared for the University's Academic Review and Planning Advisory Committee (ARPAC).

Submitted December 15, 2021

  1. Unit Overview
  2. Leadership and Administrative Structure and Governance - 13
  3. Inclusive Excellence and Unit Culture - 15
  4. Faculty Excellence - 19
  5. Undergraduate Education - 33
  6. Graduate Education - 34
  7. Staff Personnel - 37
  8. Resource Planning - 40
  9. Strategic Goals - 46

See the Inclusive Excellence narrative (PDF) 

The full self study is available to INSTAARs via our Teams channel:

Cover of the 2021 INSTAAR self study including a researcher inside an ice cave

Governance documents

Policies, procedures, and practices

The principal governing documents for INSTAAR are its Bylaws and companion Standing Rules. Although both documents describe policies, procedures, and practices, the Bylaws are generally more authoritative and brief, while the Standing Rules are generally more procedural and detailed. Bylaws must be approved by the University while Standing Rules are only approved by the INSTAAR Directorate. If the two documents are inconsistent, the Bylaws take precedence.

Bylaws

  INSTAAR Bylaws PDF 

 

In the PDF, turn on the sidebar/table of contents view to quickly navigate to a section.

Updated April 2020
Approved by the University in 2021

  • I. Mission 1
  • II. Governance 1
  • III. Meetings 4
  • IV. Organization 6
  • V. INSTAAR Council 7
  • VI. Scientific Advisory Committee 7
  • VII. Appointments, Hiring, and Evaluation 7
  • VIII. Finances 12
  • IX. Research Organization 12
  • X. Publications 12
  • XI. Changes to the Bylaws 13
  • XII. Changes to the Standing Rules 13

Standing Rules

  INSTAAR Standing Rules PDF 

 

In the PDF, turn on the sidebar/table of contents view to quickly navigate to a section.

Updated February 2023

  • I. Introduction 1
  • II. INSTAAR Titles 2
  • III. Appointment Procedures 6
  • IV. Personnel Promotion or Reappointment Procedures 11
  • V. Governance, Committee Structure and Committee Function 18
  • VI. Mentorship Programs 21
  • VII. Inclusive Space Guidelines 22
  • VIII. Best Practices for Performance Management and Evaluations for Staff, Students, and Faculty 26
  • IX. Annual Appraisal Plan for Fellows 29
  • Appendix A. Draft INSTAAR Professional Code of Conduct 34
  • Appendix B. Draft Inclusive Field Work Practices (under revision) 39