All committees are set up for a specific task within the university system. Some may be set up for the task of a specific campus unit, while others are set up for campus-wide issues and tasks. Regardless of their nature, function and origin, all documents generated by these committees are crucial to the understanding of the academic and administrative mission of the university and its various entities. They provide insight into the evaluation of past direction and the future course of university units. They are also important reference documents for future administrative activities.

In some committees, e.g. search and personnel-related review committees, the deliberations and correspondence document very candidly expressions of scholarly and professional judgments. The illumination of these judgments, which make the records highly sensitive, are, therefore, treated as closed records, contribute to their value as historical and evidential documentation of the mission of the university. They are also important reference documents for future administrative activities.

RESPONSIBILITY OF THE COMMITTEE GENERATING THE RECORDS

1. It is the responsibility of each chair to act as a record coordinator.

2. All activities of special purpose committees should be documented and those records be transferred at the completion of the committees' task by the appointed authority in charge of the committees to the AUARC.

3. The records coordinator (chair of the committee) should consult at an early stage with the AUARC to discuss the creation, maintenance, archival retention, and proper transfer of the committees' records.

4. Records which should be transferred to the AUARC, depending on the nature of the committee:

4.1 mission statement or charge to the committee

4.2 agendas

4.3 minutes

4.4 substantive correspondence

4.5 reports by the committee

4.6 news releases and public statements

4.7 electronic conference print-outs if used for committee work.

4.8 lists of candidates considered in the evaluation process including candidates credentials

4.9 statements of evaluation which document the selection process

4.10 short list of candidates as recommended to the hiring authority including candidates' credentials.

For information concerning the responsibilities and procedures of the Andrews University Archives and Records Center especially in recognition of the sensitive content of some of these records, see section II, 1.2 and II, 1.3.