A committee is organic rather than mechanical in its nature: it is not a structure but a plant. It takes root and grows, it flowers, wilts, and dies, scattering the seed from which other committees will bloom in their turn. – C Northcote Parkinson, British Historian.

Committees, Generally

The Inter-Professional Council wouldn’t be a true governing body without the existence of committees. IPC has three internal committees that focus on the areas of Professional Outreach, Community Service, and Social Activities. At the same time, one of the primary ways that the Inter-Professional Council advocates for the professional student community is by serving on several university or “external” committees that focus on aspects of the entire institution, beyond just the six professional colleges. Read on for a brief explanation of the distinction between these internal and external committees, or select a menu option from the left to learn more about a specific committee.

University Committees

The various University committees are those that address issues affecting the OSU community at large. These include academic matters, fiscal policy, student life, technology, and more. The committees generally have some mix of personnel representing OSU’s three contingencies: students, faculty and administration. The student contingent is further broken down into three groups; undergraduates, graduate students, and professional students, each of which has representation on committees affecting its student population. Some of these committees operate under the authority of the University Senate, such as the Council on Academic Affairs, the Athletic Council, and the Council on Student Life. Others are stand alone committees that focus on a particular aspect of the University, such as OSU’s Wireless Network Advisory Team and the Ohio Union Activities Board. In all, IPC appoints people to more than two dozen university committees annually. Each IPC rep, executive, senator or justice, serves on an external committee.

IPC Internal Committees

While the whole of IPC sets policy and decides important issues, much of the planning and execution that goes into IPC’s activities is carried out in the organizations three subcommittees: Outreach, Service, and Social. These committees organize and carry out a variety of activities during the year, including professional networking events, the annual IPC Halloween Party, the IPC Case Competition, food drives, and the recent 2005 professional student survey. The committees also coordinate communications with the professional colleges and logistics with any on- or off-campus organizations involved in our events. Each senator and justice serves on one of the three internal committees. Each executive officer serves as a liaison to one of the internal committees, however each committee is chaired by a senator or justice.