Higher Education Consortium For

“Tax form 990 must be submitted by november each year, and therefore the document, along with its attendant schedules, is prepared each september. After an initial draft is ready, the following steps are taken: (1)the director of operations shares copies of the draft with all members of the hecua finance committee. The finance committee includes one board officer (the treasurer) and the executive director in an ex officio status. (2)the finance committee convenes in mid-september and, in conjunction with the auditor's report, conducts a formal review of the 990 draft. This is a forum in which the director of operations highlights what he believes to be the most important data in the draft and in which the committee members can ask questions, suggest edits, point out potential issues, or request further information in subsequent follow-up. (3)if the finance committee finds the 990 draft acceptable at its mid-september meeting, it votes "yes" to recommend its approval by the full board of directors. If the committee requires edits or further information from the director of operations, then he and the committee members subsequently communicate by e-mail. In this case, a "yes" vote to recommend approval to the board is conducted by e-mail. (4)having received a recommendation of approval from the finance committee, the director of operations sends copies of the 990 to all members of the board of directors in advance of their annual october meeting. (5)at the annual october meeting of the board of directors, the treasurer formally presents the 990 and opens the floor to questions, comments, and concerns. If the board is satisfied with the responses offered by the treasurer and the director of operations, it votes to approve the 990 as it is written. If concerns or suggested edits arise, those are made after the meeting, and a vote for approval is conducted by e-mail. (6)after the 990 is approved by the board, the director of operations asks board members to destroy and discard all draft copies they still possess, as these versions are not intended for public review. (7)in november, the 990 is submitted to the irs.”

“In line with irs requirements and the best practices of organizational oversight, hecua maintains a conflict-of-interest policy. On an annual basis, this policy is reviewed and, if necessary, updated so that employees and board members understand it and can disclose any relationships or transactions that may appear to contradict it. The steps taken in this annual review are as follows: (1)the director of operations shares copies of the conflict-of-interest policy and disclosure forms with the hecua personnel committee. The personnel committee includes one board officer (usually an at-large member of the executive committee) and the executive director in an ex officio status. (2)the personnel committee convenes and as part of its regular agenda conducts a formal review of the policy and disclosure forms. This is a forum in which the committee members can ask questions, suggest edits, or point out potential issues. (3)if the personnel committee believes that the policy continues to meet hecua's needs for safeguarding itself, its employees, and its board members, it approves its continued use for another year. If the personnel committee believes that changes are necessary, it suggests the overall nature of the edits or enhancements and, following the meeting, the director of operations drafts them. In this case, the director of operations shares the new draft with the personnel committee members by e-mail, whereby he obtains their approval. (4)with the policy's approval by the personnel committee, the director of operations distributes copies of the policy and disclosure forms to all employees at one of hecua's monthly staff meetings. Employees are asked to review the former and complete the latter. Employees must submit the newly completed disclosure forms to the director of operations by the end of the month. (5)prior to one of the three annual meetings of the board of directors, the executive director sends copies of the policy and disclosure forms to board members, asking that they review the former and complete the latter. (6)at the subsequent meeting of the board of directors, the completed disclosure forms are collected. (7)the executive director and the board president separately review all submitted disclosure forms. If someone is deemed to have or potentially have a material conflict-of-interest, it is resolved in accordance with the written policy.”

“The personnel committee is a standing committee of the board of directors. It always includes at least one board officer (usually an at-large member of the executive committee) and the executive director in an ex officio status. Its primary responsibilities are to review and consult on human resources policies and practices and to oversee the performance review process of the executive director. In meeting these responsibilities, the personnel committee has developed a detailed and carefully structured process for setting employee compensation levels. The following is a brief outline of that process: for the executive director: the above process is followed in determining a target compensation level for the executive director (depending on hecua's financial resources, the executive director's salary may not end up reaching that level). However, the executive director's compensation is also subject to an annual performance review conducted by hecua's executive committee. Before meeting with the executive director in person, the executive committee reviews a summary of solicited feedback from various individuals, hears and responds to the executive director's self-evaluation presentation, and contributes to a final written report. The president of the board prepares the final written report on behalf of the committee, meets privately with the executive director to review it, and then signs and files it. Depending on the needs of the organization and the specific annual priorities of the executive director, the review process may involve not only board members and the staff management team but also community partners, collaborating agencies, funders, volunteers, and other external stakeholders.”

“The personnel committee is a standing committee of the board of directors. It always includes at least one board officer (usually an at-large member of the executive committee) and the executive director in an ex officio status. Its primary responsibilities are to review and consult on human resources policies and practices and to oversee the performance review process of the executive director. In meeting these responsibilities, the personnel committee has developed a detailed and carefully structured process for setting employee compensation levels. The following is a brief outline of that process: for employees other than the executive director: (1)hecua managers and directors review the job descriptions of their direct reports to make sure they accurately reflect current roles and responsibilities. (2)with the accuracy of job descriptions confirmed, the personnel committee conducts a comparability analysis, drawing on two data sources: the minnesota nonprofit salary and benefits survey, published by the minnesota council of nonprofits (mcn), and the annual salary survey of the american association of university professors (aaup). The committee matches the positions that exist at hecua with specific job titles found in the mcn and aaup salary surveys. (3)with comparable job titles decided, the personnel committee uses the salary averages found in the mcn and aaup salary surveys to establish the median salary for each hecua position. The median is adjusted for hecua's size, location, and mission type. (4)using the median as the middle point within a range, the personnel committee sets a salary band for each hecua position. Every band spans either a 5- or a 10-year time frame. (5)based on employment tenure, every employee is pegged to a specific dollar amount within his or her band. Employees must receive a rating of "meets expectations- or higher in their annual performance reviews to receive scheduled increases. (6)if hecua's budget allows, all salary bands are adjusted annually to reflect changes in the consumer price index of the u.s. Bureau of labor statistics. (7)every two years, the personnel committee undertakes this process again from step 1, ensuring the continued validity of comparabilities and survey data.”

“Upon request the organization will provide copies of its governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial statements to the public. Form 990 regularly appears on www.guidestar.com.”

“Hecua's semester-long international programs in ecuador, norway, new zealand, and northern ireland bring students into direct dialogue with citizens and local leaders through study, field visits, homestays, structured travel, critical reflection, and significant internships. Internships range from 10 hours a week in norway to nearly 25 hours a week in ecuador. Semester-long programs in the twin cities use the metropolitan landscape as a backdrop for exploring pressing issues in students' home communities: environmental sustainability, economic disparities, public and protest art, and equitable access to tools of media production. The integration of respected "community faculty" members in twin cities' programs offers students an on-the-ground perspective of the work being done in their field of study. Each program is carefully crafted to incorporate current events, relevant theory, and opportunities for practical skill acquisition. Hecua offers students unable to spend a full semester off campus with the opportunity to engage in high-impact experiential learning through two short-term programs. The january-term international program social and political transformation in ecuador, introduces students to the effects of globalization on developing economies, and the summer term domestic program race in america takes students on a bus tour of southern states that figured prominently in the civil rights movement. Expanded tuition assistance grants for hecua students coming from the university of minnesota's federal trio program. Trio serves historically underrepresented populations in u.s. Higher education, especially low- income and first-generation students. Because low-income and first- generation students are disproportionately people of color, these grants join the "scholarships for racial justice" as one of hecua's concrete commitments to becoming an antiracist organization. Added lawrence university to the hecua consortium as an affiliate institution, bringing the total number of consortium members (full and affiliate) to 25. Members are bound together by a shared commitment to positive action in the world through community-based learning. Hecua supports this commitment by providing programs that complement campus curricula and by bringing campuses into a network of faculty experts and community practitioners from around the world. All member institutions contribute to board-level discussions and program ideas; only full-member institutions oversee governance and vote on board resolutions.”

“Honoraria 35,135 0 0 program deliverables 317,077 9,328 0”