There is hereby created the California Postsecondary Education Commission, which shall be advisory to the Governor, the Legislature, other appropriate governmental officials, and institutions of postsecondary education. The commission shall be composed of the following members:

(a) One representative of the Regents of the University of California designated by the regents, one representative of the Trustees of the California State University designated by the trustees, and one representative of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges designated by the board. Representatives of the regents, the trustees, and the board of governors shall be chosen from among the appointed members of their respective boards, but in no instance shall an ex officio member of a governing board serve on the commission.

(b) One representative of the independent California colleges and universities that are formed and operated as nonprofit corporations in this state and are accredited by a regional association that is recognized by the United States Department of Education. This member shall be appointed by the Governor from a list or lists submitted by an association or associations of those institutions.

(c) The chair or the designee of the chair of the Council for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education.

(d) The President of the State Board of Education or his or her designee from among the other members of the board.

(e) Nine representatives of the general public appointed as follows: three by the Governor, three by the Senate Rules Committee, and three by the Speaker of the Assembly. It is the intent of the Legislature that the commission be broadly and equitably representative of the general public in the appointment of its public members and that the appointing authorities, therefore, shall confer to assure that their combined appointments include adequate representation on the basis of sex and on the basis of the significant racial, ethnic, and economic groups in the state.

(f) Two student representatives, each of whom shall be enrolled at a California postsecondary education institution at the time of appointment and during the term of service, except that a student member who graduates from an institution with no more than six months of his or her term remaining shall be permitted to serve for the remainder of the term. The Governor shall appoint the student members from persons nominated by the appropriate student organizations of each of the postsecondary education segments. For each student member of the commission, the appropriate student organization may submit a list of nominees. The list shall specify not less than three and not more than five nominees. The appropriate student organization for each segment shall be a composite group of at least five representative student government associations, as determined by the commission.

(g) The student member appointed to the commission shall not be enrolled in the same segment as the outgoing student member or in the same segment of the other sitting student member.

(h) No person who is employed by any institution of public or private postsecondary education shall be appointed to or serve on the commission, except that a person who is not a permanent, full-time employee and who has part-time teaching duties that do not exceed six hours per week may be appointed to and serve on the commission.

The commission members designated in subdivisions (a), (c), and (d) shall serve at the pleasure of their respective appointing authorities. The member designated in subdivision (b) shall serve a three-year term. The members designated in subdivision (e) shall each serve a six-year term. The members designated in subdivision (f) shall each serve a two-year term. The respective appointing authority may appoint an alternate for each member who may, during the member’s absence, serve on the commission and vote on matters before the commission. When vacancies occur prior to expiration of terms, the respective appointing authority may appoint a member for the remainder of the term.

Any person appointed pursuant to this section may be reappointed to serve additional terms.

All terms subsequent to the initial appointments, which became effective on January 10, 1974, shall begin on January 1 of the year in which the respective terms are to start.

Any person appointed pursuant to this section who no longer has the position that made him or her eligible for appointment may nonetheless complete his or her term of office on the commission.

No person appointed pursuant to this section shall, with respect to any matter before the commission, vote for or on behalf of, or in any way exercise the vote of, any other member of the commission.

The commission shall meet as often as it deems necessary to carry out its duties and responsibilities.

Any member of the commission who in any calendar year misses more than one-third of the meetings of the full commission forfeits his or her office, thereby creating a vacancy.

The commission shall select a chair from among the members representing the general public. The chair shall hold office for a term of one year and may be selected to successive terms.

There is established an advisory committee to the commission and the director, consisting of the chief executive officers of each of the public segments, or their designees, the Superintendent of Public Instruction or his or her designee, and an executive officer from each of the groups of institutions designated in subdivisions (b) and (c) to be designated by the respective commission representative from these groups. Commission meeting agenda items and associated documents shall be provided to the committee in a timely manner for its consideration and comments.

The commission may appoint any subcommittees or advisory committees it deems necessary to advise the commission on matters of educational policy. The advisory committees may consist of commission members or nonmembers, or both, including students, faculty members, segmental representatives, governmental representatives, and representatives of the public.

The commission shall appoint and may remove a director in the manner hereafter specified. The director shall appoint persons to any staff positions the commission may authorize.

The commission shall prescribe rules for the transaction of its own affairs, subject, however, to all the following requirements and limitations:

(1) The votes of all representatives shall be recorded.

(2) Effective action shall require the affirmative vote of a majority of all the duly appointed members of the commission, not including vacant commission seats.

(3) The affirmative votes of two-thirds of all the duly appointed members of the commission, not including vacant commission seats, shall be necessary to the appointment of the director.

(Amended by Stats. 1993, Ch. 8, Sec. 2. Effective April 15, 1993.)