Standard Operating Procedures

ILR Standard Operating Procedures

The Miami University Institute for Learning in Retirement (ILR) is based in Oxford, Ohio, on the main campus of Miami University. The ILR has established sites outside of Oxford that operate as an extension of its programming and complement its offerings in Oxford. Current ILR programming sites are: Oxford, Hamilton, Fairfield, West Chester, and Monroe.

Operating from multiple sites requires all parties to collaborate within the same framework. To assist in that effort, the ILR Board has established the following Standard Operating Procedures:

Meetings

The ILR Board will hold most of its meetings in Oxford and at least one meeting per year in the West Chester/Monroe/Middletown region. As board members are added from other regional sites, the board may also choose to hold meetings at those sites as well.

Site Coordinators

The chair of the ILR Board, in consultation with the chairs of the Curriculum Committee and the Special Events Committee, will appoint Site Coordinators. The Site Coordinator will serve on the Special Events Committee and Curriculum Committee or make recommendations to the chairs of those committees for other site members who could serve as their representative.  Site Coordinators, as members of the Curriculum Committee, will develop curriculum for their respective sites and may convene a committee of site volunteers for this purpose. Site Coordinators must work in conjunction and communication with the ILR office, the Curriculum and Special Events committee chairs, and the ILR Board.

Committees

The committee chairs of all ILR committees, except the Nominating Committee, are responsible for selecting the members of their committee and will choose these individuals from the ILR membership.

Curriculum Committee

All curriculum course proposals must go through the Curriculum Committee chair for approval. A course is defined as:

  • An offering typically held within the ILR term dates, usually five weeks in length, held once per week, for a period of 60 minutes to several hours, at or near one of the aforementioned sites.
  • All courses must be proposed using the ILR course proposal form. This form can be obtained from the ILR Office in person, via email, or online on the ILR website.
  • Courses may evolve in one of two ways:
    • Course ideas can be proposed by curriculum committee members or suggested to the curriculum committee by any of the ILR membership. Potential instructors are identified and contacted by members of the curriculum committee
    • Those who wish to teach may send an unsolicited course proposal to the ILR Office or Curriculum Committee.

Special Events Committee

All special events must go through the Special Events Committee chair for approval.

"Special event" is defined as follows:

  • One-time offering providing social and cultural/intellectual interactions for ILR members and non-members alike
  • Self-funded through fees charged in addition to the regular ILR membership (Special events are open to non-members for a 25% surcharge.)
  • Length is a couple of hours to a full day
  • Scheduling is usually outside a term’s date range
  • May or may not include lunch
  • May or may not include transportation

The Special Events Committee is also in charge of social events such as:

  • Annual Kick-Off Party
  • End of Semester Party/Annual Meeting—this event is to be held where the majority of the ILR membership is based.

These social events are held outside a term’s date range and will not conflict with another ILR course or event. Events other than the End of Semester Party/Annual Meeting may be held at locations outside of Oxford as approved by Special Events Committee chair.

  • Special events are proposed within Special Events Committee meetings and are approved by a vote of the committee members.
  • With the exception of the Kick-Off Party and the End of Semester Party, fees are established by the ILR Office in collaboration with the Special Events Committee chair and are determined on the basis of covering the actual expenses of specific special events. All monies are handled through the ILR Office.
  • All bookings and reservations are made by the ILR Office and/or the Special Events Committee.
  • Pick-up sites and the use of a chartered coach, if any, will be determined by the committee, taking into consideration cost, the day’s schedule and time frame, convenience and number of membership/potential participants.

Collaborative Events

All collaborative events with other organizations must be proposed to and approved by the ILR Board.