2023 Public Interest Technology University Network Working Group Formation Request

A PIT-UN Working Group explores key issues in building public interest technology as an academic discipline and offers recommendations, activities, tools or strategies, policy, or research papers for the PIT-UN to adopt or review.

Working groups may be proposed by PIT-UN designees or New America staff; all working groups must be approved by the Director, New America Public Interest Technology.

A working group is tasked for a period of 12 months, and can begin any time of year. Designees or individuals from PIT-UN institutions can participate, but must commit to participation for the full 12 months.

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Membership in working groups criteria

Membership in working groups criteria

  • The committee chair or co-chair should be a PIT-UN designee or co-designee.
  • Any faculty member affiliated with a PIT-UN member institution may participate in a working group
  • Working group membership shall be capped at 20 people.
  • Although working groups can partner with or seek input from non-academic entities, such as nonprofits, government organizations, or corporations, all working group members must be affiliated with a PIT-UN member academic institution

Materials Required to Create a Working Group

  • All working groups must have a minimum of 2 Co-Chairs committed to provide stability to the working group in what it stands for and how they operate. Co-chairs, if from different disciplines or different institutions, allows the working group to bring multiple perspectives and skill sets to the table, a key ingredient of PIT.
  • The Chair and co-chair must complete sections I - V of the PIT-UN Working Group Charter Template
  • The Charter shall then be provided to New America for review, comments, edits
  • The Chair and co-chair shall address any edits and re-submit the Charter to New America
  • If appropriate, New America shall approve the new working group charter 

After receiving approval, the Working Group Chair and Co-chair can, in coordination with New America staff, invite and accept additional members of the working group. Potentials can be invited by the working group chair or co-chair, New America staff, or PIT-UN designees. Faculty members of PIT-UN member institutions may also self-nominate by contacting New America staff.
Working Group Operations

  • Working groups shall determine their own meeting schedule. It is suggested that working groups meet at least monthly.
  • Working groups shall document their meetings and processes. It is suggested that working groups rotate the note taker function at every meeting.
  • Working groups shall provide New America staff with draft outlines of any potential outputs before the output is created.
Approval of Working Group Outputs

  • For reports and policies, working groups shall, in coordination with New America, run a two-week-long comment period among PIT-UN designees. During this comment period, the Working Group will provide its document to designees for review. (Sample Comment Document for circulation) The working group will have an additional two weeks to address any suggested edits.
  • Outputs of all working groups must be approved by New America prior to publication and dissemination. New America will determine what, if any, PIT-UN Communication resources will be deployed in support of the output.

Sharing of Working Group Activities
  • Sharing of working group activities
  • Name of working group, Chair, and Co-chair will be on the PIT-UN website
  • Working group chair and co-chair should inform New America staff of significant updates on key activities and/or outputs for inclusion in the PIT-UN newsletter
  • All working groups members should be listed on working group outputs
Additional Comments

  • To support the transition from committees to working groups, current Committee Leads will identify at least 2 potential working groups (name and purpose) that relate to the overly broad mission of the respective Committee
  • For 2022-2023, the Annual Convening discussion groups will identify topics to be advanced over the next year through working groups. Shortly after the 2022 Annual Convening, Committee Leads will work with New America staff to finalize the working group list and identify chairs and co-chairs. The process to officially charter working groups will then begin. Current committees will officially sunset on November 30, 2022, and working groups will begin on December 1, 2022.
  • The existence of working groups does not conflict with the existence of regional affinity groups. Working groups are task-focused, output-driven groups designed to advance the public interest technology field. Regional affinity groups are to foster personal connections and provide more opportunities for information sharing and collaboration across PIT-UN member institutions.
  • There is no minimum number of working groups that the PIT-UN must maintain at any time

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