Charter

June 2010

Previous versions: 2007 | 2004

The Northern Tier Networking and Cyberinfrastructure Consortium (NTNC) is a partnership formed by its members to address mutual interests in advanced networking facilities and shared cyberinfrastructure that can be layered on top of such facilities.

MISSION

The Northern Tier Networking and Cyberinfrastructure Consortium seeks to develop and sustain advanced networking capabilities and shared cyberinfrastructure facilities, in order to support the educational, research, and economic vitality of the Northern Tier region.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The primary NTNC goals are

to provide a premier research network that connects the Northern Tier states, from current endpoints in Chicago, IL and Seattle, WA, to ensure that every Internet2 member in the Northern Tier has the ability to establish an appropriate high speed connection to a national or international aggregation point;

to maximize network peering and interconnection opportunities between Northern Tier networks and other research networks and networking consortia;

to provide a network which can serve as a foundation for regional economic development, as well as academic and educational development;

to leverage intellectual, political and financial resources across the region to expand relationships with state and national leaders, attract greater federal interest, maximize opportunities for grant and contract support, and create greater leverage with vendors; and

to enhance national security and network redundancy by establishing one or more interconnection points between NTNC and Canadian national networks.

The initial NTNC objectives are

to create NTNC networks and shared cyberinfrastructure in a manner governed  by flexible  acceptable use policies (e.g., be AUP free);

wherever  possible, to secure network backbones as “fiber assets” connecting NTNC member sites;

in network construction, to build a regional locus of optical networking in the Northern Tier with core east/west links supplemented by redundant, “mesh connectivity” through redundant east/west links and specific north/south connections;

to catalyze individual state activity in support of  the NTNC mission and goals, by developing coordinated communication and marketing plans and seeking to  integrate Northern Tier goals and objectives into state and local network goals; and

to develop relationships with regional, national and international network organizations, particularly the Internet2, National Lambda Rail, the Pacific Northwest Gigapop, and the CIC and Northern Lights Gigapop.

MEMBERSHIP

Regular voting membership is available to those entities which endorse this agreement, agree to pay initial and annual dues, and are accepted by a vote of the NTNC Steering Committee. The current members of  NTNC are listed in Appendix A.

NTNC and Internet2 have agreed that Internet2 will support NTNC by providing various types of organizational service and assistance, described in detail in a separate Memo of Understanding. While this or another similar agreement remains in force Internet2 shall be considered a special member of NTNC (non-voting, no dues charged).
 
As described below, the NTNC shall consider the addition of new members and/or new types of membership in the future.

STEERING COMMITTEE

A Steering Committee shall oversee the operation of the NTNC.  The Steering Committee shall be self-governing, and shall establish its own rules and other procedures consistent with this Charter. Voting members of the Steering Committee shall consist of one representative from each regular member entity. The Steering Committee shall be led by Officers as described below.

The Steering Committee shall meet at least one time a year in person. Additional Steering Committee meetings may be called by the Chair of the Steering Committee, the Executive Committee, or at the request of any three regular members of the Steering Committee.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

An Executive Committee shall guide operation of the NTNC between Steering Committee meetings. The Executive Committee shall consist of the following regular (i.e., voting) representatives:

1. one representative from each state, elected by a caucus of the NTNC members from that state;
2. at least one representative from each of the following constituencies recognized by NTNC -- universities, Internet2/NLR gigapops (AKA connectors, aggregators), state IT organizations, and federal labs -- according to the process described in Appendix B; and
3. other members so-designated on a permanent or temporary basis by the Steering Committee. 

Executive Committee members selected by state caucus will be elected to three year terms, with start dates staggered to assure both overall and regional continuity, as outlined in Appendix C. 

As long as NTNC is affiliated with Internet2 by the current or similar Memo of Understanding, Internet2 will also be represented on the Executive Committee by a special non-voting representative designated by Internet2.

OFFICERS

Each year the voting members of the Executive Committee shall elect a Chair (President), Vice-Chair (Vice-President), and Secretary/Treasurer from the set of voting Executive Committee members, to serve as the officers for both the Executive Committee and Steering Committee. Each officer shall serve a one year term.  In order to assure broad representation, each officer shall be from a different state.

MEMBERSHIP, TYPES OF PARTICIPATION, AND DUES

The Executive Committee shall be responsible for considering requests from entities wishing to join the NTNC.  Following this consideration the Executive Committee will make a recommendation for final approval or disapproval of the request by the Steering Committee.

The Executive Committee shall be responsible for recommending annual dues levels, for final action by the Steering Committee. In general this action should be finalized in January or February of the year, 10 to 11 months before the dues level is to take effect.

The Executive Committee shall be responsible for considering possible new types of participation and/or membership in the NTNC, as well as the requirements, responsibilities and restrictions associated with a new participation and/or membership level, for final action by the Steering Committee.

Any NTNC member which for any other reason wishes to no longer participate in the NTNC should notify the NTNC Chair in writing within a reasonable time period.

COMMITMENTS ON BEHALF OF INTERNET2 AND MEMBER ENTITIES

Commitments made on behalf of the NTNC require prior approval by the Steering Committee.

Neither the NTNC officers, Steering Committee, nor Executive Committee may make commitments, financial or otherwise, on behalf of an individual member, except as it applies to specific participation within the context of NTNC actions approved by the Steering Committee.

Neither the Steering Committee, Executive Committee, nor any other NTNC member may make commitments, financial or otherwise, on behalf of Internet2 without Internet2’s explicit written approval, given in advance. 

TERM

This charter shall be reviewed every year by mutual agreement by the Steering Committee (i.e., the designated representatives of the member entities).

Appendix A – NTNC Members - June 2010

Alaska

1. University of Alaska (S.Smith)*

Colorado

1. Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) (L. Fox)

Idaho

1. University of Idaho (T. Opheim)

2. Idaho Regional Optical Network (IRON) (TBD)

Iowa

1. Iowa State University (J. Davis)

2. University of Iowa (S.Fleagle)*

Michigan

1. MERIT (R. Stovall)*

Minnesota

1. Minnesota Higher Education System (???)

2. University of Minnesota (M.Lowe)*

Montana

1. Montana State University (G.Jacobs)*

2. State of Montana - ITSD (C.Hotvedt)

3. University of Montana (R.Ford)

Nebraska

1. University of Nebraska (R.Golden)*

North Dakota

1. North Dakota State University (B.Neas)*

2. State of North Dakota - ITD (J.Fossum)

3. Turtle Mountain Community College (???)

4. University of North Dakota (J. Riedy)

South Dakota

1. EROS Data Center (S.Doescher)

2. South Dakota Board of Regents (C. Garelik)

3. South Dakota State University (M.Adelaine)*

4. University of South Dakota (R.Ambur)

Washington

1. Pacific Northwest Gigapop (D. Jordt)*

2. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (J.McCoy)

3. Washington State University (T. Ambrosi)

Wisconsin

1. University of Wisconsin - Madison (J. Krogrman)*

2. University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (B.Maas)

3. University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire (C. Eckardt)

4. University of Wisconsin System (E. Meachen)

5. WiscNet (D.Lois)

Wyoming

1. University of Wyoming (R.Aylward)*

* currently on NTNC Executive Committee

Appendix B – NTNC Executive Committee Special Constituency Groups - June 2010

In order to assure that the Executive Committee has representation from each of the constituencies recognized by NTNC, there shall be at least one member from each constituency on the Executive Committee.  The process through which this is to be assured is as follows.
  
(1) Each year following normal state caucuses this requirement will be reviewed.

(2) If the Executive Committee as constituted by the state representatives alone does not include a member from each of the four constituencies, then those members from each unrepresented constituency will hold a special caucus to elect a regular (voting) member from that constituency to a one-year term on the Executive Committee.

The Constituencies recognized by NTNC are the following