3.52/ Shared Governance
Purpose: To provide the structure to promote collaboration among faculty, staff, and administration as well as accountability to meet the mission and the vision of the university.
Policy Statement: Committees, Councils, and Senates
The variety and complexity of the tasks performed by institutions of higher education
produce an inescapable interdependence among governing board, administration, faculty
and staff. The relationship calls for adequate communication among these components
and full opportunity for appropriate joint planning and effort. The University supports
and recognizes the work and time commitment of the members of the committees, councils,
and senates that make up the shared governance structure.
1. Staff must confer with their immediate supervisor regarding the capacity for the
unit to absorb the loss of the staff member’s time necessary to serve on the committee,
council, or senate. Workload, staff member performance, attendance and/or dependability
and unit budget are examples of, but not an exhaustive list of, reasons that may prevent
a manager from approving a staff member to participate in committees, councils and
senates. Management should mitigate these to the greatest extent possible.
2. Faculty and staff shall be afforded the necessary time during their regularly
scheduled hours to complete duties attributed to their service on committees, councils,
and senates.
3. Because of the significant level of effort required of faculty senate president
and president elect, the work assignment of the individuals shall be adjusted during
their service to the University. For the president of the faculty senate, this adjustment
shall be equivalent to a three (3) credit hour course in each of the fall and spring
semesters for the service year. For the president elect of the faculty senate, this
shall be equivalent to a three (3) credit hour course in the spring semester of the
service year. All such efforts must be in-load and supported by the University.
Proposed January 2017