0. 0 DISCLAIMER
This is a living document that
should be revised regularly. It approximately reflects the state
of shared governance at Mission College during the 97-98 academic
year.
1. 0 PREAMBLE
IN COMPLIANCE WITH AB 1725, THE CALIFORNIA
ADMINISTRATIVE CODE TITLE 5, SECTIONS 51023 AND 53200,
AND THE WEST VALLEY-MISSION COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT SHARED
GOVERNANCE POLICY 3.17.2, THE WEST VALLEY-MISSION COMMUNITY COLLEGE
DISTRICT SHALL IMPLEMENT A PROCESS AT MISSION COLLEGE WHEREIN
FACULTY, STUDENTS, AND CLASSIFIED STAFF PARTICIPATE IN SHARED
GOVERNANCE IN WAYS APPROPRIATE TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND RESPONSIBILITY.
The Mission College Shared Governance
Plan defines and implements this process at Mission College, under
existing Board Policy 3.17.2.
This plan seeks to accomplish the
following:
1.1 Utilize the full range of skills,
talents, and interests of our faculty, students and staff by implementing
a process which allows decision-making at the lowest, most appropriate
level of the system structure;
1.2 Provide a mechanism which
empowers committees to make substantial contributions to the operations
and policy decisions of the college;
1.3 Provide efficient utilization
of committees and task forces by establishing a system which clusters
activities according to similar functions, and with
each functional area led by an executive council;
1.4 Formalize record keeping
and project control through the establishment of electronic information
management systems.
2.0 HISTORY
Shared governance recognizes and
is predicated upon the sincere commitment of all participants
to our students, our profession, and our institution. Mission
College practices shared governance out of respect for the expertise
and experience of its faculty, staff and students and because
it believes that shared governance is made a reality not only
through a process for jointly developing recommendations but also
through the delegation of authority in appropriate areas.
Mission College developed a shared
governance working document in the fall of 1988, but implementation
of that document was never agreed upon by the college community.
After District-wide discussions that included both colleges,
central services and the Governing Board, Board Policy on Shared
Governance (3.17.2) was passed in December 1992. Since then Mission
College has operated under the general procedures that accompanied
the Board Policy. This document is, in part, a response to a
recommendation in the 1995 Mission College accreditation report
to identify more specific procedures to implement shared decision
making at Mission College. (West Valley College developed a college
process similar to this in 1993 and presented an updated version
to the Board in December 1996.)
3.0 GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS
Shared governance at Mission College
is designed to:
3.1. Provide opportunities for input from the following college constituency groups:
students, classified staff, administration
and faculty;
3.2. Provide opportunities for open
communication and shared information amongst all constituency
groups;
3.3. Encourage representatives in
the shared governance structure (Section 5) to maintain open communication
amongst all constituencies ;
3.4. Encourage all to listen to and
respect the needs and expectations of faculty, staff, students
and administrators;
3.5. Recognize the difference in roles established by AB 1725, namely that the Academic Senate and the Governing Board are parties to the decision on academic and professional matters whereas other groups are parties to the discussion. Governing Board Policy (3.17.2) recognizes the primary advice of the Academic Senate in the eleven areas identified in AB 1725 , while also recognizing the right of other groups to be consulted.
The State Chancelor's Office Legal
Advisory on Shared Governance states "the intent of the regulations
is to ensure that, while all relevant constituencies should have
the opportunity to participate, boards should accord the greater
weight to academic senates in 'academic and professional matters'
by 'consulting collegially' with the senates;
3.6. Encourage participants in all governance committees to effectively represent their constituency. Therefore it is expected that in governance committee deliberations:
a. the opinions of faculty, staff and students will be treated with respect and given reasonable consideration;
b. the interests of each constituency should be accepted as having equal legitimacy;
c. constituency representation should take place within the context of a collegial process;
d. each participant should be committed
to ensuring the process is collaborative;
3.7. Ensure that all shared governance
meetings will be open;
3.8. Ensure that Mission College's
goals will be the focus for decision making;
3.9. Ensure that Mission College's
organizational structure is designed to accommodate and encourage
shared decision making in all areas (as appropriate based on statute);
3.10. Ensure that shared decision
making leads to understanding and acceptance of decisions, as
well as commitment to their implementation;
3.11. Ensure that shared decision
making leads to trust, cooperation, mutual understanding and coordination;
3.12. Ensure that the process provides
opportunities for conflict resolution.
4.0 GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Shared Governance at Mission College
is designed with the following guiding principles in mind:
4.1. Decisions made in the spirit
of shared decision making are more likely to result in outcomes
which are in the best interest of the college as a whole;
4.2. Shared decision making requires
that all members of the college, either directly or through representatives,
share responsibility for making decisions and recommendations;
4.3. Decisions should be made as
close to the issue as possible and should therefore be made at
the appropriate department, division, committee, council, task
force or administrative level;
4.4. On academic and professional
matters, the governing board is required by Board Policy 3.17.2
to normally accept the primary advice of the Academic Senate and
to make decisions different from the Academic Senate recommendation
only where there are "exceptional circumstances" and
"compelling reasons". Such decisions are, however, made
in the spirit of shared decision making, and it is the Academic
Senate's responsibility to receive effective input from the various
constituencies of the college in making its recommendations;
4.5. Members of and representatives
to senates, councils, committees, task forces, and other groups
have a two-fold responsibility to:
4.5.1) solicit and accurately represent the position (s) of the constituencies they represent, and
4.5.2) provide effective and timely
communication between their constituencies and the representative
group;
4.6. Shared governance groups (Section
5) have a responsibility to (1) communicate their meeting schedule
and their agendas, and (2) maintain easily available written records
of their activities, decisions, and recommendations and (3) disseminate
this information in a timely manner;
4.7. Before final recommendations are forwarded by the Councils to the College Governance Advisory Council (CGAC), constituencies within the college affected by the recommendation shall have opportunity for input. Academic and professional matters will be directly forwarded to the Academic Senate;
4.8. The ultimate responsibility for college decision making rests with the
President, except for the areas
codified in law and regulation (for example:with respect to the
Academic Senate, Classified Senate, ASB, and bargaining units).
5.0 STRUCTURE
Shared governance at Mission College
will be accomplished using the following structure:
5.1 College Governance Advisory
Council (CGAC)
5.1.1 Membership:
The College President, Chair
Three representatives of the Academic Senate
Three representatives of the Classified Senate
Three representatives of the ASB
One representative of the Division Chair Council
One representative of the Budget Council
One representative of Instructional Services
One representative of Counseling, A & R
One representative of Student Services Council
The College Governance Advisory Council
also has ex officio members from the Research Office, Budget Office,
Grants Office, Vocational Education, Staff Development and Community
Education.
5.1.2 Responsibilities:
CGAC is advisory to the College President.
Its function is to direct issues concerning the operation of
the college to the appropriate constituency group. If there is
a disagreement between two or more constituency groups, the CGAC
will act in a collegial manner to move the issue to resolution
by making a recommendation to the College President. The recommendations
of the CGAC do not supersede regulations with respect to academic
and professional matters.
It is the responsibility of the College
Governance Advisory Council (CGAC) to facilitate communication
and ensure appropriate involvement of all members of the college
community in the decision making process by:
ï Directing issues to Councils
as appropriate;
ï Tracking the work effort of
the Councils;
ï Facilitating the flow of communication
among and between the Councils;
ï Receiving reports on the
status of issues before the Councils;
ï Coordinating maintenance of
a college governance information system;
ï Creating ad hoc committees
or temporary task forces as needed (i.e., when an issue arises
that is not appropriate for other councils).
ï Making recommendations to
the College President by:
As technology and resources permit, the above objectives may be accomplished through a central data system that includes such activities as:
ï Receiving requests, proposals,
or projects from any member of the college community and directing
them to the appropriate executive council;
ï Maintaining
a project/report calendar to track the progress of all tasks directed
to the various Councils;
ï Maintaining
an electronic information retrieval system in order to allow access
to all decisions and resolutions of all committees and task forces
as well as the executive councils. This database will be freely
available to all members of the college community;
ï Organizing and maintaining
archives of decision memos, adopted resolutions, and attending
reports.
5.2 Other Councils
Mission College has established eight
other councils in addition to the College Governance Advisory
Council (hree senates and five other groups described below).
These councils participate in both operational concerns as well
as in policy recommendations. Various committees
operate under the auspices of these councils.
The Councils are:
Academic Senate (AS)
Classified Senate (CS)
Associated Student Body/Student Senate (ASB/SS)
Administrative Council (AC)
Division Chair Council (DCC)
Student Services Council (SSC)
College Budget Advisory Committee (CBAC)
Organizational Information Group
(OIG)
All committees of the college
(except those under the direction of the unions, e.g. Performance
Goals Committee) will be organized into a reporting relationship
with at least one of the above mentioned councils. Each council
will determine the need to accept, eliminate, or modify its associated
committees. Each council also is empowered to create
new committees or task forces as needed from within the membership
of that council. Memberships external to the council shall be
appointed by the appropriate council.
Each council decision will be formally
communicated to the college community through the shared decision
making process. Each council and its committees will keep a file
of decisions and recommendations.
Each council will develop, publish,
and disseminate its procedures for processing requests, proposals,
or projects which may be received from the College Governance
Advisory Council, or any other member of the college community.
5.2.1 Academic Senate
Membership:
The membership on the Academic Senate is described in its constitution as:
One representative from each Division with twelve (12) or fewer full-time faculty,
Two representatives from Divisions with thirteen (13) or more full-time faculty,
Two Associate Faculty representatives at large,
Two ASB representatives,
One Senate President elected by
the full-time faculty at large.
Responsibilities:
The Academic Senate has broad responsibilities
as the official voice of the faculty on all matters that involve
issues of academic policy. The Academic Senate makes appointments
of faculty to any committee where individual faculty represent
the faculty at large. The Academic Senate is also responsible
for coordination with the Academic Senate for California Community
Colleges on the local implementation of statewide faculty positions.
AB 1725 requires that the Academic Senate and the Board of Trustees or its designee will 'consult collegially' on the development of policies and procedures for Board delegation of authority and responsibility to the Academic Senate related to 'academic and professional matters'.
Those matters include:
1. Curriculum, including establishing prerequisites and placing courses within disciplines;
2. Degree and Certificate Requirements;
3. Grading Policies;
4. Educational Program Development;
5. Standards or Policies regarding student preparation and success;
6. District and college governance structures, as related to faculty roles;
7. Faculty roles and involvement in accreditation processes, including self-study and annual reports;
8. Policies for faculty professional development activities;
9. Processes for Program Review;
10. Processes for institutional planning and budget development;
11. Other Academic and Professional Matters mutually agreed upon between the Governing Board and the Academic Senate;
12. Appointment/validation of faculty
representatives to all committees, task forces, groups, etc.,
as appropriate.
Areas 1 through 11 are areas from
Title V, section 53200, and where the Governing Board in Policy
3.17.2 agreed to 'consult collegially' by relying primarily on
the advice of the Academic Senate. Areas 1 through 5 are identified
in Board Policy 3.17.2 as areas where the Academic Senate has
the primary responsibility for developing policy recommendations.
5.2.2 Classified Senate
Membership:
As defined by the Classified Senate Constitution:
one representative from each of the eight (8) units, elected by the members of each unit.
One president elected by the senators.
AB 1725 specifies that the district
and college shall provide staff with an opportunity to participate
in discussion of district and college policies and procedures
that have a significant effect on staff.
Responsibilities include:
1. Appointments of Classified staff representatives to committees;
2. Classified staff development;
3. New employee orientation for all Classified Staff;
4. Effective input on issues that
have significant effect on Classified staff.
5.2.3 Student Senate
Membership:
As defined by the Student Senate
Constitution, students must obtain twenty five (25) signatures
of support from fellow students, and submit that petition to the
ASB. The Senate votes on their membership and upon agreement,
they become voting Senators on the Student Senate.
AB 1725 specifies that the district
and college shall provide students with an opportunity to participate
in discussion of district and college policies and procedures
that have a significant effect on students.
Responsibilities include:
From Title V, section 51023.7:
1. Grading policies;
2. Code of student conduct;
3. Academic and disciplinary policies;
4. Curriculum development;
5. Courses or programs which should be initiated or discontinued;
6. Processes for institutional planning and budget development;
7. Standards and policies regarding student preparation and success;
8. Student services planning and development;
9. Student fees within the authority of the district to adopt;
10. Any other district and college
policy, procedure or related matter that the district governing
board determines will have a significant effect on students.
The following is a list of other responsibilities of the student senate/ASB:
a. Assist student welfare;
b. Program student activities;
c. Oversee, maintain and regulate senate property and assets;
d. Communicate activities and actions to student body;
e. Promote, control and regulate functions of clubs;
f. Appoint student representatives
to MC committees and councils.
In addition, the board must "give
reasonable consideration to recommendations and positions developed
by students regarding district and college policies and procedures
pertaining to the hiring and evaluation of faculty, administration,
and staff."
5.2.4 Administrative Council
Membership:
The President
The Dean of Instruction
The Dean of Students Services
The Dean of Administrative Services
The Dean of Workforce & Matriculation
The Instructional Technology and Distance Learning Officer
The Library Director
Responsibilities include:
1. Coordinate administrative functions across the campus;
2. Provide support for all college functions in instruction, student services, and budget/planning;
3. Participate in problem solving and planning as college-wide activities;
4. Facilitate the change processes which contribute to increased student success;
5. Serve as the administrative link between the college, the president, district services, and West Valley College;
6. Facilitate communication and information exchange throughout the district and with the public;
7. Develop a strategic focus for
the college administration.
5.2.5 Division Chair Council
Membership:
The Division Chair of each Division
The DCC also has the following ex-officio members:
The Dean of Instruction
The Dean of Student Services
One representative of the Classified Senate
One representative of the Student Senate
One representative of the Academic Senate
Responsibilities include:
1. Educational Program Planning ;
2. Recommendations on full time faculty positions ;
3. Instructional equipment planning;
5. Division financial planning,
implementation and monitoring;
Responsibilities on academic and
professional matters require coordination with the Academic Senate.
5.2.6 Student Services Council
Membership:
The Dean Of Student Services
The Student Activities Coordinator
One representative of the Academic Senate
One representative of ASB
One representative of the Classified Senate
One Admissions and Records Coordinator
One EOPS Coordinator
One Counseling Division Chair
One Matriculation Coordinator
One Health Services Coordinator
One Financial Aid Coordinator
Responsibilities include:
Recommendations to the Senate for academic appeals3 ;
Recommendations to the Senate for matriculation4 ;
Procedures regarding foreign students;
Student grievances;
Educational Recruitment/Outreach;
Marketing;
Financial Aid Appeals;
Recommendations for Budget for Student Service Area;
Catalog and Schedule Narrative;
Special Events: College Day, Career Faire, etc.;
Admissions and Records and Student Events Calendars;
Program Review;
Special Events and Awards.
5.2.7 College Budget Advisory Council (CBAC)
Membership:
The Administrative Staff
The Division Chairs
Two representatives from the Student Senate
Two representatives from the Classified Senate
Two representatives from the Academic Senate
Two representatives from the Student Services Council
One representative from ACE
One representative from SEIU
Responsibilities include:2
Budget development using agreed budget process;
Budget monitoring;
Facilities management;
Long Term planning;
Non-instructional computing;
Safety (budget that effects safety
on campus).
5.2.8 Organizational Information Group
Membership:
The College President
The Dean of Instruction
The Dean of Administrative Services
The Dean of Student Services
Two representatives of the Academic Senate
Two representatives of the Classified Senate
Two
representatives of the ASB
Responsibilities include:
OIG is the identified group that
reviews the college organizational/administrative structure and
makes recommendations to CGAC and the college community for improvement
and/or change.
6.0 AUTHORITY
Decisions that involve only one council
are considered to be the final recommendations of the college
community, except in areas that are "academic and/or professional
matters". Recommendations that involve several councils
are sent to the College Governance Advisory Council to reach
the final recommendation and so that all governance groups may
be appropriately informed of the decision. Any decision brought
to the College Governance Advisory Council by an executive council
will be recorded and will reflect that all governance groups have
been duly informed. The College Governance Advisory Council treats
the decision or recommendation as follows:
6.1 They are assigned to the appropriate administrator for administrative support and implementation.
6.2 When appropriate, they are carried by the President to the Board of Trustees for its consideration.
6.3 If the college President is opposed to a recommendation from one of the Executive Councils, the College Governance Advisory Council (CGAC) will confer with the President and the particular Executive Council involved to attempt to reconcile the difference.
APPENDIX
Here is an example of how the above
process could be used in the specific case of a proposed change
to the organizational structure of the college. This draft was
developed by the Organizational Information Group (OIG)
Organizationally - oriented proposal
e.g. create or delete division/DC (not program)
add an admin. (not class) position
1a. Proposal can be initiated by
1) an individual
2) a committee
3) a group
4) a department
1b. Determine whether your proposal
is ìorganizationalî or ìoperationalî
if it has macro-level implications on the administrative structure.
If it is ìoperationalî (e.g. department decides
to add a classified position), go to CBAC with proposal. If it
is "organizational," inform OIG chair in writing.
1c. Develop a written proposal,
addressing the following criteria: see Attached Proposal to OIG
form
2. Proposal carried to one or more of the following, as appropriate (depending on ìcarrierî and/or nature of proposal, e.g. academic versus non-academic):
1) Academic Senate
2) ASB
3) classified senate
4) administration including DCC
3. Proposal routed to appropriate
admin. office for review (undefined) and sponsorship.
4a. Proposal is reviewed for recommendation
by OIG (senates all have review)
4b. Budget review/recommendation
CBAC (discretionary) and/or PGC (FTEF)
5 . Decision