Faculty Senate

Shared Governance

Definition: 
Shared governance means and requires the full participation of the faculty, staff, and students on all matters that directly or indirectly affect the academic environment at the University.  These matters include, but are not limited to, curriculum, course content, degree requirements, class schedules, evaluations, representation on other units or bodies, discipline and dismissals of faculty/staff/students, fair academic policy and fair faculty/staff/student representation on search committees for University administration.  Administrations will act on such recommendation and provide timely and reasonable rationale for any modification or rejection of input received.

Application At The Department Level:  Shared Governance includes, but is not limited to, the following principles:

1. The faculty elects the chairperson, on a periodic basis;
2. Relative to the faculty, the chairperson’s responsibilities are those related to coordination and other ministerial duties;
3. The faculty selects new faculty members;
4. The faculty makes decisions and recommendations on departmental matters that include, but are not limited to, matters of faculty prerogative, academic programs and curricula, course content, degree requirements, schedules, employment, retention, faculty evaluations, promotion, tenure, raises, budgets, and salaries, services and facilities, faculty representation on other units or bodies, and discipline and dismissals, of faculty and staff.  The collective will  of the faculty is arrived at by majority vote;
5. Faculty recommendations must be timely acted upon by administrators, and a reasonable rationale must be provided to faculty relative to any adjustment and/or rejection of those recommendations;
6. Faculty representation on committees or other decision-making groups is selected by the majority vote of departmental faculty.

Application At The School Level:  Shared Governance includes, but is not limited to the following principles:

1. The faculty makes decision and recommendations on school matters that include, but are not limited to, matters of faculty prerogative, academic programs and curricula, course content, degree requirements, schedules, employment, retention, faculty evaluations, promotion, tenure, raises, budgets and salaries, services and facilities, faculty representation on other units or bodies, and discipline and dismissal of faculty and staff.  The collective will of the faculty is arrived at by majority vote;
2. The faculty selects new faculty members;
3. Faculty representation on committees or other decision making groups is selected by the majority vote of the school faculty.
4. Faculty recommendations must be timely acted upon by administrators, and a reasonable rationale must be provided to faculty relative to any adjustment and/or rejection of those recommendations.

Application At The University Level:  Shared Governance includes, but is not limited to, the following principles:

1. The faculty shall have full and equitable participation in decisions and recommendations made at the University level relative to all matters that affect the academic environment, including, but not limited to, those related to academics and academic personnel;
2. Faculty shall have full and equitable representation on bodies involved in the recruitment and selection of administrators;
3. Faculty representation on committees or other decision-making groups is selected by the Faculty Senate and/or other such independently operating faculty body.
   1. Committee on committees comprised of representatives of the three bodies, faculty senate, staff senate, and student government association.
   2. Special committees formed by the President shall include the presidents of the faculty senate, staff senate, and student government association.
   3. Faculty recommendations must be timely acted upon by administrators, and a reasonable rationale must be provided to faculty relative to any adjustment and/or rejection of those recommendations.

Operative Principles At All Levels:  Shared Governance includes, but is not limited to, the following principles:

1. Respect for and preservation of the due process rights of all faculty is an over-arching principle in all matters, and all faculty shall be afforded equal protection in all matters involving faculty status;
2. There must be maximum communications between faculty and administrators;
3. Meetings and decision-making processes are scheduled with adequate notice, to allow faculty to prepare for, and productively engage in the meeting and/or decision-making process;
4. There must be an absence of intimidation;
5. Faculty shall be treated with fairness, consistency, and professionalism.  Faculty not treated in this manner may engage the University grievance process.