Progress Report of
the AIC on Campus Council Constituency Roles and Governance
1. Summary
of the original problem:
In response to a recommendation in the 1994 accreditation report, a representative governance body called the Campus Council was created with its own Charter and By-Laws. All campus constituencies were represented on the Faculty Senate sponsored committee that recommended the establishment of this Campus Council and the Faculty Senate and Administration subsequently gave their approval to the Campus Council.
Per its Charter, the Campus Council “shall function as the recommending and advisory body of the college in matters relating to the priorities of the college.” “Priorities” is defined in the Charter as “establishing preferences, for the direction of the college, especially in regard to budget planning and resource allocation.
The Evaluation Report of the Accrediting Commission
for Community and Junior Colleges dated January 19, 2001 commended the college
for “organizing the Campus Council” but noted that the college needed to
“define the roles of all constituencies in governance.” Also, the report mentions that the role of
faculty in governance has been contentious: “Some on the Faculty Senate view
their roles as guardian of academic issues to include personnel, budget and
planning decisions. This view is in conflict with the representational
organization of the Campus Council.”
The Evaluation report made the following
recommendations:
1) “The
team recommends that the college clearly define the role of all constituencies
on the Campus Council. (Standards
10B.8, 10B.9, 10B.10)”
2) “The
team recommends that the college develop and implement a written policy which
articulates a decision making process which includes persons who will be
affected by the decisions and clearly states the role and participation of
faculty, support staff, and students on College governing, policy making,
planning, staff budgeting and special purpose bodies.”
Applicable Standards
Standard 10B.8 states: “The institution has a written policy which
identifies appropriate institutional support for faculty participation in
governance and delineates the participation of faculty on appropriate policy,
planning, and special purpose bodies.”
Standard 10B.9 states: “The institution clearly states and
publicizes the role of staff in institutional governance.”
Standard 10B.10 states: “The institution clearly states and
publicizes the role of students in institutional governance.”
2. Present
status of the problem:
The AIC on Campus Council Constituency Roles has
completed drafts of the following three proposed documents that address
the visiting team’s concerns: LCC
Shared Governance Policy, Principles of Shared Governance, and a description of
the respective roles of the various constituencies on the Campus Council.
As indicated in the sections below, these draft
documents will be presented, during Fall 2002, to the various campus
constituencies for review and approval.
However, these draft documents have already been posted on the LCC
accreditation website.
3. Proposal
of a solution:
Each of the Campus Council constituencies will have the opportunity to discuss and vote on the three draft documents prepared by the Committee. Upon approval by all campus constituencies, the three documents will be sent to the Provost for official approval.
Shared governance becomes a reality when individuals
both understand the decision-making processes and engage themselves in those
processes in a creative, meaningful, and collegial manner. Once approved, the College will publicize
and promote the shared governance policy and shared governance principles
which shall remain in
effect unless modified or replaced by a successor policy statement that is
approved by the Faculty Senate, and Campus Council, and the Provost.
The timeline for establishing the policy:
1) AIC committee collects campus and constituency feedback and
publishes its progress report by April 15, 2002.
2) During Fall 2002, each campus constituency reviews and approves the
proposed Shared Governance Policy, the Statement of Shared Governance
Principles, and the descriptions of the roles of the various Campus Council
constituencies by February 28, 2003.
3) In Spring 2003, the Faculty Senate, the Campus Council and the
Provost formally approve the Shared Governance Policy, the Statement of Shared
Governance Principles, and the descriptions of the Campus Council constituency
roles by May 1, 2003.
4) The College shall publish and promote the shared governance policy
and shared governance principles on the College’s website and in its “For Your
Information” handbook for faculty and staff by September 2003.
4. Review
of the campus community:
During the Spring Convocation on January 8, 2002, the Accreditation Implementation Committee on Campus Council Constituency Roles held open forums (3 breakout sessions) on the draft documents. The Committee reviewed that input and, as appropriate, adjusted the language of the Shared Governance Policy and the Principles of Shared Governance. The documents are now ready for review and approval by the various campus constituencies.
5. Shift
from plan to implementation:
During Fall 2002, representatives from the Committee will present the proposed Shared Governance Policy, the Principles of Shared Governance, and the descriptions of Campus Council constituency roles to the various campus constituencies.
During the Spring 2003, representatives from the Committee will seek the approvals of the Faculty Senate, Campus Council and Provost to the proposed Shared Governance Policy, The Principles of Shared Governance and the description of Campus Council constituency roles.