This task force brought together a group of regents, administrators, faculty, staff,
and a student to hone their collective understanding of shared governance and the
role it should play at an institution like Ä¢¹½´«Ã½.
After eight months of work, the TFSG made a series of recommendations to the university
president and the Board of Regents, all of which were accepted and officially endorsed.
The task force made a number of substantial recommendations. The president accepted
all of them, forwarding the appropriate recommendations to the Board of Regents for endorsement. Here is a list of those proposed and approved
recommendations.
Drafted an official statement of Shared Governance for Ä¢¹½´«Ã½.
Determined how many and which structures should be included as part of the official
shared governance system at Ä¢¹½´«Ã½.
As part of this work, proposed the establishment of a staff assembly.
Identified which entity and groups (e.g., Board of Regents, president, Cabinet, deans,
faculty, etc.) have primary responsibility for key functions associated with the academic,
service, and business sides of the organization.
As part of this work, created and developed a decision-making matrix that delineates
which constituents have the Approval, Decision-making, Recommendation, and Input roles
in key areas of the university.
Reviewed existing governing documents such as the University Bylaws to ensure that
delegated authority in these documents reinforced rather than contradicted the proposed
roles of authority delineated in the ADRI chart mentioned above.
Assisted campus colleagues in developing and enhancing their own understanding of
shared governance and the role it plays at Ä¢¹½´«Ã½.
The aforementioned recommendations came to life thanks to the weighty commitments
that all members of the task force embraced. These commitments included the following:
Reading a host of articles, book chapters, papers and the like that describe structural
models, best practices, contemporary thinking, and emerging trends related to shared
governance.
Attending and participating in meetings of the group.
Engaging in respectful conversations about the desired aims and purpose of shared
governance at Ä¢¹½´«Ã½.
Developing and sharing a sophisticated understanding of what functional shared governance
looks like at universities in the mid-21st century, especially ones that need to make
timely decisions amid extraordinary uncertainties.
Examining, critiquing, and weighing in on any proposed revisions to Ä¢¹½´«Ã½â€™s
shared governance documents.
Making explicit recommendations to the president on areas of importance related to
shared governance.
Helping colleagues around campus hone their understanding of shared governance.
Supporting and explaining the work that emerges from this task force.