University-WIDE Committee WITH SHARED GOVERNANCE PARTICIPATION

Plan for Extending Shared Governance

All of the following is hereby added to the "Guidelines for Shared Governance" of September 8, 1997.

Overall Principle:

Charge to the Task Force

The "Guidelines for Shared Governance" document, passed by the Faculty Senate and signed by President Likins and by Chair of the Faculty, Jerrold Hogle, on September 8, 1997, included a section calling for appointment of a task force charged to extend participation in shared governance to professional personnel, staff, and students.

G. Involvement of Students, Staff, and Professional Personnel.

Students, classified staff, and professional personnel should participate in the shared governance process where appropriate and in a fitting manner. A task force shall be appointed to develop further details of this participation for consideration by the Faculty Senate and the administration. This task force should include one representative selected by each of the following groups: Appointed Personnel Organization Council, Staff Advisory Council, ASUA, GPSC, Faculty Senate, and the Provost's Office. The recommendations of this task force should be submitted to the Senate and the administration for further action by the end of the first year of the start of the implementation of the shared governance process.

Recommendations:

Two specific groups of recommendations arose from the work of the Task Force. The first group (Recommendations 1-4) is consistent with our charge. A second group is a pair of recommendations (Recommendations 5-6) to explore and address problem areas encountered by the Task Force in examining the involvement of all members of the University community in its governance. In implementation of any recommendations, the minimal mandate must be to retain the current voice in governance of all groups. Optimally, the goal is to expand the voice and participation of all members of the University community.

Recommendation 1:

Many areas of governance and operation at all levels of the University have an impact on students, classified staff, and appointed personnel as well as on faculty and administrators. The following are examples of areas in which representation should normally include, where appropriate, appointed personnel, classified staff, graduate and undergraduate students as well as faculty and administrators:

• Policy-making bodies at the unit through University level dealing with issues such as sexual harassment, salary equity, and affirmative action

• Any body at the unit through University level recommending the creation, development, or elimination of programs or units

• Any body at the unit through University level involved in the selection and review of administrators

• Any strategic planning and budget body at the unit through University level, including the Strategic Planning and Budget Advisory Committee

• Academic, personnel, and curriculum policy bodies at the unit through University level

Recommendation 2:

The Shared Governance Review Committee is charged with oversight of the process of shared governance within the University, as described in Section F of the original document.

F. Shared Governance Review Committee

With the purpose of enhancing the smooth operation of shared governance, a review committee composed of the Chair of the Faculty, the Presiding Officer of the Senate, three Senators (elected by the Senate), the Provost, and two other members of the administration shall be established. Its purposes are to address issues regarding the implementation and functioning of the procedures contained in this document, to recommend a process to review compliance with this agreement, and to make recommendations toward more effective working of shared governance.

Following from Recommendation 1, there should be representation by all members of the University community within the Shared Governance Review Committee. This would involve adding to the eight members described above one representative from the classified staff, one representative from appointed personnel, and one representative each from undergraduate and graduate students. These representatives would be put forward by the respective governance mechanisms for each of the groups. In making these selections, significant care should be taken to insure the involvement and inclusion of representative members from these groups. For example, traditional students may have very different perspectives on a variety of issues than non-traditional or new-traditional students. Similarly, student perspectives on issues vary between undergraduate students and graduate students.

Recommendation 3:

To demonstrate the seriousness of and commitment to shared governance at The University of Arizona, reporting on adoption of and success in shared governance activities will be a required part of the annual reporting process now required of all units. Reporting on adoption of and success in shared governance activities will be a part of all review processes for administrators.

Recommendation 4:

The adoption of shared governance for the University community will require a commitment on the part of the University administration and the Shared Governance Review Committee to examine and propose solutions to implementation problems. The Task Force recommends that the President commits to and takes a leadership role in smoothing the way for shared governance at all levels.

Additional Recommendations:

Recommendation 5:

The communication structure throughout the University is fragmented and, in too many places, nonexistent. The University needs a clear and dependable communication mechanism if shared governance is to operate in an efficient manner. A task force should be formed to address the ways in which the University can communicate better among all its members.

Recommendation 6:

Task Force on Extending Shared Governance
(now dissolved)

Membership List, 1997-98

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