Shared governance impacts every member of the campus community, including faculty, staff, students, and administrators. Contributors to this volume—presenters at multiple SUNY Voices conferences on Shared Governance—explore how campus members can effectively improve the dialogue about critical issues and become better informed about the subtle, sophisticated strategies needed to move from discussion to action. Readers will gain new insights, enabling them to reexamine their own governance, both their current circumstances and possible futures. Included here are examinations of the key elements and models of shared governance, the role of faculty governance in institutional diversity and inclusion, relationship and rapport-building, and communication in times of change. Also discussed are assessment rubrics, campus and systemwide experiences, and analyses of shared governance in the accreditation process.

Offers valuable insights into the governance process in higher education. Shared Governance in Higher Education Set (Volumes 1, 2 and 3) Building on the resources offered in the first volume of this series, this second volume offers governance members, leaders, and other academics valuable insights into the governance process in higher education. In a chapter drawn from his keynote address at the March 2015 SUNY Voices conference, Steven Bahls, president of Augustana College, provides a critical study of institutions of higher education. Nine additional chapters offer a thorough analysis of academic processes that are usually hidden from view, including development of a sexual assault policy, faculty review of administrators, and successful use of task forces. Contributors describe subtle considerations and compromises, which effective governance leaders can incorporate into collaborations leading to effective outcomes. Readers of this volume will better understand how to avoid pitfalls of their own, as contributors illustrate hard-earned wisdom and lessons learned. Practical insights and guidelines on leadership development, budget development involving governance leaders, and mentoring are provided. This volume will provide readers— faculty, staff, students, and administrators—with the pragmatic resources they need to recognize and resolve governance challenges on their own campuses. Sharon F. Cramer is a Distinguished Service Professor Emerita at Buffalo State College, State University of New York, and Parliamentarian for the SUNY University Faculty Senate. She is the editor of Shared Governance in Higher Education, Volume 1: Demands, Transitions, Transformations, also published by SUNY Press.

Shared Governance in Higher Education Set (Volumes 1, 2 and 3) For those seeking a way to change opinions of shared governance from pointless and unlikely to possible and intriguing, Shared Governance in Higher Education, Volume 1 will trigger meaningful conversations by offering valuable new perspectives. Experienced governance members, the contributors provide practical insights for everyone involved in academic governance and illuminate the subtle aspects of governance that make the difference between success or failure. Each chapter takes a different view of governing within institutions of higher education and explores topics such as engaging all stakeholders (including students) in shared governance; building on the benefits of a large, complex system; and bringing together pressing current needs with realistic strategic planning. Several in-depth descriptions of academic challenges, and the many roles of governance in addressing them, are thoughtfully explored. The contributors look both deeply and broadly, moving beyond platitudes. The result is a volume that will appeal to those beginning their terms of service as governance members or transitioning into leadership positions, as well as those looking for ways to assist others via governance symposia or conferences, and that will enable readers to shape their involvement in shared governance in unique new ways.

Shared Governance begins with the premise that today’s higher education governance practices have lost their focus and vitality. By re-examining the original suppositions of shared governance, along with an infusion of seminal democratic values and principles, a contemporary model is envisioned. From historical perspectives on shared governance, the book then takes a view of current governance models through the lens of Critical Theory and Open Systems Thinking. Political, corporate, and school system models are briefly reviewed before moving on to application to colleges and universities. Each chapter concludes with a continuous story of a young and maturing college vice president as she grapples with a static and worn governance system at her institution. She strives to reinvigorate the notion of shared governance and to bring staff and students into the process. The final three chapters of the book each include an essay written by individuals who have served on the ground level of shared governance at their institution. These people include: an administrative assistant who helped to create a Staff Council; a Student Government Association president who took a nascent SGA and gave students a new voice; and, an associate dean who mentored students in this developmental process.

Offers valuable insights into the governance process in higher education.

This book contains vital information on the historical, philosophical, and legal foundations for shared governance, and it makes the link between fundamentals of law and policy as related to professional practice in student affairs. Practical insights and suggestions for student affairs are offered for practitioners at all levels to ensure success. Chapter 1 offers definitions and common understandings of shared governance, its history in higher education, and relevant theories and models. Chapter 2 presents the common structures with a broad span of interest and authority. Chapter 3 focuses on the ways in which those in higher education can help foster and strengthen shared governance. Chapter 4 shares a brief history of student participation, strategies for greater student involvement, the potential benefits, and concludes with important open questions about students and shared governance in American higher education. Chapter 5 explains sources of law related to student affairs work, areas of law, and law-making processes. Chapter 6 discusses the individual role in shared governance and addresses the tension between the roles of employee and private citizens. Chapter 7 describes the policy and policymaking processes, centering on ways in which the formation of policy and policy itself play out. Chapter 8 draws together themes from throughout the preceding chapters. The goal of this work is for readers to come away from the book with a better understanding of and appreciation for shared governance, law, and policy as well as an enhanced set of skills and strategies for engaging in shared governance as a matter of professional performance. Through fostering knowledge and abilities related to shared governance, the book assists readers in developing and forming their professional identity as well as in achieving learning outcomes aligned with specific professional practice standards in the field.