A1000.20 Shared Governance Manual Management

1.0 Statement

Shawnee Community College affirms that the Shared Governance Manual (SG Manual) is the official reference for the College’s Shared Governance framework.  Maintaining the SG Manual through clear processes strengthens transparency, accountability, and continuity across Councils, Teams, and governance practices.  

The SG Manual is a living document, updated each year to reflect institutional values and ensure alignment between policy, operations, and strategic priorities.  While archival snapshots preserve definitions and governance details as published for each fiscal year, the online SG Manual dynamically aligns with the authoritative Master Definitions List (A1000.15) to ensure consistency and prevent conflicts across College policies and standards.

2.0 Purpose & Scope

This standard establishes the process for developing, updating, and maintaining the Shared Governance Manual.  It applies to:

• All Councils and Teams documented in the SG Manual.
• The annual update and publication of the SG Manual.
• Archiving and transparency practices related to governance documentation.

This standard operates under the Administrative Policy & Operating Standard Framework (A1000.00) and is designed to ensure consistency, transparency, and alignment across the governance system.

3.0 Definitions

This OS uses common definitions maintained in the Master Definitions List (see A1000.15).  Definitions are included here for clarity until all terms are fully integrated into the Master List. 

• Shared Governance Manual (SG Manual) – The official published reference documenting Councils, Teams, charges, membership, calendars, operating standards, and governance procedures. It serves as the authoritative record of the College’s shared governance system.
• Council Charge – A formally approved statement that defines a Council’s mission, scope of authority, areas of policy or operating standard oversight, composition, reporting expectations, and alignment with institutional priorities. A Council Charge establishes what the Council must do, may do, and cannot do, providing both accountability and clarity of role within the governance system.
• Team Charge – A formally approved statement that defines a Team’s mission, scope of authority, operational responsibilities, membership, and reporting expectations. A Team Charge specifies the team’s role in implementing strategic initiatives, addressing operational needs, and supporting Councils where policy implications arise.
• Annual Governance Calendar – The published schedule of Council and Team meetings and reporting deadlines for a fiscal/academic year. The calendar serves as both a planning tool and an accountability mechanism to ensure shared governance responsibilities are carried out on time.

4.0 Procedures

4.1 Annual Cycle

• Initiation (April) – The President charges the Executive Council (EC) to initiate the annual update process for the SG Manual. EC issues guidance, templates, and deadlines to all Councils and Teams.
• Drafting, Self-Assessments & Updates (April–June) – Councils and Teams complete their annual self-assessment of effectiveness and submit updates to charges, membership, and governance details. Vice Presidents and the Executive Director of Human Resources (EDHR) coordinate review through division SG structures to ensure broad input and awareness.
• Compilation & EC Review (June–July) – EC manages the update process, compiles submitted revisions and self-assessment results, and reviews the SG Manual for alignment, consistency, and completeness. EC also evaluates the effectiveness of the shared governance system and may recommend structural or procedural improvements.
• Presidential Approval & Publication (August) – The President reviews EC’s recommendations, grants final approval, and directs the publication of the updated SG Manual online. An archival PDF snapshot is also published for historical reference.).
• Board Acceptance (September) – The President presents the updated SG Manual to the Board of Trustees for formal acceptance. This practice affirms compliance with Board Policy B2005 and demonstrates adherence to the Board’s expectation that the College maintain an effective shared governance structure.

4.2 Change Management

• All proposed changes to the SG Manual must be formally sponsored by a Council and supported by the appropriate Vice President or Executive Director of Human Resources (EDHR), or initiated directly by EC.
• Vice Presidents and EDHR are responsible for:
  • Ensuring proposed changes are circulated through division SG structures for input.
  • Coordinating feedback and resolving concerns within their division before advancing proposals.
  • Assessing potential cross-division, financial, compliance, or HR implications.
• Councils follow First Read/Second Read processes, after which EC reviews and recommends updates to the President.
• Interim updates may be issued by the President in urgent circumstances, with review and appropriate Council action required within one year.

4.3 Archival & Transparency

• The President’s Office maintains an archival PDF snapshot of the SG Manual each August.
• Archived versions preserve historical definitions, structures, and charges as published for that fiscal year.
• The online SG Manual always reflects the authoritative Definitions List (15).
• Both current and archived versions are published on the College website for transparency.

4.4 System Evaluation

• The EC serves as the primary body for evaluating the effectiveness of the shared governance system.
• EC reviews Council/Team self-assessments (facilitated by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness), feedback from the campus community, and evidence generated through SCCES or Monitoring Reports.
• EC identifies areas for improvement and recommends adjustments to the President.
• Adopted changes are incorporated into the next annual update cycle and documented in the SG Manual’s Change Log.

5.0 Guidelines

• SG Manual content must align with the College’s mission, values, Strategic Plan, and HLC expectations.
• Council and Team charges must:
  • Clearly articulate mission, scope, authority, and boundaries.
  • Identify explicit connections to SCCES Key Performance Elements, Areas, or Measures, and/or Board Monitoring Reports where applicable.
  • Include membership expectations, covering:
    • Representative composition (faculty, staff, administration, students as appropriate).
    • Appointment process (by position, Faculty Association recommendation, VP appointment, or open call).
    • Term limits (normally two years, renewable once, for a maximum of four continuous years, unless otherwise specified).
    • Succession planning for roles such as Chair and Chair-in-Waiting.
  • Faculty membership must reflect the contractual requirement in the Faculty CBA that all faculty members participate in at least two Councils/Teams annually. To ensure compliance and equity:
    • The Faculty Association may recommend appointments to the VPAA, who confirms and records all assignments.
    • If no recommendations are provided by the Faculty Association by the stated deadline, the VPAA will appoint faculty members in consultation with faculty leadership to ensure coverage.
    • Other Vice Presidents identify faculty needs for their Councils/Teams but coordinate requests through the VPAA, who serves as the central administrator for faculty assignments under the CBA.
    • If an appropriate faculty member cannot be identified, the VPAA, in consultation with the Faculty Association and EC, may:
      • Rotate the seat between faculty members by semester.
      • Assign a faculty-at-large to represent the broader faculty perspective.
      • Designate the position as temporarily vacant, with explanation noted in the SG Manual Change Log.
      • Request EC review to recommend structural adjustments if persistent vacancies occur.
    • Teaching overloads do not exempt faculty members from governance service. Faculty members who elect to teach overload remain responsible for meeting their contractual service obligation.  Where possible, faculty members with overloads may be assigned to Councils/Teams with lighter meeting schedules.
  • Standardized formats provided by EC must be used for all content, including charge templates, governance calendars, and membership rosters.
  • Definitions must not be duplicated. Any new terms must route through the Definitions List workflow (15) to ensure clarity and consistency across institutional documents.
  • Transparency practices include publishing agendas, minutes, and Council/Team outputs in accordance with established communication standards, ensuring employees can easily access governance information. Timeliness of publication (e.g., agendas at least 48 hours in advance, minutes within 10 business days) is expected as part of these standards.
  • Change Logs must accompany each annual version of the SG Manual to provide accountability, historical tracking, and evidence of continuous improvement.
  • Guidelines may be refined annually as part of EC’s evaluation of governance system effectiveness, with recommendations forwarded to the President for approval and incorporation into future versions of the SG Manual.

6.0 Roles & Responsibilities

President’s Office

• Manages publication, archiving, version control, and ensures transparency of the SG Manual.
• Presents the SG Manual to the Board each September for acceptance as evidence of compliance with Policy B2005.

Executive Assistant to the President (Shared Governance) or designee

• Serves as custodian of the SG Manual.
• Coordinates Council/Team input, maintains the governance calendar, formats and publishes the SG Manual, and manages archival records.
• Maintains the Change Log documenting annual revisions, vacancies, and structural updates.

Councils and Teams

• Draft and review updates to charges, membership, and governance details.
• Complete annual self-assessments of effectiveness.
• Recommend changes through the appropriate Vice President and Faculty Association.
• Ensure agendas, minutes, and outputs are published according to transparency practices.

Council/Team Chairs and Chairs-in-Waiting

• Provide leadership and continuity within Councils/Teams.
• Track member attendance and notify the appropriate Vice President when vacancies arise.
• Ensure recommendations and outputs are reported to EC for alignment and integration.

Vice Presidents

• Ensure draft updates are distributed through divisional SG structures and coordinated college-wide where necessary.
• Identify faculty and staff needs for their Councils/Teams and coordinate requests through the VPAA or EDHR, as appropriate.
• Review and confirm membership assignments to ensure coverage and alignment with institutional priorities.

Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA)

• Serves as the primary administrator responsible for coordinating faculty appointments to Councils and Teams under the CBA.
• Works with the Faculty Association to confirm faculty assignments and fills vacancies when no recommendations are made.
• Ensures faculty assignments are equitably distributed and consistent with both the SG Manual and the CBA.

Executive Director of Human Resources (EDHR)

• Coordinates membership and assignments for the HR Council.
• Works with Vice Presidents to ensure staff representation is equitably distributed.
• Ensures governance practices comply with applicable HR policies, labor agreements, and employment law.

Faculty Association

• Recommends faculty appointments to the VPAA consistent with the CBA requirement that faculty members serve on at least two committees annually.
• Works with VPAA to ensure compliance and to maintain a fair distribution of governance responsibilities.
• Collaborates on replacements when faculty cannot serve due to load changes or other constraints.

Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE)

• Facilitates the annual Council/Team self-assessment process (e.g., survey administration, data collection, and analysis).
• Provides EC with summary reports of governance effectiveness for use in system evaluation.
• Supports alignment of SG Manual outputs with SCCES and Monitoring Report evidence.

Executive Council (EC)

• Manages the annual update process, compiles revisions, and reviews the SG Manual for alignment, consistency, and completeness.
• Evaluates the effectiveness of the shared governance system using Council/Team self-assessments, campus feedback, and SCCES/Monitoring evidence.
• Recommends the final draft to the President for approval.
• Identifies persistent membership or structural issues and recommends system adjustments.

President

• Grants final approval for the SG Manual.
• Presents the SG Manual to the Board for acceptance each September, affirming compliance with B2005.
• Retains ultimate accountability to the Board for maintaining an effective shared governance structure.
• May issue interim updates in urgent circumstances, with review and appropriate Council action required within one year.

Board of Trustees

• Accepts the SG Manual each September as evidence that the College is complying with Policy B2005 (Participation in Local Decision-Making).

Relies on the SG Manual as a formal record and as evidence of the College’s commitment to transparency and participatory governance.

7.0 Oversight & Review

• The Shared Governance Manual is updated and published annually in August, with an archival PDF snapshot preserved for historical record.
• Each September, the President presents the SG Manual to the Board of Trustees for formal acceptance, affirming compliance with Board Policy B2005 (Participation in Local Decision-Making) and confirming that the College maintains an effective shared governance structure.
• The Executive Council evaluates the governance system annually using Council/Team self-assessments, feedback from the campus community, and evidence drawn from SCCES and Monitoring Reports. Results of this evaluation are provided to the President and form part of the Board transmittal package each September, ensuring that the Board sees both the SG Manual and the evidence base supporting it.  Adopted improvements are incorporated into the next update cycle of the SG Manual.
• The Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE) facilitates the annual self-assessment process and provides EC with summary reports of governance effectiveness, ensuring a consistent evidence base for system review.
• The online SG Manual, dynamically aligned with the Master Definitions List (15), serves as the official version of record. Archived PDF snapshots preserve historical definitions, structures, and charges as published for each fiscal year.
• This Operating Standard is subject to formal review at least once every five years, consistent with 05, and may be revised earlier as needed based on recommendations from EC or changes in institutional or accreditation requirements.
• Oversight emphasizes continuous improvement: Board acceptance, EC evaluation, and OIE assessment together ensure that governance practices remain transparent, effective, and aligned with institutional priorities and accreditation standards.