Shared Governance Manual
2024-2025
The following guidelines apply to all governance councils and operational teams, including any appointed ad-hoc teams:
Evaluation/Assessment: Each Council or Team will conduct a periodic self-assessment of its effectiveness. Where feedback suggests areas of improvement, an improvement plan will be developed that includes expected outcomes, benchmarks and a timeline for completion.
Decision-making process: The decision-making process occurs through recommendations made to the President (policy) and/or Vice President (Operations). Consensus shall be the preferred decision-making process. If consensus cannot be achieved, the Council, Team or Committee shall decide by majority vote of members present.
Further, in the event that consensus cannot be achieved within timelines identified for council, team, or committee decisions, a majority and minority position will be developed and presented to the President or appropriate Vice President for consideration. Once a majority and minority position are received, the President or Vice President will consider them, and either return the deliberations to the council or team with advice on resolving the issue(s), or, resolve the issue and provide the rationale to the council or team.
Member Term: Council & Team members, other than by position appointments, will have a term limit of two years with two renewal years for a maximum of four continuous years.
Chair/Chair in Waiting: Council Chair/Chair in Waiting will rotate annually between a faculty member and staff member/administrator. Operational Team Chairs will be assigned by the appropriate Vice President. The Council Chair in Waiting is expected to succeed the current Council Chair. The Chair is responsible for:
- Soliciting agenda items and meeting materials.
- Preparing agendas.
- Securing location.
- Ensure meeting materials are prepared in advance of meetings.
- Distributing agendas and meeting materials.
Member Responsibility: All members within a council or team will recognize that each member brings a unique perspective to the table, adding value to each council or team. As such, each member shall:
- Prepare for meetings in advance which includes reading relevant materials, consulting with constituencies, researching issues on the agenda, and completing assigned tasks prior to meeting.
- Attend all meetings and recognize constructive participation fosters relationship-building.
- Participate in decisions and contribute to informed decision making.
- Communicate with representative constituencies and avoid personal comments that do not represent that membership.
- Inform the Chair/Chair in Waiting if they must miss a scheduled meeting.
- Acknowledge other members have the right to be heard and will endeavor to not interrupt others when speaking.
- Raise alternative ideas/opinions issues (in a mutually respectful way) aimed at improving our College and our Community.
- Cooperate with colleagues despite political and pedagogical differences.
- Act in good faith and work for the common good.
Vacancies: A council or team can only function with regular attendance of its membership. Council or team members who are unable to attend the regularly designated meeting time, should inform the chair so a new appointment can be made.
Quorum: A simple majority of the Council/Team membership must be present to vote (e.g. decide) on business during a meeting. If less members are present, discussion and planning should still occur.
Minutes: Will provide:
- Date of the meeting.
- Time the meeting was called to order.
- Names of the meeting participants and absentees.
- Corrections and amendments to previous meeting minutes.
- Additions to the current agenda.
- Whether a quorum is present.
- Motions taken or rejected.
- Voting-that there was a motion and second, and the outcome of the vote.
- Actions taken or agreed to be taken.
- Next steps.
- Items to be held over.
- New business.
- Open discussion or public participation.
- Next meeting date and time.
- Time of adjournment.