Editorial: Introduction to The Shared Governance Model

 

(''Court Gavel - Judge's Gavel - Courtroom'' by wp paarz via Flickr)

In my previous articles, I gave a broad overview the university’s governance system and recently introduced the three main stakeholder groups within the university environment: faculty, students and staff. I wrote before about how a student who understands the university governance environment can participate in it to his own benefit. 

To understand how these stakeholder groups interact together, let us now discuss The Shared Governance Model of higher education.     

The Shared Governance Model (or “shared governance”) is a philosophy of university governance in which the university’s governing board (in our case, The Board of Regents) heavily relies upon the advice and counsel of the three stakeholder groups to govern the university. In shared governance, the board gives each group (or constituency) authority to advise the board on matters of the constituency’s expertise. 

For example, the board recognizes the faculty’s competence to advise the board in the area of academics. This includes topics such as general academic policy and welfare, admission and graduation requirements, honors and scholastic performance and other related topics. (Regents’ Rule 40101) Basically, anything to do with academics the board recognizes the faculty as subject matter experts. 

Likewise the board extends the same type of recognition to the staff in relation to university operations, such as financial accounting or business contracts, maintenance of campus grounds or custodial responsibility. (Regents’ Rule 30401) In the same way, the board extend the same recognition to the student body about collective student experience of university policy and operations. (Regents’ Rule 50203) To clarify, the board still makes it own decisions, but when it does, it relies upon the advice and counsel of these three stakeholder groups.

Now on this point, it is important to note that the students’ subject of counsel (the student experience) is exceedingly broad. This means the students have a broad ability to speak to campus topics. From their experience with on-campus parking to their professor's classroom instruction, or from how they feel about the university's investment portfolio to how they feel about the cafeteria food, the scope is practically exhaustive. The students' ability to speak to campus issues is exceedingly broad.

Nevertheless, The Shared Governance Model of internal university governance is the philosophy of university governance in which the university’s governing board relies heavily upon the advice and counsel of the faculty, student body and staff to govern the university. In shared governance, the board defers to each community for advice within its respective scope of competence, and in this setting, these three stakeholder groups have special authority to advise the board in their respective area of expertise. This is the The Shared Governance Model of internal university governance and it is The University of Texas System's governance model for its academic institutions.

Students who understand how shared governance works can cooperate with this system to their benefit.

For more information on shared governance:

• “Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities” by The American Association of University Professors. 
• "Student Senators Must Understand 'Shared Governance' Model", by James Hescock

For more information on the governing bodies at UT-Tyler

• Faculty senate: Handbook of Operating Procedures, 3.6.0 Faculty Senate 
• Student government association: Manual of Operating Procedures for Student Affairs, Chapter 4: Student Government Association
  
• Staff senate: Handbook of Operating Procedures, 1.4.4 University Councils

Feature image: ''Court Gavel - Judge's Gavel - Courtroom'' by wp paarz via Flickr

*EDITOR'S NOTE: Updated for flow on July 23nd at 1:11 p.m.