Best Practices-Shared Governance
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Governance Approach

The primary areas of shared governance are budget and strategic planning, academic and academic personnel policies, and selection and review of academic administrators and vice presidents. These "best practices" described below are intended as guidance for the university and college-level units to implement and bring about shared governance in all appropriate areas. They are selected from experiences on our campus as well as from frequently mentioned activities on other campuses. To be most useful, the best practices should apply to every level of administrative organization: unit, division, department, college, and upper administration. The overall intent is to create a culture that embraces shared governance throughout the university and to create opportunities for shared governance in all units at all levels. At the University of Arizona, the common terms for a college-wide organization dealing with shared governance are: council, advisory council, advisory committee, or forum with dean or college as a modifier. These councils are 8-16 members; most are all faculty but some include administrators, academic professionals, staff, and students. Some meet regularly and some infrequently. All are advisory to the head of the administrative unit involved.

In general, as difficult as it can often be, all leaders and members of university units should actually strive for an atmosphere were ideas ad shared and debated to ensure that all decisions arise from the best collective wisdom. Accordingly, we urge the following:

1. Create an Atmosphere that Fosters Trust
Effective shared governance depends on accountability, a trust among the parties. This trust then provides the foundation for effective activities and efficient use of participant's time and knowledge. Examples of the building blocks of trust include: fully sharing appropriate information in a timely manner and providing adequate time for effective dialog, providing relevant background for the subject at hand to allow for fully informed choices, and informal gatherings in addition to the formal group efforts.

CALS: Information is provided through several means (see below) often on a timely basis, but there are also times when a rapid response is needed to significant issues that arise on short notice. These processes are multiple, and involve the several employee councils, existing administrative groups, and specialized committees to address a particular need. Any employee can make an appointment (or often walk in with the open door policy practiced by most college administrators) with a department head or county director, as well as anyone on the executive council.

2. Develop a Collaborative Attitude and Participatory Decision Process
The parties involved in shared governance are interdependent and must be involved in joint actions when appropriate. Examples include: joint agenda development, allowing appropriate time for consultation, providing an honest airing of relevant issues, and adequate discussion opportunities but without unnecessary delay.

CALS: The college has councils for the major groups in the college -- faculty, staff, appointed personnel, students, county administrators, and campus administrators, as well as an overall Dean's Advisory Council. While the specific purposes of these groups vary, they all have the responsibility for reviewing appropriate information and providing feedback on a timely basis. They also all have the responsibility for raising issues where the Executive Council should be notified or the topics discussed.

3. Communicate Extensively
Effective communication is essential for successful shared governance. Provide what is needed fully and early in the process and communicate final decisions to all parties. The regular communication channels should be widely known.

CALS: The college has the CALS Weekly Bulletin, which goes to all employees with content submitted by anyone. Copies of Executive Council weekly minutes available by request to the Dean's Office. Two college-wide faculty/staff meetings are held each year. The college has a Communications Team to improve communications. Individual departments often share minutes of their faculty or staff meetings with members of the department. Cooperative Extension has a "Tuesday Morning Notes" that keep all those with extension appointments informed about happenings of special interest to them. Several times a year opportunities are given for feedback on specific issues (via an anonymous web form posted in the CALS Weekly Bulletin).

4. Encourage Informed Participation and Training
The university and unit environment should respect appropriate participation by faculty, academic professionals and staff, one that allows for methods for new faculty and others to learn about opportunities for involvement. Examples of these methods include: workshops, retreats, informal meetings with administrators and other faculty. Appropriate rewards for service need to be identified and activities need to be seen as important from the perspectives of involved faculty, administrators, staff and appointed personnel.

CALS: The college has a quarterly idea award committee, a staff development team, and an annual reporting mechanism for faculty and appointed personnel to identify service activities as part of the annual evaluation process. A large number of committees exist that allow participation in college activities by all employees.

5. Focus on Effective and Efficient Processes and Subjects
Those involved in shared governance need to be sufficiently informed to participate effectively. They need to understand and agree on the roles of faculty and administrators. It should be clear which group has the primary responsibilities for specific topics (i.e., faculty or administration). Shared governance does not mean everything has to be done by joint efforts or by delegating decision making to the faculty. Suitable resources and support must be made available for shared governance to be effective and efficient.

CALS: Some college-level decision making is done through committees, other committees are used to study proposals or develop responses to proposals, and some are used as a free exchange of information without immediately clear outcomes. The Quality Guidance Council identifies activities that could benefit from improving the relevant processes and identifies team leaders who then select the team members. Departments and county extension offices also have a number of committees that focus on topics relevant to the department or county.

6. Allow for Flexibility in Shared Governance Structures
While university, college, and departments shall have some form of shared governance, the forms will vary, as the circumstances of each unit vary, but be consistent with the aims of shared governance. Each organizational unit should have written rules/procedures regarding the purpose and operation for the shared governance process. The methods of participation will vary among faculty, academic professionals, staff and students (e.g., election or appointment, policy making or implementation, focused topics or strategic issues). The methods of selection will vary (e.g., representation by subunit or major unit, election, ex-officio, or appointment).

CALS: The college has a set of "governance guidelines" that lists how the college approaches governance issues. It is designed to be specific where appropriate but to allow for flexibility in meeting the changing circumstances that face a large and diverse (by discipline and location in the state) organization. Some departments have their own guidelines and all have some type of published listing of committees and their membership.