April 2022
- Ad Hoc Committee created, including representation from faculty, staff, administrators, and students across campus
May-November 2022
- Subcommittees established to conduct external benchmarking and an internal assessment of the state of shared governance at Marshall
- External benchmarking sub-committee researched exemplary institutional models and best practices
- Internal assessment subcommittee used D4D methods, conducted an open town hall, and conducted an online survey to assess stakeholders’ views of shared governance
December 2022
- This initial work resulted in the following recommendations for Marshall, which were presented to President Smith:
- Structural/procedural
- University Senate that includes staff, students, and faculty
- This would address exclusion of non-academic units (e.g., Honors College) from shared governance
- University constitution or similar shared governance document
- Regular review cycle of shared governance university-wide, perhaps through Shared Governance Review Committee
- Review current initiatives to avoid initiative overload
- Improve/codify onboarding for committees, including duties and workload/time commitment
- Additions to shared governance committee: graduate student, online student, adjunct/term faculty
- Filling gaps
- Body for managing budgetary decisions
- Representation for non-classified staff
- Communication
- Finalize shared governance chart and launch interactive website enabling action channels
- Work with communications to develop announcement system for committee/governing body activity, upcoming actions & decisions (including solicitations for input), and shared governance outcomes
- “Meeting of the families”: regular meetings of heads of all lateral governing bodies (Cabinet, Faculty Senate, Grad Council, SGA, Staff Council, Board of Governors, Academic Affairs)
- Shared governance guidelines for civil discourse for open discussion forums and governance meetings
- Incentivize/create buy-in
- Stakeholders should receive a reply to their contributions to decision-making/follow-up on initiatives
- Initiatives could be tracked through Shared Governance Review Committee
- Consider time incentives (including 12-month faculty hires) and monetary incentives for significant participation
- Shared governance awards/recognitions
- “Site visits” for different stakeholders to see others in action
- Structural/procedural
January-September 2023
- These recommendations were prioritized according to urgency and time for completion, and new subcommittees were established to research, plan, and initiate the above recommendations.
- The following have been completed as of October 2023:
- “Meeting of the families” has been established with a representative member from each governing body on campus. Meetings are held regularly and emergency meetings may be called by members for urgent matters.
- Budget Working Group re-instated with representation from faculty Budget and Academic Policy Committee (BAPC)
- CFO provides regular reports to the BAPC
- Non-classified Staff Council membership structure has been established, council will convene in January 2024
- Additional input from stakeholders on current shared governance processes through open town hall and follow-up survey
- The following are in process and will be completed by December 2023:
- New interactive shared-governance organizational chart
- Shared governance “customer service” website to direct stakeholders to correct governing units for their inquiries/issues
- Regular shared governance review process established, with Shared Governance Review committee to be convened in January 2024
- Recommendations to incentivize shared governance participation and ensure equitable representation among stakeholders
- The following are in process and will be completed by May 2024:
- A university-wide shared governance document that lays out Marshall’s shared governance principles and structures