Resources

The EvCC Shared Governance Task Force consulted a series of resources as our work proceeded. The most helpful resources are listed below:

AAUP Statement on Governance of Colleges and Universities  (1966)  We don't want to say "this is where it all began," but this is kinda sorta where it all began.  At the very least, this is a starting point for thinking about shared governance and how it has evolved. Note the complete absence of professional staff in this "founding document" as well as its recognition that while students have an essential role, there is no clear direction on what that role might be. 

Effective Academic Governance: Five Ingredients for CAOS and Faculty.  This white paper from the Collaborative on Academic Careers on Higher Education at Harvard is based on a literature review and on interviews with 20 CAOs on what constitutes effective shared governance.  The five ingredients of effective governance the report identifies are: Trust, Shared Sense of Purpose, Understanding the Issue at Hand, Accountability and Productivity.  Although the report focuses primarily on academic governance in 4 year institutions, its observations and recommendations are reasonably transferable to the community college context. 

A Guide to Participatory Governance at Walla Walla Community College.  This guide from Walla Walla Community College is useful not only as a description of their shared governance structure but also as a guide to implementing any new shared governance. 

In addition, the SUNY Shared Governance Leaders Toolkit. gives an overview of how governance works in the State University of New York, but more importantly provides one model of the kinds of resources that might be useful for EvCC to develop during our Shared Governance Transitional Year.