Shared Governance Charges

Given:

  • the changing landscape of higher education;
  • the impact of the recent global pandemic on our scholarly community and on when, where and how we come together to discover, learn and work;
  • increasing calls for accountability of the institution by our constituents, a new strategic plan, changing fiscal realities and the need for greater coordination and alignment of our work and priorities;
  • a resolution and call from faculty, staff, and student leaders to re-define shared governance on the KU Lawrence and Edwards campuses;

the purpose of this charge is to outline the goals, process and participation for an initiative to be completed during Academic Year 2022-2023 for KU faculty, staff and administrative leaders to join together to participate in the creation of a shared vision for governance at the KU Lawrence and Edwards campuses.

Charges

Phase 1: Visioning an Exceptional Learning Community and Scholarly Engagement

Goal

The purpose of this phase will be to create a shared vision of an exceptional learning community and of the ways in which we will engage with each other as faculty, students, staff and administration in research and discovery, learning and education, and service and stewardship.

Outcomes

  1. A vision statement that describes the culture and behaviors we each expect from ourselves and all members of our community in order to foster and promote a culture that supports learning and discovery.
  2. The vision statement will be shared for input and suggestions for adoption activities through focus groups of students, staff, faculty, chairs and directors, deans and vice provosts.
  3. Communications strategy and activities to facilitate integration of the vision in all campus units.

Timeframe

October 2022 to January 2023

Phase 2: Processes for Clarifying Roles and Responsibilities in Shared Governance

Goal

The purpose of this phase will be to create a shared understanding of distinct roles and responsibilities for governance and administration that will allow all community members to engage with each other as faculty, students, staff and administration in research and discovery, learning and education, and service and stewardship.

Outcomes

The core group will make recommendations to be endorsed by the Provost and approved by the Chancellor to clarify roles and responsibilities of each stake-holder group in shared governance, specifically to:

  1. Clarify roles, responsibilities: who has the authority to make which decisions; what can relevant constituencies expect from individuals in these roles, including governance roles.
  2. Identify areas in which governance would have more direct input and provide perspectives in accordance with shared governance principles (e.g., program review, curriculum, policy making, etc.).
  3. Determine what campus outreach (“listening sessions,” “department visits,” “event attendance,” etc.) each role would undertake.

Timeframe

January to April 2023

Phase 3: Processes for Decision-making and Communication

Goal

The purpose of this phase will be to create a shared vision of processes for decision-making and communication that will allow all community members to engage with each other as faculty, students, staff and administration in research and discovery, learning and education, and service and stewardship.

Outcomes

The core group will make recommendations to be endorsed by the Provost and approved by the Chancellor regarding changes in process to improve decision-making and communication, specifically:

  1. In decisions that affect constituents, integrate a stage for meaningful input from governance, immediately affected groups, campus experts, and others.
  2. Create a process for sharing data involved in decision-making and facilitate opportunities for faculty and staff to validate.
  3. Communicate to campus about decisions in advance of/during/after implementation.

Timeframe

December 2022 to February 2023

Phase 4: Clarifying Roles and Responsibilities for Strategic and Fiscal Planning

Goal

The purpose of this phase will be to create a shared understanding of distinct roles and responsibilities for governance and administration in strategic and fiscal planning that will allow all community members to engage with each other as faculty, students, staff and administration in research and discovery, learning and education, and service and stewardship.

Outcomes

The core group will make recommendations to be endorsed by the Provost and approved by the Chancellor to clarify roles and responsibilities of each stake-holder group for strategic and fiscal planning, specifically to:

  1. Communicate regularly about financial situation and plans around finances and buildings to governance/community.
  2. Integrate campus constituents in strategic planning for the university.

Vice Provost for Finance Jason Hornberger and Executive Vice Chancellor/CFO Jeff DeWitt will participate in this phase.

Timeframe

February to May 2023