Shared Governance Designed for Joint Action
- Renewing Faculty and Administrative Commitment to Strategic Priorities
- Strategy Council Design and Development
- Decision-Making in a Collaborative Culture
- Faculty Governance and Institutional Citizenship
American higher education has practiced a shared or distributed model of governance since the founding of the colonial colleges, and it endures as a distinguishing characteristic of our system contributing to the global preeminence of many American colleges and universities. Nevertheless, board members and even presidents remain skeptical of shared governance, viewing it as inefficient and antiquated.
However, shared governance is essential precisely because of the kinds of decisions college and university leaders face. Education quality, cost and completion – the topics presidents and boards are currently addressing, are also areas of significant concern to the faculty and why their involvement is important. Revitalizing sound shared governance enables the early participation of stakeholders, and produces better-informed decisions and increased efficiencies during implementation.
The hallmark of my professional work and the primary focus of my scholarship concerns strengthening collaborative academic cultures to facilitate effective shared governance. As a consultant, I work with faculties to improve alignment of their governance processes to institutional priorities; I partner with boards, presidents, administrators and faculty members to recast difficult-to-enact strategic plans for successful implementation results; and I facilitate other cross-domain collaborations.
To read more on shared governance, its evolution, challenges, and how shared governance can be employed for joint action, I have written a Shared Governance Whitepaper: Improving Shared Governance’s Effectiveness.