Shared Governance

East Central College’s Statement of Shared Governance

East Central College commits to a model of shared governance that reinforces the College’s mission to serve its students and other stakeholders. Shared governance is a systematic decision-making process that requires representation from all areas of the College to actively collaborate with transparency, accountability, and responsibility. Shared governance fosters an institutional culture of inclusion, integrity, open communication, and good faith.

The shared governance structure is designed to promote open communication for discussion of college issues and development of recommendations to the College Administration, with the appropriate person or body making decisions after consideration of provided input.  Issues of focus may include, but are not limited to policy, curriculum, assessment, retention, strategic planning, student support, physical facilities, technology, budget priorities, and professional development.

This model ensures that collective expertise and knowledge from diverse voices and viewpoints across the College lead the institution in a more effective, transparent, and scholarly manner. Moreover, all stakeholders should be recognized by the Administration and Board of Trustees as partners, not solely as advisors, thus committee advice and recommendations should be given full consideration in the decision-making process.

Because of the collaborative nature of East Central College’s Shared Governance structure, the decision-making process shall allow for full discussion and consultation in advance of decisions being made.

To this end, East Central College will strive for excellence in effectively enacting the principles of shared governance below.

1. We will exercise due diligence in every aspect of communication, transparency, and decision-making.
2. We will exhibit mutual trust and respect for each other and for the collaborative process.
3. We will consistently provide efficient and timely communication of decisions, including an implementation timeline for decisions made.
4. We will commit to collaboration among the Board of Trustees, administration, faculty, staff, and, where appropriate, students to strengthen the quality of the education and services provided by the College.
5. We will foster a culture of inclusion by thoughtfully considering the ideas and opinions of those most impacted by decisions, while working to ensure meaningful involvement of all stakeholders in the decision-making process.
6. We will seek and utilize relevant data and expert opinions in our decision-making process, including both quantitative and qualitative data where possible.
7. We will use current policy documents to ground initial deliberations within the decision-making process and will recommend policy revisions where outcomes are not satisfactory.
8. We will set standards for accountability at all levels of our shared governance model by defining goals, reporting progress, and assessing the decision-making process itself.

For more information on East Central College Shared Governance, council meetings, agendas, minutes, and general information, please log-in to your Sharepoint account.