• Accountability – Assessing our work with shared governance regularly so that we can hold ourselves accountable to these commitments. • Sustainability – And developing shared governance practices that are sustainable and that ensure continuity in leadership, institutional memory, and ongoing professional development for participants in governance roles. Like our Vision, Mission, Values, and Strategic Plan, this document is a living document so it will be regularly reviewed, along with university policies and procedures, to nurture a culture of institutional-thinking and a shared governance mindset. CWU Vision, Mission, and Values President Wohlpart reminded the group of the process that was used in the creation of a brand-new Vision, Mission, and Values. In July of 2021, the BOT included the creation of a new Vision and Mission as one of the president’s goals. It is important to note that the BOT has the authority to make this request, and then to delegate the process to the President. A broadly based Steering Committee was convened that studied the purpose and value of Vision and Mission statements, shared what was learned with the university community, drafted statements based on that feedback, received more feedback, and then brought the final statements to the Board of Trustees for approval in July of 2022. In the next academic year, a similar process was followed for the development of Values statements and a Strategic Plan, which was approved in July of 2023. What was wonderful about that process is that the university community felt ownership of the vision and mission. Prior to 2021, many could not remember what CWU’s Vision and Mission were. The catalyst for rethinking our Vision, Mission, and Values were changes at the federal level in the way in which the Department of Education would be interpreting Civil Rights law. As a result of these changes, the president convened a group of thought leaders on our campus deeply invested in equity and belonging work—including Interim VP Charlita Shelton, Associate VP Veronica Gomez-Vilchis, Associate VP Elvin Delgado—as well as those responsible for institutional transformation and innovation—Ginny Tomlinson and Dean Rodrigo Renteria- Valencia. The Provost and the VP for Student Engagement and Success were also involved. A great deal of material was reviewed – not just on the national context but also on CWU’s institutional context. As a result of that rich conversation, the group agreed that the president should approach the BOT Executive Committee to see if an update of our Vision, Mission, and
7 Board of Trustees Minutes May 15-16, 2025
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