AGB Board of Directors’ Statement on Shared Governance
An investment in a culture of engagement is distinct from investments in other strategic priorities. The most important resources boards, presidents, and faculty can provide to shared governance are time, attention, and commitment. Just as time constraints can sometimes limit board and administration attention to shared governance, faculty often struggle with time commitments, especially where increases in the number of full-time faculty have not kept pace with the growth of the institution, leaving fewer faculty to fulfill the responsibilities of governance. In addition, loyalty to academic discipline and individual scholarship can outweigh faculty commitment to institutional priorities. The result is a strain on shared governance. Boards can be helpful in these situations by taking an interest in the faculty’s capacity to engage in governance. Boards and faculty can also help one another understand issues confronting higher education and how those issues could affect the institution’s strategic direction. Accepting and acknowledging the value of such engagement are important elements of building a culture of shared governance. 3. Shared governance requires a consistent commitment by institutional and board leaders. The president or chancellor, along with the chief academic officer, must play a central role in building, encouraging, and maintaining effective shared governance. A governing board should be intentional in assigning appropriate accountability for shared governance to the president or chancellor. While recognizing the president’s essential role in facilitating shared governance, the board should also respect the complexity of that task and partner with the president rather than delegate away that responsibility.
The most important resources boards, presidents, and faculty can provide to shared governance are
time, attention, and commitment.
agb.org
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