Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 69.79
Liaison Megan Litke
Submission Date March 6, 2020

STARS v2.2

American University
PA-3: Inclusive and Participatory Governance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.75 / 3.00 Courtney Stoner
Sustainability Analyst
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Shared governance bodies

Does the institution have formal participatory or shared governance bodies through which the following stakeholders can regularly participate in the governance of the institution?:
Yes or No
Students Yes
Academic staff Yes
Non-academic staff Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal participatory or shared governance bodies:
AU Student Government: https://www.ausg.org/
Student Government serves American University through advocacy and programming. Led by an executive board, it is home to the Senate, Kennedy Political Union, Student Union Board and Women's Initiative.

"We, the Undergraduate Students of the American University, recognizing the need for a united and dedicated voice to advocate policy, produce programming, and provide services to the Student Body, do hereby establish this Constitution for the Student Government of American University. The Student Government shall consist of all undergraduate students who have paid their student activity fee. Members of the Student Government shall be entitled to vote in elections and on referenda. The Student Government shall serve as the primary representative of the American University undergraduate student body."

Faculty Senate: https://www.american.edu/facultysenate/
"The members of the Senate shall, in accordance with the bylaws, have primary responsibility for:
• instruction and academic standards;
• curriculum and course approvals;
• recommendations of faculty appointments, promotions, and faculty personnel concerns;
• recommendations for the instructional budget;
• recommendations of policies affecting student affairs.
For curricular and academic programs, the Faculty Senate will consider matters affecting more than one school or college.
The Faculty Senate and its representatives on the Board of Trustees and on Board committees may discuss and express their views about any matter affecting the university. These views may be shared with any individual, faculty, or group within the university"

AU Staff Council: https://www.american.edu/staffcouncil/
The Staff Council is an elected body of 23 full-time and permanent part-time AU staff which represent staff across campus and bring staff concerns to the administration.
Staff Council's mission is to serve the interests and needs of the American University staff pertaining to their daily activities and work conditions as they strive to support the university's goal of quality education. Toward this effort, the Staff Council promotes understanding and cooperation by facilitating communication among campus constituencies, and by serving as an advocate for staff issues which affect them. In our efforts to enhance the quality of the American University work environment, Staff Council provides leadership and support to work together with all members of the university to enrich community spirit.

Part 2. Campus stakeholder representation in governance

Total number of individuals on the institution’s highest governing body:
30

Number of students representing their peers as official members of the institution’s highest governing body:
2

Number of academic staff representing their peers as official members of the institution’s highest governing body:
2

Number of non-academic staff representing their peers as official members of the institution’s highest governing body:
0

Part 3. Gender equity in governance

Number of women serving as official members of the institution’s highest governing body:
12

Percentage of official members of the highest governing body that are women:
40

Website URL where information about the institution’s highest governing body may be found:

Part 4. Community engagement bodies

Does the institution host or support one or more formal bodies through which external stakeholders have a regular voice in institutional decisions that affect them?:
Yes

A brief description of the campus-community council or equivalent body that gives external stakeholders a regular voice in institutional decisions that affect them:
The American University Community Liaison Committee (CLC) was established to foster positive relations and to maintain regular communication between the university and its neighbors. As specified in the D.C. Zoning Commission Order for AU’s 2011 Campus Plan, the CLC comprises individuals from neighboring community organizations and representatives from the university. The CLC meets at least quarterly. One of the four meetings is a town hall meeting with the president of the university.

The Community Liaison Committee is composed of university representatives responsible for implementing and monitoring the major elements of the 2011 Campus Plan and representatives from each of the following community organizations:
 ANC 3D, 3E and 3F
 Embassy Park Neighbors Association
 Foxhall East Condominium
 Ft. Gaines Citizens Association
 Greenbriar Condominium
 McLean Gardens Condominium Association
 Neighbors for a Livable Community
 Spring Valley – Wesley Heights Citizens Association
 Sutton Place Condominium Association
 Sutton Towers Condominium Association
 Tenley Campus Neighbors Association
 Tenley Neighbors Association
 Tenleytown Historical Society
 Ward 3 Vision
 Westover Place Homeowners Association

http://www.american.edu/communityrelations/clc/index.cfm

Optional Fields 

Number of people from underrepresented groups serving as official members of the institution’s highest governing body.:
---

Website URL where information about the institution’s governance structure is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Additional resources to the Board include cabinet, alumni, staff, etc who attend Board meetings, but do not serve as official members.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.