| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.97 |
| Liaison | Stephen Ellis |
| Submission Date | Aug. 2, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Boston University
PA-3: Participatory Governance
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.75 / 3.00 |
Dennis
Carlberg Associate Vice President for Sustainability BU Sustainability |
Do the institution’s students have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a student council)? :
Do the institution’s students have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which students are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
Students are not represented on the Board of Trustees, however students have a voice on many committees that affect policy, programs and initiatives such as the Board of Trustees’ Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing.
Boston University Student Government works to represent the voice of the undergraduate student community. The different branches that constitute BU Student Government allow enrolled students to participate in governance bodies at various levels of the University. The Student Union, representing the interests of all undergraduates at BU, brings events and activities to campus. The Union includes representatives from school and college governments, Consortia (student groups) and Residence Hall Associations. School and College Student Governments act as liaisons to the administration of each school in the interest of the student body. They organize activities including orientation programs, lectures, films and dances. Residence Hall Associations (RHAs) work on behalf of students to enhance the quality of life in their residences. Each RHA develops educational, cultural, recreational and social programs for its own residence hall.
Do the institution’s staff members have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a staff council)?:
Do the institution’s non-supervisory staff members have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which staff are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a faculty senate)?:
Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body? :
A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which teaching and research faculty are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
Professors and lecturers, with at least a half-time appointment, are automatically members of the Faculty Assembly. The Faculty Assembly meets at least twice during the academic year.
The Faculty Council is the representative body of the Faculty Assembly at Boston University. The Faculty Council members are members of the Faculty Assembly who are elected to represent their individual school or college, either as a representative or as an alternate. Each school or college is responsible for holding its own election for representatives and alternates.
As a Representative on the Faculty Council, you also are automatically a member of the University Council, which is comprised of the President, the Provosts, the deans, the vice presidents, and senior administrators. Subsets of certain Faculty Council Committees also serve with administrators on University Council Committees, where the substantive topics of the University Council are formulated.
In addition,the Chair of the Faculty Council serves as an ex officio member on the Board of Trustees for Boston University.
Does the institution have written policies and procedures to identify and engage external stakeholders (i.e. local residents) in land use planning, capital investment projects, and other institutional decisions that affect the community?:
A copy of the written policies and procedures:
The policies and procedures:
The development process in the City of Boston requires the University to submit an Institutional Master Plan every 10 years. Through this process the University works with a task force, appointed by the Mayor and comprised of local residents and business leaders, to engage them on future institutional planning. BU has three institutional master plans for each distinct campus and has three community task forces that are representative of the communities surrounding each campus. The meetings of the task force are open to the public and advertised in the local paper. Input from not only the Task Force but members of the community is taken during these meetings and through written communication on all institutional development projects.
Through the office of Government and Community Relations, the University actively attends and participates on a number of boards and local organizations within our host communities. BU’s Government & Community Affairs office is the main contact with area residents and elected leaders, informing the public of community interest projects and efforts undertaken by the University.
Does the institution have formal participatory or shared governance bodies through which community members representing the interests of the following stakeholder groups can regularly participate in institutional governance?:
| Yes or No | |
| Local government and/or educational organizations | No |
| Private sector organizations | No |
| Civil society (e.g. NGOs, NPOs) | No |
A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which external stakeholders are engaged in institutional governance (including information about each stakeholder group selected above):
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.