| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.45 |
| Liaison | Keisha Payson |
| Submission Date | May 8, 2024 |
Bowdoin College
PA-3: Inclusive and Participatory Governance
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.25 / 3.00 |
Keisha
Payson Sustainability Director Sustainable Bowdoin |
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:
Bowdoin Student Government has four primary responsibilities: advocate for the interests, concerns, and opinions of students to administrators; plan and cosponsor events for the whole student body; provide funding and support to student organizations; and provide services that support and improve student life.
Each spring, the student body at large elects the coming year’s Executive Board, which includes the president, vice president, and the committee chairs. In the fall, the newly elected Executive Board chooses committee members and special advisors from short applications submitted by interested students. The Class Councils are elected by their respective classes. The First-Year Class Council and Senior Class Council are elected in the fall and the rising Sophomore Class Council and Junior Class Council are elected in the spring. The committees of BSG include Student Affairs, Facilities and Sustainability, Academic Affairs, Diversity and Inclusion, Student Activities Funding Committee, and the Student Organizations Oversight Committee. More about Bowdoin Student Government can be found here:
https://www.bowdoin.edu/student-activities/student-organizations/student-government.html
The Bowdoin Administrative Staff committee (BAS) provides a forum for the discussion of issues of mutual interest and concern and fosters collegiality among administrative officers of the College. All benefits-eligible, salaried employees within the Bowdoin community are part of the Bowdoin Administrative Staff (BAS). The BAS committee seeks to promote a voice that is representative of its members, encouraging regular communications with the senior officers, faculty, and support staff of the College and wider participation in college affairs. Information about BAS can be found here:
The Bowdoin Support Staff Advocacy Committee (SSAC) is a standing committee of the College that serves as a resource for support staff by facilitating open lines of communication between the administration and staff. The SSAC is made up of support staff who have volunteered or been
recommended for up to a three-year term. The SSAC will endeavor to keep abreast of College work- life issues that may affect support staff, propose ways that it can be improved in all areas, and reach out as needed with staff to share related information. A description of the Bowdoin Support Staff Advocacy Committee can be found here:
https://www.bowdoin.edu/ssac/index.html
Bowdoin's Committee on Governance and Faculty Affairs (GFA) is responsible for overseeing the faculty governance of the College. It establishes the agenda for faculty meetings, brings to the faculty issues of policy, and advises the president and dean on issues of direct interest to the faculty, including but not limited to compensation, workload, intellectual property, intellectual freedom, sabbaticals, voting eligibility, family leave, partner accommodations, the evaluation of teaching and professional activities, budget and financial priorities, etc. GFA also oversees the election and appointment of faculty committees, working to ensure equitable distribution of committee workload. It establishes working groups, as needed, and serves as a clearinghouse for issues brought to the committee’s attention from the faculty. Members of GFA represent the faculty at meetings of the board of trustees, attend trustee executive committee meetings, and meetings of the trustee committee on admissions, and report back to the GFA and the faculty as a whole as appropriate.
More on GFA can be found here:
https://www.bowdoin.edu/academic-affairs/shared-governance/committee-on-governance-and-faculty- affairs.html
The Bowdoin College Board of Trustees is the institution's highest governing body. While no students, faculty, or staff are official voting members of the board of trustees, they do sit on several of the trustee committees.
For each meeting of the Board, two (2) faculty representatives, two (2) student representatives, and one (1) representative of the Alumni Council shall receive due notice, and shall be entitled to be present and to participate, but shall have no right to vote on any matters coming before the Board. For each meeting of the Executive Committee and the Beyond Bowdoin Committee, one (1) faculty representative, one (1) student representative, and one (1) representative of the Alumni Council shall receive due notice, and shall be entitled to be present and to participate, but shall have no right to vote on any matters coming before such Committee. For each meeting of the Academic Affairs Committee, the Committee on Inclusion, the Resources Committee, and the Student Experience Committee, one (1) faculty representative and one (1) student representative shall receive due notice, and shall be entitled to be present and to participate, but shall have no right to vote on any matters coming before such Committee. For each meeting of the Investment Committee, one (1) faculty representative shall receive due notice, and shall be entitled to be present and to participate, but shall have no right to vote on any matters coming before such Committee. For each meeting of the Subcommittee on Honors, two (2) faculty representatives shall receive due notice, and shall be entitled to be present and to participate, but shall have no right to vote on any matters coming before such Subcommittee. For a current list of faculty and student appointees to these committees, see pages 9 and 10 of the attached committees list 2023–2024 document.
Total number of individuals on the institution’s highest governing body:
Number of students representing their peers as official members of the institution’s highest governing body:
Number of academic staff representing their peers as official members of the institution’s highest governing body:
Number of non-academic staff representing their peers as official members of the institution’s highest governing body:
Number of women serving as official members of the institution’s highest governing body:
Percentage of official members of the highest governing body that are women:
Website URL where information about the institution’s highest governing body may be found:
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?:
A brief description of the campus-community council or equivalent body that gives external stakeholders a regular voice in institutional decisions that affect them:
Bowdoin and the Town of Brunswick host a Town-and-Gown Meeting comprised of senior college and Town administrators who meet three to four times per year. Items that are discussed typically include operational impacts, security, planning, and topics of mutual interest or concern.
In another area of stakeholder outreach, it is a Bowdoin College policy to conduct open neighborhood meetings for campus development or land use projects that impact abutting campus neighbors. Neighbors are notified by mail of the time and location of these meetings. The College uses these meetings as an opportunity to provide project details and solicit project comment from interested residential neighbors.
Additionally, the College’s Office of Residential Life hosts an annual Town-Gown Dinner to bring town elected and administrative leadership, college administrative leadership, and students leaders from across campus to discuss a variety of mutual community issues and build connections between the student body and the town. Students include leaders from student government, residential life, varsity sports captains, and leaders from multiple student clubs.
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:
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.