Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 74.33
Liaison Austin Eriksson
Submission Date Dec. 10, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

California State University, Northridge
PA-3: Participatory Governance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.75 / 3.00 Sarah Johnson
Sustainability Program Analyst
Institute for Sustainability
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Do the institution’s students have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a student council)? :
Yes

Do the institution’s students have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
Yes

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which students are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:

All matriculated students can run for and vote in an Associated Students election and can serve as members of various governance committees. Students are also nominated by the AS student leadership to participate in the University’s (and the CSU’s) committee governance structure. Students apply to run for elective office or apply to be appointed to an appointive office. Students at CSUN participate in the campus student body organization (Associated Students); the University Student Union and various university governance and advisory committees. The AS President also serves on the President's Cabinet and Faculty Senate.
https://www.csun.edu/as/constitution

CSU Board of Trustees: The Governor appoints two student trustees from nominees proposed by the California State Student Association. These student trustees serve staggered two-year terms. One student trustee has full voting powers; the second, non-voting student trustee succeeds to the voting position upon the expiration of the term of the first.

https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/Pages/about-the-bot.aspx


Do the institution’s staff members have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a staff council)?:
Yes

Do the institution’s non-supervisory staff members have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
No

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which staff are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:

Staff members can participate in workers’ unions across the university system. For every union on campus, there is an elected union representative. Often these union reps from the university serve and participate in the CSU Board of Trustees meetings and other high-level governance opportunities.

https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/faculty-staff/labor-and-employee-relations/Pages/default.aspx


Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a faculty senate)?:
Yes

Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body? :
Yes

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:

California State University, Northridge is committed to the concept of collegial shared governance, according to which faculty and administrators take joint responsibility for the academic mission of the University. Shared governance gives to faculty the primary
responsibility for the educational functions of the University, consistent with basic policy as set by the Board of Trustees. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to: design and implementation of curricula of the highest academic quality; setting and maintaining academic and professional standards, including admission and degree requirements; facilitating and ensuring the free conduct of creative and scholarly activities; determining faculty personnel policies, procedures, and criteria and overseeing their implementation; exercising major influence over decisions on hiring, tenure, and promotion; and participating meaningfully in budgetary decisions, especially when they directly affect the academic mission of the University.

The primary purpose of this organization and of these Bylaws is to facilitate the faculty’s effective exercise, at the University level, of its rights and responsibilities under this concept. Colleges, Departments, and other academic units may determine their own processes and procedures consistent with the general concept and with these Bylaws.
https://www.csun.edu/faculty-senate/about-faculty-senate

The composition of the Faculty Senate includes the faculty officers, statewide academic senators, chairs of standing committees, the president of Associated Students, the president of the Association of Retired Faculty, senators-at-large, and a number of Senators elected by the Colleges, Library, Student Affairs, and Athletics.

The officers of the Faculty shall be a President, Vice President, and Secretary. Faculty officers shall be elected by the Faculty and shall be full-time members of the Faculty. Nominations of the officers of the Faculty shall be made by the Executive Committee of the Senate and by individual Senators at a regular meeting of the Senate. The notice of the Senate meeting at which nominations are received must be published at least ten working days in advance. These nominations shall consist of at least one nominee for each office. Additional nominations may be made by written petition of fifteen members of the Faculty to the Faculty President within the time limits set in the election calendar established by the Executive Committee. The election shall be held by secret ballot at the time specified in the election calendar. Officers shall be declared elected after they receive a majority of all votes cast in the election; if no candidate receives the majority of a ballot, a second ballot shall be taken between the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes.
https://www.csun.edu/sites/default/files/Bylaws.pdf

The Board of Trustees is responsible for the oversight of the California State University. The Board adopts rules, regulations, and policies governing the California State University. The Board has authority over curricular development, use of property, development of facilities, and fiscal and human resources management.

The 25-member Board of Trustees meets six times per year. Board meetings allow for communication among the trustees, chancellor, campus presidents, executive committee members of the statewide Academic Senate, representatives of the California State Student Association, and officers of the statewide Alumni Council.

The CSU Board of Trustees is the CSU's highest governing body. The Governor of California appoints a Faculty Trustee from nominees proposed by the Statewide Academic Senate. The Alumni and Faculty Trustees serve for two years.
https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/Pages/about-the-bot.aspx


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?:
No

A copy of the written policies and procedures:
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The policies and procedures:

There are currently no written (formal) policies regarding engaging external stakeholders around these issues. However, depending on the scope of the project, the campus Office of Government & Community Relations advises, facilitates and coordinates, necessary meetings with relevant Neighborhood Council organizations, elected officials and other community stakeholder entities; including, but not limited to, homeowner association groups. Where necessary, as with the Plummer Street vacation process, a formal presentation to the local Neighborhood Council Land Use Committee and/or city (Los Angeles) Planning Commission meetings are also coordinated.


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 Yes
Private sector organizations Yes
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):

CSUN has 21 university level committees with varying levels of responsibility that serve one of three purposes:
1. Serves as a standing advisory committee to the President
2. Addresses a CSU directive, executive order, or other state requirements
3. Serves in a community relations capacity

Below is a list of several of the committees that have off-campus representation:

1. Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Advisory Committee (ATODAC)
(Current representation is from Local Government however, private sector and civil society members can and are encouraged to serve on this committee as appropriate to the mission)
Charge/Mission: The Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Advisory Committee (ATODAC) provides recommendations and guidance concerning university policies, services, education, prevention, intervention and recovery programs that seek to address the harmful effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) use and abuse. As used herein, alcohol and other drug use and abuse include illegal and high-risk use of alcohol, tobacco, prescription, and over-the-counter medications, and other drugs/substances such as marijuana. The Committee guides the development of goals and objectives for ATOD education, including safe and healthy choices, and abuse prevention efforts that reflect university values and priorities, the intent of California State University policies and procedures, and best practices for ATOD programs. The ATODAC will review and make recommendations on all CSUN policies, procedures, and practices related to ATOD use and regulation.

The community representative is a government employee of the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) local office. The ABC mission statement is “The mission of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is to provide the highest level of service and public safety to the people of the State through licensing, education, and enforcement.”
The mission, values, vision, history and organization information can be found here: https://www.abc.ca.gov/mission.html
The ABC has a strong history of working with California universities as described here: https://www.abc.ca.gov/programs/AIPinfo.html

2. Intercollegiate Athletics Advisory Council (IAAC)
(Current representation is from the Private Sector however, local government and civil society members can and are encouraged to serve on this committee as appropriate to the mission)
Charge/Mission: The primary function of the President's Intercollegiate Athletics Advisory Council is to serve in an advisory capacity to the President of the University in matters pertaining to the education and well being of student-athletes, the academic integrity of the Intercollegiate Athletics Program, and compliance with the standards of the NCAA and the Big West Conference. The Council shall include representatives of all entities of the campus community that have a role in the development and continuation of the Intercollegiate Athletics Program.

The President shall appoint the Council Chairperson from among the faculty and administration members for a two-year term. Faculty members will be appointed by the President for three-year staggered terms. Alumni and community members will be appointed for one-year terms.
Current community members are:
Jacqueline Hansen - alumni, advocate, athlete, educator, author (bio: www.jacquelinehansen.com/about/)
Mike Preis - alumni, local realtor (Private Sector)

3. North Campus Development Corporation (NCUP) Board of Directors
Charge/Mission: The prudent and integrated development of the sixty-five acres of land that constitute the University's North Campus.
The composition of the board of directors consists of at least one or more representatives of each of the following:
1. President of University
2. A representative of administration and staff of University
3. Faculty representative of the University
4. Student body President (or his/her designee)
5. Community spokesperson (non-campus personnel)

The current Community Spokesperson Board Member is David Honda of Honda Construction, from the private sector

NCUP Bylaws regarding membership:
(a) Except for the President of the University, directors shall be elected at various annual meetings of directors from a slate of nominees submitted to the Board by the President of the University; however, if an annual meeting is not held or such directors are not elected at an annual meeting, they may be elected at any special directors' meeting held for that purpose.
(b) The President shall submit the slate of nominees in the form of a sample ballot to the Board at least 24 hours prior to the meeting, and the vote shall be taken at that meeting.
(c) Each director shall hold office for three (3) years, provided that (i) a person who is acting as director by virtue of the fact that he/she is President of the University, shall cease to be a director at, and only at, such time that he/she ceases to be President of the University and (ii) a person who is acting as director by virtue of: the fact he/she is student body President, shall, unless otherwise determined by the affirmative vote of the directors, cease to be a director at such time as he/she ceases to be student body president. Subject to the immediately preceding sentence, each director may serve as a director for consecutive three (3) year terms and shall hold office until both expiration of a three (3) year term and election and qualification of a successor.

https://www.csun.edu/sites/default/files/ByLawsNCUP.pdf

The full list of the committees and additional information can be found at: https://www.csun.edu/afvp/university-standing-committees


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:
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