Central Michigan University
PA-3: Inclusive and Participatory Governance

In the Student Government Association (SGA), student have the opportunity to represent their departmental colleges. Within SGA, the academic senate is the highest shared governing body on campus. As described in their website:
“The Academic Senate has enjoyed a 50-year history as the University’s primary policy-making body for a wide range of issues involving academic life at CMU. The Senate has a long tradition of productive and open debate, and is committed to enhancing the academic experiences of students and faculty. The Senate is the final academic curricular authority for graduate and undergraduate programs, both on and off campus at CMU. As a shared decision-making body, the Senate’s membership consists of representatives elected by each academic department, six fixed-term faculty elected by each of the academic colleges, six student representatives chosen by the Student Government Association, the Deans, the Chief Diversity Officer, the Provost, and the President. Academic Senate meetings are open to the public and are held bi-weekly."

In addition to the academic senate, non-academic staff can participate in shared governance through several University committees and initiatives. Firstly, the Budget Priorities Committee (BPC) is a group of students, staff, and faculty who make formal budget recommendations to the President, and bridge the gap between the President and campus community members. More information can be found through the BPC website:
https://www.cmich.edu/bpc/Pages/default.aspx

Additionally, staff have the opportunity to participate in the Diversity Counsel, Police Oversight Council, and Collective Bargaining Units which enable non-academic and academic staff to advocate for institutional change.
https://www.cmich.edu/bpc/Pages/default.aspx
https://www.cmich.edu/office_president/police_oversight/Pages/default.aspx

The governing body at CMU which dictates campus relationships with stakeholders is the Shared Governance and Communications Committee. This was created by 2013 by former president George E. Ross, and still exists to review and implement internal and external stakeholder engagement programs. The number one priority of the Shared Governance Committee is to "Provide a means for internal and external stakeholders to share feedback, including concerns regarding perceived lapses in following the hallmarks of shared governance and communications at CMU. The committee will act not as jury, judge or mediator, but may help open lines of communication between relevant parties and suggest possible paths to address issues. It will not, however, be involved in implementing solutions."

One of the regular tasks taken on by the committee is an annual survey to assess stakeholder engagement, and gather formal input from all external stakeholders. The information gathered in this survey is used to dictate the direction of university decisions and initiatives. Finally, the committee prepares an annual report summarizing collected data to be presented to university leadership.

In addition to the annual survey conducted by the Shared Governance and Communications Committee, the committee founded the University Community Advisory Panel, which is charged with "seeking input from all those affected by an impending decision; the final authority will communicate how information is to be collected. It is incumbent on all those potentially affected by a decision to communicate their points of view." While this committee does not function in a regular manner, it is activated whenever there is a decision that will impact external stakeholders- so that CMU ensures it is making decisions in the best interest of everyone.

https://www.cmich.edu/AcademicSenate/Pages/default.aspx
https://www.cmich.edu/about/cmumasterplan/involved/Pages/stakeholders.aspx