Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 81.34
Liaison Mary Whitney
Submission Date Nov. 26, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Chatham University
PA-3: Participatory Governance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.50 / 3.00 Mary Whitney
University Sustainability Coordinator
Office of 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?:
No

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

The purpose of the Chatham Student Government (CSG) is to provide an orderly method of government that is representative of all undergraduate students and to advocate for the concerns, interests, needs, and welfare of the undergraduate student body at Chatham University. Activities and programs sponsored by this organization will keep with the organization’s stated objectives.

The purpose of the Graduate Student Assembly (GSA) is to improve graduate student life at Chatham University; to promote interaction among all graduate students; to bring graduate students into a more active participation within their departments; to act as the representative body for the graduate students and to present their views to the administration, faculty, and undergraduates; and to enhance the quality of education available at Chatham University by helping to program campus-wide events and activities which enrich our community through creating on-campus programming of lectures, workshops, and seminars from professionals outside of our University and by helping to enable graduate students to seek professional development through the help of our professional development fund. GSA is made up of two representatives from each Graduate Program, but all graduate students are welcome to attend GSA meetings or are encouraged to share their thoughts/ideas/concerns with the GSA representative.

Chatham Activities Board (CAB) is the student programming body for the entire campus. CAB is responsible for planning major campus traditions such as Harvest Fun Fest, Halloween Dinner, Holiday Ball, Battle of the Classes, Spring Fling and much more.


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:

DRVP Committee is a staff committee formed in 2017, conceived by and convened by staff middle managers. The committee has surveyed all other staff on what issues they would like to address and is developing the agenda for the 2018 year. This committee advises the Vice Presidents and the President.


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? :
No

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:

The standing faculty has the following responsibilities:
The approval of graduation requirements, the approval of changes and revisions to the Faculty Manual, the approval of new programs, majors, minors, and significant changes to programs, the approval of student academic policies, the approval of the report of the University Committee relative to the academic calendar, and the recommendation of this calendar to the President, and voting on new or replacement members of standing committees.

The University Committee has the following responsibilities:
The review and transmittal to the faculty of the academic calendar, the nomination of faculty to serve on elected and appointed faculty committees, and the
transmittal to the faculty of nominations to elected committees, the oversight of the agenda for faculty meetings, the oversight of the Faculty Manual, the routing of faculty business to the appropriate committee when necessary, the review of other non-curricular issues brought to it by faculty request or faculty committee request and not assigned elsewhere. In addition, the University Committee reviews issues brought to it by the administration.

University Committee also includes Student Affairs staff.


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?:
Yes

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

The Woodland Road Association was founded in 1870, one year after the founding of the university! The association includes the local residents that surround the university and representatives from the university. They are included in strategic planning and campus master planning. The groups also met quarterly to address issues that arise from proximity, and some of them have changed little since the founding. A copy of the original charter from 1870 is attached!


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):
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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