| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 58.19 |
| Liaison | Emma Blandford |
| Submission Date | March 2, 2021 |
Georgia Institute of Technology
PA-3: Inclusive and Participatory Governance
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.13 / 3.00 |
Anne
Rogers Sustainability Program & Portfolio Manager Office of Campus Sustainability |
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:
Students: Student Government Association
Faculty: Faculty Senate
Staff: Staff Council
Student Government Association
The Student Government Association (SGA) is the main governing body for students at Georgia Tech comprised of an Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branch for both undergraduate and graduate student representatives. All students at Tech may participate by voting in the election of representatives and the SGA President and Vice President. If they wish to become further involved, the Legislative branch holds open meetings that all students can attend. A student cannot directly author a bill to be presented to the Legislature, but they can easily collaborate with a formal student representative to accomplish this goal. Also, students can run for and hold office in SGA. The numerous committees are also available through an application process.
SGA’s executive governance structure mimics Georgia Tech’s executive leadership structure. Corresponding student executives have regular meetings with their peer executive at the institution. For example, the student body president meets with the president, the student VP of Campus Services meets with the VP of Campus Services, etc.
The Undergraduate House of Representatives and Graduate Student Senate make up SGA’s Legislative Branch. These bodies work together to pass legislation, approve resolutions, and complete budget items.
The Graduate Judiciary Cabinet (GJC) and Undergraduate Judiciary Cabinet (UJC) is the Judicial Branch of Georgia Tech’s Graduate and Undergraduate Student Government Association (SGA), respectively. The primary purpose of the judiciary cabinets is to hear cases of non-academic misconduct that involve Institute students.
Staff Council
There is an elected Georgia Tech Staff Council that consists of 20 members who proportionally represent the five job classifications as defined by Georgia Tech’s Job Classification and Compensation System. All staff members may participate in elections and all can be nominated to run as well. There are also five committees for the Council, including the Campus Physical Environment Commitment that has a focus on sustainability.
https://staffcouncil.gatech.edu/
Faculty Governance
The Institute is governed by the Faculty Executive Board, the Academic Faculty Senate, and the Research Faculty Senate. The Academic Faculty and Research Faculty as a whole also meet. All faculty have the opportunity to participate in both of the larger meetings and can be nominated to be elected to the Senate. The Faculty Executive Board is nominated and elected by both Senate bodies. Per the Georgia Board of Regents policy manual, “Persons holding adjunct appointments or other honorary titles shall not be considered to be members of the faculty.”
Per the Georgia Tech Faculty Handbook, “The Faculty of the Institute comprises the Academic Faculty, the Research Faculty, and designated Administrative Officers as defined below. The Faculty is granted the right and responsibility of its own governance; the governance of Students; the creation of such committees as may be required; the prescribing of regulations regarding admission, suspension, expulsion, discipline, scholarship, classes, courses of study, and requirements for graduation; and the creation of such other regulations as may be necessary or proper for the maintenance of high educational standards.”
“To fulfill these responsibilities, the Faculty establishes the following bodies: the Faculty Executive Board, the Academic Faculty, the Research Faculty, the Academic Faculty Senate, and the Research Faculty Senate. Some matters will require the Academic Faculty Senate and Research Faculty Senate to meet in joint session which will be termed a meeting of the Faculty Senate. Some matters will require a meeting of the whole Faculty comprising the Academic Faculty, Research Faculty, and designated Administrative Officers.”
The Academic Faculty Senate may act for the Academic Faculty in all matters and the Research Faculty Senate may act for all the Research Faculty in all matters except where the President has expressed a veto.
The distribution of the Research Faculty Senate and Academic Faculty Senate are representative of each college and school:
There shall be one (1) elected representative for each twenty (20) members (rounded) of the Academic Faculty for each School, the Colleges without Schools, and components of Services and Central Administration (which includes the Libraries and other components). Aggregates of units with fewer than ten (10) members of the Academic Faculty shall be formed as required by the Faculty Executive Board. Unit representation for terms beginning in the Fall semester shall be based on data compiled from the preceding Spring semester.
There shall be one (1) elected representative for each twenty (20) members (rounded) of the Research Faculty for each School, the Colleges without Schools, Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), and components of Services and Central Administration (which includes the Enterprise Innovation Institute, Libraries, and other components). Aggregates of units with fewer than ten (10) members of the Research Faculty shall be formed as required by the Faculty Executive Board. Unit representation for terms beginning in the Fall semester shall be based on data compiled from the preceding Spring semester.
Two non-voting student delegates are also on both the Academic Faculty Senate and Research Faculty Senate.
USG Board of Regents Policy Manual:
http://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section3/policy/C337/#p3.2.1.1_corps_of_instruction
Georgia Tech Faculty Governance Policy Manual:
http://policylibrary.gatech.edu/faculty-handbook/2.-faculty-governance
http://www.policylibrary.gatech.edu/faculty_handbook
http://facultygovernance.gatech.edu/
http://policylibrary.gatech.edu/faculty-handbook/2.2.3-academic-faculty-senate
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:
The President of Georgia Tech has an advisory board called the Georgia Tech Advisory Board (GTAB). It is composed of 54 members that includes alumni, parents of current and former students, and friends of the Institute. They meet twice per year in Atlanta to discuss institutional decisions, strategies, and programs and provide input to the president. They do not have a formal governing role, but instead provide advice and direction to the president and his/her leadership team on a variety of issues.
Georgia Tech, through the Center for Serve Learn Sustain (SLS), facilitates a Partnership Advisory Council. Serve-Learn-Sustain is a center formed in response to the institute’s Quality Enhancement Plan with the goal to “build sustainable communities” as part of the student learning experience. SLS’s Partnership Strategy guides engagement of community partners in a co-beneficial approach. Specifically, the PAC informs Georgia’s Tech’s work engaging student learning programs to critical issues and people, specifically focused on social sustainability and equity, in Georgia and Atlanta. The PAC’s members represent important community partners and stakeholders that help shape how Georgia Tech shapes and responds to the student learning experience.
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.