Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 75.28
Liaison Kara Holmstrom
Submission Date Feb. 25, 2022

STARS v2.2

Luther College
PA-3: Inclusive and Participatory Governance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 3.00 Chris Frantsvog
Sustainability Coordinator
Center for Sustainable Communities
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Shared governance bodies

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 No

A brief description of the institution’s formal participatory or shared governance bodies:
Luther College is committed to shared governance throughout the organization. Most of the shared governance bodies are outlined in the Faculty handbook, though others are connected to the Board of Regents. A governance chart can be found here: https://www.luther.edu/academics/provost/assets/2021_22_Faculty_Governance_Roster.pdf

Student Senate is the primary means for student participation in the governance of the Luther College community: https://www.luther.edu/student-senate/

Many positions on Luther boards, committees and councils have staff representation. For example, both the Resource Council and Sustainability Council have required staff membership. The Executive Assistant to the President serves as the staff liaison to the Board of Regents.

Part 2. Campus stakeholder representation in governance

Total number of individuals on the institution’s highest governing body:
26

Number of students representing their peers as official members of the institution’s highest governing body:
0

Number of academic staff representing their peers as official members of the institution’s highest governing body:
0

Number of non-academic staff representing their peers as official members of the institution’s highest governing body:
0

Part 3. Gender equity in governance

Number of women serving as official members of the institution’s highest governing body:
11

Percentage of official members of the highest governing body that are women:
42.31

Website URL where information about the institution’s highest governing body may be found:

Part 4. Community engagement bodies

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the campus-community council or equivalent body that gives external stakeholders a regular voice in institutional decisions that affect them:
Luther hosts several entities that give external stakeholders a voice in institutional decisions. Both the Parents Council and Alumni Council provide formal opportunities for individuals to voice their concerns and influence institutional decisions.

The following Board of Regent committees all have non-Luther community members who serve as consultants and provide feedback on new programs, initiatives and ideas. Each committee meets three times per year, February, May and October.
- Facilities and Sustainability Committee
- Investment Committee
- Outreach and Gifts Committee
- Academic Affairs Committee

Directly connected to sustainability, the Facilities and Sustainability Committee of the Board of Regents invites individuals from the community to serve as outside resources to inform their Committee. The Facilities and Sustainability Committee monitors the stewardship of plant, equipment, and grounds; assesses the college's land stewardship plan; monitors progress on carbon neutrality targets; reviews campus energy efficiency and conservation efforts; recommends property sales or property acquisitions; reviews the deferred maintenance schedule; reviews campus sustainability initiatives; and recommends capital investment projects.

Optional Fields 

Number of people from underrepresented groups serving as official members of the institution’s highest governing body.:
5

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:
Luther College Sustainability Council:
https://www.luther.edu/sustainability/about/council/

Three students are official representatives to the Luther Board of Regents. They are not voting members but attend meetings and represent student interests at Regents meetings.

Three faculty serve as official representatives to the Luther Board of Regents. They are not voting members but attend meetings and represent faculty interests at Regents meetings.

One staff member serves as an official representative to the Luther Board of Regents. She is not a voting member but attends meetings and represents staff interests at Regents meetings.

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.