Missouri State University
PA-3: Participatory Governance

All Missouri State University students can participate in the Student Government Association on campus either through direct participation as an SGA member, or by electing said members. The elected and appointed officials of the SGA will be recognized as the official voice of the student body to represent the students of Missouri State University. In that capacity, the SGA may exercise the right to investigate general problems of student life and activity in the University and to report to officials on the local, state, and national levels on matters of student interest. Also, the office of the president utilizes many committees and task forces. One committee is the Sustainability Advisory Committee, which has several student representatives, including the SGA President. One full-time Missouri State University student serves as a non-voting member on the Board of Governors. The student must be a resident of the state of Missouri and if an undergraduate, must be enrolled in at least twelve (12) semester hours for two semesters per academic year. If the student member is a graduate student, that student must be enrolled in at least nine (9) semester hours for two semesters per academic year. The student governor shall be selected in the manner described by Section 174.055 Mo. Rev. Stat. Such representative shall be entitled to attend all meetings and participate in all deliberations. The student governor shall be permitted to attend closed meetings of the Board, unless excluded in accord with Missouri law.

Staff Senate strives to enhance the university purpose of developing educated persons and the university mission in public affairs. They advocate the continuous improvement of a world-class staff committed to the highest standards of personal and professional development, productivity and social responsibility. They promote and foster the welfare and growth of university staff through a fact-finding, deliberative, and consultative body of representatives that makes studies, reports, and recommendations to the administration on behalf of its constituency. Staff Senate members are elected by the entire university staff from the five different job families on campus and serve a term of three years, four if they take an officer position.

The Faculty Senate provides a forum for discussing matters of concern to the Faculty and to inform all segments of the academic community of the Faculty Senate's concerns, findings, and actions. The Faculty Senate shall have the power to establish policy in the areas of authority assigned to the faculty in the Bylaws of the Board of Governors and for such other areas or problems as may be assigned to it by the president of the university or the Board of Governors. Shared governance, as delegated by the Board in the Faculty Handbook, recognizes the essential interdependence of governing boards, administration, faculty, staff, and students. This shared governance is indispensable to the development of educated persons. The Faculty Senate shall have the power to establish specific functional bodies to carry out powers granted to the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Senate and its established bodies shall have the power to initiate action in such curricular and non-curricular matters as it deems fit, or in such matters as are brought to its attention by one or more members of the faculty. Every Faculty Senate Action is subject to challenge by the faculty and subject to final approval by the President and, when necessary, by the Board of Governors.

Missouri State University’s Public Affairs mission necessitates the engagement of external stakeholders in land use planning, capital investment, and other decisions that affect the community. Our public affairs mission is defined through the three pillars of ethical leadership, cultural competence, and community engagement. As a publicly-funded entity, general control and management of the University is through the Board of Governors (BOG). Board members are comprised of individuals from across the state of Missouri (from each of seven districts), to represent the statewide community. Board meetings are open to the public in accordance with the Missouri Open Meetings statute, and time is allotted for public comment on agenda items (https://www.missouristate.edu/policy/G1_01-bog-bylaws.htm). The University engages the local community in numerous ways, including: • The Public Affairs Conference is an annual multi-day themed event that is free and open to the public. The April 2018 conference theme was ‘Sustainability in Practice’. https://publicaffairs.missouristate.edu/conference/ • Several University committees include community representatives. As an example, the Sustainability Advisory Committee includes representatives from local community organizations such as the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks, James River Basin Partnership, and City Utilities, as well as local citizen representation. https://www.missouristate.edu/Sustainability/AdvisoryCommittee.htm • The University is a participant in a community collaboration effort designed to revitalize downtown Springfield through the development of an urban innovation park. IDEA Commons is product of a cooperative effort by the University, the City of Springfield, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, and other civic organizations. To date, this effort has included the repurposing of old industrial facilities into a state-of-the-art research facility (Jordan Valley Innovation Center), a resource center for start-up businesses/entrepreneurs (The eFactory), and a multi-building campus for the University’s Art & Design department (Brick City). https://www.missouristate.edu/ideacommons/default.htm • The Missouri State Master Planning Committee reviews and updates the University’s Visioning Guide, which highlights potential future areas of campus development. Comments from both internal (campus) and external (community) stakeholders are solicited to guide decisions on development priorities for campus. The guide is updated on a biennial basis and made available to the public, as a print resource and posted on our website. https://architect.missouristate.edu/ourvision/Springfield/FY2017VisionGuide.htm

Local government: University administration meets regularly Springfield city staff to coordinate and discuss operational issues affecting both entities. When appropriate, these meetings include other organizations such as Springfield Public Schools, Greene County, and other area schools such as Drury University and Ozarks Technical Community College. University staff also meet with representatives from surrounding neighborhoods to work through university-related operations that may affect the neighborhoods. Private sector organizations: The University has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with local hospital system defining operational expectations for both parties during emergency situations. Civil society: Two local NGOs (Watershed Committee, James River Basin Partnership)have representation on the University's Sustainability Advisory Committee.