| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 57.55 |
| Liaison | Michelle Larkins |
| Submission Date | Dec. 20, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Pacific University
PA-3: Participatory Governance
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.50 / 3.00 |
Michelle
Larkins Director of the CSS Center for a Sustainable Society |
Do the institution’s students have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a student council)? :
Do the institution’s students have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which students are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
Undergraduate Student Senate (USS) serves as the official representative body of the undergraduate university student community by actively participating in campus governance. USS shall foster a spirit of unity and cooperation, providing representation of Pacific University students in coordination with the Faculty and Staff governing bodies. the President, VP of Campus Betterment, VP at large, and Treasurer are elected by the entire student body. Other senators are appointed. USS shall also provide a forum for the exchange of information between members of the administration, faculty, staff and students. USS shall contribute to the advancement of the University’s mission and vision by supporting the educational environment of the institution.
We hold weekly Senate meetings is in the Library Conference Room on Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. There are both voting members and non-voting representatives during full senate meetings. The senate weekly meetings are open to all members of the Pacific community.One of our senators serves on the Board of Trustees, which is the highest governing body on campus.
Graduate students at our College of Health Professions have an elected student council.
The presidents of Undergraduate and Graduate Councils sit on our University Council, and our Board of Trustees.
Do the institution’s staff members have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a staff council)?:
Do the institution’s non-supervisory staff members have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which staff are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
The Staff Senate serves as the official representative body of the university staff community by actively participating in campus governance. The Staff Senate will foster a spirit of unity and cooperation, providing representation of non-faculty personnel in coordination with the faculty and student governing bodies. The Staff Senate will also provide a forum for the exchange of information between members of the staff, administration, faculty, and students. The Staff Senate will contribute to the advancement of the university’s mission and vision by supporting the educational environment of the institution. Requirements/Expectations: Nominees must be benefits eligible, non-faculty employees of Pacific University and must have been employed for at least one (1) year.
Senators are elected members of the eligible Staff-at-large and serve a two-year term. All staff may vote for senators. Each senator is responsible for representing the entire community. Any staff member can forward a name to the Governance Committee or self-nominate to be included in the process. An election by ballot will be held annually during April.
The President of the Staff Senate sits on our University Council and our Board of Trustees.
Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a faculty senate)?:
Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body? :
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 faculty of Pacific University has a distinctive relationship to the mission of the University in that the professional academic credentials of faculty members gives them the primary expertise and preeminent responsibility for carrying out the educational mission of the University. Through the Faculty Senate, the collective university faculty exercises its unique role in university governance, which, when integrated with other decision-making units, makes up the shared governance system of Pacific University. The institution of tenure allows faculty members to take strong and independent positions on the range of issues the Faculty Senate considers. Because of this special relationship of faculty within the university structure, the Faculty Senate has a strong voice in both academic policy and other major policy decisions affecting the University.
The Faculty Senate works in tandem with the University Council and Staff Senate to affect a transparent, effective, equitable governance system. The Faculty Senate has primary control over academic policy matters, faculty personnel issues, and faculty research. In addition, whereas the University Council functions as the deliberative body for non-academic policy, the faculty via the Faculty Senate, functions as the deliberative body on all major policy decisions. All decisions taken by either the University Council or the Faculty Senate are sent to the President of the University for approval. The Faculty Senate is committed to mutual consultation, seeking solutions for shared problems, maintaining an efficient flow of information, and giving voice to the entire university faculty.
The senate chair will work closely with the provost to coordinate the business of the University Council and the Faculty Senate and will meet on a regular basis with the president of the university.
The Senate chair (president) sits on the University Council and the Board of Trustees.
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?:
A copy of the written policies and procedures:
The policies and procedures:
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):
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.