Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 49.89
Liaison Ann Drevno
Submission Date Jan. 25, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Saint Mary's College of California
PA-3: Governance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Jane Camarillo
Vice Provost for Student Life
Student Life
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Do all enrolled students, regardless of type or status, have an avenue to participate in one or more governance bodies (through direct participation or the election of representatives)?:
Yes

A brief description of the mechanisms through which students have an avenue to participate in one or more governance bodies:

The Associated Students of Saint Mary's College (ASSMC) is elected student government and provides the voice of the student body. They take an active role in determining priorities, changing or creating policy.

An Associated Students representative is on the Enrollment and Student Life Committee of the Board of Trustees, on the Campus Facilities Planning Committee of the College, and on the President's Strategic Planning Steering Committee. Further, students representatives are typically included in Board Task Forces or Ad Hoc Committees to address targeted questions for the institution.


Is there at least one student representative on the institution’s governing body who was elected by peers or appointed by a representative student body or organization?:
No

A brief description of student representation on the governing body, including how the representatives are selected:
---

Do students have a formal role in decision-making in regard to the following?:
Yes or No
Establishing organizational mission, vision, and/or goals No
Establishing new policies, programs, or initiatives Yes
Strategic and long-term planning Yes
Existing or prospective physical resources Yes
Budgeting, staffing and financial planning No
Communications processes and transparency practices Yes
Prioritization of programs and projects Yes

A brief description of the formal student role in regard to each area indicated, including examples from the previous three years:

Student representatives of the Associated Students are appointed to Campus Facilities Planning Committee, Strategic Planning Committee, the College Committee on Inclusive Excellence, the Student Rank and Tenure Committee. In each of these committees, there is some element of long range planning, recommendations for existing or prospective physical resources or transparency practices and communication. Student representatives are expected to bring the student view to bear on things such as priorities for new construction (e.g. first build a new residence hall or student centered program space).


Do all staff, regardless of type or status, have an avenue to participate in one or more governance bodies (through direct participation or the election of representatives)?:
Yes

A brief description of the mechanisms through which all staff have an avenue to participate in one or more governance bodies:

The Staff Council is a constituent body that operates as a recognized member of the college's governance system, providing an open forum for ongoing dialog among staff and administration. The Council is meant to be an deliberative body with authority to make recommendations that have bearing on the working environment of the staff.

A Staff Council representative (typically the chair) has presented a staff report to the Board of Trustees twice a year.

The Staff Council will deliberate on matters affecting staff salary and benefits. Their recommendations are typically used to develop the language of new policy on which the Board of Trustees votes. An example was recent raising of age for tuition waiver for children of staff, which was raised to age 25.

Faculty welfare committee.
Representatives from both sit on shared governance committee.


Is there at least one non-supervisory staff representative on the institution’s governing body who was elected by peers or appointed by a representative staff body or organization?:
No

A brief description of non-supervisory staff representation on the governing body, including how the representatives are selected:
---

Do non-supervisory staff have a formal role in decision-making in regard to the following? :
Yes or No
Establishing organizational mission, vision, and/or goals Yes
Establishing new policies, programs, or initiatives Yes
Strategic and long-term planning Yes
Existing or prospective physical resources Yes
Budgeting, staffing and financial planning Yes
Communications processes and transparency practices Yes
Prioritization of programs and projects Yes

A brief description of the formal staff role in regard to each area indicated, including examples from the previous three years:

A Staff Council representative participates in College committees that include:
- Strategic Planning Steering Committee
- Mission Statement planning
- Budget Committee
- Campus Facilities Planning Committee
- Committee on Inclusive Excellence

By participating on the committees above, a Staff Council representative provides the staff perspective on matters related to all the areas indicated, for example, when the Budget Committee deliberates on the College's contribution to the health benefits for the upcoming fiscal year, a Staff Council representative is at the table representing the impact on the broader college staff of any change. The Budget Committee's budget proposal is then approved by the Board of Trustees.


Do all faculty, regardless of type or status, have an avenue to participate in one or more governance bodies (through direct participation or the election of representatives)?:
Yes

A brief description of the mechanisms through which all faculty (including adjunct faculty) have an avenue to participate in one or more governance bodies:

Select faculty participate on the Academic Affairs Committee, a sub-committee of the Board of Trustees. The faculty are typically deans of the schools, chair of the Academic Senate and the Provost.

The Chair of the Academic Senate provides a report to the Board of Trustees bi-annually and is elected by the faculty of the institution.


Is there at least one teaching or research faculty representative on the institution’s governing body who was elected by peers or appointed by a representative faculty body or organization?:
No

A brief description of faculty representation on the governing body, including how the representatives are selected:

N/A


Do faculty have a formal role in decision-making in regard to the following?:
Yes or No
Establishing organizational mission, vision, and/or goals Yes
Establishing new policies, programs, or initiatives Yes
Strategic and long-term planning Yes
Existing or prospective physical resources Yes
Budgeting, staffing and financial planning Yes
Communications processes and transparency practices Yes
Prioritization of programs and projects Yes

A brief description of the formal faculty role in regard to each area indicated, including examples from the previous three years:

A member of the faculty sits on the Budget Committee, the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, Campus Facilities Planning Committee, Technology Planning and Policy Committee and the Institutional Marketing Committee. Most of the areas of influence are focused on the nexus between these committee's mandate and academic policy, for example, participating on the College's Budget Committee assured that the faculty compensation program was funded.


The website URL where information about the institution’s governance structure is available:
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.