Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 41.59
Liaison Adam Maurer
Submission Date Dec. 18, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Seattle Central College
PA-3: Participatory Governance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.50 / 3.00 Adam Maurer
District Sustainability Coordinator
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1

Do the institution’s students have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a student council)? :
Yes

Do the institution’s students have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
No

If yes to either of the above, provide:

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which students are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
The Associated Student Council (ASC) is the official student government of Seattle Central. It represents student interests to the college administration. The ASC leads the organization of a broad range of student committees that address issues and concerns and promote services that enhance the student experience at Seattle Central.

Do the institution’s staff members have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a staff council)?:
Yes

Do the institution’s non-supervisory staff members have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
No

If yes to either of the above, provide:

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which staff are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
All of the employee 'classes' have representation on the College Council. The College Council is a participatory body that advises the President and President's Cabinet on important issues, including providing vital input to the annual budget process. It strives to be representative of the entire campus community, with membership that includes faculty, staff, students, and administrators, who engage their respective constituencies to provide opportunities to contribute to policy formation, resource allocation, and other significant issues and processes.

Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a faculty senate)?:
Yes

Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body? :
No

If yes to either of the above, provide:

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:
There is more than one body or mechanism for faculty to be engaged in governance, 1) the faculty union, AFT Seattle Community Colleges Local 1789 represents the faculty through the collective bargaining agreement, and through college-based faculty senates, which are branches of the union in our district. 2) The College Council has representatives from various constituencies, including faculty, 3) The college is also establishing a new District Faculty Shared Governance Committee soon.

Part 2

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?:
Yes

A copy of the written policies and procedures:
SAC_Bylaws2009.pdf

The policies and procedures:
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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

If yes to one or more of the above, provide:

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):
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Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The governing body used here is our President's Cabinet, but South Seattle College is part of the Seattle Colleges district, which has a Board of Trustees as well. Faculty, staff, and students have ex officio standing on the board via appointed members. The Executive of Administration of the Student Council represents students. The president of AFT Seattle represents the faculty. The Seattle College District is governed by a five-member Board of Trustees appointed by the Washington State Governor and approved by the State Senate for sequential five-year terms. The primary responsibility of the Board of Trustees is to meet the changing educational needs of the community while reflecting the community’s values in fulfilling the college mission.

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.