Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 77.34
Liaison Sally DeLeon
Submission Date Feb. 27, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of Maryland, College Park
PA-3: Inclusive and Participatory Governance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.12 / 3.00 Sally DeLeon
Acting Manager
Environmental Safety, Sustainability and Risk
"---" 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 Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal participatory or shared governance bodies:
The University Senate is one of the largest and most influential governing bodies at the University of Maryland. The Senate is composed of faculty, staff, students, and administrators that are peer-elected, volunteer, or appointed. As Senators and Senate Committee members, these constituents directly participate in the shared governance of our University. The primary function of the Senate is to advise the University President on virtually all campus policy matters and concerns, including but not limited to: education, budget, personnel, campus-community, long range plans, facilities, and faculty, staff and student affairs (subject to the limitations imposed by laws or mandates from the University of Maryland System Board of Regents or the Chancellor). Read more at: https://www.senate.umd.edu/shared-gov

The University of Maryland Student Government Association is the undergraduate student lead governing body at UMD. Student representatives in the legislative and executive branches are elected by their peers. (https://www.umdsga.com/)

The University of Maryland Graduate Student Government (GSG) is the official representative body for graduate students at UMD. Student representatives and the executive board are elected by their peers. (https://gsg.umd.edu/)

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The USM Board of Regents, the University System of Maryland's highest governing body, includes an elected student representative. The University System Student Council reads applications submitted by student governance organizations at each institution, and selects one applicant from each USM school to nominate for Student Regent. These selections are sent to the Governor, who appoints one of nominated students as Student Regent to serve a one year term as a voting member on the Board of Regents.

USM by-laws describing this process are available online at:
https://www.usmd.edu/regents/bylaws/SectionI/I300.pdf
http://www.usmd.edu/regents/bylaws/SectionI/I301.pdf

The University System Student Council is composed of two students from each institution in the University System of Maryland. This council advises the University System of Maryland Board of Regents on decisions that impact students. (https://www.usmd.edu/usm/workgroups/StudentCouncil/index.php)

The Council of University System Staff represents all exempt and non-exempt staff members that are not represented by a union. Each institution elects 2-3 members to the council. This council advises the Board of Regents on policy issues that impact staff. (https://www.usmd.edu/usm/workgroups/SystemStaff/index.html)

The Council of University System Faculty is similarly composed of faculty members elected from each university to serve a three-year term. The number of representatives is based on the size of the institution’s full time faculty. This Council serves in an advisory fashion to the Board of Regents. (https://www.usmd.edu/usm/workgroups/SystemFaculty/)

Members of the Board of Regents: https://www.usmd.edu/regents/members/

Part 2. Campus stakeholder representation in governance

Total number of individuals on the institution’s highest governing body:
21

Number of students representing their peers as official members of the institution’s highest governing body:
2

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:
6

Percentage of official members of the highest governing body that are women:
28.57

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:
The University of Maryland jointly supports the College Park City-University Partnership (CPCUP), a nonprofit local development corporation. The Board of Directors includes representation from local government, local non-profits, state government, local residents, and university administration. The Partnership developed the University District Plan and facilitates committees with university and community participation in each of the five pillars this plan: Housing and Development, Transportation, Education, Public Safety, and Sustainability.

Read more at: https://collegeparkpartnership.org/university-district-vision/

Optional Fields 

Number of people from underrepresented groups serving as official members of the institution’s highest governing body.:
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Website URL where information about the institution’s governance structure is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Parts Two and Three represent University System of Maryland Board of Regents membership.

The CPCUP non-profit has expanded significantly compared to its initial charter. It was initially created to meet a USM Board of Regents policy that aims to ensure that surrounding communities and local governments are informed about university facilities planning. The Policy on Community Notification of Capital Project requires reasonable efforts to notify adjoining property owners/occupants and local governments within one mile of the structure when a new building is planned for construction on USM land or during the planning phase for modifying and existing. Read more at:
https://www.usmd.edu/regents/bylaws/SectionVIII/VIII1040.pdf

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.