| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.18 |
| Liaison | Ezra Small |
| Submission Date | Feb. 5, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Massachusetts Amherst
PA-3: Governance
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Ezra
Small Sustainability Manager Physical Plant |
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)?:
A brief description of the mechanisms through which students have an avenue to participate in one or more governance bodies:
Student Government Association (SGA) Student Trustee, President, the Executive Cabinet, and the Student Senate made up of 50 Senators, the Speaker, the Associate Speaker, and the Special Assistants.
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?:
A brief description of student representation on the governing body, including how the representatives are selected:
The Student Trustee is elected by the student body and serves on multiple governing bodies including the Socially Responsible Investments Committee of the UMass Foundation.
Do students 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 | --- |
| 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:
The President is an undergraduate student who meets regularly with the SGA Vice-President, the Executive Cabinet, administrators, students, town officials, alumni, etc, in an effort to formulate and implement policy initiatives across campus.
The President is vested with the executive authority of the SGA as provided by the SGA Constitution and By-Laws. He/She shall act as the Chief Executive Officer of the SGA and therefore is empowered to:
Take care that all the provisions of the SGA Constitution, By-Laws, and Acts of the SGA are faithfully executed.
Appoint, upon a majority vote of the Senate membership, the Executive Cabinet.
Give direction to the SGA Vice-President and the Executive Cabinet.
Appoint, upon the recommendation of the Coordinating Council, and upon a majority vote of the Senate membership, seven Justices of the Student Judiciary.
Appoint all lesser executive officers and external SGA committees as defined by the By-laws.
Veto any bill except resolutions, the Annual SGA S-1 Budget Act, and Articles of Impeachment.
Initiate a referendum.
The Senate is responsible for:
passing resolutions and enactments
allocating the $2 million budget
expressing the will of the undergraduate student body on campus
Senators are appointed to one of the listed standing committees:
Senators are also required to be a member of a Faculty Senate or other Administrative Committee such as SAJIC or the Police Advisory Board.
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)?:
A brief description of the mechanisms through which all staff have an avenue to participate in one or more governance bodies:
Staff on campus have the ability to participate in their unions which provide opportunities for establishing new policies, programs, or initiatives; budgeting, staffing and financial planning; and communications processes and transparency practices.
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?:
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:
The Campus Sustainability Manager has played a large role in many of the above decision making areas at the highest campus governing level including input on the Campus Master Plan, the Master Energy Plan, Sustainability Planning, etc.
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)?:
A brief description of the mechanisms through which all faculty (including adjunct faculty) have an avenue to participate in one or more governance bodies:
Faculty Senate
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?:
A brief description of faculty representation on the governing body, including how the representatives are selected:
This can be found in the Faculty Senate By-laws: http://www.umass.edu/senate/sites/default/files/bylaws_constitution/Faculty-Senate-Bylaws-and-Constitution.pdf
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:
Faculty have served on the Chancellors Joint Task Force on Strategic Oversight Committee over the past 2 years.
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.