University of Massachusetts Amherst
PA-3: Participatory Governance

Part 1

Institution has adopted a framework for engaging internal stakeholders (i.e. students, staff, faculty) in governance. The framework includes:

• Representative bodies through which students, staff and/or faculty can each participate in governance (e.g. student council, staff council, faculty senate);

And/or

• Elected student, staff and/or faculty representatives on the institution’s highest governing body. To count, representatives must be elected by their peers or appointed by a representative student, staff or faculty body or organization.

Part 2

Institution has adopted a framework for engaging external stakeholders (i.e. local community members) in the institution’s governance, strategy and operations. The framework includes:

• Written policies and procedures to identify and engage local residents in land use planning, capital investment projects, and other institutional decisions that affect the broader community (e.g. development projects that impact adjacent neighborhoods);

And/or

• Formal participatory or shared governance bodies (e.g. seats on the institution’s governing body and/or a formally recognized board, council or committee) through which community members representing the interests of the following stakeholder groups can regularly participate in institutional governance:
• Local government and/or educational organizations;
• Private sector organizations; and/or
• Civil society (e.g. non-governmental organizations and non-profit organizations).

The bodies and mechanisms reported for this credit may be managed by the institution (e.g. formal boards, committees, and councils), by stakeholder groups (e.g. independent committees and organizations that are formally recognized by the institution), or jointly (e.g. union/management structures).

Structures or mechanisms adopted by entities of which the institution is part (e.g. government or university system) may count for this credit as long as they apply and are adhered to by the institution.

This credit applies to all institutions.

Each part is scored independently.

Part 1

Institutions earn the maximum of 1.5 points available for Part 1 by meeting both of the criteria outlined above for students, staff, and faculty, Partial points are available based on the number of criteria met for each group as follows:

Part 2

Institutions earn the maximum of 1.5 points available for Part 2 by meeting all of the criteria outlined above. Partial points are available based on the number of criteria met as follows:

Timeframe

Report on current policies and procedures at the time of submission.

Sampling and Data Standards

Not applicable