Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 47.40
Liaison Morgan Hartman
Submission Date Feb. 26, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of Nebraska - Lincoln
PA-3: Governance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Prabhakar Shrestha
Recycling Coordinator
UNL Recycling
"---" 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:

Residence Hall Association (RHA):
The General Elections of the Association shall be held on a date determined and publicized by the Electoral Commissioner. The date shall be made public thirty (30) days before the elections. On election day, the polls will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. when the hall’s dining hall is open. If the hall has no dining hall, then it will be open the full 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Any run-off elections shall be held within one week following the original election. Once again, the polls will be open during the same hours as a normal election day, at the necessary polling locations. More information can be found on the RHA website rha.unl.edu/const_bylaws.php

Association of Students of the University of Nebraska (ASUN)
Nearly 200 students each year are appointed to serve on the many committees, advisory boards and commissions that serve the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The ASUN President and the Appointments Board (a three member committee lead by the Appointments Secretary) are charged with appointing student representatives to campus-wide open positions. These vacancies are advertised in the Daily Nebraskan throughout the academic year. Applications are available in the ASUN office (136 Nebraska Union) and on this website. Students may run for a Senate position in the March election. For more information please visit asun.unl.edu

Graduate Student Association:
Representatives from colleges can elected annually however there are many potions available throughout the year. More information can be found at http://www.unl.edu/gsa/openpositions.shtml


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?:
Yes

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

Association of Students of the University of Nebraska:
ASUN is meant to serve the student on campus by acting as their voice and relaying student opinions to faculty, staff, and the Board of Regents. ASUN aims to be a student resource and want to emphasize that its doors are always open. If you are interested in learning about ASUN, have a problem with something on campus, or are passionate about a project and need resources to help you along visit the ASUN office.

The Residence Hall Association:
Aim to serve as the student government of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln residence halls;
to enhance the living and learning environment of the halls and to work jointly with the University Administration to create and alter policies designed to establish and maintain such an environment;
to encourage and coordinate the representation of the General Membership throughout campus;
to communicate to the General Membership any information pertinent to them;
to discuss, to act upon, and to communicate the opinion of the Association on matters of interest to the General Membership;
Communicate with other student organizations on campus.

Graduate Student Organization:
The GSA has made large strides since our inception to improve graduate student life at UNL. The GSA works to create a University-wide Graduate Student Bill of Rights; University-wide Graduate Student Academic Leave Policy; improve Graduate Student Representation on University Committees; to develop a clear, University-wide understanding of Graduate Student Assistant (TA and RA) employment status; and to develop a transportation program that can cheaply shuttle graduate students to and from airports.


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 Yes
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:

Students are involved in a great deal of University business. Students Body Presidents become members on the Board of Regents where they provide input on overall organizational mission and goals. Students participate in campus mater planning committees where they can take pat of strategic planning and the creation of new physical resources. Student involvement is also treasured at the Academic Planning Committee where students can make decisions and recommend actions and procedures for new and existing academic programs.


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:

University Association for Administrative Development (UAAD):
Staff can joins the UAAD by filling out a membership application online at uaad.unl.edu/membership
With their membership staff would be able to participate in:
-Professional development seminars and workshops
-Monthly meetings (September through May) with programs of interest to the membership
-Monthly e-newsletter
-An opportunity to work on issues and have a voice in the decisions that concern your work life
-Network and get to know your colleagues from all over campus

University of Nebraska Office Professionals Association:
The purpose of UNOPA is to provide professional growth and promote high professional standards for educational office professionals with the University of Nebraska, as partners upholding the quality of service to the university educational system and the community.

Faculty Senate:
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln participates in shared governance between the faculty and administration through the Faculty Senate. Established in 1974 the Faculty Senate is a representative body of members elected by the faculty of the various academic departments and units of UNL. The Faculty Senate supports faculty governance and believes that shared governance is essential to creating a productive and rewarding academic environment for faculty and students as well as protecting faculty to pursue independent, scholarly research.

As per the University of Nebraska, Board of Regents' Bylaws the Faculty Senate is the governing agency for dealing with matters of interest to more than one college and acts as the official voice of the faculty of UNL. The Faculty Senate also advises and consults with student, staff, and administrative groups on matters of general concern which include, but are not necessarily limited to, the budget, institutional planning, library and computer operations, student academic conduct in the classroom, and the selection of academic-administrative personnel.

The Faculty Senate provides protection of academic freedom through the Academic Rights and Responsibilities Committee. The Faculty Senate has also established committees to deal with academic standards, curriculum, computing services on campus, commencement and honors convocations, honorary degrees and intercollegiate athletics.


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:

University Staff can be appointed or elected to serve a on a variety of committees where they have an avenue to participate in the roles and decisions described above.


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:

Faculty Senate:
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln participates in shared governance between the faculty and administration through the Faculty Senate. Established in 1974 the Faculty Senate is a representative body of members elected by the faculty of the various academic departments and units of UNL. The Faculty Senate supports faculty governance and believes that shared governance is essential to creating a productive and rewarding academic environment for faculty and students as well as protecting faculty to pursue independent, scholarly research.

As per the University of Nebraska, Board of Regents' Bylaws the Faculty Senate is the governing agency for dealing with matters of interest to more than one college and acts as the official voice of the faculty of UNL. The Faculty Senate also advises and consults with student, staff, and administrative groups on matters of general concern which include, but are not necessarily limited to, the budget, institutional planning, library and computer operations, student academic conduct in the classroom, and the selection of academic-administrative personnel.

The Faculty Senate provides protection of academic freedom through the Academic Rights and Responsibilities Committee. The Faculty Senate has also established committees to deal with academic standards, curriculum, computing services on campus, commencement and honors convocations, honorary degrees and intercollegiate athletics.


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:
---

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:

Like students and staff faculty has the opportunity to participate in a variety of positions and committees where they can be part of the decision making process as described above.


The website URL where information about the institution’s governance structure is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Association of Students of the University of Nebraska: http://asun.unl.edu/
Residence Hall Association: http://rha.unl.edu/
Graduate Student Association: http://www.unl.edu/gsa/
University Office Professionals Association: http://unopa.unl.edu/
University Association for Administrative Development: http://uaad.unl.edu/
Faculty Senate: http://www.unl.edu/facultysenate/


Association of Students of the University of Nebraska: http://asun.unl.edu/
Residence Hall Association: http://rha.unl.edu/
Graduate Student Association: http://www.unl.edu/gsa/
University Office Professionals Association: http://unopa.unl.edu/
University Association for Administrative Development: http://uaad.unl.edu/
Faculty Senate: http://www.unl.edu/facultysenate/

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.