University of Tennessee at Knoxville
PA-3: Participatory Governance

The Student Government Association is a body comprised of students pursuing the betterment of this institution so that all members of the University community are beneficiaries of the opportunities and advantages available in an environment conducive to growth. SGA exists to provide the student body with a means to deal with the affairs of students and as a forum for the expression of student views concerning student life within the University. The Student Government Association’s Student Senate is a governing body of over seventy undergraduate students that represent the interests and well being of all students at the University of Tennessee. Each academic college and residence hall has a representative elected by his or her fellow students in the annual Student Government Association elections, which are held each Spring. SGA Senators are required to research and write at least one piece of legislation in an academic year of which are then voted on by senators. In addition to being members of other university-wide organizations, Senators are also required to serve on one of the many SGA Student Services Committees. Senate meetings are held bi-weekly and are open for all students to attend. Lastly, the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees has two appointed Student Trustees each year. The student position shall be appointed annually by the Governor from a list of three nominees approved and submitted by the governing body of the student government association at a University of Tennessee institution. The charter provisions state that "one student member shall be a voting member and one student member shall be a nonvoting member, it being the legislative intent that a student member serve one year as a nonvoting member before becoming the voting member." Through these positions, students can vote to change policies.

The Exempt Staff Council (ESC), counterpart to the Faculty Senate and Employee Relations Councils, is a body elected by peers to represent nearly 2,200 exempt (administrative and professional) staff at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The ESC is sponsored by the Vice President for Administration and Finance. The mission of the ESC is to provide a forum for discussing issues and exchanging ideas relevant to exempt staff and to provide a mechanism for communicating with other representative bodies and administrators. Membership includes elected representatives from each of the vice president areas, the Office of the Provost, and any additional units with Knoxville area staff exempt personnel. Non-supervisory staff members that serve as representatives on the institution's highest governing body must be elected by their peers (elections each March). Elections are held in March or April. Representatives take office July 1. The Employee Relations Advisory Organization (ERAO) was established in 1972 to provide for a direct channel of communication between regular, staff non-exempt employees and university officials for information and advisory purposes. The ERAO also provides university officials with an effective method of soliciting and disseminating information concerning plans and programs affecting employees. An Employee Relations Advisory Board (ERAB) exists at the university system level to serve as an advisory group to the president with respect to university policies, programs, and practices.

The UTK Faculty Senate is the representative body through which the faculty participate in University affairs and shared governance. Through committees and a democratically elected legislative body it promulgates policies and regulations regarding the general educational objectives of UTK. Additionally, the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees includes two members of the faculty of the University of Tennessee who served as Faculty Senate President, or the equivalent, at a University of Tennessee institution during the academic year immediately preceding appointment as a trustee. These faculty members are elected to the President post, which is required to serve on the Board of Trustees. These members serve on the board as non-voting members during the first term and voting members during their second term. http://trustees.tennessee.edu/charter-provisions/

Part of the UT System Strategic Plan: http://tennessee.edu/static/strategicplan/plan.html Advocating for UT: 1. Create Greater Internal & External Transparency: Develop and implement Transparent UT Initiative to improve public access to information Increase opportunities for the public to submit ideas and feedback

https://esc.utk.edu/ https://hr.utk.edu/employee-relations-advisory-organization/ https://hr.tennessee.edu/get-involved/committees-councils/employee-relations-advisory-board/ https://tennessee.edu/plan/advocating-for-ut/