Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 58.55
Liaison Amy Brunvand
Submission Date April 5, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Utah
PA-3: Participatory Governance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.25 / 3.00 Amy Brunvand
Librarian
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Do the institution’s students have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a student council)? :
Yes

Do the institution’s students have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
Yes

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which students are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:

Associated Students of the University of Utah (ASUU)
The ASUU Executive Branch consists of the elected officials of ASUU in addition to their appointed executive cabinet. The elected officials consist of the President, Vice President, and Senior Class President. Their appointed Executive Cabinet consists of 17 members which are responsible for a range of boards and committees. The executive branch is responsible for working with the student body to accurately represent and provide support for all students of the University. The ASUU Legislative Branch consists of the Senate and Assembly. The Student Senate is composed of 17 Senators, one elected from each college. Their primary responsibility is creating, coordinating, and evaluating legislation for student advisory councils (SACs). The Assembly is composed of 51 representatives elected from each college at the University, in proportion to the number of students enrolled in that college. The primary role of the Assembly is to appropriate funds to the various student groups and organizations on campus. The Supreme Court will have the power of constitutional review on any action taken by any and all members, groups and bodies of ASUU. The initiation of such action must be by a member of the ASUU. The Supreme Court holds the power to Subpoena, the power to Order, the power to Enjoin, the power to Compel by sanction or penalty, the power to render Findings, and; Subject to approval of the Assembly and the Student Senate, to propose Judicial Branch Bylaws and procedures.
URL: http://asuu.utah.edu/

Policy 6-002 (2) c. i : Each academic college shall elect one representative from its members to the ASUU Student Senate. (And for the limited purposes of student representation in the Academic Senate, the "University College" and "Honors College" together shall be considered as an area of representation of students equivalent to an academic college for purposes of equal representation.) The elected members of the ASUU Student Senate shall be entitled to attend Academic Senate meetings with full rights of discussion and vote.

According to Policy 2-002: Board of Trustees, Policy III-A "Membership and Authority", one of two ex-officio voting members is the "President of the Associated Students of the University of Utah" - see http://regulations.utah.edu/u-organizations/2-002a.php


Do the institution’s staff members have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a staff council)?:
Yes

Do the institution’s non-supervisory staff members have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
Yes

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which staff are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:

University of Utah Staff Council
Staff Council was established and is delegated authority by the President of the University to bring to the attention of the administration and Board of Trustees matters of general staff concern. The Council acts in an advisory capacity to the University President and the Board of Trustees. Staff Council consists of 35 staff members (both exempt and non-exempt) from across campus. Selection of members for the council is described in Section III.D.3 c & e - members of the Communication and Selection Committee (participation and roles described in Section VII.B) votes for all open seats on the Staff Council, and the HR Office(s) approves the selections. The President of the Staff Council is selected by council membership (secret ballot) as defined in Article V.C.5.a-f.

http://staffcouncil.utah.edu/UUSC%20Bylaws%20Final-12-2-15.pdf

According to Policy 2-002: Board of Trustees, Policy III-A "Membership and Authority" item #2, "In accord with Board of Regents Policy R223, the President of the University's Academic Senate and the President of the University's Staff Council shall have the opportunity, at their discretion, to participate in trustee meetings, and to provide point of policy input and make reports to the Board. - see http://regulations.utah.edu"/u-organizations/2-002a.php


Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a faculty senate)?:
Yes

Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body? :
Yes

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which teaching and research faculty are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:

University of Utah Academic Senate
The Academic Senate plays an integral part in the shared governance of the University of Utah. Its status is codified both in the Policy and Procedures Manual and in the history of the University. Strong working relations have developed between the Senate and the Administration in confronting the issues faced by the University. Both Senate and Administration take the initiative in formulating issues and in developing responses to them. Much of the actual Senate work is carried out by the 12 Senate-elected committees, which work on the central academic issues of the institution. They report to the full Senate, and the Senate often acts on their proposals as well as on issues brought to its attention by the administration.The Academic Senate is comprised of the following elected voting members: 100 Faculty members, proportionally representing and elected by their respective colleges, 2 Deans elected by the deans, 18 Students from student government (ASUU), one from each college and the ASUU president. The Senate also has 12 standing committees.

URL: https://academic-senate.utah.edu/

According to Policy 2-002: Board of Trustees, Policy III-A "Membership and Authority" item #2, "In accord with Board of Regents Policy R223, the President of the University's Academic Senate and the President of the University's Staff Council shall have the opportunity, at their discretion, to participate in trustee meetings, and to provide point of policy input and make reports to the Board. - see http://regulations.utah.edu"/u-organizations/2-002a.php


Does the institution have written policies and procedures to identify and engage external stakeholders (i.e. local residents) in land use planning, capital investment projects, and other institutional decisions that affect the community?:
Yes

A copy of the written policies and procedures:
---

The policies and procedures:

Policy 3-201: Physical Facilities Community Impact
To establish a process for planning and construction of physical facilities on the university campus which minimizes any adverse impact on nearby residents, businesses and local government.
URL: http://regulations.utah.edu/administration/3-201.php


Does the institution have formal participatory or shared governance bodies through which community members representing the interests of the following stakeholder groups can regularly participate in institutional governance?:
Yes or No
Local government and/or educational organizations No
Private sector organizations No
Civil society (e.g. NGOs, NPOs) No

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which external stakeholders are engaged in institutional governance (including information about each stakeholder group selected above):

Community Forum
The University hosts Community Forum meetings for both the on- and off-campus community at 5 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Representatives from the planning team provide updates on the status of the planning effort, present findings and recommendations, and offer opportunities for opinions and input. Interested community members can subscribe to a Community Forum Newsletter
URL: https://community.utah.edu/


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

NOTES

The University is a State of Utah facility and is not required to comply with local (City) plans or ordinances.

The University of Utah Campus Master Plan: Chapter 3, Discovery. (2008)
"The University of Utah campus is located in the East Bench Community District of Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake City Planning commission is charges with the legal responsibility to develop, through public participation, a comprehensive plan that provides guidance for community growth and development, including direction for land use issues and necessary capital improvements and programs for plan implementation. The City adopted the East Bench master Plan in April, 1987. " 18% of the land encompassed by the East Bench Master Plan is managed by the University of Utah; 7% is managed by Research Park. An update of the East Bench Master Plan is in process: URL: http://www.eastbenchmp.com/


NOTES

The University is a State of Utah facility and is not required to comply with local (City) plans or ordinances.

The University of Utah Campus Master Plan: Chapter 3, Discovery. (2008)
"The University of Utah campus is located in the East Bench Community District of Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake City Planning commission is charges with the legal responsibility to develop, through public participation, a comprehensive plan that provides guidance for community growth and development, including direction for land use issues and necessary capital improvements and programs for plan implementation. The City adopted the East Bench master Plan in April, 1987. " 18% of the land encompassed by the East Bench Master Plan is managed by the University of Utah; 7% is managed by Research Park. An update of the East Bench Master Plan is in process: URL: http://www.eastbenchmp.com/

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.