Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 57.29
Liaison Jennifer Kleindienst
Submission Date Dec. 1, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Wesleyan University
PA-3: Participatory Governance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 3.00 Jennifer Kleindienst
Sustainability Coordinator
Finance and Administration
"---" 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?:
No

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

The WSA Senate will include 35 Senators who are elected by the student body for a year term and whom shall serve on one standing committee. Senators may serve as a Chair or Member of a Sub-Committee/Working Group, vote on WSA Resolutions, and are eligible to attend Board of Trustee meetings as student representatives. The purpose of the Senate is to represent the student voice to the Board of Trustees and administration, create, debate and vote on Resolutions, ensure the WSA is initiating and following through on meaningful projects and maintain WSA’s institutional stability and memory.


Do the institution’s staff members have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a staff council)?:
No

Do the institution’s non-supervisory staff members have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
No

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which staff are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
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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? :
No

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:

The faculty has four elected representatives who meet with the board of trustees, the institution’s governing body. The chair and vice chair of the faculty serve as representatives to two committees of the board of trustees; another two faculty members are elected specifically as faculty representatives to the board. In addition, the deans are faculty members, as is typically the provost; these faculty members have formal and informal access to the president and the board of trustees.

Standing committees of the faculty, and occasionally ad hoc committees as well, do the basic work of the faculty, establishing and reviewing educational policy, representing faculty in lieu of unionized collective bargaining, recommending to the administration and trustees on personnel matters, and managing affairs of the faculty and its relationship with students in general. Faculty meetings allow faculty to discuss issues of importance, establish policy, and amend the by-laws of the faculty as necessary.

The chair and vice chair of the faculty set the faculty agenda for meetings of the faculty and meet with chairs of faculty committees (the “faculty executive committee”) to set the faculty's agenda. Periodically, those meetings involve the provost and the president also. In addition, the chair and vice chair meet regularly with the provost, and the chair also meets with the president and members of the president’s cabinet, learning the issues of importance to administrative leadership and helping to shape its agenda.


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?:
No

A copy of the written policies and procedures:
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The policies and procedures:
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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):
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Wesleyan is currently having discussions about a prospective Staff Council.


Wesleyan is currently having discussions about a prospective Staff Council.

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.