Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 61.14
Liaison Jeff Spoelstra
Submission Date Feb. 28, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Western Michigan University
PA-3: Participatory Governance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.75 / 3.00 Sue Brodasky
Administrator
Faculty Senate
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1

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

If yes to either of the above, provide:

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which students are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
The Western Student Association is for undergraduate students and serves as a part of shared governance with the University’s leadership. The Graduate Student Association is for graduate students and serves as a part of shared governance with the University’s leadership. Both WSA and GSA select members to serve on the seven Faculty Senate councils. The membership is as follows: * Academic and Information Technology Council – 1 WSA and 1 GSA representative * Campus Planning and Finance Council – 1 WSA and 1 GSA representative * Extended University Programs Council – 1 WSA and 1 GSA representative * Graduate Studies Council – 2 GSA representatives * International Education Council – 1 WSA and 1 GSA representative * Research Policies Council – 2 GSA representatives * Undergraduate Studies Council – 2 WSA representatives Student body representatives are elected and have regular meetings with the board of trustees, although they are not formally members of that body.

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?:
No

If yes to either of the above, provide:

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which staff are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
There are leadership staff members that serve as advisory members on the Faculty Senate councils by virtue of the expertise of the positions they hold on campus, as follows: *The Administrative Professional Association meets regularly and receives input on concerns and issues by periodically surveying its membership. This information is then used as the basis for ongoing forums with the administration in developing solutions to issues vital to both the University and its employees. * Academic and Information Technology Council – Libraries Dean, Associate Provost for Extended University Programs, Vice President for Business and Finance, Chief Information Officer * Campus Planning and Finance Council – Director for Campus Facilities, Executive Director for University Budgets, Vice President for Business and Finance, Associate Provost for Budget and Personnel, Associate Provost for Enrollment Management, Vice President for Marketing and Strategic Communication * Extended University Programs Council – Executive Director of Technology for Extended University Programs, Associate Provost for Extended University Programs, Director of Student Engagement for Extended University Programs * Graduate Studies Council – Dean of the Graduate College, Associate Provost for Assessment and Undergraduate Studies, Associate Provost for Extended University Programs * International Education Council – Director of Faculty and Global Program Development, Associate Provost for Haenicke Institution for Global Education * Research Policies Council – Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Research, Dean of the Graduate College, Associate Vice President for Business and Finance * Undergraduate Studies Council – Registrar, Associate Dean for Lee Honors College, Associate Provost for Assessment and Undergraduate Studies, Advising Director from one of the seven academic colleges, Associate Provost for Extended University Programs

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

If yes to either of the above, provide:

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 Western Michigan University Faculty Senate is the Board of Trustees authorized seat of shared governance for faculty-involved institutional matters related to the academy. The WMU Faculty Senate is the house of faculty participation in institutional governance, with delegated authorities to bring together interested parties for effective decision-making in order to advance the mission of the University. The Faculty Senate membership is as follows: * 75 elected faculty senators * 57 departmental elected faculty representatives * Nine elected at large faculty representatives * Four ex officio - WMU President, Provost, Faculty Chairs of Faculty Senate Councils, * Four presidential appointees – Vice President for Student Affairs, Associate Provost for Enrollment Management, Vice President for Research, Vice President for Business and Finance * Past presidents and officers - past Faculty Senate elected faculty presidents

Part 2

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

If yes to one or more of the above, provide:

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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Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
http://wmich.edu/facultysenate

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Wmich.edu/facultysenate/policies_and_forms

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.