| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.46 |
| Liaison | Paul Mathisen |
| Submission Date | May 22, 2020 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
PA-3: Participatory Governance
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.75 / 3.00 |
Paul
Mathisen Dir. of Sustainability & Assoc. Prof Civil & Environmental Engineering |
Do the institution’s students have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a student council)? :
Do the institution’s students have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which students are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
The Student Government Association (SGA) at WPI acts as the voice for the undergraduate student body and encourages open communication between students and the WPI community. The SGA's mission is to improve the quality of student life at the university, both academically and socially, by addressing student needs and concerns, providing financial structure for WPI's student clubs and organizations, and representing the student body in a professional manner. The Graduate Student Government (GSG) is the governing body of the graduate student population at WPI. Its slogan is ""Promoting Graduate Life,"" and it fulfills this goal by being an effective graduate student voice, communicating with faculty and administration, and providing academic and social functions for new and existing graduate students.Membership in both student governments is determined through annual elections.
The presidents of SGA and GSG are welcome to attend as guests at the open portions of the meetings of WPI's Board of Trustees. These include non-closed committee meetings, plus plenaries, and to attend the Meeting of the Corporation. They are not full members, but they are elected and represent the student body in this capacity.
Students also are represented through WPI's Committee on Advising and Student Life (CASL), which consists of six elected Faculty Members, two undergraduate students, one graduate student, a representative of the Provost’s Office, and, ex officio, the Director of Academic Advising, and the Dean of Student Life. This body oversees the development of student advisory and counselling programs, evaluates the effectiveness of those programs, evaluates current practices in the areas of extracurricular activities as they affect academic performance.
Do the institution’s staff members have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a staff council)?:
Do the institution’s non-supervisory staff members have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which staff are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
Staff are appointed to serve on the Fringe Benefits Committee, Wellness Committee and the Human Resources Advisory Committee. As an example, the Fringe Benefits Committee minutes are posted here: http://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/fbc-minutes/
Non-supervisory staff have the ability to participate in the "Affinity group" which is a group which collaborates on administrative protocols and best practices.
Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a faculty senate)?:
Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body? :
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:
All of WPI's faculty are expected to engage and provide input through WPI's faculty governance program. All members of the faculty participate may participate in monthly faculty meetings and vote in faculty elections. Among other things, these elections select faculty representatives for a variety of standing and ad hoc committees and also to determine the Secretary of the Faculty. Faculty representatives sit on the major committees of the Board of Trustees.
Committees include: Committee on Governance, Tenure and Academic Freedom, Committee on Appointments and Promotions, Committee on Academic Operations; Committee on Academic Policy; Committee on Graduate Studies and Research; Campus Hiring board; Committee on Finance and Academic Policy, Faculty Review Committee, and the Undergraduate Outcomes Assessment Committee.
There is a formal processfor faculty to serve on several Committees of the Board of Trustees as full, voting members of those committees. The Board’s Nominations & Governance Committee appoints 2 faculty to each of the following committees: Student Affairs, Budget & Finance, Academic Planning, Facilities and Campus Infrastructure, and Economic Impact. Two faculty are also appointed to the Technology Task Force. In addition, the Secretary of the Faculty has a formal role at the Meeting of the Corporation (provides the Report from the Faculty) and the Chair of COG is welcome to attend that meeting as well.
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?:
A copy of the written policies and procedures:
The policies and procedures:
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):
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:
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.