Recent shifts in university governance have relied on increased autonomy. Within this context, the enhanced role attributed to governance boards at the expense of academic bodies and the role of external stakeholders has gained momentum. With the aim of understanding the extent of the influence of external stakeholders at the institutional level,…

The Pembroke Undergraduate Research and Creativity Center's council assists the director in making funding decisions for the Undergraduate Assistant Scholarship (USA). A rubric was developed to guide the council's decisions. After the council members have reviewed and rated the USA proposals using a five-point rubric, the proposals then are ranked…

Colleges and universities across the United States have, over the centuries of their existence, gradually developed the systems of governance that we see today. Typically, this has taken the form of a governing board comprised of individuals with some connection to the institution. Although major restructuring of institutional governance may seem…

In Canada, only 44% of members of academic governance bodies at universities feel that their boards are effective decision-making bodies (Jones, Shanahan, & Goyan, 2004). In this study, we examined the views of senators at a British Columbia university regarding their senate's effectiveness in decision-making, including structures, processes,…

In the early 2000s, several post-communist countries launched reforms of university management and governance marked by the influence of a "modernization agenda" for higher education governance, which was promoted by the World Bank, the OECD and the European Commission. However, this "modernization agenda" was employed…

Historically universities have been academically focused institutions; however, in recent years they have begun to resemble a corporate business. The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the faculty senate's perceptions of the budget decision-making process at a public institution of higher education in Texas. The institution under study…

The author's experience as the faculty senate chair at the University of Mississippi (UM) during a year of budget crises is likely typical of many other university senate leaders. He found that major challenges face senates trying to play a role in developing budget reduction recommendations. These include: (1) an absence of understanding on the…

The number of staff members serving American higher education institutions has more than doubled in the past twenty years, as occupations in technology, development, government relations, and even athletic administration have grown as never before in the history of the academy. As the number, variety, and importance of these positions have grown,…

Faculty participation in campus governance is declining nationwide. As higher education shifts toward market models of organization, boards and administrators increasingly apply bureaucratic modes of decision making to areas that used to be the domain of faculty members. All too often, administrators seem to sidestep faculty senates in favor of…

A study revealed that many faculty and administrators believe most decisions are made in informal meetings that occur at times other than in the formally convened and formally conducted business meetings. The concept of meeting is expanded to include any gathering of members of an organization who assemble together informally and deliberately in…

Discusses the issue of faculty unionization on college campuses. The case of Yeshiva University is presented as the future of unions in the 1980s is considered by the Supreme Court. (SA)

The senate of the University of Maryland at College Park includes representatives of the entire campus community. The involvement of all constituencies is useful: decisions and policies made result from full information and discussion; there are no decision surprises; and there is strong administrative commitment to act on policies adopted. (MSE)

Shared governance and collegial management are discussed. Steps to strengthen the governance process are identified: a more sophisticated view of the governance process must be formed, faculty must avoid administrative centralization of power and faculty provincialism, become more involved in union affairs, and become politically knowledgeable.…

Summarizes a national study of the impact of faculty unionism on personnel practices, academic senates, and administrative and governance procedures. Concludes that faculties are better off because of unionization and that collective bargaining is a neutral decision-making process, its impact determined by the involvement of faculty and…

Faculty senates and similar units have long held a place in college and university decision making. This study was undertaken to determine how college presidents perceive faculty involvement in governance. A 3-round Delphi survey was conducted, and a total of 23 of the initial 30 college presidents completed all 3 rounds. Results suggest that…