Shared Governance Discussion Session
November 18, 2024
12:00 PM - 12:00 PM
Location
Third Floor Event Center
Address
845 S Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60612
Calendar
Download iCal FileDear Colleagues,
Happy Fall! The Faculty Executive Committee (FEC) has been very busy over the past several months. As many changes are being made and more to come, we have been discussing the concept of shared governance. We will be holding some discussions on this topic over the coming weeks (see dates and RSVP at the end of the email). According to the Association of Governing Boards (2017), shared governance is “the process by which various constituents contribute to decision making related to college or university policy and procedure.” In its simplest form, the faculty are charged with expertise in the content/curriculum and administration oversees the operations of the college and things outside of the curriculum. It seems simple but the two intersect often and are inherently intertwined.
We have found ourselves asking what decisions need to be reviewed and vetted by FEC, by the general faculty, and by staff. Checks and balances are good for the college, but on the other hand, processes cannot become so onerous that the organization cannot pivot and respond to situations in a timely fashion. When the responsibilities and scope of shared governance are unclear, it can lead to faculty and staff feeling uninformed or excluded. We are at an inflection point. We are making multiple changes in the way we do things and are also designing and implementing new curriculum for our various programs.
The hallmarks of shared governance are trust, communication and transparency. In this spirit, FEC will be sponsoring several discussion sessions on shared governance. Each session will be co-hosted by the dean and a member of the FEC. These discussions are open to administrators, faculty and staff. We are attaching three articles on shared governance—we ask that you read at least two of them prior to attending. Even if you choose not to attend, the articles offer perspective and insights—we encourage you to take a look at them. We will host four in-person only sessions (two in Chicago, one in Urbana and one in Springfield). Additionally, there will be one session that will be virtual only. So that many voices can be heard, we ask that you participate in only one session. These are intended to be thoughtful discussions on how we move forward and make decisions as a college. They are not intended to be a complaint session or time to air grievances—there are other forums for that. Expect that your perspective will be constructively challenged. We found on FEC that we have a number of divergent perspectives on what shared governance is and should be. The goal is to come to some sense of what shared governance means to UIC Nursing. All voices and perspectives are welcomed. At the end, we will pull together thoughts on what shared governance looks like in our college.
Eileen Collins, PhD, RN, ATSF, FAAN
Dean and Professor of Nursing
Date posted
Nov 11, 2024
Date updated
Nov 11, 2024