Shared governance discussed at first Academic Senate meeting of the year

Central Michigan University’s Shared Governance Committee presented plans for the upcoming academic year at the first Academic Senate meeting Tuesday.

The major upcoming project for the committee is a survey for all on-campus entities that will be used to determine what the Shared Governance Committee will focus on for the year.

“We are coming up with questions for a campus-wide survey of all constituencies,” Jim McDonald, A-Senate chairman and Shared Governance co-chair said. ”We want input. We want data. We want everyone’s opinion represented and known.”

The purpose of the survey will be to gain knowledge and opinions about the actions of the committee from those on campus represented. The date of the survey’s reveal is yet to be determined, but will take place sometime in the fall semester.

“We hope to finish our work by the end of the semester,” McDonald said.

The Shared Governance Committee was formed last February to open communication between different groups at the university, and to involve students, faculty and staff in decisions made this year.

“Poor communication between different groups on campus was the catalyst for the reformation of the committee,” Jim Hageman, special assistant to University President George Ross and Shared Governance Committee co-chair said.

He said the committee is aware of some of the problems they have had in the past and are open to ideas on how to improve communication.

The committee also discussed updates that have been made on the two documents being used to build the basis of their actions.

“The documents are the result of last semester’s work and brainstorming sessions,” Hageman said.

The committee will continue to discuss the planned campus-wide survey as well as other communication-based initiatives to be accomplished in the upcoming semester.

Additionally, live streaming and archiving of senate meetings on the official senate website was approved and University President George Ross discussed the development of an enrollment management plan to be implemented in upcoming semesters.