Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 32.46
Liaison Feng Teter
Submission Date Aug. 7, 2020

STARS v2.2

California State University, Fresno
PA-3: Inclusive and Participatory Governance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.38 / 3.00 Beth Weinman
Associate Professor
Earth and Environmental Sciences
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have formal participatory or shared governance bodies through which the following stakeholders can regularly participate in the governance of the institution?:
Yes or No
Students Yes
Academic staff Yes
Non-academic staff Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal participatory or shared governance bodies:
Associated Students, Incorporated (ASI) is the highest governing body for students at the university. ASI works to provide a means for responsible and effective participation in the governance of the campus and quality of the educational experience by: (1) Providing an official voice through which student opinions are expressed through shared governance of the University. (2) Assisting in the protection of student rights and interests of the student body. (3) Stimulating the educational, social, physical and cultural wellbeing of the University Community. (4) Investing in and providing services and programs that meet the needs of students and the campus. All positions in ASI are appointed by students for students.

The Academic Senate is the highest governing body for faculty at the university. It is composed of faculty elected to represent all of the university’s departments and programs. Under the university’s constitution, it is empowered to formulate, review, revise, and adopt all policies regarding the university’s educational mission, including matters directly affecting the institution’s budget. Through the Academic Senate, the faculty has the primary responsibility the university’s most fundamental responsibilities of curriculum, methods of instruction, research and creative activity, faculty status, and those aspects of student life related to the educational process. Most importantly, the Academic Senate defends the academic freedom of all faculty at Fresno State consistent with the principals laid down by the American Association of University Professors.

The Staff Assembly is the highest governing body for both academic and non-academic staff at the university. The goals of the Staff Assembly are to promote the interests of campus staff through social and engagement activities at Fresno State. This includes, but is not limited to: (1) Provide a vehicle to promote staff engagement and involvement to various programs and activities and foster an opportunity to be more involved and informed of the functions on campus. (2) Collaborate, as needed, in facilitating staff appointments to social and engagement committees. (3) Stand as a University-recognized organization for all staff to support social and engagement activities - pertaining to the University that are outside the scope of the HEERA and the concerns of employee organizations. (4) Provide opportunities for staff to form a cohesive community in the workplace. (5) Provide a vehicle for staff engagement and networking. (6) Provide opportunities for staff recognition and appreciation.

The California State University system's highest governing body is the California State University Board of Trustees. The CSU Board of Trustees is a 25-member governance board that adopts regulations and policies governing the entire CSU system. This group governs the CSU system as a whole and is the highest governing board for the system, but may not routinely have representative members from Fresno State specifically. Board committees have authority over educational policy, finance, campus planning, and facilities, among other areas.

Membership of the board of trustees is composed of five (5) ex-officio Trustees (including the governor of CA, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the assembly, the state superintendent of public instruction, and the CSU chancellor), and nineteen (19) trustees who are generally appointed by the Governor.

Of the nineteen (19) governor-appointed trustees, two (2) are students, one (1) is an alumni from the CSU Statewide Alumni Council, one (1) is faculty from the Statewide Academic Senate, and the others represent diverse stakeholder groups from across the state.

For more information on the CSU Board of Trustees, please visit: https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/Pages/default.aspx

For more information about current membership of the Board of Trustees, please visit: https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/meet-the-board-of-trustees

Total number of individuals on the institution’s highest governing body:
25

Number of students representing their peers as official members of the institution’s highest governing body:
2

Number of academic staff representing their peers as official members of the institution’s highest governing body:
1

Number of non-academic staff representing their peers as official members of the institution’s highest governing body:
0

Number of women serving as official members of the institution’s highest governing body:
8

Percentage of official members of the highest governing body that are women:
32

Website URL where information about the institution’s highest governing body may be found:
Does the institution host or support one or more formal bodies through which external stakeholders have a regular voice in institutional decisions that affect them?:
Yes

A brief description of the campus-community council or equivalent body that gives external stakeholders a regular voice in institutional decisions that affect them:
In addition to the Board of Trustees, the University Advisory Board assists the university in effectively carrying out its mission. The Advisory Board serves in an advisory capacity and is used at the discretion of the President to seek counsel and advice as needed. A full list of members can be found here: http://www.fresnostate.edu/president/administration/advisory-board.html

Number of people from underrepresented groups serving as official members of the institution’s highest governing body.:
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Website URL where information about the institution’s governance structure is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
http://fresnostateasi.org
http://www.fresnostate.edu/academics/senate/
http://fresnostate.edu/orgs/staffassembly/index.html
https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.fresnostate.edu/president/administration/advisory-board.html

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.