| Overall Rating | Bronze - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 41.01 |
| Liaison | Chad Carwein |
| Submission Date | Feb. 14, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
East Carolina University
PA-3: Participatory Governance
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.75 / 3.00 |
Chad
Carwein University Sustainability Manager HSC Facilities Services |
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:
Student Government Association of East Carolina University Constitution
Article I. Name and Purpose
Section 1 – Name
The name of this organization shall be The Student Government Association of East Carolina University, which herein after may be referred to as “Student Government Association”.
Section 2 – Purpose
The Student Government Association exists to serve the students of East Carolina University, and will be a source of governance for the students so that they may be heard collectively. This organization will encourage cooperation that inspires positive change within the university and its constituents, while upholding the values and mission of East Carolina University. The focus of the Student Government Association is to advocate for the East Carolina University Student Body by creating Student-University engagement. Opportunities will be in an environment in which students have the right to self-expression.
Article III. Executive Cabinet
Section 2 – Student Body President
A. Qualifications:
i. Currently be enrolled as a full time student at East Carolina University;
ii. Be enrolled in a minimum of fifty percent (50%) of on campus classes during the fall and spring semesters;
iii. Must have completed twenty-four (24) credit hours while enrolled at East Carolina University;
iv. Not be found responsible for any academic or disciplinary sanctions before filing for election or while in office;
v. File a required grade release documentation with East Carolina University, prior to taking office;
vi. Have and maintain a minimum 2.500 cumulative grade point average and a minimum 2.500 semester grade point average as reported through the official student information system;
vii. Uphold all provisions outlined in the Constitution, Bylaws, and all other governing documents;
viii. Must be elected by the student body, unless following the line of succession;
ix. Take the oath of office upon election or appointment, as prescribed by the Bylaws.
B. Responsibilities:
i. Serve as a non-voting ex-officio member of the Student Assembly;
ii. Serve as an ex-officio member of the East Carolina University Board of Trustees;
iii. Attend meetings of the University of North Carolina Association of Student Governments;
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:
The ECU Staff Senate is a representative body of employees established to promote communication between staff of East Carolina University and the administration (as well as faculty and students where appropriate). The Staff Senate is comprised of elected senators from the Subject to the Personnel Act (SHRA) employee population, Clinical Support Services (CSS) employee population and the non-teaching Exempt from the Personnel Act (non-teaching EHRA) employee population at East Carolina University.
Reporting directly to the Chancellor, the Senate:
• Serves as a liaison between staff and the Chancellor, Board of Trustees, Faculty
Senate, Student Government Association, and UNC Staff Assembly;
• Reviews policies, rules, regulations and procedures and makes recommendations
regarding the interests/concerns that affect Staff
• Assists in the communication of issues and activities affecting staff members;
• Promotes participation in the University community through its support of University
activities and community service projects; and
• Encourages a sense of community among all University employees
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:
What is the Faculty Senate?
A legislative and advisory body representing the general faculty and shall consist of
elected and ex-officio members. The Faculty Senate and the various committees on
which the faculty serve shall be the primary media for the essential joint effort of faculty
and administration in the government of East Carolina University.
What is the mission of the Faculty Senate?
The purpose of the faculty organization shall be to provide the means by which the faculty is enabled to fulfill its function with respect to academic and educational policies and other affairs of East Carolina University.
What are the duties of the Faculty Senate?
The legislative powers of the general faculty are delegated to the Faculty Senate and the Faculty Senate shall have the powers of the general faculty, subject to the limitations stated in this constitution, in formulating the policies of East Carolina University. The Faculty Senate shall ratify, amend, or remand all matters of academic policy or faculty welfare which have been recommended by any standing or special committee of East Carolina University, or initiate any policies in such matters which it deems desirable.
What is the relationship between the Faculty Senate and administration?
The ECU Faculty Senate is the centerpiece of shared governance. The elected ECU Faculty Senators serve as the voice of ECU’s general faculty. The Faculty Senate and the various standing University Committees on which the faculty serve are the primary conduit for the essential joint effort of faculty and administration in the long-standing shared governance of East Carolina University. The Chancellor and the Chair of the Faculty facilitate communication that enables continuing and effective faculty participation in all aspects of the University community.
What is the role of the Faculty Senate committees in determining university policy?
All University Academic Committees are standing committees of the Faculty Senate. The committees initiate and review policies on all matters of academic and faculty welfare and present those policies to the Faculty Senate for ratification, amendment, or remand. They meet on a standard schedule, set and revised by the Committee on Committees. In addition to the Academic Standing Committees, the Faculty Senate has five standing appellate committees that deal with discharge, imposition of serious sanction, employment status, instructional relationship, implementation of governance procedures, sexual, racial or ethnic harassment or discrimination or conflict of interest, non-reappointment and non-conferral of permanent tenure.
What are the duties of the Faculty Officers? How long do they serve?
All faculty officers are elected for one year terms, with the ability for re-election. The Chair of the Faculty shall preside at all meetings. He or she is empowered to call special meetings when necessary. The Chair is an ex-officio member of all academic committees and various administrative committees. The Chair may delegate to the Vice Chair or an appointed representative his or her seat on any of the academic or various administrative committees. He or she shall appoint persons to fill unexpired terms on academic committees. The Chair is responsible for conveying greetings of the Faculty at commencement exercises and representing the Faculty at university functions and Board of Trustee meetings. For the length of his/her term as Chair, the Chair of the Faculty serves as a Delegate to the Faculty Assembly (but not exceeding
six consecutive years), with duties as a delegate described in the Bylaws of the Faculty Assembly of the University of North Carolina, and referenced in the ECU Faculty Manual.
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:
ECU’s 2014 strategic plan serves as the university’s formal guide for developing university policy and strategic initiatives. This strategic plan positions East Carolina University as a leading force for academic excellence, economic development, public service, and discovery. The plan is derived from ECU’s mission statement and is organized around three commitments:
• Maximizing Student Success
• Serving the Public
• Leading Regional Transformation
ECU’s Office of Innovation and Economic Development (OIED) serves as the lead organization for connecting our campus to communities, government, industry and other external partners. The Community and Regional Development (CRD) program, specifically, helps engage our campus and citizens across the region in programming that is essential to our mission and critical to communities in the region. CRD fosters innovative partnerships that include more than 60 community partners and touches every corner of eastern North Carolina.
Community and Regional Development offers programming that ranges from technical assistance for individual towns, to an on-campus training curriculum that includes a full academic year of instruction on topics relating to Grant Writing and Administration, Program Evaluation, Local Government Management, Strategic Planning, and Economic Development. In both instances, local government staffers engage directly with OIED and receive guidance and instruction from staff, faculty or an appropriate partner organization with expertise in a specific program area. Many of our small town staffers have indicated that this program has allowed them to gain a better understanding of key areas of administration and become more confident and effective professional administrators or managers.
Community partners have benefited from increased local capacity that has helped them address key issue. We have also engaged partner agencies that have invested and helped participating communities receive awards that range from mini-grants of $1500 for small projects, to grants of $75,000 for training and larger-scale projects. Local projects include feasibility studies, small town development plans, housing assessments, and strategic plans that have engaged hundreds of citizens in local government processes.
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 | Yes |
| Private sector organizations | Yes |
| Civil society (e.g. NGOs, NPOs) | Yes |
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):
Citizen participation in more than a dozen strategic planning processes alone has provided a genuine platform for pubic input in the decision making process. The engagement of and collaboration between local government leaders, external partners, and the university has created an even more substantial public policy outcome by enhancing local capacity, identifying financial resources, allowing communities to develop and implement new projects, and fostering an environment of inclusion and partnership. Since 2010, the CRD program has:
• Established 61 formal community partnerships
• Completed 32 locally driven community projects
• Completed 12 community strategic planning processes
• Offered 98 Community Development training sessions
• Facilitated $2.7 million in investments in eastern communities
• Leveraged $24 million for community development projects
• Funded 40 Graduate Assistantships
We continue to expand our engagement portfolio and in 2016, operationalized the ECU Rural Community Consortium (RC2), a formal alliance between our campus, external stakeholders and rural communities. RC2 enhances internal communications, ensures a continual campus dialogue around outreach and engagement, helps coordinate campus engagement, and increases awareness of key region and state issues. RC2 includes a Policy Leadership Group that connects key external partners including US Department of Agriculture, US Economic Development Administration, NC Commerce, NC Agriculture, NC Rural Center, NC Local Government Commission, NC League of Municipalities, NC Electric Cooperatives, NC Environmental Quality, and Local Government/Community Representatives.
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:
Student Government Association (SGA) Constitution: https://www.ecu.edu/cs-studentaffairs/sga/upload/SGA-Constitution-2016.pdf
Staff Senate Bylaws: https://www.ecu.edu/cs-admin/staffsenate/upload/By-Laws-updated-3-2016-2.pdf
Faculty Senate Bylaws: http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/fsonline/customcf/currentfacultymanual/part2section2.pdf
OIED Data Source: Kenny Flowers, Associate Vice Chancellor for OIED
Student Government Association (SGA) Constitution: https://www.ecu.edu/cs-studentaffairs/sga/upload/SGA-Constitution-2016.pdf
Staff Senate Bylaws: https://www.ecu.edu/cs-admin/staffsenate/upload/By-Laws-updated-3-2016-2.pdf
Faculty Senate Bylaws: http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/fsonline/customcf/currentfacultymanual/part2section2.pdf
OIED Data Source: Kenny Flowers, Associate Vice Chancellor for OIED
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.