| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.61 |
| Liaison | Jack Byrne |
| Submission Date | May 1, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Middlebury College
PA-3: Governance
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Jack
Byrne Director of Sustainability Integration Environmental Affair |
Do all enrolled students, regardless of type or status, have an avenue to participate in one or more governance bodies (through direct participation or the election of representatives)?:
A brief description of the mechanisms through which students have an avenue to participate in one or more governance bodies:
Students have been asked to express interest in serving as a "constituent" overseer on the college’s new Board of Overseers.
The Middlebury Board of Trustees will have three separate Boards of Overseers, each focusing specifically on one (or more) of the educational programs: Middlebury College (“the College”), the Monterey Institute of International Studies (“the Institute”), and the Middlebury Language Schools, Schools Abroad, Bread Loaf School of English, and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference (“the Schools”). Each member of the Board will serve on one Board of Overseers, with up to 18 Trustees serving on the College’s Board of Overseers, up to 9 Trustees serving on the Institute’s Board of Overseers, and up to 8 Trustees serving on the Schools’ Board of Overseers.
Each of the Boards of Overseers will be responsible for understanding their respective programs in depth, focusing on issues related to the curriculum, finances, faculty, students, and staff. Each Board of Overseers will review the academic program, quality of teaching and learning, faculty and student life, enrollments, budgets, and other issues of importance associated with the program. The Overseers will also be responsible for reviewing and supporting the advancement strategy and priorities for their respective programs. The Boards of Overseers will meet regularly with representative members of the faculty and staff from the relevant program(s) in executive session (the current Conference Committee function), and with students as appropriate.
Is there at least one student representative on the institution’s governing body who was elected by peers or appointed by a representative student body or organization?:
A brief description of student representation on the governing body, including how the representatives are selected:
Students have been asked to express interest in serving as a "constituent" overseer on the college’s new Board of Overseers.
The Middlebury Board of Trustees will have three separate Boards of Overseers, each focusing specifically on one (or more) of the educational programs: Middlebury College (“the College”), the Monterey Institute of International Studies (“the Institute”), and the Middlebury Language Schools, Schools Abroad, Bread Loaf School of English, and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference (“the Schools”). Each member of the Board will serve on one Board of Overseers, with up to 18 Trustees serving on the College’s Board of Overseers, up to 9 Trustees serving on the Institute’s Board of Overseers, and up to 8 Trustees serving on the Schools’ Board of Overseers.
Each of the Boards of Overseers will be responsible for understanding their respective programs in depth, focusing on issues related to the curriculum, finances, faculty, students, and staff. Each Board of Overseers will review the academic program, quality of teaching and learning, faculty and student life, enrollments, budgets, and other issues of importance associated with the program. The Overseers will also be responsible for reviewing and supporting the advancement strategy and priorities for their respective programs. The Boards of Overseers will meet regularly with representative members of the faculty and staff from the relevant program(s) in executive session (the current Conference Committee function), and with students as appropriate.
Do students have a formal role in decision-making in regard to the following?:
| Yes or No | |
| Establishing organizational mission, vision, and/or goals | Yes |
| Establishing new policies, programs, or initiatives | Yes |
| Strategic and long-term planning | Yes |
| Existing or prospective physical resources | Yes |
| Budgeting, staffing and financial planning | No |
| Communications processes and transparency practices | Yes |
| Prioritization of programs and projects | Yes |
A brief description of the formal student role in regard to each area indicated, including examples from the previous three years:
The Community Council serves as a forum in which all the segments of the College community: administration, faculty, staff, and students, have a voice on nonacademic issues facing the College. With this representative membership, Community Council deliberations and decisions take into consideration the interests and concerns of the whole community. The diverse membership assures that each member of the council hears and understands the views of the other sections of the community, thus linking the four groups that compose the Middlebury College community.
The Community Council has a dual role in the College governance structure. Sometimes the council makes decisions and then implements those decisions as College policy. On certain matters, the council serves as an advisory body to the president and administration.
Students have also played an active and formative role in putting divestment from fossil fuel investment and increased positive investment in clean energy and socially responsible endowment investments (see PA 13 and 14) on the Trustees agenda. The student organization that formed to lead this effort had numerous meetings with the College President and at Trustees meetings, as well as two major forums to consider divestment. The effort led to the following commitments from the Board:
"First, the Investment Committee of the board, including its student members, will work to develop a set of stronger ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance) principles that we can apply to our investment portfolio, both to identify those companies and managers who invest with certain principles in mind and those who consistently do not. As part of this effort, we will intensify our ongoing review of the College’s investment portfolio.
Second, we will create ESG guidelines to help monitor investments and operations at our own campus in Vermont. We will issue periodic reports on our performance.
And third, we will increase significantly the amount of the endowment directed toward ESG investments, including those focused on clean energy, green building projects, and other efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and benefit the environment."
http://www.middlebury.edu/about/president/divestment
Do all staff, regardless of type or status, have an avenue to participate in one or more governance bodies (through direct participation or the election of representatives)?:
A brief description of the mechanisms through which all staff have an avenue to participate in one or more governance bodies:
The purpose of the Middlebury College Staff Council (MCSC) is to help make Middlebury College a better place to work. The MCSC is elected by the staff employees, and acknowledged by the Board of Trustees, to establish priorities and implement planning for the staff. One of the responsibilities of the group is to meet with the College administration on a regular basis to discuss reports and recommendations, seeking through mutual agreement to achieve improvements.
Voting membership of the MCSC consists of 10 Middlebury College staff employees. The executive vice president and treasurer (or designate) serves as a non-voting member. Voting members of the MCSC serve two-year terms, which begin on the first Monday after their election. Expiring terms are refilled by election. Each voting member serves on at least one MCSC committee and/or the MCSC Executive Committee.
A summary of accomplishments can be found here: http://www.middlebury.edu/offices/administration/scouncil/history
And other councils that advise the President and shape policy and their charters can be found here: http://www.middlebury.edu/about/handbook/governance
Is there at least one non-supervisory staff representative on the institution’s governing body who was elected by peers or appointed by a representative staff body or organization?:
A brief description of non-supervisory staff representation on the governing body, including how the representatives are selected:
Do non-supervisory staff have a formal role in decision-making in regard to the following? :
| Yes or No | |
| Establishing organizational mission, vision, and/or goals | Yes |
| Establishing new policies, programs, or initiatives | Yes |
| Strategic and long-term planning | Yes |
| Existing or prospective physical resources | Yes |
| Budgeting, staffing and financial planning | Yes |
| Communications processes and transparency practices | Yes |
| Prioritization of programs and projects | --- |
A brief description of the formal staff role in regard to each area indicated, including examples from the previous three years:
The new governance structure includes a board of overseers. These boards of overseers will focus their attention on reviewing and monitoring the academic, educational, and student affairs operations of their respective institutions, including academic appointments, enrollment, and new initiatives. The boards of overseers will function like committees of the full Board of Trustees and each will be comprised of trustee overseers (current trustees), partner overseers (individuals who typically have a connection with that institution), and constituent overseers (one faculty, one staff, and one student). A majority of each board of overseers must consist of trustee overseers.
Each of the Boards of Overseers will be responsible for understanding their respective programs in depth, focusing on issues related to the curriculum, finances, faculty, students, and staff. Each Board of Overseers will review the academic program, quality of teaching and learning, faculty and student life, enrollments, budgets, and other issues of importance associated with the program. The Overseers will also be responsible for reviewing and supporting the advancement strategy and priorities for their respective programs. The Boards of Overseers will meet regularly with representative members of the faculty and staff from the relevant program(s) in executive session (the current Conference Committee function), and with students as appropriate.
Do all faculty, regardless of type or status, have an avenue to participate in one or more governance bodies (through direct participation or the election of representatives)?:
A brief description of the mechanisms through which all faculty (including adjunct faculty) have an avenue to participate in one or more governance bodies:
The Faculty Council advises the president and serves as a channel of communication between the faculty and the administration. The Council consists of four tenured and two untenured members elected by the faculty. Members of the faculty in their first or second year of appointment are not eligible for election, nor are those on part-time, associate, visiting, or other special appointments, or those who are currently under tenure review. Members of Faculty Council sometimes report to the faculty as one of two subcommittees: the Committee on Conference with the Trustees, and the Committee on Finance and Planning. At the end of each academic year, Faculty Council also serves as the Committee on Committees, charged with making faculty appointments to other college committees.
Is there at least one teaching or research faculty representative on the institution’s governing body who was elected by peers or appointed by a representative faculty body or organization?:
A brief description of faculty representation on the governing body, including how the representatives are selected:
Do faculty have a formal role in decision-making in regard to the following?:
| Yes or No | |
| Establishing organizational mission, vision, and/or goals | Yes |
| Establishing new policies, programs, or initiatives | Yes |
| Strategic and long-term planning | Yes |
| Existing or prospective physical resources | Yes |
| Budgeting, staffing and financial planning | Yes |
| Communications processes and transparency practices | Yes |
| Prioritization of programs and projects | Yes |
A brief description of the formal faculty role in regard to each area indicated, including examples from the previous three years:
The new governance structure includes a board of overseers. These boards of overseers will focus their attention on reviewing and monitoring the academic, educational, and student affairs operations of their respective institutions, including academic appointments, enrollment, and new initiatives. The boards of overseers will function like committees of the full Board of Trustees and each will be comprised of trustee overseers (current trustees), partner overseers (individuals who typically have a connection with that institution), and constituent overseers (one faculty, one staff, and one student). A majority of each board of overseers must consist of trustee overseers.
Each of the Boards of Overseers will be responsible for understanding their respective programs in depth, focusing on issues related to the curriculum, finances, faculty, students, and staff. Each Board of Overseers will review the academic program, quality of teaching and learning, faculty and student life, enrollments, budgets, and other issues of importance associated with the program. The Overseers will also be responsible for reviewing and supporting the advancement strategy and priorities for their respective programs. The Boards of Overseers will meet regularly with representative members of the faculty and staff from the relevant program(s) in executive session (the current Conference Committee function), and with students as appropriate.
The website URL where information about the institution’s governance structure is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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