Task Force on Shared Governance

The task force made a number of substantial recommendations. The president accepted all of them, forwarding the appropriate recommendations to the Board of Regents for endorsement. Here is a list of those proposed and approved recommendations.

• Drafted an official statement of Shared Governance for California Lutheran University.
• Determined how many and which structures should be included as part of the official shared governance system at California Lutheran University.
  • As part of this work, proposed the establishment of a staff assembly.
• Identified which entity and groups (e.g., Board of Regents, president, Cabinet, deans, faculty, etc.) have primary responsibility for key functions associated with the academic, service, and business sides of the organization.
  • As part of this work, created and developed a decision-making matrix that delineates which constituents have the Approval, Decision-making, Recommendation, and Input roles in key areas of the university.
• Reviewed existing governing documents such as the University Bylaws to ensure that delegated authority in these documents reinforced rather than contradicted the proposed roles of authority delineated in the ADRI chart mentioned above.
• Assisted campus colleagues in developing and enhancing their own understanding of shared governance and the role it plays at Cal Lutheran.

The aforementioned recommendations came to life thanks to the weighty commitments that all members of the task force embraced. These commitments included the following:

• Reading a host of articles, book chapters, papers and the like that describe structural models, best practices, contemporary thinking, and emerging trends related to shared governance.
• Attending and participating in meetings of the group.
• Engaging in respectful conversations about the desired aims and purpose of shared governance at Cal Lutheran.
• Developing and sharing a sophisticated understanding of what functional shared governance looks like at universities in the mid-21st century, especially ones that need to make timely decisions amid extraordinary uncertainties.
• Examining, critiquing, and weighing in on any proposed revisions to Cal Lutheran’s shared governance documents.
• Making explicit recommendations to the president on areas of importance related to shared governance.
• Helping colleagues around campus hone their understanding of shared governance.
• Supporting and explaining the work that emerges from this task force.