On Thursday, Feb. 27, the first Shared Governance and Responsibility Summit brought together faculty, staff, and leadership to discuss the future of shared governance at Missouri S&T. The summit focused on strengthening collaboration, improving transparency, and identifying actionable steps to enhance shared governance practices on our campus
Key Topics and Presentations:
Defining Shared Governance (Presented by Mike Bruening)
- Overview of shared governance principles and its role in higher education.
- Historical context, including the AAUP Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities and its impact on faculty-administration relations.
Barriers to Effective Shared Governance (Presented by Kate Drowne)
- Discussion of current challenges, including communication gaps, lack of faculty input in decision-making, and transparency concerns.
- Insights from campus surveys revealing faculty frustration with governance processes.
Opportunities for Engagement and Responsibility (Presented by David Borrok)
- Strategies to bridge the gap between faculty input and administrative decisions.
- Encouraging faculty participation outside of crises and fostering a culture of proactive engagement.
- Proposal for faculty-led problem-solving committees to provide structured feedback on administrative decisions.
Recommendations for Improvement (Led by Clair Kueny)
- Group discussions on actionable steps to enhance shared governance.
- Suggestions for increased faculty leadership opportunities, recognition for governance contributions, and administrative support for governance committees.
Lunch & Learn: Best Practices from Other Universities (Led by Dave Westenberg)
- Commitment to improving transparency, communication, and faculty participation in governance.
Key Takeaways and Feedback from Faculty & Stakeholders:
Participants shared insights through live discussions and Padlet feedback, highlighting both challenges and ideas for moving forward. Some of the most common themes included:
- Trust Needs to Be Rebuilt – Many faculty and staff feel there is a high degree of distrust, and corrective measures are necessary to restore confidence in shared governance.
- More Structured Governance Processes – Suggestions included creating faculty-led problem-solving committees, adding administrative support for key committees, and establishing a clear calendar for committee meetings to improve coordination.
- Recognition for Faculty Participation – Calls for faculty governance contributions to be acknowledged, such as awards or annual evaluations that highlight impactful service.
- Bridging the Faculty-Administration Gap – Faculty want more involvement in decision-making processes, with concerns that decisions are often made without sufficient faculty input.
- Encouraging Proactive Engagement – Rather than only speaking up when a crisis occurs, faculty and administrators should work toward ongoing dialogue and participation.
While there is still much work to do, this summit represents a small but meaningful step forward in strengthening shared governance. Thank you to all who participated and contributed to this important conversation!
To review the presentation materials and collected feedback, please email jtanner@mst.edu or fill out the Feedback Form.