Standard IV: Leadership and Governance
The institution recognizes and utilizes the contributions of leadership throughout
the organization for continuous improvement of the institution. Governance roles
are designed to facilitate decisions that support student learning programs
and services and improve institutional effectiveness, while acknowledging the
designated responsibilities of the governing board and the chief administrator.
- Decision-Making Roles and Processes
The institution recognizes that ethical and effective leadership throughout
the organization enables the institution to identify institutional values,
set and achieve goals, learn, and improve.
- Institutional leaders create an environment for empowerment, innovation,
and institutional excellence. They encourage staff, faculty, administrators,
and students, no matter what their official titles, to take initiative in
improving the practices, programs, and services in which they are involved.
When ideas for improvement have policy or significant institution-wide implications,
systematic participative processes are used to assure effective discussion,
planning, and implementation.
- The institution establishes and implements a written policy providing
for faculty, staff, administrator, and student participation in decision-making
processes. The policy specifies the manner in which individuals bring forward
ideas from their constituencies and work together on appropriate policy,
planning, and special-purpose bodies.
- Faculty and administrators have a substantive and clearly
defined role in institutional governance and exercise a substantial
voice in institutional policies, planning, and budget that relate to
their areas of responsibility and expertise. Students and staff also
have established mechanisms or organizations for providing input into
institutional decisions.
- The institution relies on faculty, its academic senate or
other appropriate faculty structures, the curriculum committee, and
academic administrators for recommendations about student learning programs
and services.
- Through established governance structures, processes, and practices, the
governing board, administrators, faculty, staff, and students work together
for the good of the institution. These processes facilitate discussion of
ideas and effective communication among the institution’s constituencies.
- The institution advocates and demonstrates honesty and integrity in its
relationships with external agencies. It agrees to comply with Accrediting
Commission standards, policies, and guidelines, and Commission requirements
for public disclosure, self study and other reports, team visits, and prior
approval of substantive changes. The institution moves expeditiously to
respond to recommendations made by the Commission.
- The role of leadership and the institution’s governance and decision-making
structures and processes are regularly evaluated to assure their integrity
and effectiveness. The institution widely communicates the results of these
evaluations and uses them as the basis for improvement.
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