History of Governance at
Brookdale
The following article is adapted from a 1994 article in PODIUM by Tony Snyder, Professor of
History, and Ron Sopenoff, Professor of Criminal Justice.
The seeds for current system of college governance were planted
in 1989 when a small group of faculty, led by Tony Snyder and Ron Sopenoff,
began to meet to discuss reforms in which faculty would have a greater role in
the academic agenda of the college. The 1989 Middle States Evaluation Report
criticized Brookdale’s governance structure for its limited role and for its
lack of representation from the various constituencies of the college. A
Governance Commission was created to create a new structure and the work was
completed in 1990. The Commission was given the charge of creating a structure
that would enhance the role of the faculty and administrators in academic
matters and examine the part that staff and students might play in College
governance. The new structure was based on the following principles:
1. PARTICIPATION – a
decision-making process in which those affected by a College policy and related
procedures participate in the making of those policies and procedures.
2. RESPONSIBILITY
AND ACCOUNTABILITY – those who are directly affected by or responsible
for implementing policy are involved in the formulation of the policy from
beginning to end.
3. COMMUNICATION – open
and honest communication between and among the members and constituencies of
the College community; policy-making outside the governance structure would be
eliminated.
The Commission determined that the adversarial and isolated
nature of decision making, which was much too common in the past, would be
replaced by a system where each constituency at the College (faculty,
administration, staff, and students) would have the opportunity as well as the
responsibility to play a key role in cooperatively recommending College-wide
policies and procedures which affect them.
The following structure was recommended to the College
community and to the president in the summer of 1990:
1. COLLEGE
FORUM: Open to all members of the college community, the Chair of
the Forum, in consultation with the Steering Committee, will set the agenda for
each meeting and will determine which constituencies may vote on which issues.
Open debate and discussion on any issue of College-wide concern is encouraged.
2. THE STEERING
COMMITTEE: This ten-member committee, with representatives from the
faculty, administration, staff, and students, will not make policy, but will
direct the day-to-day operation of the governance structure. It will decide
which issues are sent to which parties or committees and will set time frames
for deliberation and decision. It may establish ad hoc committees for those matters which do not fall under the
jurisdiction of one of the existing standing committees.
3. THE STANDING
COMMITTEES: There are only six standing committees – Academic Council,
Academic Standards, College Life, Institutional Planning and Assessment,
Professional Development, and Student Development.
4. PERMANENT
COLLEGE-WIDE COMMITTEES: There are also college-wide committees that have
representation on one or more standing committees but do not receive charges
from the Steering Committee. Examples are Basic Skills, Diversity Council,
General Education, and Honors.
5. RECOMMENDATION
STATUS: The governance system does not make final policy, but
rather recommends to the president of the College, who, with the approval of
the Board of Trustees, implements those policies. It is desirable that the
president use the governance system to aid in the formulation and dissemination
of college-wide policies that originate from his or the Board’s office in
keeping with the spirit of participatory governance.