Transcript PRACTICING WHAT WE PREACH WHITHER DELIBERATION …

PRACTICING WHAT WE PREACH
WHITHER DELIBERATION AND DIALOGUE
IN UNIVERSITY GOVERNANCE?
National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation
Austin, Texas
Oct. 2, 2008
Bruce Mallory, University of New Hampshire
What we say we do
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Joint governance—”Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities”
American Association of University Professors, the American Council on
Education, and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and
Colleges, 1966, 1990.
Collegial governance --characterized by or having authority vested equally
among colleagues; of, or related to a college or its students; collegiate;
adherence to the ethos, standards and conduct that govern behavior among
colleagues within a given organization or profession; marked by camaraderie
among colleagues
Participatory governance--a process emphasizing the broad participation
(decision making) of constituents in the direction and operation of political
systems. While etymological roots imply that any democracy would rely on the
participation of its citizens (the Greek demos and kratos combine to suggest
that "the people rule"), traditional representative democracies tend to limit
citizen participation to voting, leaving actual governance to politicians.
Spheres of Joint Governance
(AAUP, ACE, AGB)
• Faculty (advisory?)
– Curriculum, academic standards, terms of faculty
appointments (and P&T), student experience as it
connects to academic program
• Administration (executive?)
– Strategic planning, reduce obsolescence and foster
innovation, manage fiscal and physical resources
• Trustees
– Fiduciary and corporate stewardship, mission
oversight, appt. the president, advocate with
stakeholders
Consultation, collaboration, dialogue
• How can consultation and collaboration be truly
mutual (democratic) when one side has supervisory,
financial, and infrastructure power over the other?
• Faculty senates are representative forms of democracy.
Why do they have such bad reputations for
effectiveness in general? Are they the right forums for
deliberation?
• What alternative forums for deliberation exist or could
be created?
• How can alternative forums be legitimized and heard?
• What are the rewards for engaging in participatory
democratic practices in university governance?
• How does the presence of a faculty union affect shared
governance practices?
C,C, and D cont.
• Has there been an effort to delineate spheres of primary
authority? (curriculum, standards, planning, finances,
mission, etc.)
• What is the difference between faculty senates and
academic senates? How can one or the other foster
collegiality?
• Who sets agendas, fosters new initiatives, designs
assessment and feedback mechanisms?
• What is the culture for decision-making (top down,
adversarial, collaborative, bottom-up, bureaucratic, ad
hoc)?
• Is there a shared sense of mission and direction?
Principles for more democratic governance
in higher education
• Practicing shared leadership for shared governance
• Articulating shared goals around key issues
• Articulating a shared understanding of internal and external threats and
opportunities (we’re in this together)
• Provost/dean must maintain faculty identity and allegiance
• Faculty leaders must have university-wide information and commitment
• Participation includes all stakeholders, not just elected or appointed
representatives
• Break the mold of business as usual—from debate to dialogue, from
we/they to us
• Alternative (legitimate) structures and forums for dialogue
• Ask first, How might this action/decision affect student learning and
faculty scholarship?
• Follow up the results of dialogue; publically demonstrate action, feedback,
progress; celebrate change and a new culture of shared governance
Resources
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Mallory, B.L. & Thomas, N.L., When the medium is the message; Promoting ethical
action through democratic dialogue, Change, September/October, 2003.
Mallory, B.L., An Invitation to Dialogue: Shared Governance at the University of
New Hampshire, April, 2008
Mallory, B.L., Leading in the UNH community: Achieving common goals through
shared leadership, August, 2007, http://www.unh.edu/democracy/pdf/catalystpaper2_20071116.pdf
Special issue of Peer Review, Student Political Engagement, Spring/summer, 2008
Center for Collaborative Policy, Assessment Report: Governance, Culture, and
Climate of California State University, Sacrament, April, 2008
http://www.csus.edu/ccp/assessment/index.stm
Mortimer, K.P. & Sathre, C.O., The Art and Politics of Academic Governance,
Westport, CT (2007)
Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities
http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/policydocs/contents/governancestatement.h
tm.