Governance influences, practices and players

Where the power lies in every organization and institution determines how well the organization will achieve its goals and mission. All legal authority in any university comes from one place; it’s governing body. The legal right and obligation to exercise authority over an institution is vested in and flows from its board. According to the book Governing Academia by Ronald G. Ehrenberg , the factors that influence the governance of academic institutions include how states regulate higher education and govern their public institutions; the size and the method of selection of trustees; role of trustees; administrators, the presence or absence of collective bargaining for faculty, pressures from government regulations among others. Therefore, governance and the methods used in every institution is a contribution of many factors.

Where does power lie in the university?

According to Florida Atlantic University Administration (Administration), it has structured governance and is divided into the state government, board of governors, board of trustees, university faculty senate and student government. Both the board of governors and board of trustees participate in major decision making some of the decisions including coming up with policies that are cost effective to achieve the universities mission, implementation and maintenance of high quality education programs, measurement of performance, budgeting and the provision of input regarding state policy. Development of curriculum, academic calendar and schedule, admissions and registrations majorly lie on the university faculty senate. Lastly there is the student government which acts as an advocate on behalf of the student body and sends representation on the board of trustees. The power to make decisions therefore majorly lies on the board of governors and trustees but the decision made borrows heavily from the views of the groups represented.

Processes and leaders involved in decision making

Where a solution to a problem is arrived at having involved all the groups in the governance of the students, it is termed as collaborative self governance. The challenge is actually striking the balance between the individual interests of the institution and the views given by the various groups represented. Decisions that are reached at collaboratively can result in high-quality outcomes that are easier to implement and that serve the people better. The fact that various decisions at Florida Atlantic University are made with the consideration of various groups, shared governance is seen from the student’s points of view to the president’s point of view. The leaders in the institution are always involved when major decisions are made which is an important aspect of collaborative self governance.

The state has always had a major participation in many institutions as it regards legal aspects within the university. Florida Atlantic University will mostly depend on the day’s government to provide funding on the institution and on who to award honors and how many would be awarded. Community is also engaged to make decisions that would directly affect them. This ensures fewer conflicts between the institution and the community.

Student’s participation

                Over time, the system of shared governance has evolved to include more and more representation in decision making process .This is according to the Chronicle of Higher Education (Exactly What Is Shared Governance 2011). There is a delicate balance between faculty, staff participation and the students in planning and decision making processes, on one hand administrative and the other on accountability.

Conclusion

Governance , being the process of decision making and the process by which decisions are implemented all the actors involved in this must always work together to achieve the mission of every institution. All the views of the people and groups participating must be able to feel represented in all the decisions made.

References

Governing Academia .Ronald G. Ehrenberg, Factors influencing governance of higher institutions, 2011

Florida Atlantic administration website, Administration; 2011

United Nations; Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific. What is Good Governance August 2011

The Chronicle of Higher Education, Exactly what is Shared Governance September 2011

Shared Governance in Higher Education (2008), William Leach