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Chemistry of Shared Governance

The Academic Senate serves as the centerpiece of an array of structures and processes that embody the time-tested principle of “shared governance” at CSU, Chico and almost every other college and university in the world. The senate helps define the cooperative relationship among the administration, the faculty, the staff, and the students that ultimately makes policy and procedural decisions for the university. The term “chemistry,” especially “good chemistry,” is often applied to relationships, personal and corporate, to define the somewhat mystical ingredients that make the relationship work. After 20 years of experience with shared governance in a variety of roles, I’ve learned a bit about this kind of chemistry, and thought I would share with you some of the fundamental building blocks, the elements, of this kind of chemistry.

Commitment: Without the commitment, especially on the part of the administration, to make the shared governance relationship work, there will be no chemistry. This commitment requires much more than verbal assent or tolerance of shared governance structures, but rather a dedication to bringing all of the elements of shared governance into play on the campus.

Collegiality: This term is often used as a synonym for shared governance, but I see it as a word that describes an attitude toward shared governance. Its antonym is “adversarial.” Collegiality means that all players in the shared governance arena share a belief that shared governance makes for better decisions, policies, budgets, academics, and administrative structures. Without collegial attitudes, shared governance can become window dressing or busywork.

Time: It is true that shared governance is less efficient than the alternative decision-making processes, and this essential element is often the biggest stress point in shared governance. Especially with the time crunches that are imposed upon us by political structures and external demands, it is difficult to schedule the time necessary for the consultation and consensus-building process that sharing demands.

Energy: It takes a lot of plain hard work to make shared governance a reality. And much of this work is unseen and difficult to measure. Beyond scheduling meetings, preparing agendas, and photocopying background material that are the tangible necessities of the process, shared governance requires careful reading, critical thinking, creative questioning, imaginative suggesting, and a variety of intricate negotiating skills to achieve its results.

Trust: This is probably the least concrete element, but essential, nonetheless, in the shared governance process. There will be failures in the processes and structures of shared governance, and, if each failure is viewed as an occasion to badmouth the other participants or as an excuse for future vengeance, the enterprise will collapse. It is admittedly difficult to come back to the table when failures occur, whether due to negligence, expediency, or even less noble motives. But healthy governance processes require forgiveness and recommitment to achieve success.

There are other essential elements in the Periodic Table of Shared Governance, such as persistence, reward, thick skin, and optimism. We’ve achieved a fairly good (but not perfect) record of effective shared governance at CSU, Chico, but we have a lot of room for improvement as well. Over the next months and year, our commitments will be tested. I invite you to help bring all of the elements together to bring about a reaction on this campus.

Jim Postma, chair, Academic Senate