Read the Curry College NEASC 2012 Self-Study Report.

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mechanism in place to assess committee effectiveness in meeting its charge and maintaining
relevance.
Institutional committees are less formalized than standing committees, and some are convened
on an ad hoc basis to address a specific need. To improve governance effectiveness, the College
is currently reviewing and updating all institutional committees to determine mission relevance,
committee membership, eligibility, and the appointment process.
The Student Government Association (SGA) plays an active role in informing the greater College
community, partially through an open time block for weekly SGA meetings that are open to the
College community. Additionally, the SGA has links to and representatives from Public Safety,
Food Services, and Academic Affairs, as well as all areas of Student Affairs in order to provide a
mechanism for student voices in these important areas. To encourage open communication
among students and administrators, the SGA invites all students to a Town Hall Meeting each
spring to raise questions and concerns, and make recommendations to a panel consisting of the
College President and key Senior Staff members. Similarly, Residence Hall Councils provide
Residence Life staff with student input regarding on‐campus student activities.
At times, a number of SGA leadership positions remain unfilled, particularly in the
representative roles for the junior and senior classes and in the Court of Appeals, whose charge
has not been fulfilled in recent years. In a student survey conducted by the Strategic Planning
Committee in Spring 2011, a large number of students ranked satisfaction with student
governance as lower than their approval ratings on academics, residence life, career
preparation, campus supports, and safety. While some students sit on institutional committees
(e.g. the ADA subcommittee and Diversity Committee), there are no formalized provisions for
obtaining student input on Faculty Standing Committees.
Projection
The College will:
• Review the Institutional Committee structure, including appointment, election and
reporting practices, to ensure inclusive and transparent processes, facilitate
communication between committees and the community, and develop processes to
regularly evaluate how committees address their charges and maintain relevance.
• Strengthen communication and efficacy of Faculty Standing Committees by increasing
sharing of information and creating a process to mentor faculty for committee
leadership and membership roles.
• Identify strategies and structures to expand student input into relevant standing and/or
Institutional committees.
Institutional Effectiveness
The College continually demonstrates commitment to improve the effectiveness of its
organizational and governance systems. The Board of Trustees and the President are in the
Curry College 2012 Self-Study
Standard Three