Catalog - University of Maryland University College

Shared Governance(UMUC Policy 20.20)I. INTRODUCTIONA. University of Maryland University College (UMUC)is one of eleven degree-granting institutions within theUniversity of System Maryland (USM). Governance isvested in the Board of Regents and by the board delegatedto the chancellor of the USM and to the presidentsof the constituent institutions of the USM.B. The president of UMUC is the senior officer of theuniversity and is responsible for the overall implementationand continued management of UMUC’s missionand vision. The provost and chief academic officer (or“provost”) is UMUC’s senior academic officer and thesenior vice president for policy and administration (or“senior vice president”) is UMUC’s senior administrativeofficer. The Executive Committee and the Cabinet serveas the senior advisory councils to the president.III.structure that allows stakeholders to provide input to andbe informed about significant institutional decisions. Eachshared governance body within this structure acts in advisorycapacity to the president and other university officers.STAKEHOLDERSUMUC’s internal stakeholder groups are students, faculty,and staff.A. Students: UMUC admits full-time and part-timestudents “on the ground” and online, through UMUCstateside, UMUC Europe, and UMUC Asia.B. Faculty: UMUC has four types of faculty worldwide,as defined in UMUC Policy 181.00—Faculty Appointment,Rank, and Promotion.C. Staff: UMUC employs full-time and part-time staff atits main locations in Maryland (Adelphi, Largo, ShadyGrove, and Waldorf) as well as in UMUC Asia andUMUC Europe.II.C. The provost heads the governance structure for all academicaffairs at UMUC. Academic affairs include, butare not limited to, the following: academic policies andprocedures, research and training, faculty and studentservices, and academic programs and courses. The majorcontributors to the academic governance system are theAcademic Affairs Council, the Undergraduate ProgramsAdvisory Council, the Graduate Council, responsiblevice provosts, and the provost.D. The senior vice president heads the governance structurefor all administrative matters at UMUC. These mattersinclude, but are not limited to, the following: legal counsel,human resources management, financial management,government and external outreach, institutional advancement,communications and marketing, planning andaccountability, information technology, and facilities management.The major contributors to the administrativegovernance system are the Administrative Council, theresponsible vice presidents, and the senior vice president.E. To facilitate the decision-making process in UMUC,individual units are encouraged to have standing orad hoc committees, task forces, or working groups toprovide the unit leader the best possible information forsound decision making.SHARED GOVERNANCEIV.SHARED GOVERNANCE STRUCTUREA. Because of its unique structure and geographically dispersedstakeholder population, UMUC provides separategovernance bodies for each stakeholder group as well asan institution-wide shared governance body. Each of thethree stakeholder groups has an Advisory Council. TheAdvisory Councils consist of a minimum of 12 representatives,all duly elected by the stakeholders themselves.Each Advisory Council may also have one or more exofficio members selected from the university’s seniorleadership. The charter and constitution of each groupoutline the representation, mission, and purpose of thecouncil. It is the responsibility of each council to complywith its charter and constitution. With the approval ofthe president, councils may modify their charters andconstitutions as needed. Four representatives are chosenfrom each stakeholder Advisory Council to sit on theUniversity Advisory Council, the institution-wide governancebody.The Advisory Councils areB. Student Advisory Council: The Student Advisory Councilserves as an information network for its constituents.The Student Advisory Council will meet periodicallywith the university’s senior academic officers to addressissues of concern to UMUC students.In accordance with University System of Maryland PolicyI-6.00 Policy on Shared Governance in the University Systemof Maryland, approved on August 25, 2000, by the Boardof Regents, UMUC has developed a shared governancew w w.umuc.edu / grad 177