Senate Resolution 1920-03R
UNIVERSITY SENATE
UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
RESOLUTION to IMPROVE SHARED GOVERNANCE AT UNIVERISTY AT ALBANY
Introduced by:
Senate Executive Council
Date:
April 15, 2020
RATIONALE:
Whereas the SUNY Board of Trusteesi, SUNY Chancellorii, and University at Albany Senateiii are all
committed to the principles of shared governance; and
Whereas the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has stated the importance of shared
governance since 1920 and published the 1996 Statement on Government of Colleges and Universitiesiv,
which was jointly formulated with the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Association of
Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB), and calls for “shared responsibility among the
different components of institutional government and specifies areas of primary responsibility for
governing boards, administrations, and faculties;”v and
Whereas the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) advocates that shared
governance relies on principles such as trust, sufficient time to engage in discussion, respecting diverse
voices, broadening perspectives, and nurturing a productive culture in order to move institutions
forwardvi; and
Whereas the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), the University at Albany’s
accrediting body, requires shared governance in Standard VII Governance, Leadership, and
Administration which includes, “a clearly articulated and transparent governance structure that outlines
roles, responsibilities, and accountability for decision making by each constituency, including governing
body, administration, faculty, staff, and students.” and “periodic assessment of the effectiveness of
governance, leadership, and administration;”vii and
Whereas the University Senate is committed to its responsibility to work collaboratively with the
Administration towards the betterment of the University at Albany and serves as a repository of
information on both the long-term functionality and day-to-day operations of our campus; and
Whereas there have been disagreements between the SEC and the Executive Leadership on
implementation of shared governance in the recent past ix:
RESOLUTION:
Therefore Let It Be It Resolved that in the spirit of shared governance, the University at Albany Senate
will create a Task Force on University Shared Governance—with invited representation from the
University Council, the President’s Executive Council, and the University Senate (including faculty, staff,
and student representatives)viii—and charge this Task Force with preparing a comprehensive report on the
state and effectiveness of shared governance at the University at Albany. This report should include:
1.) a review of higher education shared governance best practices and structures
2.) a review of the University at Albany self-study on shared governance generated for the current
Middle States evaluation
3.) a set of recommendations identifying and implementing further procedures and policies for the
promotion and development of shared governance at the University at Albany, inclusive of a
mutually agreed upon mechanism for holding both Faculty and Administration accountable for
failing to act in good faith in matters of shared governance and an implementation timeline, and
4.) a plan to assess the effectiveness of shared governance as called for by MSCHE Standard VII.
The Task Force will be charged with presenting their initial report of 1 and 2 above at the October 2020
University Senate meeting and their final report to include 3 and 4 above at the December 2020
University Senate meeting; and
Be It Further Resolved that the University Senate, the President and his Executive Council, and the
University Council work together to enact the recommendations of the Task Force on University Shared
Governance to promote a productive shared decision making culture in order to move the University at
Albany forward.
i https://www.suny.edu/media/suny/content-assets/documents/boardoftrustees/SUNY-BOT-Policies-
Jan2019.pdf
ii https://www.suny.edu/about/shared-governance/
iii https://www.albany.edu/universitysenate/
iv https://www.aaup.org/report/statement-government-colleges-and-universities
v https://www.aaup.org/our-programs/shared-governance
vi https://www.aascu.org/MAP/PublicPurpose/2015/Winter/SharingGovernance.pdf
vii https://www.msche.org/standards/#standard_7
viii This representation reflects the constituencies identified in the Statement on Government of Colleges
and Universities (AAUP, 1966) required for shared responsibility and cooperative action among the
components of the academic institution.
ix Examples include:
The Website Redesign – The University’s website is the primary means by which the
University’s academic and professional faculty communicates with outside entities. The website
is the face of the University and a reflection of the quality of scholarship and services we provide.
For more than two years the University Senate had expressed grave concerns to the
Administration about the website redesign, and had posed questions on numerous occasions about
its roll-out, and content maintenance; the extended period of time that the University Senate’s
concerns remained unaddressed and questions unanswered is unacceptable.
The University Senate was not consulted prior to actions taken by the Provost’s Office to move
the Department of Information Science into the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland
Security and Cybersecurity.
