Shared Governance at Ithaca College

Faculty Council 23'

Ana Maniaci McGough / The Ithacan

Building on the Committee work from 2017, the Faculty Council renewed its commitment to Shared Governance starting in a January 2023 meeting with the Board of Trustees.  Multiple Faculty Council members, invited Faculty, the Provost, and several Board of Trustees members participated in a Shared Governance workshop.  Out of this meeting, it was determined that we would create a vision statement and more clearly articulate the roles of different constituents in the process of Shared Governance.

Ithaca College Faculty are represented by their colleagues on various committees across the College.  Many of these committees have a membership that comes directly from their schools.  Below is a list of the various committees for which the Faculty Council is part of the nomination and selection process.

Shared Governance Vision Statement

The Ithaca College community is strongly committed to the principles of shared governance, which hinge on mutual trust, respect, and a collective sense of purpose. Shared governance refers to the formal and informal decision-making responsibilities that are assigned to the various constituencies within an institution of higher learning.  At Ithaca College, the Board of Trustees is entrusted with ultimate legal and fiduciary responsibility for the institution. Operational leadership is delegated to the President, who in turn delegates to the Provost, the Vice Presidents, and the Deans leadership responsibility for their various areas. The faculty has primary responsibility for the curriculum, faculty rank and tenure status, and those areas of academic life that are related to the educational process. Faculty, administration, staff, and students are mutually committed to the health and vitality of the institution, wherein our core mission involves the education, engagement and empowerment of the student body. Though their areas of primary responsibility differ, these groups work together collaboratively to ensure that decision-making at the College is foundationally anchored in meaningful conversations among different key constituencies. 

Faculty Committees - Elected/Selected by Faculty Council

The Committee comprises seven tenured associate or full professors, including at least one member from each school and at least two members from Humanities and Sciences

Schools put forward a pool of candidates

Once this pool of candidates is elected by the faculties of each of the schools, the provost & vice president for academic affairs and the Executive Committee of the Faculty Council review the list and recommend the appropriate number of candidates to the president for appointment.

All-College Tenure & Promotion Committee Membership

This committee is responsible for promoting a safe and secure campus, the interrelation of the academic and social aspects of life on campus, assessing the quality of life on campus for the members of the community, including students, staff, and faculty, and sharing information and providing a forum for issues and concerns related to safety, security and campus life in general. The committee makes policy recommendations to the VP of Student Affairs and Campus Life or other appropriate persons regarding safety, security and campus life issues.

Membership: Four faculty members appointed by the President from a list of at least eight faculty nominees provided by Faculty Council

College Advisory Committee on Campus Security and Campus Life

Name Term
Eber Beck Jan 23' - Dec 24'
Angela Branneman Jan 23' - Dec 24'
Ari Kissiloff Jan 23' - Dec 24'
Mitch McCabe Jan 23' - Dec 24'

The Faculty Handbook Amendment Committee is a standing committee of the Faculty Council. It is composed of one faculty member from each of the five schools and the current vice-chairperson of the Faculty Council. Representatives of the schools will serve for terms of two years; terms will be staggered to ensure continuity of membership.

The Faculty Handbook Amendment Committee reports its actions to the Faculty Council.

Membership: Members are voted in by the schools and the Faculty Council Vice-Chair serves ex-officio

Faculty Handbook Amendment Committee Members

The Faculty Benefits Committee is a standing committee of the Faculty Council. It is composed of five faculty members elected by the members of the Faculty Council. Terms will be staggered to ensure continuity of membership.

The committee provides advice with regard to types and levels of faculty fringe benefits. The committee studies, reviews and recommends changes to existing benefits and/or proposed new benefits. The Faculty Benefits Committee may hold hearings on proposed changes it recommends; may poll the faculty at large concerning proposals for changes in fringe benefits.

Members of the Faculty Benefits Committee are members of the Staff and Faculty Benefits Committee.

Faculty Staff Benefits Committee Membership

IEBC members meet to discuss budget options and provide their thoughts from a faculty perspective.  They discuss tuition and room/board in the fall so that can be approved by the Board of Trusteess.  Spring meetings focus on all the remaining aspects of the budget budget.  IEBC discuss expenses (more globally) and employee compensation (salary increment, merit, benefits, retirement contribution, etc). 

Membership: Three faculty members with three-year staggered terms appointed by the Faculty Council. Ordinarily, no school will have more than one faculty member serving on the Committee at any one time.

Name Term
Chris Hummel 2022-2025
Beth Ellen Clarke Joseph 2021-2024
Allison Frisch 2022-2025

The membership of the board will include one member of the College faculty. When a vacancy occurs, the Faculty Council will recommend three individuals with appropriate credentials—persons capable of acting in the interests of the College as a whole rather than representing a particular constituency within the College—to the Governance and Compensation/Assessment Committee. This Governance and Compensation/Assessment Committee may then nominate to the full board such person or persons as seem best suited for the election to membership on the board.

The term of the Faculty trustee shall not exceed four years and can not succeed themselves in consecutive terms.

Name Term
Baruk Whitehead July 1, 2020 -  June 30, 2024

Membership: three additional faculty members (all of whom must be tenured) elected by the faculty of the whole College with the election to be supervised by the Faculty Council;

One additional faculty member from the Faculty Council, elected by the Faculty Council, shall serve as the FC-to-APC liaison. This individual will additionally serve on the FC-Executive Committee.

Academic Policies Committee Membership

TRAC advises the Provost on allocation of continuing faculty (TE/T/NTEN) positions.  In most cases, faculty lines return to a college-wide pool for potential allocation.

Membership: Three at-large faculty serving staggered 3-year terms are elected by the Faculty Council

Name Term
Julia Lapp June 1, 2021 - May 31,-2024
Alison Shields June 1, 2022 - May 31,-2025
Wendy Dann June 1, 2023 - May 31,-2026

The charge of this committee includes facilitating the review of proposals for ICC course designations, conducting regular academic learning assessments of the ICC, and proposing curriculum, policy, and assessment changes for the ICC.  Faculty committee members serve a two-year term and may renew once for an additional term.

All IC continuing faculty with experience teaching courses in the ICC are eligible to join the CAC. Ideally, the committee will have representation from multiple schools and disciplines.

On or before December 1 of each academic year, this committee proposes a calendar for not less than the third succeeding academic year. A calendar proposed by the committee shall be well advertised. This committee shall also evaluate each year's calendar and assess other university and college calendars.

Membership: The Faculty Council shall elect one member from each school. Membership terms are one year.

Academic Calendar Committee

School Name Term
BUS Wonyul Bae 23'-24'
HSHP Bonnie Riley 23'-24'
COMM Diane Gayeski 23'-24'
MTD David Earll 23'-24'
H&S Rebecca Lesses 23'-24'

The Faculty Council elects one member from its ranks to serve on the Risk Management Committee.  This member serves as a liaison and reports yearly updates to the Faculty Council.  This member can not be the risk manager for any section of the ERM process.

Name Term
David Gondek June 2022 - May 2024

The Parking and Traffic Appeals Board is an independent body of faculty, staff, and students who are charged with providing fair and equitable due process for people receiving Ithaca College parking and traffic citations.

The faculty representative serves a two year term on both Appeals & Policy

Name Term
Chee Ng June 2022 - May 2024