Shared Governance

 Shared governance refers to the formal and informal decision-making responsibilities assigned to the Board of Trustees, the administration, faculty, staff, and students at an institution of higher learning. At Ithaca College, all members of the community are dedicated to the education and wellbeing of the student body, as well as the fiscal health of the institution. Although caring for the college and its students is a collective concern, under a shared governance model, and as prescribed in the College’s Charter, authority over certain decisions is the domain of discrete members of the community.   At Ithaca College, the Board of Trustees is entrusted with ultimate legal and fiduciary authority over the institution. The Board delegates operational leadership to the President and holds the President accountable for enacting the mission and routine functioning of the college.  The President, as leader of the administrative body, is responsible for developing the campus vision, strategic priorities, operating and capital budgets, and implementing as well as maintaining major initiatives and decisions for the college. Additionally, the President delegates to the Cabinet leadership responsibilities for major areas of the campus.   Each member of the Cabinet (which includes the Provost, the Vice-Presidents, and the Deans of the Schools) is responsible for the effective operation of the area delegated to them, and for aligning activities with the needs of the campus as a whole.  Depending on the issue, all constituents (faculty, staff, and students) may have a formal consulting role or an informal advisory role in other vital decision making at the college. The faculty has primary recommending responsibility for the curriculum and academic standards, including tenure and promotion.  Please refer to the following chart for the shared governance expectations for the Board of Trustees, President, Cabinet, Faculty, and Staff.  

The Ithaca College community—consisting of faculty, administrators, staff and students—is vigorously committed to the principles of shared governance. Shared governance refers to the formal and informal decision-making responsibilities assigned to the various constituencies within an institution of higher learning. At Ithaca College, all members of the community are dedicated to the education and wellbeing of the student body, as well as to the health and vitality of the institution, and their collaborative efforts serve that common goal.   

Caring for the college and its students is a collective concern. Under a shared governance model and as prescribed in the College’s Charter, authority over certain decisions is the responsibility of different members of the community, depending on the decision. The Board of Trustees is entrusted with ultimate legal and fiduciary authority over the institution. The Board delegates operational leadership to the President, who in turn delegates to the Cabinet (consisting of the Provost, the Vice-Presidents, and the Deans) leadership responsibility for major areas of the campus. The Ithaca College faculty holds primary responsibility for the curriculum as well as for academic standards.  

Depending on the issue, all constituents within the institution may have a formal consulting role or an informal advisory role in other vital decision-making at the college. At the heart of shared governance is a mutual commitment to substantial conversations and partnerships among key constituencies. 

Full details of our governance system can be found in The Ithaca College Policy Manual, Volume I: Governance, and the chart below summarizes the shared governance expectations for the Board of Trustees, President, Cabinet, Faculty, and Staff.  

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. 

Full details of our governance system can be found in The Ithaca College Policy Manual, Volume I: Governance; please refer to the shared governance chart below detailing the process and roles for Board of Trustees, Administration, Faculty, Staff and Students.