Revised Proposal for a New Shared Governance Model

TO: UMD Campus Community



RE: Revised Proposal for a New Shared Governance Model



Attached you will find the most recent revised proposal for a new shared governance structure for UMD. The proposal is based upon feedback we received from faculty, staff, and students since the last proposal was distributed on March 22. We will discuss this latest proposal at the Campus Assembly meeting on May 14, and it will be voted on by Campus Assembly members soon after that meeting.



Some people have asked why we need to keep voting on a change in campus governance and why only members of the Campus Assembly can vote. Our current Campus Assembly governance structure is imbedded in the UMD constitution, and the constitution is referenced in the UEA Collective Bargaining Agreement. Any change in the constitution requires a two-thirds vote of the members of Campus Assembly. Even though the actions of the Campus Assembly are advisory actions to the chancellor, the chancellor cannot unilaterally change or void UMD's constitution. A change can only be made by a two-thirds vote of the current Assembly members.



You will note that this latest proposal returns to a system of voting membership on all committees. Although some people liked the non-voting aspects of the March 22 proposal, there was significant opposition to a system that eliminates voting from the work of the committees. We can make this voting system work well, if we focus on a collaborative shared governance process that values diverse opinions.



The attached documents include: 1) committee descriptions and membership, 2) the comparison of representatives in the current and proposed structure, and 3) a new graphic display of the proposed structure. Please review these documents and contact me or a member of the Campus Assembly if you have questions or comments. A list of the Campus Assembly members and our current constitution may be found at: http://www.d.umn.edu/committees/



The Campus Assembly meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 14th at 2:00 p.m. in the Kirby Ballroom. There will be a social beginning at 1:30. After this Assembly meeting, we will conduct another vote of the Assembly membership, using the same electronic voting process we used before. It is important that every member of Campus Assembly vote. Since we need two-thirds of the membership to approve the constitutional change, if you do not vote or if you abstain, it's the same as a "No" vote.



Thank you again for your input and for your interest in having an effective and collaborative shared governance process at UMD.

<Governance Comparison of current and proposed 0Governance Structure 050813.pdf50813-1.pdfGovernance Comparison of current and proposed 050813-1.pdfCommittee Descriptions and Membership 050813.docx