We believe our institution is at its strongest and most successful when all stakeholders have appropriate opportunities to participate actively in our shared governance processes. To enable such stakeholder participation, Pomona College has adopted a set of decision-making principles (detailed below) and protocols (detailed in our decision matrix) that inform and guide collaborative shared governance.
Shared governance at Pomona College is the practice of decision making through clearly defined processes that give voice to campus stakeholder groups. It is a joint responsibility between the Board of Trustees, administration, faculty, staff, and students where information regarding governance questions is broadly shared, input from impacted constituencies is solicited and fully considered, and resulting decisions are respected and recognized as serving the best interest of the institution.
Foundational to shared governance at Pomona are the formal self-governance bodies representing the Faculty (Executive Committee), Staff (Staff Council), and Students (ASPC). These groups not only address issues specific to their constituencies, but also contribute valuable perspectives to the Board and Administration. Additionally, they participate in the process of deliberation and decision-making by nominating representatives to various shared governance entities, including standing committees and ad hoc task forces.
Decision-making at Pomona College is guided by the following principles:
Core Principles
Respect for all people: Each of us should act with personal integrity and empathy towards others as we work together. We recognize that the best way to make and implement decisions involves careful consideration of a range of perspectives; to ensure those perspectives are shared and considered, we should respect one another and engage carefully—critically yet charitably—with others’ perspectives. We attribute best intentions while issues are being deliberated and when final decisions are determined.
Respect for all positions: Recognizing that stakeholders, as individuals and as groups, will bring richly varied experience and expertise, we encourage inclusive participation even as we acknowledge that the formal positions of certain stakeholders make them responsible for particular decisions or actions.
Operating Principles
College-focused: Our collaborative shared governance efforts—and the decision-making that takes place at all levels—are best accomplished when we all understand how our deliberations and decisions are aligned with the mission of the College.
Clear protocols: Our decision-making should be structured by clearly-articulated and widely-available protocols and procedures—such as the decision matrix, college bylaws, faculty handbook, and student code and handbook. These should be known to all stakeholders in advance and appropriately followed both by those consulting and those being consulted.
Communication: Regular and effective communication is the foundation of consultation and appropriately collaborative decision-making. Communication will unfold across a variety of mediums and will move in all directions among stakeholders. Regular communication from leaders should include appropriate guidance on the commitments and the constraints that are guiding our thinking; particular communication will offer more robust rationales and invite appropriate feedback from relevant stakeholders.
Consultation: Although each decision will be the responsibility of a particular individual or group, their decision should be made after appropriate consultation with relevant stakeholders. While decisions must often be made within a range of legal, privacy, resource, or time constraints, every effort should be made to convey the commitments, constraints, rationales and tradeoffs to those stakeholders with adequate time allotted for their consideration, questioning, and response.
Continuous improvement: The decisions the College make should be evaluated regularly to ensure they are in line with both the decision matrix and the principles detailed above.