3. Organization & Governance
Description
The governance design of Capital Community College has three components: the systemwide twelve-college Board of Trustees and Central Office, the College’s own administrative organization, and the College’s internal participatory governance system. This design operates within a framework of employee responsibilities and working conditions determined by collective bargaining agreements between the Board of Trustees and defined employee groups. Through the interaction of the three governance components, all members of the college community may contribute to the College Mission of maintaining an environment committed to “learning and teaching, the collegial process, cultural enrichment, and the respectful and vigorous dialogue which nourishes active participation and service to the community.”
The primary governing authority for Capital Community College resides with the Board of Trustees which sets policy for the entire Connecticut Community College system. In 1992, the merger of the State’s Community College and Technical College systems under Public Act 89-260 (Exhibit 3.1) gave rise to the present governing Board of Trustees. The primary function of the Board of Trustees is to establish policies for the development and maintenance of the educational programs and services of the community colleges (Exhibit 3.2a). This board consists of eighteen members, sixteen of whom, including the Chair, are appointed by the Governor for six-year terms. Two trustees are elected by the system’s technical and non-technical students in alternating years for two-year terms. A statutory requirement ensures that the members be representative of various counties and serve the public interest within the community college system. The Board has a system of internal as well as external evaluation regarding their members and policies. Further, a thorough review of Board documents is undertaken on an ongoing basis to enable the Board to improve “its efficient and effective leadership of the Community-Technical College system.” (Exhibit 3.3)
The roles and responsibilities of the Board of Trustees include establishing policies and taking action as needed on matters such as the following: plans for the continuing development of the community college system; personnel policies for the recruitment, appointment, evaluation, tenure, compensation, dismissal, professional improvement and assignment of duties of all unclassified personnel; determining the needs of individual colleges for physical plants and budgets; and presenting such needs to appropriate commissions and agencies of the state government. Board policies are disseminated and overseen by the Chancellor of the statewide system, the Board’s Chief Executive Officer, and the administrative officers within the Chancellor’s office. The Chancellor bears responsibility for the proper functioning of the Board and its committees and works with the twelve college presidents, conveying all Board policies and revisions. Under the direction of the Chancellor, college presidents are the chief executive officers of their institutions. They participate as nonvoting members on Board committees, make recommendations on policy and procedural matters, and communicate with the Board chairperson and other Board members on matters of concern to their respective campuses (Exhibit 3.2a). The Board performs an annual review of the Chancellor and of the President of the College.
The Board of Trustees has established guidelines and principles that provide the framework for implementation of its outcomes-focused processes for decision making and policy formation, and for continuing self evaluation. Board meetings are held monthly, usually at the Central Office except for the months of March, April, June, July, October and November, when meetings are held at one of the community colleges. Board meeting schedules and information are available on their website (Exhibit 3.4).
Board policy also provides for “communication from constituents within the community college system on specific matters of concern to the community colleges generally.” In addition, the President, on behalf of the College, may submit to the Chancellor or the appropriate Board committees, information of an emergency nature or resolutions for Board action (Exhibit 3.2b).
The Board recognizes the importance of ensuring that revenues are available to meet recurring expenditure requirements, so that instructional services, student support services, and community services can be maintained at a quality level that reflects current academic and technological standards and requirements (Exhibit 3.2c). College and system budgets are programmed to ensure that unrestricted net asset balances are maintained at zero except as necessary to ensure the availability of sufficient unrestricted net assets to cover outstanding encumbrances and to maintain the required current asset/liability ratio (Exhibit 3.2d). The generation and use of operating budget resources are monitored throughout the year and adjusted as necessary to maintain spending levels within the limits of actual resources available (Exhibit 3.2e).
At Capital Community College, the campus administration, as outlined in the foregoing Organizational Charts, comprises the President, the four deans, the Director of Human Resources, and the academic department chairs. The President of the College has the responsibility of implementing Board policies and maintaining open lines of communication between the Board and the college community as well as between the Board and the community at large. He is responsible for the financial and academic welfare of the College and addresses community needs and initiatives of all faculty, staff, students and administrators. The President is advised by the deans, the College Senate (the leading organ of the collegiate governance structure), the Student Senate (the unifying organ of student government), and other official advisory groups. The President conducts weekly management team meetings with the deans and the Director of Human Resources. The management team assists the President in implementing policies of the Board. The President also conducts monthly Executive Committee meetings where critical issues affecting the College are discussed and information is disseminated. The Executive Committee includes the President, deans, division directors, and academic department chairs. The President conducts monthly “all-College meetings” to ensure effective communication with the full college community.
The four deans and the Director of Human Resources assist the President in promoting and maintaining a sound collegial environment. This management team meets monthly to consider key issues of college policy. At the direction of the President, the deans review and implement most policies and procedures within the College. The Academic Dean is responsible for the development of all academic programs, credit-granting certificate programs, grading, professional development of faculty, and evaluation of teaching faculty when appropriate. The Dean of Administration serves as the chief fiscal officer of the College, responsible for preparing the annual budget and for the administration of the financial, purchasing and security operations of the College. He also supervises the College’s classified personnel, food services, bookstore, computer services and plant maintenance. The Dean of Student Services develops and manages activities and services that assist students in achieving their educational goals, including placement testing, admissions, registration, counseling, financial aid, and student activities. The Dean of Continuing Education and Community Services assesses, plans, and coordinates all aspects of continuing education and community services in cooperation with local, state and federal agencies as well as with professional groups, businesses, labor advisory groups and other providers of education and training.
In academic program development, the division of responsibilities between the College and the Board of Trustees is clearly delineated in the Board Policy Manual (Exhibit 3.2f). The Academic Dean, who reports directly to the President, works with department chairs, directors, and program coordinators to ensure integrity of all instructional programs. Programs are developed by College faculty, recommended for approval by campus-level participatory governance committees, and approved by the President. Then the Board’s Standing Committee on Academic Policies and Student Affairs reviews any action regarding the following: approval or review of new associate degree and certificate programs; new program options; modifications, or terminations or programs; and off-campus programs. This committee makes recommendations which go to the full Board for final approval.
Internally, the College Governance System is designed to provide an efficient and effective channel of communication among faculty, staff, students and administration. The purpose of this system is to enable the College to achieve and maintain excellence in its undertakings. Internal governance activities include, but are not limited to, setting policies on a wide range of issues: curriculum and academic standards; collegewide budget allocations; registration and graduation procedures; recruitment and retention activities. The system fosters participation in the decision-making processes that enable the College to accomplish its mission.
The governance system consists of the College Senate and five standing committees: College Affairs; Faculty, Staff, and Student Development; Curriculum and Academic Policy; Information Resources Management; and Diversity. The standing committees report to the College Senate, which has approval authority. Membership in the College Senate and standing committees is open to all full-time employees, and collegewide elections are held each year. Governance committees typically meet monthly, and their minutes and agendas are distributed via email or the web. All meetings are open to all members of the college community. A complete description of College Senate and standing committee responsibilities and membership categories is given in the Governance System By-Laws (Exhibit 3.5).
The College Senate is the forum for final discussion on policies or resolutions before recommendation to the President. It is also the body which approves academic program changes and new programs. The recommendations are forwarded to the College President for his review. Policies approved by the College Senate become college policy unless modified by the President, who will communicate any modifications or responses to the College Senate by its next regular meeting.
Faculty members exert formative influence and limited control over academic and curricular matters. Faculty propose changes in academic policies or curriculum initiatives within their academic departments. Proposals go to the Curriculum and Academic Policy Committee and thence to the Senate, which forwards its recommendation to the President. Faculty influence over academic policies and initiatives is limited to the programs of Capital Community College, which must conform with the larger structures set by the Central Office. Through the Academic Dean, Capital Community College faculty are represented in systemwide decisions. The Academic Dean meets regularly with counterparts from the other eleven colleges in the system where key academic decisions are made.
Student involvement in the internal college governance system is deemed essential. The Governance System By-laws provide for student representation on two critical standing committees: the College Affairs Committee, which assesses campus needs, and the Faculty,
Staff and Student Development Committee, which addresses the needs of the staff and students in professional development activities.
The internal governance system provides for its own assessment and improvement through the mechanism of a By-laws Review Committee, which can be established when needed to address problems with the governance system and to keep pace with changes in the college community. This review process can be invoked at any time to maintain the currency and viability of the governance system.
Collective bargaining agreements form a background and framework for the operation of Capital Community College’s governance design. Separate agreements cover professional (unclassified) and classified staff. The faculty and counselors of the former Hartford State Technical College are members of the Federation of Technical College Teachers division of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) while administrators of the former Technical College are covered by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Faculty, administrators, librarians and counselors of the former Greater Hartford Community College are covered by a contract with the Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges (4C’s). The College has been working toward proportional representation of union membership. Thus, when new employees are hired, they are placed into unions relatively randomly to ensure proportional membership. This multiple-union interaction is a defining factor in many policy issues at the systemwide governance level, and the duality of faculty union membership is a particular challenge for governance at Capital Community College.
Appraisal
Capital Community College ’s internal governance system was collegially developed and contains strong mechanisms for reevaluation and growth. It is considered a model for other community colleges, and it has served the College well through various changes. It is presently recovering from the College’s 2002 downtown move, the distractions of which caused some attrition in participation on governance committees. While the move to a unified campus solved a critical earlier problem of integrating staff located on two separate campuses, residual differences between the two faculty unions continued to provide challenges. Chief among them from the point of view of governance was a difference in the way workload was balanced between courses and additional collegewide responsibilities. This discouraged participation in governance among members of one of the unions, thereby unevenly distributing both voice and responsibility. A contract agreement reached in the spring of 2006 has cleared the way for rebalancing workloads, thereby enabling members of both unions to participate in governance equally. (For details, see Standard 5.)
Communication among levels of the internal governance structure is good. The College Senate uses its website to distribute the Senate agenda and minutes to everyone on campus. Senate and standing committee meetings are open to all staff, whose input is welcome. A calendar of Senate and standing committee meeting dates, times and locations is published in an effort to include everyone. However, in some cases, publication delays have interfered with full participation.
Two standing committees of the College Senate include students, who are encouraged to participate in decisions and to bring proposals. If the committee approves a student proposal,
it is forwarded within the normal approval process to the Senate and onward. Although some student requests may not be fulfilled because of budgetary or personnel constraints, such requests are taken seriously at each level. Unfortunately, students are sometimes unable to follow through on their commitments, and better communication is needed to remind students about meeting times and the importance of their committee service.
Perhaps the most pressing internal governance concern is the failure of some committees to function as intended. This is particularly true of the Information Resources Management Committee (IRMC), which should be the vehicle for campus wide IT plans. The committee’s decline began with the hurried preparations for the downtown move, which bypassed the committee process. After the move, the demands on the IT department have been such that the IRMC Chair was unable to convene meetings. The self-study process has revealed collegewide discontent with the resulting lack of IT effectiveness, and the President has responded by renewing the committee’s charge and impressing on its members the urgency of technology assessment and planning. In addition, the Diversity Committee became inactive during the period surrounding the move, and the President has made a commitment to revive it.
The college administration and the governance system have worked well together on most issues, but there remain a few areas of longstanding tension. One relates to the appointment of special committees. The most recent example arose when the current President appointed an ad hoc Strategic Planning Committee. He included members of some governance committees, but did not link strategic planning explicitly with governance. A collegewide survey prompted by the self-study process identified general concern about the lack of formal governance participation in strategic planning. The President first addressed this concern by appointing Senate members to the Strategic Planning Committee and by designating one of them to serve as co-chair of the Committee. The President and the Senate have now agreed that when the ad hoc committee's work is finished, ongoing strategic planning and review will be adopted by a standing committee of the governance structure reconstituted for that purpose.
Another area of tension concerns the exclusion of the governance system from college budget decisions, along with a lack of Senate input at administrative meetings. Here, too, the self-study process has provided a focus on the problem, and the new President, who brings a history of working within a governance system, has agreed to invite a Senate representative to monthly Executive Committee meetings. These two examples indicate that the governance of the College now fully supports the mission of fostering an “environment committed to. . . the collegial process. . . and respectful and vigorous dialogue.”
Projection
To build on the successes of the internal College Governance System, several actions lie ahead.
- The Senate Chair will publicize activities of the College Senate and its standing committees in a more timely and systematic matter. The chairs of standing committees that include student members will make a systematic effort to remind students of meetings and to assure that meetings are attractive and welcoming to students.
- The Senate will continue to investigate barriers to full participation on subcommittees, with a particular focus on restoring the vigor of the IRMC and the Diversity Committee.
- The President will foster wider participation in operational decisions through Senate participation in Executive Committee meetings and through the return of strategic planning to the collegial governance structure. The Senate will collaborate in institutionalizing formal governance participation in the ongoing processes of strategic planning and related budgeting.
Exhibits
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