I -- THE COLLEGE'S RESPONSE TO COMMISSION CONCERNS

A. College Governance.

1. The Concern. The Commission's letter of May 6, 1993 states need for

...the development and implementation of a clearly articulated and comprehensive governance structure with appropriate rules for and recognition of authority by the board of trustees, president, faculty, students, and staff for decision-making consistent with the mission and philosophy of the college.

It is Goddard's understanding that the commission viewed the college's governance as unstable because several governance systems had been developed and only briefly implemented before another was proposed. Thus there resulted a lack of clarity and some conflict about the authority of the president, other administrators, standing committees, the faculty, campus students, and off-campus students. Goddard also understands that the Commission had been concerned about lack of clarity among trustees as to their role in the day-to-day operation of the college's educational programs, which had been a problem in the past. Partly as a consequence of the above issues, the Commission also has expressed concern about turnover in the administration.

There was concern expressed by community members about the lack of clarity about how decisions were made and communicated, and a certain "ad hocism" by which the college governed itself. Goddard had a complex system of committees, most with elected representation by students, staff, and faculty, and despite such forms of participation, which are unusual in most colleges, many members of

the community felt disempowered by the lack of clarity and definition in the governance system.

In light of those understandings, and with reference to the Commission's Standard Three, the Governance Task Force and others have clarified the responsibilities, prerogatives, and functions of the persons and groups who make up the Goddard community. In so doing, it has been the college's understanding that the Commission was not prescribing one or another governance plan, but rather, Goddard was being asked to articulate a plan consistent with its values and traditions, which we have done (Appendix A).

2. College Actions. Early in 1993, the Board of Trustees created a Task Force on Governance that included elected students, faculty, and staff as well as trustees. That Task Force in turn created a faculty-student-staff Committee on Lines of Authority in the Fall of 1993 to address detailed questions about campus governance, chiefly the relationship between the faculty and the administration.

The Report of the Governance Task Force... describes the governance plan of the college, which also contains the improvements made this year to define lines of authority and responsibility. The report sets forth the philosophical principles undergirding Goddard's commitment to shared governance, describes the major governing bodies and committees of the college and their powers, describes how and where major decisions are made, describes a formal procedure for amending and improving the governance plan,

and includes changes in college bylaws approved by the trustees that help implement the changes described above.

The work of the Task Force has been both difficult and diligent. Questions and arguments about the requirements and responsibilities of an incorporated and accredited college, the essential nature of, and need for, institutional governance, the uses and abuses of authority, and how best to educate for democratic citizenship occupied many hours. Several drafts were prepared, criticized, and redrawn, resulting finally in a report subscribed to by all Task Force members, the faculty, and the administration.

The outcomes of the Task Force's work, presented to the Board of Trustees at its February 19-20, 1994 meeting, and currently incorporated in the governance of the college, include:

1. Clear statements of the authority delegated to the president by the board, the authority delegated by the president to other senior administrators and to the standing committees or other groups with which those administrators make their decisions, and the shared delegation of authority that may be made to an individual and the committee she or he chairs;

2. Descriptions of the membership of the standing committees and their responsibilities; and

3. The decision-making process by which administrators and committees make decisions.

The governance system at Goddard has been amended and clarified, and its effectiveness thus improved, to the point at which it does truly "facilitate the successful accomplishment of [Goddard's] mission and purposes" and "sustains an environment that encourages teaching, learning, [and] scholarship." A few examples of the improvements are:

1. Decision-making is now by "consent" in the Board of Trustees, its operating committees, the faculty, and other governance groups, meaning that unless well-reasoned arguments against accepting a formal proposal made to the group are supported by a majority, the proposal is accepted. This assumes that the proposal has been developed with adequate consultation, so that consent is to be expected;

2. The roles and authority of the four trustee standing committees have been clarified and stated;

3. The membership, role, and authority of the College Executive Committee have been clarified and stated; and

4. The authority of the core faculty, of the lead faculty, and of the faculty working groups for each program have been defined and stated.

3. College Exhibits that will be available for inspection by the visiting team include the report of the trusteee appointed Task Force on Governance. A revised Student Handbook, to be published Fall, 1994, makes clear the rules, regulations, policies, and criteria that govern continued enrollment in and graduation from the college, and who is responsible for enforcing them. It will further document the areas of delegated authority as they relate to the college's educational programs. A revised Employee Handbook setting forth the conditions and criteria for continued employment at the college and how those are implemented, also in preparation for Fall, 1994, will similarly document lines of authority in relation to the non-academic aspects of the college's operation. Persons who will be available for interviews during the visit include members of the Governance Task Force as well as senior administrators, trustees, staff, and students.