Shared Governance Committee

Institutional Vision and Values
Coppin State University will enter the twenty-first century and its second century of operation committed to a core set of values which embrace participation, diversity, and organization. The power and effectiveness of the institution are enhanced because the College values:

1. employees and students actively participating in any discussion or decision affecting them;
2. diversity in perspectives leading to a deeper understanding of organizational reality and an enriched knowledge base for decision making;
3. employees and students resolving conflict in a healthy way that leads to stronger solutions for complex issues;
4. employees and students reflecting on their own and other’s thinking in order to achieve better organizational decisions;
5. employees and students acknowledging mistakes and learning from them;
6. employees and students who recognize the three functions of an institution of higher education (instruction, research, and service) and understand the primacy of instruction (teaching);
7. employees and students who recognize the importance of the students and their centrality to the College environment.

These values are based on the power of the organization as a whole and reflect the University’s commitment to the Board of Reagents’ Policy on Shared Governance in the University of Maryland System (B.O.R. 1 – 6.00 – 1)

Responsibility
The Shared Governance Committee is responsible for:

• being informed on issues confronting higher education, the University System of Maryland, and the University;
• recognizing the individual goals and needs of the University and the differentiating roles played by various units in decision-making and administration;
• acting as liaison and information conduit between the President, the Executive Committee, and the various campus constituencies to facilitate the free exchange of information to assist in the decision-making process but also to be responsible for informing appropriate constituencies in a timely manner when the University leaders choose to reject, in whole or part, the advice and recommendations of those constituencies recognizing that while participation by faculty, staff, and students in governance is necessary and important, the final responsibility for decision-making rests with institutional presidents, the Chancellor, or the Board of Regents who are ultimately accountable by the public and its elected leaders.